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Right out the gate, we got a huge surprise at SummerSlam. Following Bianca Belair defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch in the opener, we got the long awaited return of Bayley.
BAYLEY IS BACK!!!!!!!!@itsBayleyWWE#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/hEf7qV2JlM
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2022
And to add to the surprises, she didn’t come alone. Former NXT superstars Dakota Kai and Io Shirai accompanied her to the ring, where they had a standoff with Belair and Lynch.
THIS IS AWE-SOME! @itsBayleyWWE, @shirai_io AND @ImKingKota have returned at #SummerSlam while @BeckyLynchWWE & #WWERaw Women's Champion @BiancaBelairWWE have a newfound respect for each other. pic.twitter.com/6Gz9Yj653y
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2022
A former Raw, Smackdown, and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, Bayley has been absent from WWE television for the past year due to a torn ACL. For months, it had been speculated on when and where the superstar would return and we got our answer tonight.
When we last saw Bayley, she was feuding with Belair for the Smackdown Women’s title and was set to face her in a Hell in a Cell match before suffering the injury. There’s clearly unfinished business between the two but the additions of Kai and Shirai to the mix makes things interesting.