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During her time with WWE, Bayley has faced an awful lot of roadblocks. At times, it's been an uphill battle for her in the promotion.
Often seen as the 'little sister' of WWE's Four Horsewomen, the former champion has fought battles for not just titles, but acceptance. While Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair were considered blue-chippers, and Becky Lynch had an intriguing international backstory, Bayley was the scrappy fourth member of the group. Her resilience won over the WWE Universe and she is now a household name for the promotion.
Her original persona as 'The Hugger' was beloved by the audience, especially with kids. Bayley's effervescent energy (along with a few balloon buddies) helped her light up any arena she performed in.
When she turned heel, it was a great evolution of her persona, and a chance for the viewers to see her leave that magical light behind to embrace a sea of shadows.
During that time, Bayley displayed the ability to play either role effectively, and she really branched out as a performer during this time. While fans may have missed the kinder, gentler version of her character. She was equally entertaining as a villain. This, despite the fact, that many critics and observers didn't think she could pull it off.
Bayley has been out of action since last summer, but appears to be close to a return to WWE action
She has been rehabbing from an ACL injury for around 10 months now, but all signs indicate that the electric entertainer should be set to re-emerge soon. In fact, many thought she might be the one to answer Ronda Rousey's open challenge on the latest edition of Smackdown.
(It turned out to be Raquel Rodriguez - who gave Rowdy Ronda all she could handle in a surprisingly tough match-up)
Still, it's inevitable that Bayley will be returning soon and will no doubt be injected into the main event scene right away. She's even been dropping hints about it on social media.
But what will her role be? She will likely return as a babyface, possibly even in her original character as the happy-go-lucky hugger. Many Superstars return as babyfaces when they arrive from a long sabbatical. So it would make sense for her to come back as a fan favorite.
As a hero, Bayley would face the the fact that the two current female champions, Rousey and Bianca Belair, are both babyfaces as well. But that still wouldn't preclude her from chasing the championships, especially if she is riding a huge wave of momentum.
She could possibly return and cut a heel promo on the fans, bitter over the fact that she has been gone for so long and that they 'forgot about her'. But the most likely path to her resurrection will be by wearing a white hat.
She should have a ton of goodwill on her side after returning from such a serious injury. Look forward to Bayley having a huge second half of 2022 when she's finally able to return. She'll have everything on her side and the motivation to prove she can overcome this injury. We could be on the verge of something big before this year is over.
What will Bayley do when she returns from injury to WWE? Will she appear as part of RAW or on the Smackdown roster? Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
