Bayley has taken part in various character changes throughout her time in WWE. Few wrestlers have shown the path of success from NXT to the main roster as much as her. Bayley had to reinvent herself in each chapter of her career to reach her current status. WWE has witnessed Bayley becoming one of the most decorated and respected female performers in the company’s long history.
RELATED: Bayley's 10 Best Matches, According To Cagematch.net
Time will tell how things shake out with Bayley’s overall legacy compared to her peers historically. However, enough time has passed to take a deep look at some of the most overlooked memories that barely get discussed today. Bayley had the following weird moments that have been forgotten by most wrestling fans.
10 One-Off Main Roster Debut As Sasha Banks' Mystery Partner
Battleground 2016 featured a unique scenario of Bayley debuting on the main roster while remaining in NXT. Sasha Banks needed a partner to face Charlotte Flair and her sidekick Dana Brooke, but WWE kept it a mystery heading into the show.
RELATED: 5 Best Tag Team Partners Of Bayley's Career (& 5 Worst)
The PPV opener featured Bayley getting a huge ovation as the reigning NXT Women’s Champion. Banks and Bayley scored the win, but Bayley went back to NXT for the next few months. WWE rarely had NXT talents appear for a one-off like how this scenario unfolded.
9 Counseling Segments With Dr. Shelby
Most fans remember the short-lived Dr. Shelby character for his counseling sessions with Daniel Bryan and Kane. The humorous nature Team Hell No needing help to get on the same page created some incredible segments with Shelby.
WWE went back to that well when Sasha Banks and Bayley were having issues as best friends struggling in their tag matches. The segments were not as well-received as Bryan and Kane, but it was a fun little idea during their long storyline.
8 Trading Entrances With Finn Balor In NXT
WWE cameras filmed some cool moments from NXT house shows when the brand started touring. Finn Balor and Bayley were the two main faces of the brand as the NXT Champion and NXT Women’s Champion around this time. A weird but fun scenario featured Bayley and Balor both doing the other’s entrance.
Balor wore Bayley’s colorful gear and headband trying to do her energetic entrance. Bayley was equally as funny wearing the Balor Club entrance and doing his gestures on the way to the ring. WWE used their chemistry on the main roster a little while later in the Mixed Match Challenge series.
7 Getting Booed For Announcing Injury
The face character of Bayley struggled on the main roster when there was a disconnect compared to the NXT tenure. Bayley suffered an injury ahead of her planned SummerSlam 2017 title shot against Alexa Bliss to force her out.
Fans booed Bayley during her announcement discussing her injury was a ruthless moment. Bayley was even taken back and tried to respond to them on the fly. This was the moment where it became apparent that a character change would be needed to succeed on the main roster.
6 Getting Eliminated First In 2020 Survivor Series Match
Bayley’s heel character became the leader of the Smackdown women’s team heading into Survivor Series 2020. The Smackdown Women’s Championship loss to Sasha Banks by Bayley allowed her to easily pivot into this role to keep her momentum without the gold.
RELATED: 5 Wrestlers Bayley Loves (& 4 She Doesn't)
However, it was strange and surprising when Bayley was the first person eliminated in the ten-women match. Peyton Royce represented Raw when pinning Bayley to get rid of her from the team. Team Raw won the bizarre match when Lana was the last one standing in comical fashion.
5 The Bella Twins Attacking Her At WrestleMania 37
WWE did not have a match in place for Bayley at WrestleMania 37 with Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair and Asuka vs Rhea Ripley as the title matches. Bayley was deemed above the tag title scene to avoid those multi-women matches on both nights.
The plan for Bayley featured her interrupting Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil as the hosts of the event. Nikki and Brie Bella made an appearance attacking Bayley to shut her up. The segment came off weird and felt like a waste of Bayley on the biggest stage.
4 Hugging Charlotte Flair In Crowd After NXT Loss
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2016 was an interesting time in WWE with the brand split impacting the main roster and the NXT brand having bigger shows. Bayley lost her final rematch against Asuka the night before SummerSlam 2016.
Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch all sat ringside during Bayley’s match playing into the Four Horsewomen theme. Bayley embraced all, but she received some sarcastic boos for hugging Charlotte since she was a heel. A humorous reaction from Bayley saw her shrugging knowing that the boos would come for that hug.
3 Alexa Bliss Bringing People From Her Past
Alexa Bliss getting pushed as a top heel of the women’s division hurt Bayley’s run when Bliss was drafted to the Raw brand. WWE not only had Alexa defeat Bayley to win the Raw Women’s Championship, but it was a one-sided feud.
Some of the non-match moments featured Bayley getting embarrassed by her hated rival. Bliss mimicked the “this is your life” segment used by The Rock and Mankind. Actors playing Bayley’s school teacher, ex-boyfriend and childhood friend all insulted Bayley in an absurd segment.
2 Fanning Out Over AJ Lee In NXT
The superfan character of Bayley started in NXT and got over rather quickly with the local fan base. WWE had main roster talents occasionally appearing, and Bayley benefited from getting to work with AJ Lee to enhance her momentum.
Bayley meeting AJ backstage and marking out was a hilarious segment back when the show didn’t have a huge fan base. The clip made the online rounds and introduced Bayley to new viewers. Lee defeated Bayley in a fun little match on NXT TV to retain the Women’s Championship.
1 Ending Charlotte Flair's Undefeated PPV Streak On Secondary Show
Charlotte Flair had a forgotten undefeated streak going without a PPV defeat for over a year and a half. Sasha Banks winning the Raw Women’s Championship on Raw from Charlotte always ended with Flair winning the belt back on PPV.
Bayley was the next rival of Charlotte that won the belt on Raw, but everyone expected Flair to win it back in the Fastlane 2017 rematch as a secondary PPV. The win for Bayley ending Charlotte’s streak came in the least eventful manner to ruin something they built for over a year.
