The importance of a heel turn can make or break a wrestler’s career. Bayley took a bigger risk than most when ditching her established face gimmick for a heel run. The NXT success and early main roster years of Bayley saw her playing the ultimate fan favorite. Comparisons were made to John Cena when she was a top merchandise seller and built huge momentum as an NXT all-time great.

Bayley struggled for a while once the character hit a ceiling and WWE no longer booked her the same. A heel turn to reunite with Sasha Banks changed her career for the better. Bayley accomplished new peaks and cemented her legacy in WWE. The massive success gives Bayley a point for having the best heel turn by a woman in any wrestling promotion.

Bayley's Heel Turn Was An Instant Success

The character of Bayley reached a low point when dropping the Raw Women’s Championship to Alexa Bliss in a one-sided feud. Bliss’ heel run was starting to place her on a higher level, but Bayley’s babyface character was sacrificed by getting embarrassed multiple times. The friendship with Sasha Banks as faces would see them going back and forth from partners to enemies.

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WWE tried to rebuild Bayley as a face when Sasha took time off. Bayley won the Money in the Bank contract and cashed in on Charlotte Flair to become the Smackdown Women’s Champion. Unfortunately, the face run of Bayley never rebounded from the prior mistakes and WWE decided to pull the trigger for a turn that changed everything.

Banks returning as a heel opponent of Becky Lynch inspired the heel turn of Bayley to rejoin her former partner and revamp her image. The change worked as Bayley and Sasha teamed up to face their mutual enemies of Lynch and Flair afterward. Bayley’s feud with Charlotte saw her winning back the Smackdown Women’s Championship and changing her entire persona with the freedom of being a heel.

Bayley's Heel Run As Smackdown Women's Champion Was A Historic Success

The new look of Bayley featured a shorter haircut and the removal of her “Bayley buddies” entrance prop. WWE committed to a true change with Bayley even getting a new theme that fit her moving forward. Various changes would see Bayley step up at a time WWE badly needed it when the pandemic removed live audiences and certain talents were out.

Bayley dominated the Smackdown women’s division and continued to improve her character. The Smackdown Women’s Championship reign set a new record with Bayley holding the gold for over a year at 380 days. WWE even set the perfect betrayal moment when Bayley attacked her former best friend Sasha Banks after they lost a tag title match.

The antics of Bayley reached new peaks with her mocking the audience and Banks heading into their big match. A great heel will play a role in faces having their big moment, and Bayley ending her historic reign to Sasha in a Hell in a Cell match elevated Banks to a new peak for her WWE career. The 2021 feud with Bianca Belair also helped the new star get over after a slow start. Everything Bayley did from her title reign to great matches to hilarious heel promos to hosting a talk show segment all connected.

Was It THE Best Women’s Division Heel Turn?

Wrestling has witnessed quite a few memorable heel turns for important women in wrestling. Trish Stratus betraying Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 20,Lita aligning with Edge, and Stephanie McMahon’s run with Triple H are among the better long-term heel turns. However, all those moments involved the women having their new characters impacting male wrestlers they worked with almost as much as them.

Recent memory would declare the Becky Lynch turn on Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2018 as a big option, but Lynch’s face run as The Man was what gained more success. Sasha Banks returning as a heel to attack Lynch didn’t hold the same impact as Bayley due to the shock and long-term value. There are a few other options out there, but nothing can compare to Bayley’s overall impact.

WWE took a calculated risk by removing the pure face element of Bayley’s gimmick. Even if she returns as a face or ever goes back to her old gimmick, it’s no longer her identity. Bayley became the top female heel on the roster and helped carry WWE through one of its toughest times. Few heel turns will have the long-term effect, short-term effect, and help the overall product as much Bayley did when going to the dark side.