A few weeks before the Royal Rumble, title defender Bayley is transferred from SmackDown to RAW. Another big name will be returning soon.
Two weeks before the first traditional WWE major event, the next big star has switched squads.
As the wrestling leader announced on Monday, four-time women’s champion Bayley is rotating from the Friday Night SmackDown show to the Monday Night RAW show. In a backstage segment, the 35-year-old also appeared and revealed – unsurprisingly – her participation in the women’s Rumble match on the night of February 2.
In the wake of a “transfer window” that WWE opened a few weeks ago, Braun Strowman and the Wyatt Sicks (from RAW to SmackDown) had already reoriented themselves.
Bayley is the defending champion at the WWE Royal Rumble
Bayley was the winner of the 2024 Royal Rumble and won the WWE Women’s Title from Iyo Sky, her former partner in the Damage CTRL group, at WrestleMania 40. At SummerSlam, she lost the belt to Nia Jax, recently dethroned by shooting star Tiffany Stratton.
Jax is so far the only other confirmed participant in the Women’s Rumble, for which Charlotte Flair, who was recently sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture, is also expected to return – at the latest SmackDown edition, her comeback was promised in a video clip.
In the men’s event, Sami Zayn joined the line-up of prominent participants at the Rumble at RAW. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, LA Knight and John Cena, who is on a farewell tour, have also officially announced their participation. Cena is the favorite to challenge WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania – who will face Kevin Owens in a ladder match at the Rumble.
