Bayley Reportedly Yet To Sign New WWE Deal, AEW Expected To Be Interested

Bayley is yet to re-sign with WWE, with AEW said to be interested in her signature.

On July 18, Lyra Valkyria defeated her former tag team partner Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Following the match, Valkyria launched a brutal post-match assault, culminating in a Nightwing onto the steel steps. With ongoing speculation surrounding Bayley’s contract status, many believed the angle was WWE’s way of writing her off television.

According to Fightful Select, WWE sources were unable to confirm that Bayley had been written off television, although the report noted that she has yet to sign a new contract with the company.

“Nobody in WWE could confirm that Bayley is off WWE TV for the time being, but her contract situation has been a point of discussion and speculation in both WWE and AEW for quite some time. The expectation is that Bayley’s deal is up by the end of the year unless injury time is added. A specific date isn’t confirmed, but WWE sources claimed that as of now, Bayley has not signed a new WWE contract. It is expected that the company will want to retain her. While that seems like a forgone conclusion, she will be in demand while the company has been cutting salary costs.”

-Fightful Select

The report additionally notes that Bayley’s contract situation and potential free agency have been a frequent topic of discussion backstage within All Elite Wrestling. Should she become available, the expectation is that AEW would pursue her, with sources indicating the possibility of Bayley joining the promotion has been discussed internally for almost a year.

Bayley is said to have attended several AEW tapings in the past. However, Fightful notes that Tony Khan avoids speaking with talent who are under WWE contract, likely to avoid any accusations of contract tampering.

Interest from both companies in retaining or signing Bayley is unsurprising, with the San Jose native regarded as one of WWE’s most decorated women’s stars. She has held a world championship on four occasions, alongside a lengthy list of other accolades throughout her career.

Due to the expected competition for her signature, Fightful Select further reports that one agent believes Bayley should explore free agency. The report also notes that there is a belief her market value could set a precedent for the inclusion of no-cut clauses in future wrestling contracts.

“An agent that Fightful spoke with says that they believe Bayley should at least hit the negotiation period, and thinks that the demand she will potentially have from AEW and WWE could tip the change in contract terms for many in WWE. As of this point, most WWE contracts do not have guaranteed years or no-cut deals in them, and the agent we spoke to believe that she could be a person who could possibly set that standard after many deals were cut midway through with millions of dollars left on the table.”

-Fightful Select

With both WWE and AEW expected to offer multi-year, multimillion-dollar contracts, Bayley’s situation is likely to attract significant attention across the wrestling industry, particularly during a year in which WWE has attempted to renegotiate deals with several contracted talents.

Should Bayley decide to join All Elite Wrestling, she would be among many talents to benefit from the promotion’s willingness to allow external bookings and appearances. One source within the convention world told Fightful that, if available, Bayley would be one of the most in-demand wrestling stars for appearances in recent decades.

Regarding potential future opponents should Bayley join AEW, a reunion with Mercedes Moné, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE, could be a possibility. Moné recently shared a fan-made graphic promoting a match between the two at AEW WrestleDream, with Bayley depicted as Davina Rose, her former independent ring name. The post added to the growing speculation surrounding Bayley’s future, and given their history in WWE, it is understandable why fans are interested in seeing the two former rivals face off again.

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As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Bayley’s WWE contract status and the ongoing interest from AEW as soon as we hear more.