WWE's upcoming SummerSlam premium live event could see the return of Bayley, based on a recent report. She's been out with an injury since training for last year's Money In The Bank show and hasn't wrestled a match since June 25 of 2021. There were some rumblings that she could get involved at WrestleMania 38, but that never came to fruition.
That was several months ago, and it's clear that WWE has been waiting to pick its spot when it comes to Bayley's return. Prior to her injury, she was working as one of the company's top female heels across from Bianca Belair. It'll be interesting to see exactly how SummerSlam will unfold if Bayley actually does make her return at the Biggest Party Of The Summer.
While WWE hasn't made any official announcement concerning the former Hugger, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported that Bayley will at least be in Nashville during SummerSlam weekend. Johnson wrote: "For those who have asked about the status of Bayley and when she's slated to return to WWE programming, PWInsider.com has learned she is scheduled to be in Nashville for Summerslam weekend. Bayley has been out of action since last summer after tearing her ACL while working out in the WWE Performance Center to prepare for the company's return to live crowds in the post-Thunderdome era."
In Bayley's absence, WWE has continued to develop its women's division. Asuka and Alexa Bliss returned to Monday Night Raw recently, while Liv Morgan received a huge boost after winning Money In The Bank. The scene has shifted since 33 year old was injured, but not everything has changed. Belair has the red brand's women's championship but isn't currently scheduled to wrestle at SummerSlam. A match featuring her could be set up in the coming weeks, as the premium live event isn't set to take place until July 30. That's not a ton of time to build a proper program, but WWE has done stranger things.
What's unclear at this juncture is whether or not WWE would advertise Bayley's return as a way to pop a rating or to get more people to tune into SummerSlam. That show is quickly picking up steam, as the Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns match is being billed as the last time those two will fight. Even if that doesn't turn out to be the case. Pat McAfee will also have a fight on the card, and it seems likely that The Miz will be taking on Logan Paul. Bayley popping up and interfering in some way would be another highlight for what should be a memorable event for WWE.
Source: PWInsider.com