Following Lyra Valkyria’s victory over Bayley on this past Monday’s episode of WWE RAW to earn a title shot at SummerSlam, a new report offers insight into how WWE management perceives Bayley’s current position within the company. The win sets the stage for a major rematch between Valkyria and Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, but the analysis points to a significant shift in Bayley’s role.
During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the outcome, suggesting that Bayley is now being positioned as a top-level gatekeeper.
“100% the bigger match is Bayley. But it feels to me that Bayley is kind of the female Sami Zayn — that they see her as someone who is really good, but her role is to lose to the people that they’re really serious about. And for whatever reason, Lyra Valkyria is that person right now.”
The match that sparked this analysis was a grueling two-out-of-three falls contest on the July 14 edition of WWE RAW. Just one day after all three women competed in a triple threat match at Evolution II, Valkyria defeated Bayley to become the official challenger for Lynch’s title at SummerSlam. The victory came after Valkyria hit her Nightwing finisher, capping off an intense back-and-forth encounter.
The conversation on the show also turned to Valkyria’s noticeable physical development, which may be contributing to her current push. Analyst Garrett Gonzales pointed out the change.
“Yeah, she’s got — she’s got big old shoulders now too,” Gonzales noted.
“Yeah, yeah,” Meltzer replied. “You can tell she’s been lifting.”
Meltzer also speculated that WWE’s decision-making could be driven by a desire to recapture the in-ring chemistry displayed in a previous encounter between Lynch and Valkyria.
“The first one, I thought that match was awesome. And they may just be trying to, you know, recreate that match for, for, you know, SummerSlam.”
The championship match is now officially set for the two-night SummerSlam event on August 2 and 3 at MetLife Stadium. For Valkyria, the match represents a chance to reclaim the very title she debuted as the inaugural champion, while the analysis suggests Bayley has settled into a veteran role designed to elevate the next wave of talent.