Bayley officially welcomed Asuka into Damage CTRL last week on WWE SmackDown. The Role Model gave the Empress of Tomorrow her faction’s T-shirt just a week before they go to war against Team Bianca Belair at WWE Survivor Series 2023.
It is worth mentioning that the current incarnation of Damage CTRL is quite different from what Bayley originally had had in mind. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion previously told BT Sport during an interview she originally wanted Peyton Royce and Tegan Nox in the group.
“Peyton Royce was someone that I really wanted in there. Tegan Nox was someone that I wanted in there. There were a lot of people that it just kind of changed throughout time, and as people left the company and things like that, but Dakota was always, she’s one of the OG’s that I always envisioned in this group.” [H/T: Wrestling News]
Watch the clip here:
For those unaware, Peyton Royce was one half of The IIconics in WWE. She was last seen on the March 22, 2021, episode of RAW, where she lost to Asuka. This turned out to be her final match as she and several other WWE talents including tag team partner Billie Kay were released from their contracts.
Did Bayley have a different name for Damage CTRL?
Damage CTRL, like every other faction before it, went through numerous pitches. The group did receive some backlash over its name when it first debuted at SummerSlam 2022. Bayley told Ariel Helwani she had pitched a different name for her faction to WWE.
“My first original one, I wanted it to be called ‘The Now’. To me, it was that I didn’t care about the championships I won in the past, I don’t care about what happens next, like these girls right here and what we’re about to do, the present is all that matters. The Now was my first idea, but there’s a show called The Now or something like that. You know, it’s just legal stuff.” [H/T: Wrestling News]
Watch the debut here:
It remains to be seen if Damage CTRL will be victorious against Team Bianca Belair at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2023.
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