"I been losing friends and finding peace, but honestly that sounds like a fair trade to me." - Drake, "Fair Trade"
(art work by Famo, .@famoisdead on Instagram)
Bayley's current character contains many nuances and layers. In my opinion, she is the most interesting character I've seen in the past few years in women's wrestling. She portrays at least 3 sides; at least 3 variations of her character that serve different purposes for her motives.
The most jarring personality, and the side we may see more often than not, is the sadistic / violent side. We saw this side of her jump out when she pretended to care for Sasha Banks after they lost their tag team championship rematch in Sept 2020. I will never forget Sasha cowering away from her former best friend, putting her arms up for mercy as Bayley menacingly approached her by the barricade. Becky Lynch has seen this side as well, but chose to avoid "collecting a debt" because she thought the Bayley she knew and loved was still underneath the monster. Bianca Belair has been a victim of Bayley's violence many times, but Bianca's own courage would not allow her to be bullied and defeated. Bayley seems to snap in and out of this psyche, even when she's wearing her other disguises; this face is always waiting to show up without notice.
Imitation isn't flattery, it's just annoyin' me... / and the dirt that they threw on my name turned to soil and I grew up out it
The Role Model was always in the heart of the Hugger. The Hugger wanted everyone who looked up to her to feel the same way she felt as a kid watching wrestling: that it can be a magical experience with fairy tales and heroes. Hugger Bayley's ideals of what it means to be a role model was distorted over time due to Sasha Banks' influence. The Role Model eventually despised her friends and the audience, because she is not a fool and there is only so much betrayal and humiliation that one woman can endure. The Role Model is the locker room's leader, the pillar and the cornerstone of not only the WWE women's division, but women's wrestling in its entirety. People admired her and emulated her. She won all the gold, she made her ascent to PWI's #1 spot as Bayley Dos Straps.
She chose to stand alone when she betrayed her best friend. She has turned her back on the other Horsewomen because they have all done the same to her in various ways over the years. She refused an alliance with Carmella and ripped Billie Kay's resume to shreds when offered a chance to be a partner. She walks alone. The only friends she needs now are her 3 faces.
I don't think you feelin' me / I'm out here being everything they said I wouldn't be and couldn't be
I said 'see you at the top' and they misunderstood me
Subsequently, Bayley became a talk show host for her very own "Ding Dong Hello Show" on Smackdown. She portrayed a caricature of the stereotypical mid-day talk show hosts you would see on cable TV: with her turtlenecks, blazers, oversized glasses, chunky jewelry while sitting in the ring surrounded by a tall house plant, photos of her many achievements, and a hilarious, large white door. This version of Bayley provided laughs and entertainment but also gave her a platform to torment her enemies. Her talk show, interestingly, furthered many stories of other characters such as Bianca / Sasha, Nia / Shayna / Reginald, and Cesaro / Seth.
The talk show host personality is a twisted version of the fun-loving Hugger in some ways. Just louder, more boisterous, and condescending. In my observation, it appears that this side of Bayley is very important to her overall core persona because she looks deeply disappointed when other people destroy her show set or are disrespectful on the show. This disappointment is a reflection of the Hugger's negative feelings towards others and the audience whenever she was humiliated. Also, this fuels the instability of the other faces, so the angry side keeps interjecting like a time bomb with a broken clock.
Finally, there could be an argument that Bayley Dos Straps was a separate identity. But I think possibly that BDS is a mix of the sadistic / violent face and the Role Model face.
I hold no resentment in my heart, that's... maturity
She'll always be Bayley: true to herself. She is teaching us to be independent and to be loyal to your own self. That's why we cheer for her.
