The 6 WWE heroes of the Pandemic Era

#1 Bayley - WWE SmackDown

Is #Asuka2Belts in @SashaBanksWWE and @itsBayleyWWE's near future at #SummerSlam?#SmackDown @WWEAsuka pic.twitter.com/vmDKmSOXI3

— WWE (@WWE) August 15, 2020

Bayley came into the pandemic era as one of the most consistent superstars in WWE. As the reigning SmackDown Women's Champion, The Role Model had her best friend Sasha Banks by her side and was able to stave off multiple challengers over several months. At WrestleMania 36, she defeated five other competitors to retain her gold.

In the early months in the empty-arena Performance Center, Bayley quickly became the company's most entertaining WWE superstar. Her banter for her opponents and Michael Cole were hilarious and added a lot to her character. This felt like her finally getting used to her new skin as a heel during this period.

Bayley and Sasha Banks would go on a magical run into the summer when they become WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. This reign saw the two ladies appear on all three brands of RAW, SmackDown and NXT. This was awesome and showed how much confidence the company had in her.

Can’t wait to miss the first show in front of fans again. I blame YOU for this. Thanks a lot pic.twitter.com/ETOhRyeYkj

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) July 16, 2021

The Golden Role Models' rivalry against Asuka and Kairi Sane was a consistent highlight of the weekly WWE television in the summer. Bayley would help Banks win the RAW Women's Championship. This allowed them to hold all the gold available to the women on the main roster. This was an unbelievable run that made them the most dominant force in the company.

Bayley became the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in WWE history, but all good things must come to an end. The Golden Role Models would first lose the RAW Women's Championship and then the Women's Tag Team Championships. Following their loss of tag gold, Bayley turned on Sasha Banks, setting up the feud of the year and a match of the year candidate.

Bayley and Banks put on a phenomenal encounter inside Hell In A Cell. This was innovative and had tremendous storytelling. Sasha Banks defeated Bayley to win the SmackDown Women's Championship to end her record-breaking reign at 380 days and beat her in a rematch two weeks later. This started a fall from grace for Bayley by WWE.

The Role Model was featured less following her loss of the SmackDown Women's Championship. She was used to elevate Bianca Belair on her way to winning the Women's Royal Rumble in a fun feud. However, she was rarely used consistently after that, including not having a match at WWE WrestleMania 37. She would once again reignite her rivalry with Belair after Mania.

Despite this misuse, Bayley must be looked back on as a key player that continuously stepped up when the company needed her. It makes her untimely injury prior to WWE getting back on the road that much sadder. With that said, it can't be denied that Bayley was the hero of WWE's pandemic era.