At WWE SummerSlam, Becky Lynch is set to defend the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship in a No Disqualification Match, which seems like an apt stipulation considering the match will be the end of the feud between Becky and Lyra – a layered, storied, brutal, and one of the best feuds of the year.
While Valkyria is expected to regain the title at SummerSlam, another person who has been involved in this story since before WrestleMania, and after being left off ‘Mania due to Becky Lynch, is ironically not scheduled to wrestle at SummerSlam either, is WWE Grand Slam Champion and certified icon, Bayley.
While fans may be disappointed in how she has been presented of late, there is another way to look at this situation: being all nice and huggable and lovable just doesn’t seem to be working out for Bayley. And, in an evolved women’s division where all the top stars, much like the men, having giant egos and massive chips on their shoulders, Bayley’s recent involvements, actions, and teases, may be pointing to a heel turn 18 months after she turned babyface ahead of her WrestleMania match with then Damage CTRL stablemate, IYO SKY.
On last week’s RAW, Bayley got herself and Lyra Valkyria a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title opportunity against Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, despite tensions between Lyra and Bayley – Lyra had just beaten Bayley for the Intercontinental Championship opportunity against Becky Lynch the week prior. However, Valkyria was skeptical and wanted her focus to remain on Lynch, the Women’s Intercontinental Title, and SummerSlam.
Bayley also made a post on Instagram last week with a carousel of some pictures from said tag team match with a cryptic caption that simply said: “lol.” She then had a dark match against Valkyria following the SmackDown tapings this past Friday, but right before the match, she vented her frustrations with Valkyria for their loss on RAW (despite Bayley being the one pinned) and the fact that The Role Model now doesn’t have a match at SummerSlam.
Throughout the dark match on SmackDown, Bayley “played the heel,” her demeanor was heelish, and she was more aggressive and took some liberties, while following the rules to the T. This may have been a trial run to check how fans react to potential full-fledged Bayley heel turn and a feud with Lyra Valkyria over the Women’s Intercontinental Title heading into fall.
There are a few different ways this ordeal could lead to a heel turn for Bayley and a feud with Lyra Valkyria. Given that the SummerSlam match is No DQ, Bayley could help Valkyria win the title, initially winning back her trust. Once Lyra wins the title, Bayley could turn on her immediately following the match, shocking the world and laying out the challenge for a future title match, perhaps at Clash in Paris.
Alternatively, Bayley could request a future title match on the following RAW, either in seemingly good faith or demand one, claiming a quid pro quo situation and that she is now looking out for herself and her business, not playing friends anymore.
As to why she would help Lyra at SummerSlam in the first place, the ulterior motive of a title shot, regardless of how Bayley portrays herself in the coming weeks, could make it amply clear that she looks at Lyra Valkyria as being below her, much like Becky Lynch did. Plus, if the plan is indeed for Bayley to turn heel, a feud with another heel in Becky Lynch over the Intercontinental Championship wouldn’t really make much sense.
A post-SummerSlam feud with Bayley could continue to elevate Lyra Valkyria
Regardless of whose favor the potential Bayley-Lyra Valkyria feud may eventually pan out in, it would continue to elevate Lyra Valkyria as the future of women’s professional wrestling. Triple H clearly has a lot of faith in the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion, and so does Becky Lynch, who seems to be giving it all to elevate Valkyria while also doing a tremendous job as this new heel version of The Man.
Lyra Valkyria has continued to knock the ball out of the park at every opportunity given, and a feud with another veteran trailblazer in Bayley should continue to aid her steady ascent as a future bona fide main eventer. It could bring out more of her character, which has shown and shone brightly in recent months. Her in-ring ability is, of course, second to none, and WWE looks to be long-gaming when it comes to Lyra Valkyria.
Instead of pushing her right into the spotlight, WWE is bringing the spotlight to her, with legendary icons chasing her and the title she has made prestigious. Valkyria continues to build a pedigree of consistency and reliability, and her next feud seems to be the paragon of those virtues, and yet one who might abandon all of her morality following SummerSlam, The Role Model Bayley.
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