Bayley's heel turn on Raw came out of the blue. In a nice nod to Becky Lynch's NXT heel turn, in which she established herself as a bad guy by attacking the Huggable One, Bayley unleashed on Lynch with a steel chair and aligned herself with former tag-team partner Sasha Banks.
Bayley has been a babyface for her entire WWE career. This is unchartered water for the SmackDown Women's Champion and if her heel turn is to be booked successfully then she needs worthy adversaries to challenge her. Here are five Superstars she should feud with and five she should avoid.
10 Should: Becky Lynch
It seems obvious that Bayley should feud with Becky Lynch considering she cemented her heel turn by attacking the Irish Lasskicker with a steel chair. How she will factor into the current Sasha vs. Becky feud, as well their title match scheduled for Clash Of Champions, remains unclear.
Bayley currently holds the SmackDown Women's Championship and is set to defend her title against Charlotte Flair at the same PPV. Still, it would be unwise of WWE to not capture the momentum of this moment whilst it is red-hot.
9 Shouldn't: Charlotte Flair
Bayley is scheduled to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against fellow NXT alumni Charlotte Flair at Clash Of Champions, though the dynamic of that match has now changed after Bayley's turn to villainy.
The Huggable One attacked Flair with a steel chair on SmackDown in a segment that may have indicated a double turn. If so, it is a shame. Flair does her best work as a heel and struggles to connect with the crowd as a babyface - though this program could also lead to an uneasy truce with Becky Lynch and a possible storyline involving the Women's Tag Team Championships.
8 Should: Carmella
The Princess Of Staten Island has floundered on the main roster lately. Despite winning the inaugural women's Money In The Bank ladder match in 2017, successfully cashing in on Charlotte Flair to become SmackDown Women's Champion, Carmella has faded into obscurity since dropping the title.
As of now, she is paired with R-Truth and the two work well together, but if Carmella is to be taken seriously in the women's division then she needs to be booked with more credibility. A feud with Bayley would do the trick, whilst also giving a clever nod to their brief altercation in NXT.
7 Shouldn't: Natalya
WWE must take care not to damage Natalya's credibility by having her as a target for newly-heel Superstars. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks have both become bad guys by turning on the Queen Of Harts. Natalya needs a fresh feud to focus on, though it should not be with Bayley.
Natalya would be treated as an afterthought if she were to currently feud with Bayley, as the narrative between the NXT Four Horsewomen is red-hot. The Canadian star lacks enough charisma to garner fan support over Bad Guy Bayley.
6 Should: Asuka
Like Carmella, Asuka has found her momentum stalled significantly on the main roster. Since losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34 the Empress Of Tomorrow has struggled to come across as the unstoppable force she once did due to questionable booking, despite capturing the SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC 2018.
Asuka and Bayley have a history from NXT. Asuka defeated Bayley for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, and it would be a treat to see them face each other again for a main roster title.
5 Shouldn't: Sasha Banks
Every WWE fan wants to see a well-booked Sasha vs. Bayley feud on the main roster. Their rivalry from NXT helped elevate women's wrestling to the incredible level it is now. However, now is certainly not the time to pull the trigger on a rivalry between these two Superstars.
Heel Bayley is still a new concept and pairing her up with Banks again, only this time as villains will make for a new and exciting dynamic that will attract viewership to Raw and SmackDown. Another run with the Women's Tag Team Championships should be on the cards.
4 Should: Ember Moon
Bayley and Ember Moon had a match for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam 2019 that wasn't as great as it should have been. Both women are former NXT Women's Champions and stellar athletes, and their rivalry should be revisited.
Now that Bayley has turned heel, the line between which Superstar fans should cheer and who they should boo is more distinct. Moon could be built up as Bayley's next big nemesis.
3 Shouldn't: Ronda Rousey
Bayley's heel turn has been fully supported by the WWE Universe, who had grown tired of her repetitive babyface booking. As indicated by Charlotte's inclusion in WrestleMania 35's match, however, nothing would hurt the Huggable One's momentum more than being inserted into the feud between Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch.
When the Baddest Woman On The Planet returns it should be for Lynch and only Lynch. A program between Rousey and Bayley can wait until both Superstars have found their footing on the mic more.
2 Should: Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus returned from retirement for a match against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019 that, despite losing, showed the crowd that the Canadian star has still got it. Another post-retirement program against Bayley would be a story potentially big enough for the main event.
Stratus is one of Bayley's childhood heroes and it would be a symbolic moment if she cemented her heel turn by attacking the Hall of Famer and turning her back forever on her former gimmick.
1 Shouldn't: Alexa Bliss
Like Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss is so good in the role of the heel that it is difficult to imagine her as a babyface - despite originally debuting in NXT as a wholesome, cookie-cutter character. Heel vs. heel feuds rarely work and this would be no exception.
Bliss and Bayley need to pursue separate narratives to keep the women's division fresh and exciting. The only stipulation in which these two should face each other should be for the Women's Tag Team Championships paired with Nikki Cross and Sasha Banks respectively.