10 WWE Wrestlers You Can’t Believe Got Over

9. Bayley

Shane Smug II
WWE.com

At the Manchester RAW tapings last week, the UK fans loudly and in unison kept Bayley in their hearts. For eleven or so minutes, the crowd serenaded her with “Hey, hey Bayley” chants, travelling two years back in time to 2015, before Bayley was chewed up and spat out by the clueless main roster creative regime.

The smile plastered over Bayley's face was contagious - and that's very much the point. The Bayley character shouldn't work on paper, so many years after the cool heel trope became the norm. Here is this grinning superfan turned pro wrestler, absolutely unashamed in her happy-to-be-here state of innocence. White meat babyfaces don't work anymore, we were told - but Bayley was so bloody likeable, and crucially, wrestled so smartly in her ascension up the ranks, that she captured the inner child of even the most hardened adult males.

That reaction in Manchester proved that Bayley is a star, not a fad - and it's really harder to believe that WWE ruined a talent with such stupendously simple story beats to follow.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!