Bayley recently spoke about what she learned from Dusty Rhodes during her time in NXT. The Smackdown star discussed the topic with Cody Rhodes on What Do You Wanna Talk About?, and you can see some highlights below (per Wrestling Inc):
On not having a character when she came into WWE: “I came into WWE just as a wrestler. That was literally what got me my job. It was like, ‘Okay, she can go in the ring a little bit’ and I didn’t have a character. I thought I could get by on my wrestling but I quickly saw that I needed more to me and Dusty [would spend extra time with] people that really needed work and he would find in us what we couldn’t see in ourselves.”
On learning from Dusty: “[Dusty] told me to embrace what I was trying to hide. He allowed me to trust myself and really [show that] what you are afraid to show is okay. ‘Let’s just try it.’ So I tried it, you know? Be a superfan.”
On Dusty’s ability to bring out talents’ strengths: “He really did just find that [special trait in someone]. He didn’t give up until we realized it and he made sure that everybody realized it as soon as we did. He could see when the lightbulb would go off in us and he would stop class and be like, ‘Did you guys see that? That’s it right there. Do that again.'”
On Dusty making sure she stayed true to her vision: “My first match in my character, I wrestled Alicia Fox [and] I came out with the ponytail but I didn’t think WWE would approve it because we were still in a ‘Diva’ era,” she noted. “So, when I got to the ring, I took my hair out and was like, ‘Alright, now my hair’s down, I’m such a Diva.’ I came back and he was standing at the bottom of the stairs and he said, ‘Don’t ever take your ponytail out. Leave it in.'”
