After her exclusion from last Tuesday’s WWE Draft caused significant uproar online, Bayley finally made her main roster TV debut on Sunday night at WWE Battleground.
Sasha Banks previously shot down speculation that she would choose the former NXT Women’s Champion to be her mystery partner, but ultimately did team with her former NXT rival to take on WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and partner Dana Brooke.
Bayley defeated Banks to win NXT gold at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in one of the most well received WWE matches of last year. The two had a long feud that culminated with Bayley again defeating Banks at TakeOver: Respect in the first women’s ironman match in WWE history.
Bayley lost the title to Asuka at TakeOver: Dallas, and has been attempting to regain it since.
As NXT has grown into its own distinct brand, Bayley has grown along with it to become one of the faces of NXT, establishing a unique connection with the audience through her likability and charisma.
JBL called Bayley’s appearance a one-off on commentary, and it’s not clear when she will be permanently added to either Raw or SmackDown’s roster.