The Latest Contract Update Between Bayley and WWE

Bayley returned to WWE after a two-month absence this week on Raw. But is it a long-term or short-term return?

Back in July at Saturday Night's Main Event, Lyra Valkyria defeated Bayley and then proceeded to viciously attack her following the match, writing her off television. At the time, reports and rumors were running rampant regarding Bayley's contract situation with WWE.

Since then, multiple conflicting reports have surfaced about Bayley's WWE status. The picture seemed clearer after Bayley returned to the company this week on Raw. However, her contract status remained in question. Did she sign a new one? Or is she still riding out her old deal, which is set to expire later this year? We now have an update on Bayley's WWE status.

Bayley has reportedly agreed to terms on a new WWE deal, but hasn't signed a new contract yet

After last week's Wrestling Observer report that said Bayley had signed a new contract with WWE, a new report came out this week from PWInsider refuting it, stating that Bayley returned to the company under the same deal she's been on, which is set to expire later this year.

Dave Meltzer has now provided an update to last week's story in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. According to Meltzer, while Bayley agreed to terms with WWE on a new deal a few weeks ago, no new contract has been signed yet.

Despite that, the expectation remains that the new deal will be signed soon. WWE essentially believes the new deal with Bayley is done, or they wouldn't have brought her back to television.

Did Mercedes Moné help secure Bayley a huge new contract?

Since Bayley was written off WWE programming in July, her best friend, AEW Women's World Champion Mercedes Moné, has been working overtime online teasing that Bayley could potentially be jumping ship to AEW.

In today's wrestling industry, leverage is pretty much everything in contract negotiations and in making sure talent gets paid what they deserve. With WWE well aware of AEW's interest in Bayley, and Moné continuously fueling the flames of a potential jump, all the power in these current contract talks was in Bayley's court.

So if Bayley does eventually sign that new WWE deal that she's currently expected to sign, you can bet that it will be one of the most lucrative contracts a female talent has ever signed with the company. This deal could prove to be monumental for how other top women negotiate their deals with WWE and AEW moving forward.

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