Courtesy of WWE
For Pamela Martinez, it feels so good to finally be bad.
Martinez personified pure sweetness as WWE star Bayley. She worked a throwback babyface style that made Ricky Steamboat smile, suffocating under the pressure of her opponent’s attack before making a crowd-pleasing comeback.
She made a significant career change by turning into a villain this past fall. In an environment where it is extraordinarily difficult to be a fan favorite, Martinez excelled at her developing Bayley into a character that the audience could relate with and rally behind. Her wrestling in the ring is sublime, but Bayley resonated because of the person playing the role exponentially more than the moveset.