Injured Multiple-Time Champion Spotted At WWE Performance Center

Could this huge WWE return finally be about to happen?

by Andrew Pollard
Bayley WWE
WWE

With recent rumblings that Bayley was getting ready to make her long-awaited return to a WWE ring, there now comes an update on the status of the Role Model.

As per Mike Johnson at PWInsider.com, Bayley was at the WWE Performance Center for several days earlier this week. It's not known exactly why the former Hugger was at the PC, but she could have been working in-ring, undergoing medical assessment, filming vignettes or doing other such work that ties in with her impending return to action.

This latest update comes hot on the heels of speculation that Bayley was to make an appearance at last weekend's Money in the Bank premium live event. Of course, the 33-year-old was not at MITB, and thus attention once again turned to when and where on the horizon the hugely popular star will make her return.

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Bayley has been on the sidelines after suffering an ACL tear in July 2021 during mandatory Performance Center training sessions ahead of WWE returning to touring as the Thunderdome Era came to an end. In terms of her last match, that came on the 25 June '21 episode of SmackDown, where she teamed with Seth Rollins in a loss to Bianca Belair and Cesaro.

Prior to her injury, Bayley was embroiled in a rivalry with Belair over the SmackDown Women's Championship that the E.S.T at that time held. With Bayley officially listed as a SmackDown star, her eventual return could see her once again join WWE's blue brand, or likewise she could opt to reignite her feud Bianca Belair - only this time for the Raw Women's Title that's now in Belair's possession.

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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.