Bayley may have just been written out of WWE, and the way Lyra Valkyria left her laid out made the whole thing look like a goodbye.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer questioned whether Bayley’s loss at Saturday Night’s Main Event was simply another chapter in the feud or the end of her WWE run. Lyra defeated Bayley and then kept going after the bell. She hit the Nightwing on the steel steps and walked away while Bayley was left crushed at ringside. Alvarez said the scene looked like WWE was either writing Bayley off television or intentionally trying to convince fans that she was finished.
“I think she’s either gone, or they want you to think she’s gone. I mean, Lyra beat her, and then she destroyed her afterward. She gave her the Nightwing on the steps, and she left her for dead. It really was like a blow-off, like that’s the end of Bayley. We’ll see.”
Meltzer pointed out that the rivalry had only just started, which would normally make a second match the obvious next move. Even so, he admitted the attack did not feel like an angle designed to keep things going.
“The thing is, the feud just started. You could say it’s a way to keep the feud going, but it really didn’t feel that way to me.”
Alvarez pushed back by bringing up WWE’s recent booking of Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar. Oba beat Lesnar in five minutes before Lesnar retired, yet WWE still appeared to be setting up another match. His point was that WWE has already shown it will book a supposed ending and then keep the rivalry alive anyway.
“Well, hold on, Dave. You say that, except we just saw Oba Femi beat Brock Lesnar in five minutes, and then Brock Lesnar retired. That was apparently the build for a second match, which makes absolutely no sense, but that’s what they did. So, I can’t say they couldn’t do a second match out of this.”
Meltzer agreed that WWE could bring Bayley back for another match, but he kept coming back to how final the beatdown felt. He also brought up Bayley’s contract and her close friendship with AEW star Mercedes Moné.
“I know. They could do something like that, but it just didn’t feel that way. I don’t know. When I watched it, it felt like the end. I mean, I’ve always heard the rumors, and I know her contract is due in a couple of months. She’s best friends with Mercedes, and Mercedes is probably having a ball right now.”
WWE then poured gasoline on the situation during RAW. Lyra referenced the victory during a commercial-break promo and claimed she had run Bayley out of the company.
“I dropped a load of dead weight on Saturday when I ran Bayley out of here.”
That line made the situation look even less like a normal storyline injury. WWE had Lyra flat-out claim Bayley was gone just two days after leaving her wrecked on the steel steps. Meltzer also weighed the possible pros and cons of Bayley leaving WWE. He believes she may have stronger opponents available in WWE, but a move elsewhere could give her a fresh start and a bigger spotlight.
“In WWE, she probably has the better opponents, but she’s not going to have the featured time. She’s been there for her whole life practically, it seems. A change of scenery could do her really well, but if she’s brought in and AEW doesn’t decide to use her, then it’s kind of like—whatever.”
Mercedes added more fuel to the situation when she teased the possibility of facing Bayley in the future. The two have a long history together, and any uncertainty surrounding Bayley’s contract will immediately create questions about whether they could reunite outside WWE.
There is still no confirmation that Bayley has left WWE. The attack could be setting up a dramatic return and another fight with Lyra, but WWE clearly wants fans wondering whether they just watched the end of Bayley’s run.
Do you think Bayley is actually leaving WWE, or is the company setting up a major return against Lyra Valkyria? Leave your feedback in the comments.
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