Backstage WWE Update On Last-Minute Plans For Bayley's New Faction

New details emerge on how the Role Model's new group came together.

by Andrew Pollard
Bayley Dakota Kai Iyo Sky
WWE.com

With Bayley making her WWE return at SummerSlam last weekend - complete with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY in tow - there now comes an update on how these plans came together for this trio.

As per PWInsider, putting the faction together was an extremely last-minute decision. So much so, the trademark for the IYO SKY name - with SKY, of course, the former Io Shirai - was not put through until the day after SummerSlam. For the eagle-eyed amongst you, the late nature of forming this stable is why SKY's entrance video still featured her Shirai moniker.

Additionally, this report states that, while many expected Bayley to be a part of the Biggest Party of the Summer in some form or fashion, there was no "concrete" plan for an appearance by the Role Model when Vince McMahon was still overseeing WWE's creative plans.

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This ties in with recent comments from Dakota Kai on The Bump, with the one-time Captain of Team Kick stating how her WWE return came about extremely quickly in the days before SummerSlam.

The trio of Bayley, Kai and SKY have yet to be given a formal name, but they've certainly made quite the impression in their appearances at SummerSlam and the following night's Raw. Some are taking a recent tweet from Bayley as indicating that the stable may be called Control, although that's far from confirmed at this point.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.