By @SpeedontheBeat
I hate being "that guy," because "that guy" is usually wrong. On top of that, I'm a big Bayley fan. But, I've got to wonder. Now that Bayley's on the main roster, is she all but destined to fall flat?
Again, I like Bayley. Her NXT run was great. She had a MOTY-caliber match with Sasha Banks and she obviously understands the stuff that makes the "IWC" go bonkers. But, aside from that, she's potentially limited as a performer.
First, Bayley is borderline pre-designed to be nothing more than a face in the crowd of faces within WWE. Her character is designed with kids and families in mind, even if you've got dudes saying they're huggers and whatnot. I know, I know. "But what about Cena?"
Well, let's say this to retort. Cena, at least, has that "SHUTUP!!!!!" edge he can pull out every now and again. He has room to be aggressive. Sasha Banks has room to be aggressive. Hell, just about everyone on the roster has room to be aggressive. You put Bayley out there in an aggressive manner and you get her mollywhopped by Asuka.
She's a kid-friendly face character that doesn't completely work if she's an aggressive face. Unless you want to destroy her fanbase and destroy what WWE's worked so hard to get over the past couple of years, you'd pretty much stuck with the streamer arms and streamer balloon guys. It's like if Santino would've decided to, one day, say screw this cobra BS and start knocking peoples' teeth out. It's unbelievable within the confines of the character's arc. Even when Bayley gets aggy in the ring, such as during the aforementioned Bayley/Banks match, she always returns to streamers and smiles. I like that she doesn't bend or break really, but there's got to be a bit more.
Additionally, Bayley hasn't shown the ability to cut those promos you need to be the face of a division. While her in-ring work is great, and she does have some skill on the mic, her promos still leave a bit to be desired. Take for instance this package for the Sasha/Bayley match at Takeover Brooklyn last year. Bayley is convincing, but she lacks...something that keeps me saying "ok, she's going to be great in-ring, but not that long-term."
I hate being "that guy," because "that guy" is usually wrong. On top of that, I'm a big Bayley fan. But, I've got to wonder. Now that Bayley's on the main roster, is she all but destined to fall flat?
Again, I like Bayley. Her NXT run was great. She had a MOTY-caliber match with Sasha Banks and she obviously understands the stuff that makes the "IWC" go bonkers. But, aside from that, she's potentially limited as a performer.
First, Bayley is borderline pre-designed to be nothing more than a face in the crowd of faces within WWE. Her character is designed with kids and families in mind, even if you've got dudes saying they're huggers and whatnot. I know, I know. "But what about Cena?"
Well, let's say this to retort. Cena, at least, has that "SHUTUP!!!!!" edge he can pull out every now and again. He has room to be aggressive. Sasha Banks has room to be aggressive. Hell, just about everyone on the roster has room to be aggressive. You put Bayley out there in an aggressive manner and you get her mollywhopped by Asuka.
She's a kid-friendly face character that doesn't completely work if she's an aggressive face. Unless you want to destroy her fanbase and destroy what WWE's worked so hard to get over the past couple of years, you'd pretty much stuck with the streamer arms and streamer balloon guys. It's like if Santino would've decided to, one day, say screw this cobra BS and start knocking peoples' teeth out. It's unbelievable within the confines of the character's arc. Even when Bayley gets aggy in the ring, such as during the aforementioned Bayley/Banks match, she always returns to streamers and smiles. I like that she doesn't bend or break really, but there's got to be a bit more.
Additionally, Bayley hasn't shown the ability to cut those promos you need to be the face of a division. While her in-ring work is great, and she does have some skill on the mic, her promos still leave a bit to be desired. Take for instance this package for the Sasha/Bayley match at Takeover Brooklyn last year. Bayley is convincing, but she lacks...something that keeps me saying "ok, she's going to be great in-ring, but not that long-term."
You add these few components together and you get a talent who may very well never be taken seriously as a title contender. Sorry Bayley superfans. She can never be, at this point, anything outside of who she's been set up to be. That's not inherently a problem...until you realize that who Bayley is set up to be is someone who is all smiles, even when she's pissed. Yes, I know, I know. "What about Cena?" Again, at least someone like Cena is allowed to display aggression and, sometimes, by any means tactics to get what he needs/wants. Bayley, if you do that with her, will probably flop.
But, is all hope lost for Bayley to be a title contender? No. But, right now? Bayley is already being regulated into random tag matches and the "she'll take the pin" member of triple threats. Until/unless something drastic happens with her and her character, I feel that may be all she'll be until WWE decides to move on from its Charlotte/Sasha love fest.
...but then what? You can only do Horsewomen matches so many times before the crowds lose interest. They're already starting to now, so by the time Bayley gets to where she could be, there's no real competition for her outside of Charlotte, Sasha, and maybe a few folks from Smackdown. It's not like you can put Asuka in RAW randomly.
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