Bayley remains unsigned with WWE as backstage update fuels AEW speculation

Bayley’s WWE contract remained unsigned, Dave Meltzer reported on Tuesday, and she has not been seen on WWE television since being attacked by Lyra Valkyria at July’s Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York.

The founding member of the Four Horsewomen of WWE NXT is a Grand Slam champion, Royal Rumble winner and Money in the Bank winner, but the Role Model has at times felt underutilized, making the possibility of her contract expiring near the end of 2026 particularly significant. With no new deal reportedly signed, questions persist about her long-term status with the company.

Dave Meltzer provided the latest update, saying: “She has not signed a contract. When she signs a contract I’m sure she’ll be back on TV… But I think the situation with her is if she signs a contract she’ll probably come back and attack Lyra, and that’ll probably be her storyline. If she doesn’t sign, then she doesn’t come back and the Madison Square Garden thing was a write-off.”

A Wrestling Observer Newsletter social post noted Bayley has reportedly still not signed a new contract with WWE and that when or if she re-signs she is expected back on television; until then she remains off TV without a contract being signed.

Bayley has been absent from WWE television since the July attack by Lyra Valkyria, and there was speculation before that appearance that it could have been her final WWE television outing if the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

The report referenced Becky Lynch as a precedent, noting Lynch stepped away in 2024 before signing a new deal with WWE in January 2025, but framed Bayley’s situation as different given other available options.

The account pointed to AEW as a potential alternative for Bayley, saying she could immediately become a major figure there and noting her long-time friend Mercedes Moné is also part of AEW. If Bayley does not sign a new WWE contract and return to television by Survivor Series in November, she could allow her deal to expire before potentially making the jump to AEW in early 2027.

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The immediate markers identified in the update are whether Bayley signs a new contract and whether she returns to television by Survivor Series in November; if neither occurs, early 2027 was cited as the potential timeframe for an AEW debut.