Amid months of waiting for the WWE to finally rip the proverbial Band-Aid off the Bayley/Sasha Banks feud, last night on Monday Night RAW The Hugger turned things up a notch by not only attacking her former BFF after they lost their six-woman tag match (for really no reason), but turning heel in one fell swoop thanks to the beatdown. While many of us within the WWE Universe thought it would be Banks to throw the first major blow, it seems all the pent-up aggression The Hugger was holding of these past months – from being screwed over at the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble, to the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber, and everything in between by her so-called BFF; Bayley unleashed a beating on Banks of epic proportions.
Still, can a heel turn, turn things around for Bayley?
While still a top superstar when it comes to the younger demographic, Bayley quickly rose to the top of the main roster when she was called up from NXT in 2016, and then fizzled fast. She does have RAW Women’s Champion on her resume, but hasn’t been even remotely close to the title race picture in almost a year now. Amongst a now highly competitive women’s division on both RAW and SmackDown LIVE, sometimes it feels as if Bayley has gotten lost in the shuffle when it comes to programs, storylines, and the championship programs; even her feud with Banks has seemed to be pushed back, and pushed back, taking far to long (in my opinion) to finally open up.
And one couldn’t help but notice the fans’ reaction last night. The crowd erupted when Bayley came from behind Banks and began her attack. I can’t remember the last time The Hugger received such a unanimous response (good or bad) from an arena, and while they were cheering her (perhaps they should’ve been booing her), the fact that she connected with them on that level just proves how long the WWE Universe has wanted to see Bayley versus Sasha played on main roster.
Bayley FINALLY snapped on Sasha. And look at the crowd go nuts! The best reaction for Bayley since NXT! #RAW
— PWP Nation (@PWPNation) June 26, 2018
Yo everything about that was perfect.
Sarah Logan death dropped.
Liv’s hurricarana.
Ember’s suicide dive.
Bayley and Sasha imploding.
The crowd.UGH THE WOMEN DID IT AGAIN. #RAW
— ?????? (@legitsavant) June 26, 2018
“Sasha/Bayley feud not a big deal anymore” and watch my girls turn it into a BIG deal ?????
— deandrea ? (@allaboutdede) June 22, 2018
Losers: We don’t care about the Bayley Sasha feud anymore stop it!!
Bayley and Sasha: kill it like always
Losers: Omgggg this is so good!!!
— Joey ?? (@briebelIas) June 26, 2018
I like Bayley: I like her character, her in-ring stuff, her schtick, and I love the way she connects with her younger fans. Having said that, after seeing the live RAW crowd’s reaction to her and what she did, I can’t help but think that perhaps Bayley needs a character re-tweak.
Let’s face it, heel turns have helped many a superstar get over with fans or assists with recharges when characters lag. The Rock is the ultimate example of this; however, one could point to Dolph Ziggler, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Charlotte Flair, Shawn Michaels, and many others who have experienced much success with this formula as well.
Will we see Bayley added to that list? Seems so; however, here’s hoping her ‘counselling’ segment next week doesn’t cheese things up too much.
Regardless, if this can be done, and it can work for The Hugger, maybe the higher ups can see the value in doing the same for Roman Reigns.
