Bayley’s first singles match at WrestleMania was a memorable one.
Defeating Iyo Sky on night 2 of WrestleMania 40, the former leader of Damage CTRL pinned the Genius of the Sky to become the new Women’s World Champion.
Bayley and Iyo Sky clashed, in what Dave Meltzer described as a STARDOM style main event, with the former ‘Hugger’ picking up the win after a barrage of offence culminating in a Bayley-to-Belly followed by a Rose Plant & Elbow Drop combination to pick up the win.
There was no outside interference as Iyo Sky looked to dispose of her former stablemate single handily, a decision the now former Women’s Champion will surely regret.
The new Women’s Champion earned the opportunity to challenge for the title at WrestleMania after being victorious in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. The rest of Damage CTRL was delighted with the result and assumed that Bayley would choose Rhea Ripley as her champion of choice so that the faction would be draped in gold. However, plans quickly unravelled when the former leader called out Sky and the rest of the group for making fun of her and jumped the group before they had their chance to attack.
With Bayley being victorious in Philadelphia, the success rate of the Women’s Royal Rumble is now 5 out of 7. The only 2 Superstars to not win the title on the grandest stage following their Rumble victory were Asuka in 2018 and Ronda Rousey in 2022.
Bayley Finally Gets Her WrestleMania Moment
Unlike the other 3 Horsewomen of WWE, Bayley has never been in a one-on-one match Mania main event at the Show of Shows. Continually in tag team matches or battle royals, the new Women’s Champion has finally been given a major singles match and title victory after being overlooked for so long.
Back in 2021, the SmackDown star was left off the card entirely and instead briefly hosted the event before being taken out by The Bella Twins. Ahead of her Royal Rumble victory, Bayley admitted that she was “heartbroken” about being left off the card. Many fans were in agreement with this considering the excellent work she did during the no-fans era.
In May 2024, Bayley addressed the Queen of the Ring tournament.