Bayley: NXT’s Women’s Champion Leads a Wrestling Revolution

Speaking of that, I loved the way your rematch at TakeOver: Respect was announced – in front of the Full Sail crowd, with you and Sasha in the ring and William Regal trying to contain his excitement and not break character. It felt genuine, I suppose.
I get emotional whenever I think about it. I felt like I was in a dream; I felt really dizzy in the ring, like, “Is this really happening?” It was hard for me to look at Sasha, because we’re both so emotional. Everyone in the back knows how special this match is for NXT; not just the Women’s Division. And to do it in front of Full Sail, since Sasha and I grew up in front of them, made it even more special. I was so sweaty!

When we interviewed Finn Bálor before TakeOver: Brooklyn, he spoke about the responsibilities he felt as NXT Champion, particularly when it came to helping the brand continue to grow. I’m assuming you feel the same way?
Totally. I feel like this is a very important part of my career. With the top three girls gone, and me being the champion, I’ve never been the person in the locker room who’s been here the longest – it was always Sasha and Charlotte. And now that I’m literally the leader in the locker room, and the champion, it’s a huge opportunity for me to help girls while I have the chance. Girls who don’t have any experience at all, I’m asking to get matches with them, so I can help them and bring them up. Paige and Charlotte were very helpful to me when I first arrived. It’s really important; you can be the best wrestler in the world, and make the most money, but if you’re not a good person in the back, that says a lot about you. I’ve never wanted to be that person, because I’ve had so much help along the way and I want to continue that. I want everyone to be comfortable in the locker room and the ring, and be hungry to make this division even bigger than it already is.

With the departures of Sasha, Becky and Charlotte, it’s an interesting time for NXT’s Women’s Division – there’s a real mix of established talent, newcomers and veterans. How do you see the division right now?
I see that it has a million possibilities to get so much better. When Paige and Emma went onto the main roster; everyone was like, “Well, what’s going to happen to NXT now?” And then Charlotte happened, and Sasha and Becky and myself – we took it to a different level, and everybody took notice. Now that they’re gone, people expect a drop-off, like “Man, now there’s just Bayley down there.” But there’s so many people that they have no idea about, because I get to train with these girls every day. You see Carmella or Dana Brooke or Alexa Bliss on TV, and they’re working so hard, they know that it’s time for them to step it up. They hear it too; they don’t have to fill anyone’s shoes, they have to take it to a different level. And then Peyton [Royce] and Billie [Kay], they’re going to blow up because they’re so passionate and great wrestlers. And I don’t even have to say anything about Asuka, because she’s amazing. There are so many possibilities with her. It’s a really exciting time for the division, and it’s just going to keep getting better.