Why Bayley Would Be Better off Missing the Cut at WWE Survivor Series 2017

The briefest of moments on Monday's WWE Raw provided a window into what's potentially ahead for Bayley.

The Huggable One leaned against the ring ropes, hurt, out of breath, clutching her ribs. Her friend and tag team partner Sasha Banks stood just steps away from her as she celebrated. Alicia Fox had just named Banks as the fourth member of the Raw women's Survivor Series team.

Bayley, still not confirmed for that squad, looked on flustered and confused.

Credit: WWE.com

That scene should be a catalyst for the former NXT women's champion. It can be the spark she so badly needs.

Team Red's Survivor Series squad is all but set. Fox, the captain, had already named Nia Jax and Asuka as her partners.

Then after suffering The Boss' Bank Statement in a tag team match on Monday, Fox added Banks, as well. Only one spot remains open.

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Thanks to Emma and Summer Rae's recent releases, Fox doesn't have a glut of options for her final partner. Unless someone comes up from NXT or Paige returns, it will come down to Bayley and the little-used Dana Brooke.

Bayley is the better performer than Brooke. She's a bigger name. No reasonable fan would argue you on that.

But WWE would be wise to keep The Huggable One on the bench for the Nov. 19 pay-per-view regardless.

Something needs to change with Bayley. WWE hasn't seemed to get a handle on her character. She's not the endearing, pure-of-heart babyface she was at NXT, but instead something dorkier, something flatter.

Ever since her feud with Alexa Bliss, including that awful This is Your Life segment, Bayley hasn't had much to work with. And she's fallen down the company ladder as a result. Bliss, Banks, Jax and Fox all have more momentum than her right now.

As WrestleView.com pointed out, Bayley needs to be refreshed in some way:

Throwing her into the Survivor Series team as its last member won't do much for her. The fallout of her not making the squad, though, would be far more powerful.

Whether Team Raw loses in part because she wasn't around or wins in spite of her absence, she'll have a meaty story to leap into. 

Bayley can grow angry with Banks for not endorsing her. She can talk about no one believing in her. She can be motivated to rediscover her mojo. The options are plentiful.

Suddenly, Bayley will have a narrative to play with. Feuds will begin to take shape. 

She doesn't need a heel turn, but a shift in character would do wonders. Bayley can grow more aggressive, more focused, with a bigger chip on her shoulder. 

Those are the kind of elements she needs to recapture what made her so special at NXT. Getting lost in a crowded Survivor Series match won't do that for her. The sting of being left out will.