Examining Bayley's Direction, Upside and Long-Term Potential

Bayley will be a bigger WWE star than the heavily pushed Roman Reigns or Braun Strowman by the time she hangs up her boots.

The pure-of-heart babyface has resonated deeply with fans in the early stages of her career. She thrives at generating pathos and telling stories in the ring. Her unique, happy-go-lucky character and marketability will allow her to be one of WWE's top attractions.

After a successful run in NXT, Bayley moved to the Raw roster late this past summer. The hug-happy fan favorite has been an underdog looking to move into contention since.

The wheels are in motion for Bayley to begin a full-fledged feud with Raw women's champion Charlotte Flair. She has clashed with The Queen both in the ring and on the mic, with the animosity between them growing.

The story so far has been that Flair doesn't believe Bayley is worthy of her time or a shot at the gold. The newcomer, though, has slowly been proving herself.

She knocked off Flair's protege, Dana Brooke, at Hell in a Cell with one good arm. She later pinned Charlotte in a tag team match on the Nov. 7 edition of Raw.

It's looking as if WWE is introducing a narrative much like the one that led her to dethrone Sasha Banks in NXT.

It's clear the company values her, as it's moving her to the top rungs of the division almost right away. That's the smart move. Bayley's potential has to be tapped into.

Strengths

Bayley excels at the babyface role.

She makes it easy to care about her when she's on the ropes, struggling to fight off the heel of the day. Her facial expressions while she writhes in pain or grows intense during a comeback are superb. That's all especially valuable in an era when the audience so often rejects the classic, do-gooder fan favorite.

She's likable. She bubbles with energy.

Those traits have contributed to her being one of the most over members on the roster.

One could argue that the fans in Glasgow, Scotland, hijacked the show when they sang in support of Bayley on the Nov. 7 edition of Raw, but there's no denying how passionate they were about her. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com pointed out that her peers would be happy to be that popular:

The Scottish fans aren't alone in their appreciation of Bayley.

Many crowds are filled with men, women and kids in Bayley gear. She seems to especially connect with little girls, who hold up signs and scream her name at every show. 

In the ring, Bayley has produced a number of strong matches. The most obvious bouts to point to are her instant classics in NXT against Banks last year.

Her run after taking the belt from The Boss, though, may be even more impressive.

As NXT women's champ, Bayley took on all comers. She battled Eva Marie, Alexa Bliss and Carmella with the title on the line. Each time, Bayley helped lead these inexperienced women to the best matches of their respective careers.

She's poised to create some classics against the likes of Flair, Banks, Becky Lynch and others.

Obstacles

Like Sami Zayn, Bayley has an understated approach to promos that rings genuine but that isn't as compelling as the speeches from the more larger-than-life figures in WWE.

As a talker, she's a work-in-progress. She can be moving, as we saw in her NXT feud with Banks, but she can be underwhelming, too. 

When she stepped up to Flair on the Oct. 31 edition of Raw, she did fine in their verbal confrontation. Flair, though, was above her level.

For Bayley to continue to climb the WWE ladder, she's going to have to show she can spit fire on the mic in the biggest moments.  

WWE may also struggle with booking her. It might just not know what to do with her character.

After telling a story of an underdog's rise, then what? It's not as if WWE has a ton of experience with wrestlers who are big huggers with a childlike aura. 

Whether she can explore other sides of her gimmick and WWE can find creative ways to showcase her will determine how high her ceiling is.

Long-Term Potential

Among the newest crop of NXT transplants, Bayley is the safest bet to succeed in the long run.

She has the tools to be a major babyface and morph into the John Cena of the women's division.

Bayley has shown she can hang in the ring, and she is likely to improve over time verbally. Not to mention that she has already connected with fans in emphatic fashion. Her shtick will lead to a lot of headband, wristband and T-shirt sales, too.

Several reigns as women's champion are in her future. WWE is already positioning her to push Flair off her throne.

Beyond that, Bayley is bound to be a centerpiece of a groundbreaking division.

If she is part of a great story and facing top talent, she will be in main events, as Flair and Banks have been of late. If WWE fully embraces her and buys into her act, she will be remembered as one of the best female talents of all time.

WWE has to see that.

Fans have often chanted "We want some Bayley!" They are about to get plenty of her, as she will stand in the heart of WWE's spotlight for a long time.

Be sure to check out previous editions of this ongoing series:

• Bo Dallas 
• Chad Gable
• T.J. Perkins
• Alexa Bliss