Bayley believes her heel turn was vital for the longevity of her career.
The former Women’s Champion found a lot of success as a relatable babyface in NXT and then on the main roster starting in 2012. After 7 years of being a fan favorite, Bayley turned heel for the first time in late 2019.
Unlike a lot of wrestlers, the wrestling veteran used the opportunity to change a lot of things about her presentation. She debuted a new look and even got rid of her signature Bayley Buddies.
The WWE star talked about this change during an interview with Pro Wrestling Experience while promoting the upcoming Royal Rumble event in Indianapolis. Bayley explained that the heel turn was good for her career because her babyface character would not have survived during the pandemic era:
“I think about times like during the pandemic, I don’t know if that character would have been able to last through the pandemic and have the type of success that I did then.
So I always credit them [for] allowing me to have that moment and them allowing me to explore my growth because I didn’t feel that what I was doing at the time was gonna extend my career any longer. So I knew I needed to turn that page and just make something different happen.”
I Wanted To Do Everything: Bayley
The former NXT star mentioned that she does feel like she lost a genuine connection with fans when she turned heel. Bayley admitted that she wonders where she would be if she had never made the turn. The character however, also afforded her the opportunity to do some things that she always wanted to do:
“As a fan, I wanted to do everything. I want to be a bad guy, I want to be a good guy, I wanna get married in WWE. I want to have all the crazy storylines, so that was the first taste of doing something different for myself. I catered to a lot of the fans coming in, but that was something I felt I needed for my career, so I don’t regret that at all.”
Bayley formed the villainous group Damage CTRL during her heel run back in July 2022. The group led to the female star turning face once again earlier this year after she won the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble match and challenged IYO SKY for the title.