Backstage Update On Possible Bayley WWE Return

WWE superstar Bayley suffered a torn ACL while training at the WWE Performance Center last July, with the timeline for her return initially set at nine months. Bayley herself has teased her return on social media numerous times — the most recent occurrence involved her hugging the Money in the Bank briefcase she won in 2021, which she used to cash in on Charlotte Flair the same night to become the new "SmackDown" Women's Champion — but with a year now gone by and Bayley still yet to show her face on a WWE screen, fans anxiously awaiting the return of one of WWE's most talented stars have been left disappointed by the length of her recovery.

Fortunately for Bayley supporters, PWInsider is reporting that the host of "Ding Dong, Hello!" is known to have been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando earlier this week. While PWI doesn't specify why Bayley was at the PC, the news does follow another report from Fightful suggesting that Bayley is preparing to return to in-ring action and had been training for it, and the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported back in March that Bayley was close to making a comeback.

It's unclear what WWE could be waiting for in terms of bringing back Bayley, assuming she's healthy, but it seems unlikely that her close friend and former tag team partner Sasha Banks will be involved in any way, unless the relationship between Banks and WWE miraculously repairs itself. While there's still been no official word on her status, PWI reported earlier today that Banks and her tag team partner, Naomi, have been taken off WWE's internal roster after they walked out of "WWE Raw" on May 16.

Bayley's most recent televised match took place on "WWE SmackDown" in June of last year, a mixed tag with Seth Rollins in which the pair defeated Bianca Belair and Cesaro (now AEW's Claudio Castignoli) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Belair and Bayley were involved in a feud at the time, something plenty of fans would love to see revisited when the latter does officially return.