Wrestling Forum banner

I want to show you what kind of corner they've booked themselves in with Bayley now...

7K views 88 replies 49 participants last post by  Wrestlefire 
#1 · (Edited)
In a realistic sense, they have three options, now, with Bayley.

Calling her up after Summerslam is of no use. That will be only six weeks after the Draft -- a Draft in which Vince McMahon and the bookers basically told the entire WWE Universe this woman (a woman who had the PWI Match of the Year (AND the First Runner-Up) last year, one of the most inspirational women in wrestling, etc. and so forth and so on...) has no value on the main roster.

They just said MOJO RAWLEY has a place at the table before her. HUH AND WHAT THE FUCK?

Battleground really is of not much use either unless they do something really forward-thinking that no one in their right mind would see Vince doing. (see below)

You've now passed up two major opportunities to shine a light on a woman that sells tons of merch, can basically be a running positive PSA for the company when they badly need it (hello, more head-injury lawsuits!!!), etc.

But, realistically, they have three options:

1) The most straightforward is that she gets her win back over Asuka and retakes the NXT Women's Title.

But WHY? What purpose, in the booking, does it serve? She should've been the first "repeat NXT champion", not The Revival. If you just had to get the belts off of American Alpha to call them up, hand them to Ellering -- remember, the Road Warriors won the National Tag Team belts in their first match with the NWA!

Basically, the only real reason you'd do this is to have Asuka and Bayley battle each other in the major places for the rest of 2016, and hope SOMEBODY finally can jump to the next level -- with Bayley showing them the way behind the scenes.

2) In what would be the most anguishing personnel decision in forever, Asuka decisively defeats Bayley at Takeover Brooklyn II -- after which Bayley is released from the company.

Yes, I think this is a real possibility.

The first part of this is the most likely possibility. It is clear that Bayley would be in the twilight of her NXT career, but the biggest problem tonight represents is that any main-roster call-up now basically gets blunted that neither company wanted her with five realistic spots available (you knew Balor would go first!!!), and that would be probably a corporate decision behind the scenes, at which point (with the complete understanding she wouldn't even make Becky Lynch levels on the main roster because of her lack of bikini body), after Asuka, she's taking a spot and, with her position on the card, has only her character left to sell tickets -- and that's not going to be enough to have Creative have anything for her.

3) As a function of explaining how far they're in a corner, let me give one alternate fantasy-booking scenario:

Battleground: Bayley is Sasha's partner, they tear down the house, Sasha gets the win over Charlotte to set up the title win at Summerslam.

Next Night on RAW: It's leaked Bayley is backstage. It's leaked during the Pre-Show that she is not welcome there. Bayley, during the show, knocks on Mick Foley's door and asks the obvious question: Why was I not drafted? Foley hems and haws, and finally admits it was Stephanie's decision. Enter Stephanie from off-screen, with security to eject Bayley, but not before basically telling Bayley she does not have The Look for WWE, and should be lucky she even is still in NXT, and if she (and not her husband) had anything to say about it (remembering NXT has a separate canon!), Bayley wouldn't have that. Punctuate with Stephanie Slap, Bayley banned from RAW arenas.

Tuesday Night on Smackdown: Repeat the process with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Bryan and McMahon would have a much harder time explaining it, but, eventually, in the interests of "We have a show to run.", eject Bayley with security, but not before a heartfelt hug from Shane and Daniel to Bayley.

Bayley is now officially The Woman No One Wants.

Back II Brooklyn: Asuka and Bayley have a great match. Bayley, with the last of her strength, Bayley-to-Belly's Asuka, but Asuka rolls out of the ring for the countout loss.

Summerslam: Sasha Banks becomes WWE Women's Champion over Charlotte.

At this point, on a periodic basis (enough to rile the fans and to keep the story relevant), Bayley is continually ejected and arrested in her efforts to get noticed and get on the main roster.

At some point in the fall on NXT: Bayley has had enough, and demands one more shot at Asuka at either the October or December Takeovers. Asuka demands Bayley put up her NXT contract and retire if she loses. Bayley does, in exchange for Asuka relinquishing the Champion's Advantage.

At that Takeover, in Full Sail, in the Main Event: Bayley wins back the NXT Women's Championship, and holds it for the remainder of the relevant period.

First RAW after the last Network Special before Mania 33: Sasha has beaten everybody. She is in the ring, on the same RAW in which the Royal Rumble winner will choose his prize. She demands competition, and then, without music, the crowd begins to stir:

Bayley is coming through the fans, NXT title belt in tow, and makes the last demand.

Sasha shoots on her and basically says you have to have the bikini body to make it: She does, Charlotte does, Becky does, Bayley does not. She orders security to force Bayley to leave, and Stephanie joins her to do so.

Then, a complication: As Mick Foley makes his way to the ring, so does HHH. In a rare meshing of his face "Father of NXT" and his heel Authority, he suggests something to Mick, who suggests it to Stephanie, who suggests it to Sasha.

To get the shot, Bayley must relinquish her NXT contract and the championship. If she loses, she retires.

The match is made for Wrestlemania. The contract signing is three weeks before. Two weeks before, a video is shown of an incident at Izzy's house (Sasha and Izzy are relatively tight in real life -- anything here would be worked out with the family and probably hugged out for a while afterward) to inflame the fans. Monday before Mania, Bayley flips out and the two have an all-over-the-arena brawl.

Wrestlemania 33: Bayley makes her main-roster debut at Wrestlemania, defeating Sasha Banks cleanly for the WWE Women's Championship, forcing the two brands to choose which one will have her.

They let her and her Huggers make the decision.

That's the kind of wall they booked Bayley into tonight.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Yeah, I am a bit salty about it, yes. I'm a big Bayley (and Izzy!) mark, yes, admitted.

But ask yourself a couple of questions: After tonight, is there any real point at bringing Bayley up at any point soon at all? You've just announced you think Nia Jax and Carmella are more ready and Mojo Rawley (and, if one rumor is to be believed, almost No Way Jose) more worthy.

You've basically announced the best Bayley might ever see is jobbing to Becky Lynch. And you all know how misused she's been!
 
#12 ·
Here's the part that I think sucks for Bayley and it has nothing to do with wrestling storylines. Isn't there a real life pay raise when you reach the main roster? I know it's been said that there surely is if you are made a Champion so I'd have to believe that going from the minor leagues to the majors would come with a pay raise also. Plus being called up also provides opportunity to make more money simply because more eyes will be on you on a worldwide scale that might not tune into NXT every week. So that right there is hugely valuable to the quality of someone's life. Right now they are depriving Bayley of that which she's earned.

Bayley being held down from a business standpoint is bullshit because she's earned the perks (worldwide television exposure) that come with a main roster spot. Putting on the most memorable women's match I've seen in perhaps the last 10 years if not one of the best matches I've ever seen should have cinched it by now.

I really hoped they at least bumped her pay up beyond what typical NXT pay is for fucking around with her call-up for so long. I can relate 100% to this situation as I've worked places where people I've literally trained got a promotion ahead of me (so I get where Natalya is too where that was her job for a while). It's the most bullshit spot to be in where a company just loves your work and quality but wants you to earn as little as possible while at the same time giving everything of yourself to improve them and their staff. Fuck that shit.
 
#49 ·
If you watched breaking ground they offer people in NXT / the PC raises. They showed a few getting called in to the office and receiving their raise.


OP. My god man. I'm arguably the biggest Bayley mark here and you're massively overreacting.



Okay, so let's play the hypothetical game. This Sunday, Sashas partner is a debuting Bayley, in front of a more hardcore crowd more likely to know her from watching NXT, that will more likely than not give her a sizeable reaction, giving her a pretty good start on the main roster. You think having her be drafted randomly, without appearing, just a name and a picture on a screen? How's this better than debuting infront of a live ppv crowd?

People wanted her when they said they were drafting an NXT woman. People are expecting her to be the partner for Sasha at BG. There is anticipation building for her debut, no doubt WWE know this. They've played this smart. I watched the draft and once I saw how it was done, I wanted her as far away from the draft as possible.

Once she is called up, be it at BG or Summerslam weekend / RAW after, she's pulling double duty. She's now in position to help the next wave of NXT women establish themselves, a role left to her and Asuka. Carmella, Bliss and Jax aren't going to carry a woman's division in NXT. The next batch are far more likely. So Bayley gets called up, pulling double duty like others before her have, and once the new women are credible and established with Asuka, Bayley leaves for good.


Not being drafted is not doom and gloom. It was the smartest decision they made about the entire draft.
 
#6 ·
Dude, the fact that she was not in the draft doesn't mean she's less important than Mojo Rawley. It means that they obviously want to keep her in NXT a little bit longer, probably 'till after Brooklyn, because she still has a rematch against Asuka.

The fact that people like Mojo or Nia Jax got called up means that they simply didn't have anything left to do in NXT. Nia lost all her important matches and she obviously wasn't going to win the championship, and Mojo wasn't going anywhere, so instead of being a jobber in NXT, he's now gonna be a jobber on SmackDown. Doesn't mean he's more ready than Bayley, Nakamura, Aries or Joe.

When Bayley gets called up, she's probably gonna get inserted directly into the title picture. Right now, it's Sasha's time, so calling Bayley up now may not be such a good idea. But who knows, there may still be a chance for her to be Sasha's partner on Battleground.
 
#8 ·
Dude, the fact that she was not in the draft doesn't mean she's less important than Mojo Rawley. It means that they obviously want to keep her in NXT a little bit longer, probably 'till after Brooklyn, because she still has a rematch against Asuka.
The only reason you keep Bayley in NXT is because she needs the title back, especially if she is the one who has to sell tickets. It's basically her, Joe, and Nakamura. The last two are probably going to be the male title feud for quite a while.

And why give her the title back if she's not the first to retake a title -- that ship now having sailed?

You could have that telegraphed rematch: Hell, a telegraphed rematch was what was voted PWI Match of the Year for 2015! That she has the rematch means nothing with respect to how she is viewed by Vince McMahon, who just left a metric shit-ton of money on the table tonight!

The fact that people like Mojo or Nia Jax got called up means that they simply didn't have anything left to do in NXT.
And, after all this time, if Bayley does not win the NXT Women's Title back and become, effectively, a teacher for the women coming up in NXT (making her a near-lifer, it would seem), Bayley does?

If Bayley doesn't win the title back, one could really question whether she has anything left to do in the company, because it would appear, now, that she might be about to fill the role of Becky Lynch on the other brand.

Nia lost all her important matches and she obviously wasn't going to win the championship, and Mojo wasn't going anywhere, so instead of being a jobber in NXT, he's now gonna be a jobber on SmackDown. Doesn't mean he's more ready than Bayley, Nakamura, Aries or Joe.
You've already got a fair degree of jobbers, including the one guy they didn't draft at all. So what does this mean? Heath Slater gets released? It appears the Social Outcasts are done as a faction.

When Bayley gets called up, she's probably gonna get inserted directly into the title picture. Right now, it's Sasha's time, so calling Bayley up now may not be such a good idea. But who knows, there may still be a chance for her to be Sasha's partner on Battleground.
They'd be out of their minds to do so now. And telegraphing it? Hell, Bayley gets drafted, then later in Smackdown, you get the beatdown with the women and Sasha announces the partner!
 
#9 ·
On the bikini body thing, I think Bayley has a fantastic body, but whatever.

I'm pretty sure Bayley selsl more merch than anyone in NXT, especially now that Balor moved up. Whether Bayley debuts at Battleground or is held off for after NXT Takeover, she'll be a big deal when she does arrive. Balor spent a good two years in developmental, 10 years older than Bayley and with way more experience. Now, he's a top Raw draft pick and is positioned as a big fucking deal. I'd much rather that for Bayley than having her arrive on SD via the supplemental Network draft.
 
#13 ·
Not a chance that Bayley will be getting released, she's far too popular and marketable for that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jacobrgroman
#32 ·
Combining several of these smaller ones too.



You should know the situation by now very well, as the Chief of the Lynch Mob.

Becky Lynch at least has a WWE-main-roster level body for a woman. She has personality a mile long and all that stuff, and what does she get for it? She's the resident Jobber to the Stars for the Women's Division, and there's no real upward mobility for her now.

And, with last night (and with what we know of Vince), does anyone now not think that JTTS might be Bayley's main-roster ceiling now too?

I like Bayley, but when she debuts it won't be a big deal.
That's why I basically went a bit long-form on the booking there. Bayley no longer has a main-roster "It Factor". She no longer really has a place in the company at all sans "sell NXT tickets". That's what is going to make Brooklyn II a very interesting watch -- and then, from there...

This is fairly insane.... None of those 3 points is accurate, and every account is that Bayley is very highly thought of by everyone in management.
Really? I mean, I've heard Vince is high on her, but, now, you're in Ascension territory with her. You're ALREADY waited TOO LONG to call her up, and now you've probably added 6-9 more months to the equation.

The fact is "tits and ass will get you jobs", especially with Vince McMahon. (Which see: Marie, Eva.)

Saying Bayley might get released give you zero credibility. She sells more merch than a lot of the WWE Roster. Was probably in the top 3 merch sellers in NXT behind Finn and Nakamura.
And I think Vince is scared of that. Remember, he STILL wants to ram Roman down our throats eventually -- or he'd have done the right thing and canned his ass for the Wellness Policy violation as the top man in the company.

You could also make the case: "He already has one John Cena." for Make-A-Wish, PSA's, appearances, kid stuff, etc.

I mean, let's put this in simple terms: If she loses to Asuka in Brooklyn, what's left? She's going to get fucking buried on the main roster -- she may well be lucky to see where Becky Lynch is right now within her first year.

I'm pretty sure it's her face that's keeping Vince from calling her up not her body.
It's both. Take one look at Eva Marie's "assets" and compare them.

A lot of people might say she's kind of a butterface (which I don't agree with, I don't think she's this amazing beauty or whatever, but I do think she is pretty), but no bikini body? She has WAY more ass and tits than any of the other three Horsewomen.

Bayley in a bikini, Jesus :trips5
Unless you've actually seen her in one (and I haven't), I'm not as optimistic, on a "white cotton panties Russo-and-McMahon drooling" standard.

Bayley, frankly, is about a six or seven, head to toe. More than decent legs, athletic body but not spectacular. The face is an issue with Vince.
 
#70 ·
Seriously, why the fuck are people overreacting to her not being drafted? It was obvious she wasn't being drafted when Raw ended. She's a huge deal in WWE, thats the reason she's not getting called up yet. NXT is a touring brand now and needs all of their stars to sell tickets, she's one of those stars and probably the reason some people still care about the women division in NXT.
 
#81 ·
I can't believe anymore over the age of 5 views the WWE draft as anything but kayfabe tv

The fact that charlotte and Finn balor were drafted before cena (the biggest wrestling star on planet last decade), roman reigns (who has mainevented last two wrestlemanias and who this whole new era stuff is about), brock lesnar (who beat the streak and just returned to ufc with huge press) and randy Orton just highlights the fact its not to be taken serious

Bayley wasn't drafted because they are not ready to put her on the road weekly until post Brooklyn..its very simple. Mojo was drafted before Joe and Nakamura but don't tell you believe its because you think WWE value him more?
 
#89 ·
You seem to think that Vince McMahon is connected with reality here.

Look at those pictures of Becky WWE just released and ask yourself if Bayley can match that.

Then ask if Vince McMahon believes what you believe - that's the more important question here.

"Because Fuck You, That's Why..." -- Vince
 
#7 ·
But that's Triple H.

As I said before in another thread: Tonight, and not just with Bayley (the Raw-heavy slant of the Draft is a great example of this), Vince told us he's still in charge, dammit.

I have no dispute of what you said, for the record. If HHH ever does get true power on the main side, that whole "Bikini Body and Instagrams Every Week Required" motif will fall by the wayside.
 
#18 ·
I think if Bayley had been drafted last night, it would've somewhat ruined the surprise at Battleground if she is Sasha's partner.
 
#19 ·
Will reserve judgement until Battleground because I'm more convinced as I said in another thread she'll be Sasha's partner after this draft.

The post itself is a mega overreaction to last night's draft but... the title of the thread is actually accurate.

NXT has booked itself in a corner IF Bayley goes up for good after her match with Asuka because Asuka no longer has potential challengers to follow in Nia Jax, Carmella and Alexa Bliss. I was amazed all of them were called up because if Bayley goes as well, there is NO DIVISION at all! :Rollins

They hired people like Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and half a dozen others and had them endlessly LOSE every single time they appeared on the show! They should have won a few matches here and there, to give the impression "Ok these ladies look like they could challenge some day" but who the hell is going to find it at all believable that the mighty Asuka is in danger from one of them when we remember the jobbing they did all the time?

With that in mind, if Bayley does not appear at Battleground, then I strongly believe she will be sticking around for a while longer because unless Triple H is intent on his NXT women becoming an afterthought even though he was happy to glow in the praise of their "revolution" in 2015 then it will be a lean time for that championship.

Hopefully they have some sort of plan to build a new division and quickly. Please note, I never read spoilers so this could all be a moot point :Rollins
 
#23 ·
I think they're just doing what she asked, she said like three times she just loves NXT and desired to stay, not to be called...

But also maybe they suppose there's nothing for her in both brands, maybe the writers think it would be difficult to write angles for such a nice childish clean one-dimensional character like her.

Last year I said one way that such a silly character like her could work in the main roster is if they turn her into a singer.
Lats time there was a female singer in the E was Jillian Hall, but Bayley should be the opposite of her... she should be singing catchy pop tunes to keep her babyface image and maybe also responding aggresions of other girls singing...

Those are my two cents. Maybe they're right and is really difficult to expect success for this Disney style babyface on the main roster:shrug
 
#25 · (Edited)
People all over the fucking internet are fucking dumb for tripping out.

NXT STILL NEEDS SUPERSTARS!!!!!!!!!

Do you think NXT gives a fuck losing Jax, Mojo, or Eva?!? Yeah losing Carmella and Bliss is a sad note, but they weren't in championship title talks, no dent to them, so fuck it. Finn has also done everything he can possibly do at NXT....


Asuka, Bayley, Joe, Aires, Rhyno, etc. they were probably HHH's 5 choices that he wouldn't let Shane or Steph touch.
 
#31 ·
There's a problem, though: At that point, she can't ever go up. She'd literally have to become an in-ring coach for the NXT company, because there'd be no way, at this point, that the gravy train you speak of (and I have no dispute of it's veracity) is ever going to realistically stop!

Jealous? Of what? I genuinely don't get the reasoning for panning to a fan who is in the same spot every week doing, well, just fan stuff.

I would have thought kids would look up to the actual wrestler (Bayley) than a fairly bloody obviously planted superfan.
Oh puh-leeze, and I've heard THIS before too.

No, I don't think the character would sufficiently resonate without that "mascot" out there.

And, as I said to you before, I do believe that's part of the reasoning behind that Nia and Carmella and Alexa went up last night and a woman better than all three put together (money, merch, talent, in-ring performance, character) is still languishing in NXT.

Well if she is the Boss's mystery partner it would not make sense to draft her. And while I am not super aware of her career is she not looked at a semi underdog vs a bona fide mega star. If so it makes more sense to have her join almost as an after thought and have her go over the top stars as the ultimate underdog makes good story.
IMHO, you have it backwards. It makes no sense not to draft her and then bring her in six days later -- it's going to raise the question that's going to effectively make Heath Slater completely irrelevant: Why not have drafted her?

If Bayley were the mystery partner, announcing it last night would've been the better move to sell the match. Now you have (false) hope at best, probably to be disappointed (Nia Jax, Carmella...) to sell it.

And one more thing: This match is to sell SASHA as Women's Champ. Put Bayley in there, and you risk overshadowing all that.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top