During her initial appearance in “WWE NXT,” former WWE NXT Women’s Champion Bayley charmed fans as a lovable wrestler accompanied by her inflatable “Bayley Buddies.” However, she later transformed into a more intense competitor, shedding her cheerful persona. In a conversation on “The Rob Brown Show,” Bayley reflected on her evolution, stating it was simply time to move forward.
Bayley recounted a poignant moment just before her entrance, admitting she felt unexpectedly emotional as her upbeat theme ended and the smiling mascots faded. “There was a moment… before I went out that I was like ‘Oh my god,'” she said. “I needed to move on.”
The former WWE Women’s Champion also shared an unusual anecdote about WWE producers crafting a customized ax for her, which featured extra blades attached to the handle for reasons she still finds puzzling.
“It was the weirdest thing… they had to customize an ax for me,” Bayley recalled, noting that the ax appeared in one of her action figure designs. Unfortunately, during her first practice with the modified weapon, the blades flew off. “I don’t know why they didn’t give me a real ax.”
Despite her initial nerves about the character shift, as she had built a fan base among children, Bayley successfully navigated the change without alienating her audience. Since moving away from the “Bayley Buddies,” she has become a multi-time women’s champion in WWE and has also held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Her most recent title reign came to an end at the hands of current champion Nia Jax at SummerSlam.