Bayley reveals her original pitch for Damage CTRL.
At SummerSlam 2022, Bayley returned to WWE television, backed by a new pair of allies in the form of Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. Together, the three made up Damage CTRL, a stable rooted in creating havoc within the WWE locker room.
According to Bayley, her original pitch for Damage CTRL included two more familiar names. In its final stage, though, WWE settled on the lineup of her, Kai, and SKY.
“I had a whole [plan], there’s five of us, my pitch for Damage CTRL. Also had Raquel [Rodriguez] in it. I also had Alba Fyre in it, I had so many other girls in mind too. I had Toni Storm; I wanted Toni Storm in it,” Bayley told Insight With Chris Van Vliet. “But when I actually sat at the [WWE] PC and shot stuff, it was with Raquel and Alba, and all five of us. I had reasons why I wanted them. Raquel was obviously our muscle, but she was teaming with Dakota at the time, I believe. So they worked out perfectly. Alba and IYO I think we’re teaming a little bit there, so they worked out perfectly. But in my mind, it was there’s two tag teams, and then IYO was my champion; she was going to be the champion.”
“I just want to do everything in wrestling,” she continued. “That’s how I always thought. I want to be a bad guy, I want to be a good guy, I want to be in a faction. I want to be in a tag team. Want to be a singles wrestler, I want to be in a romantic love angle someday. I want to be able to do everything, because there’s so many different things that we could do in this crazy world to not try different avenues and work with as many people as possible. I just want to do it.”
In late 2024, Damage CTRL picked up Kairi Sane and Asuka as additional members. Months later, however, Bayley’s run in the faction came to an end as she challenged SKY to a WWE Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 40. Currently, SKY reigns as the WWE Women’s World Champion, with Dakota Kai still by her side. Sane and Asuka remain with the group as well, albeit from the sidelines while recovering from injuries.
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