Bayley Discusses Sasha Banks, Being NXT Women’s Champion, Divas Revolution

NXT Women’s Champion Bayley was recently interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine to promote the upcoming “NXT Takeover: Respect” event on the WWE Network this Wednesday evening. In the interview, she discusses a number of topics, including her match with Sasha Banks at “NXT Takeover: Brooklyn,” her role as the NXT Women’s Champion, the Divas Revolution and more.

Below are some highlights from the interview:

It’s been more than a month since you beat Sasha Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn to win the NXT Women’s Championship. Have you had a chance to look back on the match, and if so, what sticks out the most from it?
It was really everything. That match was so emotional. My first matches here were against Sasha, and they were just whatever matches, house show matches; I had a practice match with her just so coaches could see how I worked. So it goes that far back, to my first time in Florida Championship Wrestling, and then we get to NXT and we both weren’t really doing anything in storylines, and they’d put us in these matches, like a go-to filler match, and they’d give us five minutes or something, and I’d just kind of joke, “Well, I’ve got Sasha again.” And we both grew up loving wrestling and wanting to be the best; deep down, we’re the same person – but when it comes to wrestling, we’re really competitive.

We had a dark match at the first TakeOver, and as we started getting a little more known with the crowd, we started trying to one-up each other – who can have the better match, who can get the better reaction, whatever. I want to be better than her, and she wants to be better than me. And then when it got to Brooklyn, we knew how special it was. We were going to be able to do this in front of 16,000 people, in the co-main event, and me knowing she cared so much made me emotional, and her knowing I cared made her emotional. And the thought that, if I were to win, it would be one of the last times I’d get to work with her, it was a bittersweet moment. She’s definitely my favorite to work with. It’s a chemistry that you don’t really get with everybody.

When we interviewed Finn Bálor before TakeOver: Brooklyn, he spoke about the responsibilities he felt as NXT Champion, particularly when it came to helping the brand continue to grow. I’m assuming you feel the same way?
Totally. I feel like this is a very important part of my career. With the top three girls gone, and me being the champion, I’ve never been the person in the locker room who’s been here the longest – it was always Sasha and Charlotte. And now that I’m literally the leader in the locker room, and the champion, it’s a huge opportunity for me to help girls while I have the chance. Girls who don’t have any experience at all, I’m asking to get matches with them, so I can help them and bring them up. Paige and Charlotte were very helpful to me when I first arrived. It’s really important; you can be the best wrestler in the world, and make the most money, but if you’re not a good person in the back, that says a lot about you. I’ve never wanted to be that person, because I’ve had so much help along the way and I want to continue that. I want everyone to be comfortable in the locker room and the ring, and be hungry to make this division even bigger than it already is.

What are your thoughts on WWE’s ‘Divas Revolution?’
I don’t know what goes on or what they’re trying to do with certain people, because I’m not there. I only know what I see on TV. As a fan, I do enjoy it more now that they’re doing more individual things, to get everyone more of a spotlight. I think bringing them in on teams was a great idea – they got a great debut – but I hope it expands even more. There’s a bunch of girls there, so it’s really hard to get any exposure. It’s really going to take time; whether it’s going the way they want it to or not, I know Sasha and Becky and Charlotte are going to be able to show their talents and show who they really are over time. Giving them two matches a night gives them an opportunity, and whatever they do with it is up to them. The writers can give them whatever, but they can turn it into something they never expected to explode. They’ll get their time; I just try to tell them to be patient. I’ve always told myself the same thing.

You can find the full interview at this link.

Editor’s Note:

I love me some Bayley. I can’t wait until she is on the main roster and I hope that the Four Horsewomen stable is formed. That will be some incredible television, and could give even more credibility to the already revitalized Divas division.

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