“That seems like a phrase that could never have been said, not even two years ago,” Bayley confessed in an interview with Uncrowned.
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To raise the curtain, Bayley addresses her upcoming Women’s Intercontinental Championship match against AJ Lee, scheduled for Monday on “WWE Raw.” It will be far from Bayley’s first championship match (it won’t even be her first match against the recently returned Lee) but, in many ways, it is the culmination of how hard Bayley and many others have worked to get women’s wrestling to where it is today.
“(The women’s division) is definitely the strongest it’s ever been, and that says a lot,” Bayley said. “I grew up wanting to do this based on how amazing the women were in the Attitude Era with Trish, Lita, Gail Kim, Victoria, Molly Holly. Right now, I think we have a very strong divide, with women coming from all over the world, from different backgrounds; it’s really cool to think that we have something or someone for everyone. We’re all a little bit different and I think that’s what attracts such a big audience.”
Trish Stratus and Lita aside, Bayley is part of perhaps the most influential group of women in the history of professional wrestling, The Four Horsewomen. Alongside Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Moné), the quartet helped usher in a new era for the sport in the mid-2010s, coined the Women’s Revolution.
It also coincided with the first time Lee and Bayley met in a WWE ring. Lee, the Divas Champion at the time, defended her title against Bayley in the early days of NXT, WWE’s developmental brand.
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“As someone who worked with AJ, 13 years ago for the Divas Championship, to now be there for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, it’s like a totally different world,” Bayley said. “It feels like it’s meant to be, she’s been a great friend to me all these years she’s been away. She can still go, which is so upsetting because of how good she still is in the ring. I’m just thrilled.”
Lee, who was one of the most influential and popular figures at the beginning of the Women’s Revolution, was absent from WWE for more than a decade. Her departure in 2015 meant she watched most of women’s wrestling’s rise from the sidelines, as stars like Bayley helped take the division (and the industry) to new heights.
(WWE via Getty Images)
There was the change from the Divas Championship back to the Women’s Championship. Four new titles were introduced, including the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. There were WrestleMania main events and premium live events dedicated just to women. There was the rise of global superstars like Lynch and Rhea Ripley, who individually could lay claim to being WWE’s biggest stars, male or female, for significant periods.
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The changes Bayley helped bring about, usher in, and uplift not only planted the seed for future generations, but lit a fire in an older generation.
“For me, lately, what’s been the real testament is seeing the Bellas come back, seeing AJ Lee come back and wanting to be a part of this, blending in with us, even being a little intimidated, wanting to up her game,” Bayley said.
“It’s cool because when we were growing and when we were trying to build the division, we were thinking about the present, how big we wanted to make it at that time and how much we wanted to inspire the future. We never really considered that people from the past would want to come back to be a part of this. I think it’s been like a cherry on top of the work we did.”
As excited as she is to face Lee for the first time in 13 years, it’s not hard to also see the excitement in Bayley when she talks about the future of the division and the business. Bayley earned this opportunity against Lee by winning a 37-minute match against five other women last Monday. In a match with names like Asuka, Iyo Sky, Lyra Valkyria and Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley’s work with Ivy Nile is what stood out.
Bayley with an elbow to Ivy Nile in the Womans Gauntlet Match during “WWE Raw.”
(WWE via Getty Images)
“Selfishly I wanted to be in that match with her and I was hoping that we could cross paths in that match, because we had never wrestled before,” Bayley said. “I’ve watched Ivy grow. She has dark matches every week or she’s in the Main Event every week. Every time, she gets better. Every time, she comes back asking for feedback and whatever anyone gives her, I watch her do it the next week. That, to me, says a lot about a person, about an artist or athlete. Her crazy body aside, we know how strong she is and her work ethic is wild, I love seeing her growth. Being in the ring with her really showed how much she’s been putting the feedback into play. “I really hope we can get back there, she is really someone who deserves to be in the conversation to be nominated for the championship.”
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In addition to working with budding stars in WWE, Bayley is preparing to teach her second Lodestone wrestling seminar. The first, held in Orlando in December, got such a “crazy” and positive response from the community that she is overwhelmed, in a good way.
“I’m still figuring this all out, taking baby steps,” Bayley said. “I think it was a very good response and the women who were there in the first one, all 22 of them, have been sharing their experience in interviews, in their posts and in our group chat. Just hearing what it meant to them and how they can spread the knowledge that they have learned, people on the outside are seeing it. People want to be a part of this, not just because they could meet John Cena or fight against him, I think it’s the community that really brings people together. “People want to be a part of something special and real because in this wrestling world, sometimes that’s hard to do.”
It also provides a tool that didn’t exist for Bayley, or many of this generation’s biggest female stars when they were breaking into the industry. For many, it wasn’t until Shimmer emerged in the mid-2000s that there was a promotion dedicated to women’s wrestling, and as independent wrestler Nicole Matthews told Uncrowned in an interview last year, it was no surprise that that talent, including Bayley, was funneled into NXT.
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“I’ve never been to a wrestling seminar, which sounds crazy,” Bayley said. “Being from the Bay Area and California, I just wasn’t offered and I just didn’t have any women in my area, so I didn’t have any mentors until I got to Shimmer. I had Serena Deeb who really helped me there and all the women there. It’s something I feel like we really needed and it was an idea I had a few years ago.”
In many ways, Lodestone is a descendant of Shimmer. There may be an expansion to include up-and-coming male wrestlers, but for now there is a uniqueness that adds to the intensity and appeal at the same time.
“I think being able to be surrounded by so many women who want the same thing, it’s something special to keep it all women in that moment,” Bayley said. “There are so many women who want to improve themselves and help each other. For me, women’s hunger is much stronger right now than men’s. I will say that with pride and that’s what drives it. It’s not me, it’s women who want to be better.”
Even as her feud with Lee looms, there is a shadow the size of Allegiant Stadium casting over Bayley and the entire WWE. With WrestleMania just a few weeks away, a win on Monday night could go a long way toward securing a spot on the card for WWE’s biggest event of the year.
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Throughout countless character changes, Bayley has always had a strong connection with fans, who are as informed as ever and aware of last year’s disappointment at not being on the WrestleMania 41 card.
“Even when I dive into these different characters, there’s always a very real part of me that’s a part of that character,” Bayley said. “I try to tell them my struggles and my accomplishments. It’s really hard to explain because it’s a natural connection and something I’ve had since I’ve been in NXT. I think they can tell when something is fake, when you’re calling it out or when you’re not really feeling something. I’ve always done my best to let them know how I feel in every situation.”
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Bayley sees “three possibilities” to reach WrestleMania 42. The most direct seems to be defeating Lee and winning her first Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Lynch, Bayley’s longtime Four Horsewomen running mate, is lurking in the title picture and may be a factor. Bayley has also worked alongside Lyra Valkyria in a months-long tag team relationship, and there could be an avenue into a subdivision she helped turn into one of WWE’s most intriguing.
“What I learned last year is that the only thing I can control is being prepared,” he said. “I was ready last year and that really helped my mindset going into this year. I honestly feel like the door is wide open.”
Regardless of the outcome, Monday’s game marks a moment that a year ago was nothing more than fantasy reserve at its finest, and a decade ago perhaps downright impossible. Bayley will not only be the challenger, but will serve as a connection through the past, present and future of women’s wrestling, as she always has.