Bayley mocks Roxanne Perez with throwback photos following WWE NXT altercation
Top stars from the WWE SmackDown and NXT women's divisions have collided. Bayley and Roxanne Perez had a similar path to WWE, and are legitimate representatives of their eras. The polarizing grapplers are set to do battle soon, and Bayley has posted a curious message with a bit of proof from years ago.
The Role Model and The Prodigy are both longtime wrestling fans who met their favorite Superstars while growing up. Bayley and Perez have now earned their spots in the WWE history books as multi-time champions. Perez returned to NXT for the closing segment on Tuesday night to address her recent title loss to Giulia, but Bayley interrupted to a "welcome back" chant.
They had words, and Perez said Bayley used to be her role model, but will now look up to her. The veteran star went for one more verbal shot but Roxanne slapped her, and they started brawling, but this was not seen live by many as the CW feed cut to local programming.
Perez previously met Bayley when she was 14, and the photo has made the rounds online. The two have had several interactions before, with Bayley wanting to give Perez her WrestleMania debut, and the younger Superstar naming the veteran as her dream rivalry. Bayley took to Instagram Stories today with a two-part message, referencing their past. She included a photo with Perez at age 14:
"Like I've said before, I don't take it lightly when young girls come up to me and tell me they want to be in @wwe," Bayley wrote in the screenshot below.
Bayley immediately posted a follow-up, this time with a shot of her and Perez on Tuesday's NXT. She needed just five words to wrap her taunt at the rising star:
"Because they usually mean it...," Bayley wrote in the screenshot below.
Besides the Royal Rumble in 2023 and 2024, Bayley and Roxanne have shared the ring just once. SmackDown on October 14, 2022, saw Bayley team with Dakota Kai and IYO SKY for a trios win over Perez, Shotzi, and Raquel Rodriguez.
Bayley set for major WWE SmackDown match
Friday's WWE SmackDown is set to air live from Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. The episode will feature Tiffany Stratton's first defense of the Women's Championship.
The Blonde Bombshell dethroned Nia Jax two weeks back by cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase. She is now set to defend against Bayley on this week's SmackDown. Bayley became the new #1 contender by winning a Fatal 4 Way over Jax, Naomi, and Bianca Belair.
The Role Model will be a 7-time WWE champion if she can defeat Stratton on SmackDown. She held the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships twice each and had one reign with the NXT Championship. The inaugural Women's Tag Team Champion had two reigns with Sasha Banks.
