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As popular as Bayley was when she was in NXT, her run in the main roster has been hardly anywhere near as special. While fans had clamoured for her to rush to the main roster as soon as humanly possible, once she got there, they saw her fall from grace and slowly become just another character in the paper-thin women's division.
So far has she fallen that when she came out on Raw to address a legitimate injury that she suffered, the crowd drowned her out and booed her out of the building in unison. This was when Bayley was actually on the verge of tears, for missing out on SummerSlam. I think we can all agree that a woman as talented as Bayley deserves better, and we must examine the root cause of the crowd turning on her. Here are five possible reasons why:
#5 WWE just cannot book babyfaces
Remember how over Seth Rollins was when he played a heel? Now he's a babyface and we hear crickets when he comes out. The fact remains that WWE cannot book babyfaces anymore. Yes, they cannot get the crowd to root for the good guy. They can get a monster over, a la Braun Strowman. They can get a heel over, such as The Miz. In the case of a babyface, they make them appear far too clean cut and almost unrealistically nice in the face of adversity. Just ask Roman Reigns, who should have been booked as a Samoan destroyer machine!
Bayley got over in NXT, because she lost and lost and lost, until the crowd wanted her to win, very desperately indeed. On the main roster, she became Raw Women's Champion in almost no time at all. WWE did not endear Bayley to the audience and created a character that has, over time, fallen so far deep that there's hardly any way out anymore.
#4 Her character doesn't resonate with adults
Bayley's gimmick got over huge in NXT, where she was the ultimate underdog. She is a role model to thousands of kids worldwide, who love her clean cut image and how, in many ways, she is just like them. Unfortunately, Bayley does not share the same kind of connection with adults who see her as a 'hugger' in the business of simulated combat. While being a WWE superstar does not involve actually hurting your opponent, Bayley's image is far too sweet and lovable for what is essentially a business of fists.
Yes, she got over fantastically in NXT, but the main roster spans a far greater cross section of people really. People who don't get the hype behind Bayley, and the idea behind her character, because they have grown up in a different era of wrestling. These are the men and women who booed Bayley out of the building on Raw, not the kids.
Of course, there's a far more important issue at hand, and we deal with that on the slide that follows.
#3 Letting the trolls get under her skin
If you watch the video linked above, there is only a faint whisper of jeers when Bayley first starts speaking and addressing her injury. However, when Bayley makes a reference to them is when the boos start drowning her out. We have seen superstars like The Miz and Alexa Bliss handle hostile crowds with panache in the past. Bayley's inexperience showed in this case as she allowed the trolls to get under her skin and mess with her mind.
John Cena is the perfect example of someone who brings the most hostile crowd under his control, with his presence of mind and razor sharp acumen. He never lets trolls get the better of him. Give them a reason to believe they've thrown you off track, and they will be merciless. Unfortunately, while some alluded to Bayley as a 'female John Cena', there's still a while to go before they're at the same level or even the same conversation.
#2 Toronto is a strange crowd
Raw was in Toronto, Canada when the incident in question so happened. The Toronto crowd has been notorious for not reacting like other crowds generally do. They do the exact opposite of how crowds elsewhere react and thus in Corey Graves' informed opinion, earned themselves the coveted title of Bizarro World, based on the planet from DC Comics.
There is a good possibility that crowds elsewhere will not react as vehemently to Bayley, especially when she comes out to speak about a genuine injury. This was a crowd of trolls, out to have a good time and just set the show off track.
In this case, we give Bayley the benefit of the doubt, but not entirely.
#1 Bayley is just not a good promo
Remember Bayley's disastrous appearance on Raw Talk, not very long ago? Flanked by veterans like Booker T and Lita, she got buried on the air. She has an awkward way about her, in all her promos, which may, in some way, lend to her character. Truth be told, to someone who has not followed her from NXT, she just comes across as a poor promo overall.
Even as she proclaimed the fact that she was injured and would be missing SummerSlam, Bayley did not come across as someone who was devastated by the news and someone who would promise to bounce back, like any babyface would. Instead, she seemed shy, meek and apologetic all throughout. The crowd did not buy into this act and began with their jeers at once.
Bayley can be resuscitated, but it would just need a great deal of effort from her and WWE booking as well. We wish her all the best. We really do want her to become the female John Cena when all is said and done.
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