Bayley spotted at WWE SummerSlam; drops tease for long-awaited return

Bayley has been spotted in New Jersey ahead of WWE SummerSlam and teased a major return. The former champion is not scheduled to compete in a match at the PLE this weekend but has been spotted in New Jersey.

Ahead of tonight's SmackDown, CM Punk took to his Instagram story to share a video of himself signing autographs. The Second City Saint revealed that the RAW star was beside him in the video, and she suggested that she sign an autograph for April, seemingly teasing the return of AJ Lee. Punk is married to AJ Lee, and her real name is April Jeanette Mendez. You can check out the video by clicking here.

The veteran referenced AJ Lee today. [Image credit: CM Punk on Instagram]

AJ Lee has not competed in a match since teaming up with Naomi and Paige to defeat Natalya and The Bella Twins on the March 30, 2015, episode of WWE RAW. Lyra Valkyria defeated Bayley in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match earlier this month on RAW to become the number one contender for the Women's Intercontinental Championship. Valkyria will be challenging Becky Lynch for the title this weekend at SummerSlam as a result of the victory.

Ex-WWE employee criticizes Bayley for her promos

Former WWE writer Vince Russo recently suggested that the company should think about releasing Bayley if she does not improve her promo work.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's BroDown show, Russo complimented Charlotte Flair for improving on the microphone and suggested that the former leader of Damage CTRL needed to do the same. The legend added that the company should let her go if she cannot get any better.

"When Charlotte first came and got on the mic, she would get so rattled by the crowd. I felt bad for her. But now you can see the confidence and the leaps and bounds. Bayley still can’t cut a promo. From day one to today, she has not gotten one iota better. Either she has no capability of being better, and you cut her, or she needs to improve her game,'' he said.

You can check out Russo's comments in the video below:

It will be fascinating to see what the company has planned for the 36-year-old following WWE SummerSlam.