In a recent interview with Insight with Chris Van Vliet, WWE Superstar Bayley opened up about the long-speculated injury she suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing that the damage was far more extensive than previously known and ultimately played a pivotal role in the creation of the Damage CTRL faction.
Bayley clarified that her July 2021 injury, long believed to be limited to an ACL tear, was significantly more complex and continues to affect her to this day.
“This will be a story for another day because I’m not ready to share it yet,” Bayley began. “But my injury ended up being more than what everybody knows. It was a bigger injury than anybody knows. There’s a few people that are aware of it — obviously the office and stuff — but that’s the reason. It wasn’t just an ACL thing.”
She detailed the lingering limitations the injury placed on her physical performance.
“It still bugs me to this day. I can’t do certain things. It’s hard for me to run. It’s hard for me to do leg curls. There’s a lot of things that I can’t do because of that injury.”
The lengthy recovery process — which kept her out of action for over a year — brought moments of doubt, even for a veteran like Bayley.
“There was a time, maybe in PT, doing stuff where I was like, ‘I can’t even walk, I can’t jump — how am I supposed to wrestle in three months?’ So there was that little doubt, which I’m sure everybody goes through with injuries. But I always knew that I was going to come back. I mean, it wasn’t that crazy of an injury. It was just like, ‘Where am I going to fit in?’”
That question would soon be answered. Bayley channeled her recovery experience into a new vision — one that would give rise to the Damage CTRL stable, which debuted at SummerSlam 2022 alongside Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.
“My whole idea behind Damage CTRL was like, alright, I’ve won my championships, I’ve had my Mania moments. Now, as a character and as a bad guy, I could be like, ‘I don’t even want anything for myself. I want it for them. They’re gonna reap all the benefits of my experience.’ Then when the time is right, I’m gonna steal it right from them. I’m gonna take the spotlight right back when I’m ready, but while I’m still recovering and finding my ways, they’re gonna do all the work for me. That was my idea behind it.”
Bayley’s candid remarks not only shed light on the real challenges behind her return but also offer deeper insight into the long-term storytelling that helped shape one of WWE’s most compelling women’s factions in recent years.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more exclusive updates on Bayley, Damage CTRL, and all things WWE.
