11 Things WWE Got Wrong In 2017
6. Not Booking Bayley Vs. Charlotte At WrestleMania 33
The destruction of Bayley on RAW may well take the top spot as WWE’s most depressing story of the year. The former NXT Women’s Champion was once a true breath of fresh air, but her run on the main roster has been mired in contradictory character booking and absolutely nonsensical decision making.
Bayley was hindered by her greatest achievement to date. Charlotte Flair was riding high as RAW Women’s Champion, with an undefeated pay-per-view streak to boot. WrestleMania 33 was scheduled to take place in Orlando, ostensibly NXT’s backyard. It didn’t take a genius to see that Bayley defeating Charlotte for the title at ‘Mania was the right way to go.
Instead, the title was moved to Bayley a month early on RAW before being successfully defended at Fastlane in controversial circumstances, leading to yet another multi-woman match at WrestleMania 34. Bayley never recovered, and is now struggling for relevance.
It’s a far cry from 12 months ago, when she was the most popular woman in the company.