Bayley has reflected on the evolution of women’s wrestling in WWE and what she would like to see more of in the future.
8 years on from WWE announcing that there would be a women’s evolution in the company, the division underwent a gradual shift where the female stars would receive the same opportunities as the men including PPV main events and their own Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble matches each year.
While the company has made a lot of progress and fans have become much more invested in storylines, the Women’s Champion believes that there is still work to do. Speaking with Cody Rhodes on What Do You Want to Talk About, Bayley stated that there were a lot of athletes who were a part of the Diva’s era that never got the opportunity to showcase their skills and how the company’s recruiting process has changed in recent years:
“Sometimes when we talk about the Divas Era people think it’s a knock on it, which it’s not. You still had so many talented women in that era that just honestly didn’t get the time to show what they could do, but they could do everything. We would have everyone come down to NXT and work with us, they got the time and showcased what they can do. It was more based off of, and this just off being in NXT for a few years, they would hire athletes based with a certain look and now I think it’s more we are looking for talent and people who are going to have longevity here and people can add to it.
You still get a bit of she’s got a good look, let’s see if she can handle in the ring. It’s still a bit of everything but we have such a good foundation and so many women that still haven’t had the opportunity to show what they can do.”
Continuing, the SmackDown star added that she wanted to see more storylines featured on TV that are not just about the championships so that the wrestlers are able to showcase their range of talents:
“Of course we still want a little more time, whether that’s TV time or that’s storyline time that’s not connected to a championship. The stuff that they are doing with Liv, Dom and Rhea right now is such good stuff that I wish we could do more of in the women’s division where it’s not always based on a championship. More personal stories and show a different side of the girls. The more that we can show the women interact with each other or with the guys and show different sides of us I think can show the range that we have.
It doesn’t have to be wrestling, it doesn’t always have to be match time, it doesn’t always have to be the number of matches. I think the more that they can show who we are and show our characters and embrace that a little bit more it would be helpful. But we have so many girls on Raw, SmackDown and NXT that I don’t think its a talent issue right now, it’s just let us show you who we are.”
When asked who is one star who deserves more of the spotlight and their moment, Bayley noted that Candice LeRae is a star who will deliver when the time comes.
Recently, Bayley has been praised by a former WWE star for making a moment with a Hall of Famer happen.
Bayley Addresses Major WWE Announcement
At Money in the Bank, the Toronto crowd were surprised as John Cena made an unannounced appearance at the event. While the fans were happy to see the Hollywood star, John Cena went on to say that WrestleMania 41 would be his last. Speaking in a separate interview, Bayley gave her thoughts on the massive announcement.
During the same interview, Bayley called for WWE Evolution to return.
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