Bayley Explains How AJ Lee & WWE Fans Were Responsible For 'Hugger' Character In NXT

Throughout her WWE career, Bayley has often needed to prove that she's worthy of a top spot in the company on numerous occasions. Out of the Four Horsewomen, she was the last star to get called up from "WWE NXT" to the main roster and often found herself chasing the Women's World Championship, which Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks had already won before her. That said, Bayley's "Hugger" gimmick always seemed to resonate with the WWE Universe, as she managed to translate her babyface popularity from "NXT" to the main roster almost instantly, especially with younger fans of the product. Creating her iconic persona wasn't easy though, as Bayley recently explained on "Insight" that she initially felt lost compared to the rest of the female roster, until receiving help from former WWE star AJ Lee.

"I thought I was going to get fired my first month because I wasn't girly enough, cause I didn't dress the part ... one of my bosses I guess asked AJ to talk to me because I was not dressed appropriately as in like, I didn't look presentable enough." Bayley said. "She looked at him, kind of annoyed at him, and was like 'I got it.' And then grabbed my arm and talked to me for an hour ... basically told me, 'You don't have to change yourself to get to where you want to be, but you do work for this company, so you need to meet them halfway' ... that again changed everything for me and that was when I started figuring out the hugger stuff." 

Bayley went into further detail about the origins of her "Hugger" persona, explaining that she first got the inspiration for the idea from a popular '90s movie character, who's mannerisms she tried to emulate early in her career. She also credited the WWE Universe for supporting the idea, as she felt they played a role in the "Hugger" being featured on weekly television.

"The fans made that happen ... my character came from Superstar Molly Shannon, Superstar the movie. That's where I stemmed it from. I was like, 'Okay I can have all the nervous antics like her and then I could just be a super fan.' And Dusty [Rhodes] loved it."

Bayley then revealed that her WWE Divas Championship match with Lee on "NXT" is where the term "Hugger" began to catch on with the audience, as she reflected on her persona starting to grow in popularity following the contest.

"It was actually my match with AJ, we were doing something where I literally went to hug and I was just going to hug her as a fan, and then just me hugging her got a crazy reaction ... the next match, they just started chanting like 'Bayley's gonna hug you,' and that was never my thought of being like 'Oh I'm gonna be a hugger,' ... but it was from that match."

"The Role Model" also mentioned that her inflatable "Bayley Buddies" used in her entrance were originally intended for former WWE star Adam Rose, whose vibrant persona and colorful ring gear closely resembled her own.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.