Is This Really IT For Bayley In WWE? (WWE News)
Amongst rumours of her WWE exit, Bayley returned to the ring last night.
With recent weeks seeing plentiful speculation that Bayley could be finishing up with WWE, if she's not finished up with the company already, there's now a notable update on the Role Model's status.
The last time fans saw Bayley on WWE TV was against Lyra Valkyria at Saturday Night's Main Event last weekend. There, Lyra choked out Bayley for the win, then launched a post-match attack on her former tag team partner that ended with Bayley being hit with the Nightwing on the steel steps.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that there was talk beforehand that SNME would be Bayley's final time wrestling in Madison Square Garden, and that the Valkyria attack "felt like an angle both ending the program and maybe blowing off Bayley for good". As for Bayley's future, Meltzer said that "she has a decision to make".
The Wrestling Observer also picked up on the fact that Bayley has been replaced on a SummerSlam advertisement. That poster was for a VIP package where fans can pay to, amongst other things, watch the WWE tryouts that are taking place during SummerSlam Weekend, and Bayley was originally featured on that graphic alongside Shawn Michaels, Natalya, Je'Von Evans and NXT GM Robert Stone. She's since been replaced by Ivy Nile.
However, in another twist in all of this, Bayley actually made her return to action last night, competing against Lyra Valkyria and Women's Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca at a Stockton, California live event. With footage circulating on social media, Bayley was notably more aggressive in her approach, particularly towards Lyra. And as for the finish of that match, Bayley was sent out of the ring after being posted by Valkyria, which then allowed Ruca the chance to hit Lyra with the Sol Snatcher to get the 1-2-3. Interestingly, Bayley was wearing a t-shirt sporting Lyra Valkyria's bloodied face from their Saturday Night's Main Event match, suggesting that the issues between the two are far from over.
Either way, the latest reports indicate Bayley's existing WWE contract is up later this year, and rumblings over the three-time Women's Champion will likely continue for the foreseeable future.