Why was WWE's Bayley sidelined for more than a year

Bayley has become one of the best-known and most respected female superstars in WWE history. While the popular star was arguably putting in the best work of her career, she disappeared from television for over a year.

While some in the WWE Universe were kept informed and are in the know, many are curious as to why the former SmackDown Women's Champion vanished from WWE programming for so long. For details on that, we've got you covered.

The former Hugger tore her ACL ahead of a major match against Bianca Belair. The bout was scheduled for the 2021 Money in the Bank event and she reportedly felt something pop in her knee while training at the WWE Performance Center.

WWE announced her injury on their website and via social media on July 9th. In their release, the company stated that the-then SmackDown was expected to be out of action for nine months. Unfortunately, the talented star didn't return to television for over a year before making her triumphant return at WWE SummerSlam.

Bayley is a female Grand Slam Champion. She's held the NXT Women's Championship, RAW Women's Championship, SmackDown Women's Championship, and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship throughout her illustrious career.

In addition to her title success, she's also won the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match. The former Hugger is one of two women to compete in the main event of a WWE Premium Live Event for the first time. She's even the longest reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in history.

Prior to Bayley's ACL injury, she was scheduled to battle Bianca Belair in an I Quit match at Money in the Bank. The match was canceled due to her injury and Belair instead defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Carmella at the event.

Bayley's future looks bright on WWE Monday Night RAW

While no superstar wants to be injured, Bayley's setbacks led her to make a triumphant return. At WWE SummerSlam, she shockingly appeared following an incredible bout between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch.

The talented superstar wasn't alone, as formerly released NXT star Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky joined her. On Monday Night RAW the following night, the trio immediately made an impact by attacking Becky Lynch's injured shoulder.

The former SmackDown Women's Champion's in-ring return hasn't yet been announced, but it will likely come sooner rather than later. The trio of herself, Iyo, and Dakota intend to make a major impact on Monday Night RAW and WWE as a whole moving forward.