Top WWE Star Allegedly Punished For Questioning Triple H’s Booking

There have been occasions when stars who opposed or questioned WWE higher-ups were kept from a major push, according to these two former WWE names.

Bayley, who won a Gauntlet match on Raw this past Monday to become the #1 contender for AJ Lee’s Women’s Intercontinental Title, will face Lee next Monday on Raw for the title.

The Role Model has been in the main event scene in the past, most notably with her 2024 Royal Rumble victory and subsequent Women’s World Title win at WrestleMania 40 after she defeated Rhea Ripley for the belt.

However, these days, she has been relegated to the mid-card, with no real storyline, feud, or even a concrete character (like the hugger character she popularised years ago), and the only good opportunity she has landed for herself is this shot at the Women’s IC Title.

Former WWE booker Vince Russo alleges that Bayley may have said too much about her views on the WWE back end around WrestleMania season years ago, which could have led to her being punished by the company’s higher-ups.

Vince Russo Says Bayley Was Sent To The Doghouse By WWE Higher-Ups

On Coach & Bro, Coach tells Russo that this title shot for Bayley feels like a consolation prize, as she has been seemingly getting screwed out of good WrestleMania opportunities and being in the main event scene.

He talks about how she got “laid out” last year to give someone else the spot because she had spoken out against her employers.

Vince Russo agrees, paraphrasing Bayley’s statements, saying that following them, she was sent to the proverbial “doghouse”.

Here’s what we do know. She did cut a promo or do an interview around the same time they didn’t use her at WrestleMania, talking about them not using her. Remember what she said?

I don’t get paid for commercials. I don’t get called for commercials or to be a guest on television shows. I don’t understand it.

And Coach, you know when stuff like that happens, all of a sudden you go right to the doghouse. (55:25 onwards)

Coach continues by giving his opinion, saying that once stars get stuck in the doghouse, they remain there for years, sometimes, calling it the “worst place to be”.

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Also read: Triple H Expected To Depart WWE By End Of 2026, Says Vince Russo