Bayley’s first promo after returning to WWE didn’t work for Vince Russo. The former WWE writer says he wasn’t buying a single second of it—and he thinks he knows exactly why.
Speaking on The Coach and Bro Show, Russo took aim at Bayley’s pre-taped promo from the September 14 edition of WWE RAW, arguing that it felt less like someone speaking from the heart and more like someone reading lines.
“I swear. My God, when they did that pretape with Bayley on Raw, bro, it literally felt like she was reading every single word off a teleprompter. I’m like, ‘She’s reading a prompter. There’s no way she memorized all this.'”
For Russo, the problem wasn’t Bayley herself. He blamed the way the segment was put together, saying the promo never felt natural because it lacked any real emotion.
“It’s lacking emotion, and literally they put a script up on a teleprompter and she’s reading it. Come on, guys, we gotta be better.”
Bayley’s promo aired during Monday’s episode of RAW after her surprise return the previous week. Speaking directly to Lyra Valkyria, Bayley warned that costing Valkyria a Money in the Bank opportunity was only the beginning and promised she’d continue getting in her way.
The segment followed Bayley’s return on the September 7 edition of RAW, where she pulled the referee out of the ring during Valkyria’s qualifying match, allowing Sol Ruca to steal the victory before attacking Valkyria after the bell.
Russo wasn’t criticizing the direction of the feud or Bayley’s return itself. His issue was with the delivery, arguing that the segment came across as overly scripted instead of sounding like Bayley speaking naturally.
Did Bayley’s promo work for you, or do you agree with Vince Russo that it felt too scripted? Let us know in the comments.
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