10 Massive WWE Babyface Pushes That Were Doomed To Failure

4. Bayley

Bayley Booing
WWE.com

Booed vociferously by a Toronto Monday Night Raw crowd as she explained in more detail about the injury that will keep her out of this year's SummerSlam, Bayley's soul-crushing main roster collapse has been one of the most intensely frustrating experiences this year.

SummerSlam 2017 was destined to be the third year in a row where she'd attempt to steal the headlines from WWE's weekend away in Brooklyn. Her NXT Women's Title rematch with Asuka at last year's TakeOver: Brooklyn 2 was an absorbing battle of wills, lost heroically as a fitting sendoff to her time on the brand. Sat front row to watch her friend was Sasha Banks, who famously fell to 'The Hugger' in 2015's Match Of The Year in the very same building one year earlier.

To those that appreciate these connective tissues, it's a source of immense irritation that the two weren't battling for the WWE Women's Title at this year's event, such would be the fabulous symbolism and symmetry. It's been one of the many stumbling blocks in the bodged booking, which has included her prematurely winning the prized title through nefarious means, ending an intriguing undefeated streak with a whimper, and falling foul of abysmal scripting that at different times has positioned her anywhere from infantile buffoonery to oedipal love for her Father.

As she spends this year's summer spectacular with her arm in a sling and loathed by many, it's safe to classify Bayley: Year One as an unmitigated disaster.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett