Bayley To Face Top NXT Star At WWE Clash Of Champions 2019?

A new challenger emerges for 15 September.

Candice LeRae
WWE.com

It looks like Bayley could be set to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against NXT's Candice LeRae at the main roster's Clash of Champions 2019 pay-per-view on 15 September.

'The Hugger' tweeted the following last night:-

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And Candice was quick to respond:-

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This isn't the first time LeRae has been linked to main roster activity, with February bringing reports that she was set to be called up for a series of SmackDown live events. This never came to pass, however, and the former independent standout has remained in developmental, having never truly broken out prior to last week's barnburner clash with Io Shirai at TakeOver: Toronto.

Bayley, meanwhile, defeated Ember Moon in decisive fashion at SummerSlam. The bout received a mixed critical response after an inconsistent build that saw WWE fail to prevent Moon as a credible threat, resulting in muted crowd reactions in Toronto.

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LeRae vs. Bayley is an exciting match from an in-ring and character standpoint, and the duo have never wrestled before. It'd bring an air of freshness to the SmackDown Women's Title scene, so fingers crossed there's more to this than a couple of performers having fun on social media.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.