Bayley Comments On Early John Cena Comparisons, Doesn't Regret WWE Heel Turn

When Bayley first appeared in WWE, there was constant discussion about how she would be the next Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat or John Cena, a Superstar that would never turn heel and have the audience against her. 

After all, she was the Hugger who was happy to be here and always fought as hard as she could to stay. Of course, that's not how things ultimately played out as the Bay Area native shed her squeaky-clean persona in October 2019 in favor of a more cynical demeanor and a new look that didn't include her signature side ponytail.

The leader of Damage CTRL appreciates the comparisons to those all-time greats early in her career, especially the similarities to Cena. In an interview with Dr. Beau Hightower, who was also conducting some chiropractic procedures on the former champion, Bayley explained the significance of those parallels. 

"I used to get that a lot," she said. "Not recently because ... I'm the bad guy, but when I was a good guy, I think it meant a lot when I was hearing it from my peers because they were just like, 'You're probably the most white meat babyface that people are genuinely behind.' They could just actually see no evil in me."

After joking about the difference in merchandise sales as a heel versus being a face, Bayley also shared that her heel turn came out of necessity for her as a performer. "I think I needed to make the change for myself. Nobody's John Cena. I wouldn't be able to do what he did for that long."

But despite not being John Cena, Bayley is still a trailblazer as she made history by becoming the first-ever WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion.