WWE: Bayley Is Likely Done In NXT After August
WWE superstar Bayley has been a mainstay on the NXT roster since debuting in 2012, but that could soon be changing.
Cageside Seats dropped a news tidbit in its rumor roundup today, stating that, per the subscription-required Wrestling Observer newsletter, the plan is for Bayley to get another women’s title match at the NXT Takeover show in August.
If true, this reveals a couple of probabilities for use of her character moving forward.
For starters, the WWE is very high on Bayley (real name Pamela Rose Martinez) for her enthusiasm for the business and willingness to help grow talent.
Martinez has also shown a commitment to learning the backstage processes of the company with the intent of one day becoming a producer whenever her in-ring days are done.
While there are no plans for that to happen any time soon, Bayley is likely finished in NXT after the August TakeOver show.
As one of the company’s biggest female assets — she’s been compared to a female John Cena in the way that she is able to move merchandise — there has never been a question of if she would debut on the main roster but when.
Tilly in her @itsBayleyWWE shirt for Domestic Abuse Awareness@school to reinforce positive respectful relationships pic.twitter.com/wvaquNE9Of
— laura mardon (@lauramardon) May 24, 2016
Since the TakeOver show will be NXT’s natural lead-in to SummerSlam — and SummerSlam is planned as one of the two main pay-per-views of the year that will bring the rumored brand split together annually — having Bayley debut there makes a ton of sense.
Unfortunately for fans used to seeing Bayley in NXT, her main participation with that roster will likely be finished once she debuts at “the hottest party of the summer.”
Also unfortunately, that means the chances of her regaining the NXT Women’s Championship from Asuka are slim, so she will be heading to WWE Raw or Smackdown with two black marks on her record.
This news dropping so far ahead of the TakeOver/SummerSlam appearances also telegraphs an unfortunate reality for up-and-coming star Nia Jax.
Jax recently took out both Alexa Bliss and Carmella to earn her shot at the NXT title; but with the plans laid out and scheduled to go down in just three months, fans pretty much know what’s going to happen already.
Jax will be unsuccessful in taking the belt off Asuka, which isn’t necessarily a bad booking decision, but it does take the steam out of a feud program that had considerable potential.
Nia is a bruiser, and you get the feeling she could manhandle any of the NXT girls with ease. At the same time, she sells offense better than any Goliath-type of wrestler in the business.
With her in-ring work progressing nicely and her ability to make matches look competitive, the feud with Asuka could have been a major milestone for her.
With the Bayley news in motion, it’s now apparent that she will either lose her title shot or have a very brief title reign before Asuka regains and sets her sights on Bayley in August.
The good news: interest in women’s wrestling has never been this high. NXT has received a lot of credit for that, overtaking the stale “Divas” brand that WWE had in place for more than a decade with their beauty-and-talent mix of stars like Bayley, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks.
With the triple-threat highlights from Nia, Bliss, and Carmella, the division appears to be in good hands moving forward as well.
But what do you think, readers?
Is it time for Bayley to spread her wings and fly to the main roster, or is NXT still in a position where it needs her anchoring the women’s division? Sound off in the comments section below.
[Image via WWE]
