5 Things that went wrong with Bayley’s heel turn in WWE

Do you remember the video of a kid crying in response to Bayley’s heel turn in WWE? That was the impact of this much-awaited change in the on-screen character of the reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Bayley first turned heel when her best friend, Sasha Banks returned to WWE after her 4-month hiatus from the company. Together, they attacked RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and continued the dominant display on SmackDown by attacking Charlotte Flair.

Following that, Bayley lost her title to Charlotte which ultimately prompted her to adopt a new persona that saw her destroying every aspect of the character that she had portrayed before. It was indeed shocking and the fans loved the heel turn.

Unfortunately, this promising introduction to a new side of Bayley failed to garner similar interest in the weeks that followed. Somewhere down the line, the entire hype surrounding her heel turn died a brutal death and it left a deserving Superstar on the cusp of insignificance despite having the Championship wrapped around her.

Backstage reports also suggested that Vince McMahon wasn't happy with the Survivor Series main-event featuring Bayley in a triple-threat match. Even that could affect her turn in the weeks to come.

In this article, I have tried to decipher five things that went wrong with Bayley’s heel turn and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

#5 Unflattering challenges

The Champions are defined by the challenges that come in their way. Unfortunately for Bayley, she has not faced a single good challenger for her title ever since she turned heel. Yes, her brief feud with Nikki Cross was promising but it failed to deliver, forcing the creative to look beyond this particular storyline.

Other than Cross, Bayley has barely been involved in a decent challenge that poses a serious threat to her title. Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella could have changed that narrative but WWE decided to overlook their budding rivalry.

Currently, she is involved in a feud with Lacey Evans who will hopefully put an end to the series of unflattering challenges for Bayley’s title that has caused serious damage to the latter’s run as a heel champion.

#4 Shared spotlight

These two best-friends will eventually engage in a feud but what about right now?

Probably the only person who could serve as an ideal challenger for Bayley is none other than her best friend, Sasha Banks. Although a rivalry between them is inevitable, the duo is currently going strong on the Blue brand.

Don’t get me wrong, Bayley and Banks are incredible together. However, their time together on SmackDown has led to both these Superstars sharing the spotlight. This has taken away a lot of attention from Bayley’s heel persona. The creative have tried to keep the ‘Legit Boss’ in the background during Bayley’s segments but Banks is way too appealing for the fans to ignore.

For Bayley to be an equally good heel, she needs more brutality and intensity in her character. She needs segments that will portray her in a stronger light, focussing solely on her, especially when she is the Champion.

#3 Indecisive character

It's important to establish the character

There are times when Bayley's appeared to be a cowardly heel and others when she's claimed to be taking a stand for herself. While this amalgamated approach could have led to the Champion being portrayed as a ‘smart heel’, it has only managed to create more confusion around her character.

Bayley’s booking often leads to her standing up to other women on the roster in one week and a not-so-vicious attack from behind on the next. The lack of consistency in the entire narrative often leaves the fan wondering about her next possible action, and not in a good way.

It would have been better for Bayley to have ditched her cowardly acts after she donned a new gimmick. It would have added more value to the drastic changes in her character and would have made her more believable as a heel.

#2 Average promos

Countless heels in WWE lose matches every week but the one thing that keeps them going is their promos. Sadly, that’s one aspect of Bayley that has failed to draw attention from the WWE Universe in the last few weeks.

The most recent example would be that of Survivor Series. Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch were involved in a fantastic promo ahead of the pay-per-view. But Bayley’s promo for the event was quite underwhelming. Despite being a Champion herself, she looked to be the weakest link in the build-up owing to her promos that had little to no impact.

Bayley desperately needs a few good promos under her belt if she wishes to establish herself as a dominant heel on the roster. She has already stepped away from her ‘hugger’ persona but is a long way away from fully embracing the ‘darker’ side of her character. We have seen her engage in a war of words with Corey Graves and it would be better if she carries the same attitude every time she picks up a mic.

#1 Weak SmackDown women’s division

What's next for the Blue brand?

While the WWE creative can be criticized for not investing enough in Bayley’s run as a ‘heel’ champion, a large part of the blame lies in the SmackDown women’s division. Apart from the Champion and Sasha Banks, the Blue brand has no other Superstar who can put the women’s roster on the map.

Alexa Bliss only recently returned and is not expected to challenge Bayley for the title anytime soon. Nikki Cross and Lacey Evans are promising names but the former is more inclined towards the Tag Team division whereas the ‘Sassy Southern Belle’ is yet to cross paths with the Champion.

If Bayley was involved in intense feuds more often, the entire value of her heel turn would receive a significant boost. But for now, she will have to make peace with an average run as a heel. Hopefully, WWE will try to do justice to this talented Superstar’s first-ever heel turn on the main roster.

Edited by Arvind Sriram