Bayley: 5 things you should know

WWE Superstar Bayley shocked the wrestling world when she won the Women's Money in the Bank match and cashed in her briefcase the very same night to become the SmackDown Women's Champion. Since that time she has proven to be a fighting champion, valiantly vanquishing all challengers to SmackDown's coveted throne.

While some associate Bayley with hugs, Bayley bears, and all things wholesome, wrestling fans would be remiss to believe that her path to success was all sunshine and rainbows. Instead, Bayley clawed her way to WWE and to the very top of SmackDown's championship picture.

Bayley opened up like never before on a recent episode of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. Join us as we explore the life and career of the SmackDown Women's Champion in Bayley: 5 things you should know.

#5. "Macho Man" Randy Savage was a huge influence

Bayley executing a flawless flying elbow inspired by Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Bayley fell head over heels in love with professional wrestling at the age of 10. As a young child, she would spend hours watching RAW and SmackDown and would wait in long lines for the chance to meet her favourite Superstars. Her rock-solid fandom would inevitably lead her to put in countless hours of work to achieve her dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.

For Bayley, it was love at first sight and the Superstar that first captured her attention was none other than WWE Hall of Famer "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Bayley told Lilian Garcia,

"I started watching wrestling at ten years old...the first person I saw was Macho Man. Just the way he carried himself, his colors, his confidence, so much charisma. There was something about that guy. I was like, 'What is this?' Then I just continued watching."

Now Bayley dons neon colours in tribute to the Macho Man and has even chosen the flying elbow as her finishing manoeuvre.

#4. Bayley was in the audience to witness WrestleMania 35 history

Bayley (along with Sasha Banks) made her own WrestleMania 35 history. She entered the show as one half of the first-ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions and while she and Banks came up short in their title defence, she wasn't about to let that put the damper on such a historically significant event. Bayley wasn't going to miss the first-ever all-female WrestleMania main event.

While two of wrestling's Four Horsewomen (Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch) were competing in the WrestleMania 35 main event against Ronda Rousey, the other two Four Horsewomen (Bayley and Sasha Banks) joined the East Rutherford, New Jersey audience to support their long-time friends.

Bayley told host Lilian Garcia,

"Going into WrestleMania, Sasha and I were the first ever women's tag team champions. Charlotte and Becky were in the main event of WrestleMania, so I don't think there could have been a more special night for all four of us. The fact that we all started together and that we were in those positions at WrestleMania. Sasha and I sat in the crowd for that match. I have videos of the crowd chanting all of their names and all of that stuff. I'm trying not to cry right now because it was crazy. It was very very special."

#3. Pushing through an injury changed her career trajectory

Many athletes point to a "bum knee" as the reason why they didn't make it as far as they had hoped. With Bayley, it's the other way around. An injured knee actually helped her career.

She told Lilian Garcia,

"I hyperextended my knee really bad in training. I jumped off the top rope...and when I came down my knee was straight. It wasn't bent...I buckled over and I was out for a few weeks. There was this girl I wanted to wrestle. Her name was MsChif. I was like, 'I have to do this match. I don't care if my knee hurts. I'll work around it. I just have to work with her because I don't think I'll ever get this chance.'"

Bayley pushed herself through the injury and made the six-hour drive to Los Angeles to compete against MsChif. It just so happens that WWE talent scouts were in the audience and liked what they saw in the courageous Bayley.

The SmackDown Women's Champion added,

"If I didn't suck it up and wrestle with a bum knee that I probably wouldn't have this try out."

Bayley tried out for the company while still injured and made such an impression with her passion, gutsiness, wrestling acumen, and in-ring ability that the company immediately signed her to a developmental deal.

#2. Not being called up to the main roster was instrumental

On the July 13, 2015, episode of RAW, Stephanie McMahon announced a revolution that would forever alter the landscape of women's wrestling. As part of this newfound revolution, three NXT call ups were introduced to the main roster: Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. Noticeably absent from the call ups was fellow Four Horsewoman Bayley, who would stay in NXT to carry the mantle as NXT Women's Champion.

The move was difficult to swallow at first,

"I heard rumblings of them going and I was not. I was like, 'What did I do wrong?' I had just broken my hand and was like, 'Is this holding me back?' I was able to wrestle with my cast on, so that couldn't have been it. I thought of every possible thing that I could have done wrong."

Bayley's fellow Four Horsewomen texted her offering her words of encouragement and sympathy. Bayley "hated" that,

"I didn't like that I was not there and I didn't want them to feel that way in their debut."

She watched her friends' main roster debuts from her couch,

"I kind of had mixed feelings. I wished I could be there, but more than anything I was just so happy to see them being there. I knew once they were there that everything was going to change and I knew they were going to make my path a lot easier. I was like, 'OK, you guys get the work started and when I get there it will be a little bit easier for me. At least I'll have friends when I get there.'"

Staying on the NXT brand for an additional year was instrumental to her career. Bayley looks back to not being called as a professional turning point,

"Now looking back, that year in NXT by myself without them I had nobody to run to. I had nobody to rely on. I had a brand new roster and I became the NXT Women's Champion. That was the biggest year of my career. I learned so much about myself. I learned so much more in the ring. I was able to take more of a leadership role and travel the world. That was when NXT started going to the UK and going everywhere for the first time and I was doing it as the Women's Champion."

Bayley added,

"I don't think I would have been the person I am, or the performer I am now if I didn't have that year by myself because I had nobody to rely on except myself."

#1. Bayley has big plans for life after wrestling

Bayley has been in love with professional wrestling since the age of ten and while it may be difficult to imagine, the 30-year-old professional wrestler will one day hang up the boots and transition to life outside the wrestling ring. Bayley acknowledged that she would like to wrestle at least another 5 years, but when she does retire, she has plans.

The WWE Superstar hopes to open a wrestling school where she will train the future stars of professional wrestling. The SmackDown Women' Champ outlined her post-retirement plans,

"Ever since the first day I started training I said, 'I want to open a school one day.' There's something so cool about being in a little grungy garage with a wrestling ring and watching people learn. I so badly want to open up my own wrestling school. Hopefully I do that before I have to retire, maybe in a couple years."

Bayley also talked about the possibility of returning to school to become a therapist,

"Before I always thought that if I wasn't able to do this I would be a school counselor or something like that, which would still be interesting, but I'd have to continue going to school. I could do that too, possibly."

She joked,

"If I could be a therapist on the road, we'll last forever."

Readers may listen to Lilian Garcia's interview with Bayley in its entirety below:

(Please give SportsKeeda transcription credits on using the quotes).