How Corey Graves accidentally pranked Bayley at the WWE Royal Rumble

Corey Graves has revealed that he accidentally played a joke on Bayley backstage at the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble.

Since ditching her ponytail for shorter hair, Bayley has frequently had a word or picture shaved into the back of her head. At the Royal Rumble, she decided to have the surname of WWE commentator Michael Cole shaved into her hair. She planned to show him the new design during the Women's Royal Rumble, but Tom Phillips commentated on the match instead.

Speaking on his After The Bell podcast, Graves said he spoke to Bayley earlier in the day about having “Cole” shaved into her head. However, he failed to mention that Cole was not going to commentate on her match.

“She actually suggested the name Cole. I go, ‘Yeah, I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s gonna be really funny, I think it’s gonna be downright hysterical. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes what you did.’ About three hours later, I get a text from Cole that is a photo with him and Bayley, and a reminder that Cole was not calling the Women’s Royal Rumble match.”

pic.twitter.com/RPCr9aXK73

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) January 23, 2021

Although he knew Cole was not going to commentate, Graves said that fact did not register in his brain during his conversation with Bayley.

Bayley’s 2021 WWE Royal Rumble appearance

Bianca Belair and Bayley

Bayley was the first entrant in the 2021 WWE Women's Royal Rumble. She showed her “Cole” design to the commentary team before the match, despite the fact that Michael Cole was not there.

The former SmackDown Women’s Champion eliminated Ruby Riott during her 29-minute appearance. The eventual winner, Bianca Belair, eliminated Bayley midway through the match.

Please credit Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.