Bayley: I Wanted Something Different For The Division And To Use Women Who Were Underutilized

Bayley made her return to WWE television at WWE SummerSlam, aligning herself with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. 

Bayley had been out of action since July 2021 with a torn ACL and her appearance at WWE SummerSlam was her first time in front of fans since the pandemic. Kai was released by WWE in April while SKY had been in NXT, but hadn’t wrestled since NXT Stand & Deliver due to injury. 

Appearing on WWE After The Bell, Bayley discussed how her new group came together. 

“This is something I’ve wanted for a while, I would say a couple of years, and something I talked to Hunter [Triple H] about before. Just wanting something different for the division and using girls that I think were either underutilized or that didn’t get that opportunity or didn’t get that spotlight and a way to evolve myself. There have been many different variations of this faction or group that I wanted. As I got injured and got to spend more time thinking about it, I knew that I wanted literally girls that haven’t had the opportunity from Raw or SmackDown or haven’t been given the opportunity to feel what WrestleMania is like because that’s the ultimate goal of everybody. I just felt like, if I looked for girls that haven’t had that yet, the hunger is going to be much stronger and be fresher for the fans and locker room and they’ll be excited to work with different people. Once I thought of it like that and looked at NXT, it was so easy. I knew who I wanted and who could benefit from it, who I could benefit from and who would give to the locker room. As cool as it will be for the fans and for us, at the end of the day, it’s also cool to see the girls in the back, their reaction to the girls that are here. You want good people around and people you can learn from and work with and make more magic with,” she said.

Bayley continued, elaborating on why she thinks Kai and SKY are good fits alongside her. 

“Dakota, I’ve known her since before WWE and she’s someone I’ve always pushed for to get signed before all that. She’s been a consistently good friend and always checked in on me while I was injured and gave me her experiences and really helped me a lot. I felt like her last year, she was unbelievable. She changed her look, changed everything, and when she got released it was one of the few moments where I felt lost. It’s not just because she’s my friend, it’s because she’s unbelievably talented and loves this. I was really upset over that. IYO is one of the best wrestlers in the company and definitely a top women’s wrestler. No question, her experience and style in the ring, she’s been ready for a long time to be on Raw and SmackDown,” said Bayley. 

Bayley, Kai, & SKY were heavily featured on WWE Raw, attacking Becky Lynch backstage after she announced her injury. SKY was also in action against WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. 

You can find Kai’s full comments regarding her return and alignment with Bayley & SKY by clicking here. 

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