Bayley spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview discussing WrestleMania 36, her heel turn and more:
On her heel turn:
“I wanted a new challenge. I did the same character for so long and the same style of wrestling. At some point, when you’re so familiar, you know what works. You know what’s going to get a reaction and what won’t. And if I stayed the same, I could only work with certain people.”
On her heel look:
“I knew how I wanted to look and how I wanted to approach things in my mind, but it turned out to be a lot harder for me than I imagined. Once I got my hair cut the morning of that SmackDown, it was a shock. I needed to get Sasha [Banks] to hold my hand. All I could see were eight inches of hair falling to the floor. When I finally looked in the mirror, I couldn’t believe it. I kept asking myself if I made the right decision. It definitely was hard at first, especially for people who were so used to seeing me the way I was before. But I think it’s starting to work now and I’m having fun doing it.”
On a possible match with Sasha Banks at WrestleMania:
“If we were put in that position, there is no way we would let that slip through our fingers. I do believe one day we will get the opportunity to have a match at WrestleMania.”
On her friendship with Banks:
“I love this and I work really hard to push myself. But without Sasha, if I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t know which direction to push myself sometimes. She definitely helps keep my head straight. If I believe in something, she’s always supporting me. She’s helped make me into what I am today.”
On wanting a multi-person match for this year’s Mania:
“It would be pretty crazy to have a one-on-one match at WrestleMania, but you need the story behind it. I would also love to include all the women on SmackDown. It’s kind of hard to say. I want to involve everyone, so bring them all to me. I’ll defend against all of them.”
On her match with Naomi at Super ShowDown:
“I didn’t know what to expect. Watching Lacey and Nattie’s match from last time, it was a very introductory match for a lot of fans who had never seen women’s wrestling. It was a great introduction to what we do, and I kind of thought that’s how it would go this time. I did a lot of research beforehand to see what I was walking into as a female athlete, and I learned that a community all-women’s soccer team just started in Saudi Arabia, which was so cool. And I saw Naomi ‘Feel the Glow’ signs and I saw a ‘I Came for Bayley’ sign. I was in awe they were so excited to see a storyline-driven match.”
