“It has to start at WrestleMania” – Bayley reveals why she must win the WWE Women’s Championship

Bayley has secured a spot in the WrestleMania XL match for the WWE Women’s Championship against IYO WeY. Her victory in the January 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match earned her this opportunity.

The experienced leader of Damage CTRL was betrayed by her own group earlier this year. However, upon her return from injury, Dakota Kai also chose to betray Bayley. This presents an opportunity for the Role Model to seek revenge and claim the championship title at WrestleMania XL by defeating her former stablemate.

WWE released a video showcasing the preparations of the SmackDown star for her upcoming match against IYO WeY. The former leader of Damage CTRL issued a warning to WeY before their match.

“I feel like I am at a crossroads with my career right now of like if I don’t [get] this done, I’m just going to be like ‘Oh, she almost made it’. But if I am able to do this, this year is going to be what defines me. It has to start at WrestleMania, and I have to take it from IYO [SKY] because she is one of the girls that is trying to stop me from getting to the top,”said Bayley. [02:42 – 03:11]

Bayley also mentioned that she has yet to reach the peak of the women’s division and will need to defeat IYO WeY in order to achieve her goal of becoming WWE Women’s Champion.

“I’ve never quite made it there, like I’ve been on every single show since I’ve returned. I’ve been on everything. I’ve had title matches, and I’m still in the conversation when it comes to women’s wrestling, but I am not there yet and I have to go through IYO to prove that I think to myself, to the fans, to the back [backstage]. So to me, more than the title, it [is] just my legacy. This ‘Mania is my legacy. It is the crossroads of like, can she do it or I’ll just never get there,”added Bayley. [03:12 – 03:46]

Bayley’s Reaction to Being Ousted from Damage CTRL on WWE SmackDown

Bayley has shared her thoughts on Damage CTRL’s disbandment, expressing her disappointment with how events unfolded.

In the video released by WWE today, Bayley revealed that she initially believed Damage CTRL would operate similarly to The Shield, but that was not the case. She acknowledged that the group faced some struggles after their debut, but ultimately achieved success. However, she never imagined being ousted from the faction, even after becoming the Women’s Royal Rumble winner.

“You know, in hindsight, I think it still came out a success the way I wanted it to because I wanted them to grow and become their own person, I was just the stepping stone. I knew that, and that was my goal. I’m just the stepping stone to get them out to RAW, SmackDown, SummerSlam, WrestleMania, and Royal Rumble, and they have done all of those things. But, I didn’t think they were going to like kick me to the curb in the process, you know? It was supposed to be like a, ‘I freed them. Alright, now go spread your wings’. That is kind of how I always thought it would be,”said Bayley. [00:33 – 01:12]

This weekend, Dakota Kai and The Kabuki Warriors of Damage CTRL will take on Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi in a six-woman tag team match. It will be exciting to see which team emerges victorious and earns the title of WWE Women’s Champion at The Show of Shows.