The evolution of WWE's women's division is well-documented, going from tasteless Bras and Panties matches and meaningless bikini contests no more than a decade ago to competitive contests that steal the show more often than not.
But through it all, one thing has remained consistent: the WWE has never had a prominent babyface women's wrestler leading the division.
Miss Elizabeth was the closest the company came to featuring a woman that was universally loved by everyone, but she rarely wrestled a match in WWE, if ever. Trish Stratus and Lita were iconic characters during the Attitude Era and throughout the mid-2000s, but they were more shades-of-gray than anything else, and both were better heels.
And then there was Mickie James, who was immensely popular from 2007 to 2010. Lest we forget her roots, however, as a psycho stalker in 2005 and 2006. She was infinitely more interesting as Stratus' No. 1 fan than she ever was in the remainder of her run with WWE.
Following James' departure, no one was capable of filling that void she left behind. Kelly Kelly was extremely hot, sure, but she had little character depth and couldn't wrestle whatsoever. Eve Torres was fairly generic as well, and AJ Lee and Kaitlyn were never given a chance to fully flesh out their personas.
The last year has seen the rise of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch. Since their promotion from NXT in the summer of 2015, they have brought a new meaning to the words “women's wrestling,” restoring respect to the heavily damaged division through their outstanding in-ring encounters.
That said, none of them were what I would classify as “breakout babyfaces.” Charlotte was cheered at first merely because she was Ric Flair's daughter before she hit her stride as a heel, Lynch loses far too often to be taken seriously, and Banks is still struggling to find her footing as a face despite being beloved by the audience.
All of them are exceptional wrestlers, but none of them will make the same impact that Bayley will as the biggest babyface WWE's women's division has ever seen.
Bayley debuted on the NXT scene in July 2013, and although it took time for her to build a fan following, it wasn't long until she started to capture the hearts of everyone at Full Sail University through her adorable antics. Her passion for pro wrestling shined through, and fans being able to relate to her was what helped her connect with the crowd so easily.
She came up short of winning the NXT Women's Championship on countless occasions before finally taking the title from Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015. Her championship chase culminated that night in one of the best bouts and most monumental moments of the last decade.
Of course, she was main roster ready even then, but in the absence of Charlotte, Bayley, and Lynch, she took the reins of NXT's women's division and helped the inexperienced likes of Alexa Bless, Nia Jax, Carmella and Eva Marie improve every aspect of their game.
Once she passed the torch (and title) to Asuka at TakeOver: Dallas in April, it was apparent she was Raw bound, but it was merely a matter of proper timing. For example, it would have been foolish to debut her on the flagship show immediately after WrestleMania 32 when Charlotte's reign as WWE Women's champion was just getting underway, and without doing the title rematch with Asuka first.
The Doctor of Huganomics' extended stay in NXT proved to be beneficial for her as well as Charlotte. Her road to redemption in facing off against Asuka again in Brooklyn was fun to watch unfold, while Charlotte solidified her spot atop Raw's women's division with wins over Natalya, Paige, and Banks.
One night removed from Charlotte's shocking title triumph at SummerSlam, she declared herself the “queen bee” of WWE, only to be interrupted by general manager Mick Foley. He declared that she would have to prove her worth against Raw's newest acquisition, Bayley. As soon as she entered the arena, the Barclays Center roared, welcoming her to the main roster at long last with open arms.
It wasn't a one-time reaction from a “smarky” city, either, as she received a raucous reaction from Houston the next week on Raw. She appears primed to challenge Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship at Clash of Champions, but if WWE were wise, they would hold off on her grand title win until WrestleMania 32 at the earliest, where she can conquer either Charlotte or Banks (or perhaps both).
Bayley's character arc in NXT was truly executed to perfection, and one can only hope WWE will attempt to recreate that same magic on the main roster. She appeals to all audiences, whether it be kids, teenagers, and even adults. Additionally, she serves as a role model to young girls across the world, and the money they can make off her merchandise alone (the head and wristbands, lunch boxes, t-shirts, etc) could be astronomical.
Up to this point, the WWE Universe hasn't seen anyone quite like Bayley, and there is little doubt she can in time become the perennial babyface the women's division has desperately needed.
