Lyra Valkyria's Insistence That Bayley is Done With WWE May Be Proof She's Not

Lyra Valkyria just can't keep Bayley's name out of her mouth.

The inaugural WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion took part in the WWE SummerSlam media junket over the weekend, and made sure to tell every single journalist, interviewer and content creator she spoke with that she ran The Role Model out of the company after her victory at Saturday Night's Main Event last month in New York. That included The Takedown on SI.

"I'm really glad she's gone," Lyra said, semi-sidestepping my initial question, which wasn't about Bayley at all.

"She broke my nose. I think it's really important that people know that's the type of person she is. I'm a good person, you know? She became that, and I don't know why everyone just can't see that. They're all blaming me, but she's the one with the problem. She's the one."

Bayley hasn't been seen on WWE programming since she was choked out by Lyra inside Madison Square Garden and slammed hard into the steel ring steps, although she did orchestrate a sneak attack on Valkyria during a WWE live event in Stockton, California.

Her absence from television comes amid rumors that her WWE contract is set to expire by the end of this year. There's been heavy speculation that Bayley's time with the company is winding down, and recent reports suggest that rival AEW would be greatly interested in acquiring her services should she hit the open market.

Is Bayley really finished with WWE?

Lyra Valkyria has now taken it upon herself to fuel those Bayley departure rumors. She may as well have been pouring gasoline on a fire with as many times as she brought up her name unprompted this past weekend. Although, I walked away from our encounter highly suspicious.

She was clearly conducting her interviews in character, but if Bayley was truly done with WWE, what would be the point of repeatedly bringing her up? Perhaps she knew she would be asked about her former friend and tag team partner ad nauseam, and she was just getting ahead of those questions. She also could have been attempting to garner some heat for her new character through the media.

This is just one interviewer's opinion, but it sounded to me like she was trying to keep a storyline alive. Which suggests that Bayley could be back on television in the near future, even if she does ultimately chose not to re-sign with WWE later this fall.

That just happened. 😱

Lyra Valkyria puts Bayley to sleep at #SNME! pic.twitter.com/jmeiecKWdM
— WWE (@WWE) July 19, 2026

Just to reiterate, this is a hunch, not a report. And I could be way off base.

If Bayley does come back for one more fight with Lyra, she'll need to be ready to counter the Bulldog Choke that took her out at Saturday Night's Main Event. A new finisher for a more aggressive Valkyria, who claims to have added it to her arsenal on the fly.

"I don't know. I was just kinda feeling it and I just snapped. And I think it was the right thing to do. So I think I'm definitely gonna take this newfound aggression and let it make me the person I was always meant to be."

The Takedown on SI will continue to keep you updated on Bayley's future with WWE, just as soon as more information becomes available.

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