In a reflective conversation on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Bayley discussed her evolving views on the length of a female wrestler’s career, contrasting the shorter runs of her heroes with the sustained success of current stars.
“When I was younger, women didn’t wrestle as long as we’re doing it now. Trish and Lita, if you think about it, they were everyone’s heroes. They were my heroes, and they only did it for like, six, seven years with WWE, and were only on top for three years or something. So to me, that was always in my head,” Bayley noted, highlighting the relatively brief but impactful careers of Trish Stratus and Lita, who were prominent figures in WWE during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
However, Bayley’s perspective has shifted by observing the enduring careers of her contemporaries.
“But now you look at Nattie who’s been here forever. I just wrestled her on Friday, and it was just incredible in the ring. Just one of one, and everything that she brings to it, not just in the ring, but her experience, and we really need that in the locker room. So I always think that even if I’m not wrestling every week, there’s something that I have that can help the locker room just like she does, just like Naomi does, just like Tamina does.”
Natalya Neidhart, Naomi, and Tamina Snuka are all veteran female wrestlers who have had significant careers in WWE, demonstrating longevity in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Bayley also revealed her past personal expectations about her career duration.
“When I was younger I always said all right, 35 would be my cut off, because in my opinion, guys can go forever, but it’s not that cute when you’re a woman and you’re 35, but now that I’m 35, I’m just like, Oh we’re all way past that, and we’re still main-eventing, we’re still doing red carpets, we’re still doing all this stuff. People still care about us. So that’s kind of like something, they still care about us. So that’s kind of changed my mindset.”
Bayley turned 35 in June 2024.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Insight With Chris Van Vliet with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
