Hugs, Suplexes, & Pop-punk: A Chat With WWE Superstar Bayley

Can you smell it? That glorious smell of spandex, sweat and brutality? That’s right! It’s Wrestlemania season! The WWE’s flagship event is only weeks away, and we were lucky enough to get the chance to sit down with former RAW Women’s Champion and the queen of the Hug Life, Bayley!

The professional wrestling world is obviously a male-dominated industry, with many key names that come to people’s heads when asked about wrestling usually being: John Cena, The Rock, Steve Austin and Triple H. But being a woman in professional wrestling has definitely changed since the 90’s, where women would be lucky to get a two-to-three minute spot on a Pay Per View or a Monday RAW episode and that’d be all.

In recent years, we’ve seen the women’s division of the WWE take a real stand and compete in some of the most brutal matches to be created, even for the guys, with the WWE’s Women’s Championships being defended in cage matches, tables matches and most recently the daunting Elimination Chamber. But it was three years ago where WWE Superstar Bayley started proving to the doubters that she and the women of wrestling can do incredible things when she competed in a “30 Minute Iron Woman Match” against Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship. Of course, Women’s matches have been the main event episodes of RAW before, with Trish Stratus vs. Lita being the first to do so in 2004 and on February 13th, 2017 when Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair for the RAW Women’s Championship. But there is one thing that the WWE women haven’t done yet, which could become a reality now more than ever, and that’s the main event at Wrestlemania.

“It’s something that’s been on my mind since I was 12 years old”, the 28-year-old tells us. “Before the women’s evolution started, before I even got NXT, being a kid that’s everybody’s dream. Anybody who has a dream of becoming a wrestler and making it to the WWE wants to main event Wrestlemania, men and women. It’s gonna happen one day, the fact that I could be a part of that. Whether I’m in it or not, the fact a women’s match could Main Event Wrestlemania makes my heart so happy”.

Last year, Bayley competed at her first ever Wrestlemania (after graduating from NXT to the WWE’s Main Roster in late 2016) and walked down the ramp in Florida was the RAW Women’s Champion, ready to defend her title “Becuase it was my first I wasn’t even sure I’d be on the show” “When I won the championship I was like “Oh my gosh, I hope I hold onto it until Mania”, then I did and I even retained the title. Just walking down the entrance I slipped on my Bayley Buddy [a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man, for those unfamiliar with a Bayley Buddy] and I thought it was going to down all downhill from there”.

Wrestlemania is obviously a big deal for both wrestlers and in recent years, musicians, with bands and solo artists receiving a huge profile boost if they appear during the 6-hour showcase of sports entertainment. So if the opportunity was the come around and the women’s division defied the odds and were to main event a Wrestlemania, Bayley would need a special entrance. Think along the lines of when Motorhead played Triple H to the ring, twice. And when Limp Bizkit played the Undertaker to the ring. So who which band does she want to play her to the ring one day?

“Paramore, for sure. I feel like they would play my entrance song so perfectly. When I was in the Indies [independent wrestling scene] I used to come out to Paramore, so I’ve been planting that seed for a while now. I actually had the opportunity to meet Hayley Williams and the band a few months ago, so we’re best friends now, so they will definitely do it”, laughs Bayley.

Guys. Look what happened. Thank you to everyone who went out of their way for me last night - you know who you are. Watching @paramore perform at Radio City Music Hall and meeting @yelyahwilliams afterwards was something my heart will always hold onto.

A post shared by Bayley (@itsmebayley) on Oct 5, 2017 at 6:49am PDT

Close followers of her social media accounts will see that she's love for pop-punk, from screenshots of Paramore, Pierce The Veil and A Day To Remember playing on her phone filling up her Instagram stories, as well as an excited post about seeing Simple Plan late last year, so its easy to see that the bubbly and energetic pocket rocket gets a lot of pre-match pump ups from a solid selection of pop-punk!

Check out the interview below:

Wrestlemania will be aired live on the WWE Network on Monday, April 9th. Click through to see when KYS spent the evening with Bayley’s favourite band - Paramore - the other week. 

PC: WWE.