During her tenure on the main roster, Bayley rose to become one of the most recognisable figures in WWE women's wrestling history. The six-time WWE title holder has risen to the top of the women's division, having some of the best matches in the division's history, from her happy-go-lucky hugger persona to her evil heel role.
During her tenure on the main roster, Bayley rose to become one of the most recognisable figures in WWE women's wrestling history. The six-time WWE title holder has risen to the top of the women's division, having some of the best matches in the division's history, from her happy-go-lucky hugger persona to her evil heel role.
The hugger, who had one of the most iconic looks and entrances on "NXT," didn't begin on the main roster but instead rose to prominence as the biggest babyface in women's wrestling for four years. Although Bayley has frequently mentioned how closely she collaborated with Dusty Rhodes on the development of her character during her tenure on the black and gold brand, it appears that someone else actually came up with the character's original concept. In the most recent episode of the "Gentleman Villian" podcast, William Regal said, "I will claim that was my idea, because it was." My niece used to beg me, "Can you get me some t-shirts of AJ Lee?" while I was commentating on the first NXT, which was the Game Show. AJ Lee was there and she was excellent on there. There were [no shirts] and she was extremely young. That being the case, I wonder why this company doesn't have a marketable persona for young females. They have everything for adult women and teenage girls but nothing for small girls. Bayley's first tryout with "NXT" was discussed further by Regal, who said that Bayley was "the right fit for that position" the moment he first saw her. The AEW talent stated that he was unsure of what name they would give her and that he had left it up to Dusty and her to decide. Finally, Regal praised Bayley for "playing that part to perfection," emphasising how crucial it was to create a character that young girls could "get behind."