Top AEW Star Was On Shortlist To Join WWE Faction

WWE/AEW

A top AEW champion was on a WWE star’s shortlist for a faction that originally debuted on television in August 2022.

While their collective presence on television has diminished due to injuries to Asuka and Kairi Sane, Damage CTRL has been a mainstay in the women’s division since first forming at WWE SummerSlam 2022.

Originally a trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY, the group eventually expanded their ranks with Sane and Asuka, while Bayley was later ousted from the group not long after winning the 2024 women’s WWE Royal Rumble.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Bayley shared her original vision for Damage CTRL, revealing that Raquel Rodriguez, Alba Fyre and even AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm were who she had in mind to potentially join the group’s ranks.

Bayley explained:

“I had a whole [plan], there’s five of us, my pitch for Damage CTRL. I also had Raquel in it. I also had Alba Fyre in it. I had so many other girls in mind too. I had Toni Storm. I wanted Toni Storm in it.

“But when I actually sat at the PC and shot stuff, it was with Raquel and Alba, and all five of us. I had reasons why I wanted them. Raquel was obviously our muscle, but she was teaming with Dakota at the time, I believe. So they worked out perfectly. Alba and IYO I think we’re teaming a little bit there, so they worked out perfectly. But in my mind, it was there’s two tag teams, and then IYO was my champion; she was going to be the champion.

“I just want to do everything in wrestling. That’s how I always thought. I want to be a bad guy. I want to be a good guy. I want to be in a faction. I want to be in a tag team. I want to be a singles wrestler. I want to be in a romantic love angle someday.

“I want to be able to do everything, because there’s so many different things that we could do in this crazy world to not try different avenues and work with as many people as possible. I just want to do it.”

Asuka has been off TV with a knee injury since Backlash in May 2024, while Sane has been dealing with an arm injury that has kept her away from action since December.

Bayley has been in the news as of late after she was replaced by Becky Lynch as Lyra Valkyria’s partner in the Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 41, to find out what Triple H had to say on the situation follow this link here.

Transcript via Fightful

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

• DAMAGE CTRL
• toni storm
• bayley
• AEW
• wwe

Share this article with friends