Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Bayley Has Exchange With Pearce Amid WWE Absence
Bayley has not been seen on WWE programming since last month, but she got fans talking Sunday after an exchange with Raw general manager Adam Pearce.
In response to an Instagram post (h/t Derek Holloway of Ringside News) by Bayley about her 10-year anniversary of getting called up to WWE’s main roster, Pearce commented with clapping hands emojis.
Bayley responded by writing, “Hey, let’s talk,” to which Pearce replied, “You know where to find me.”
The last time Bayley appeared on a televised WWE show was on July 18 when she lost to Lyra Valkyria at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
She subsequently had two matches at WWE live events, but it has now been over a month since Bayley was part of WWE programming.
Bayley’s absence comes amid a great deal of speculation regarding her pro wrestling future.
While the exact end date of Bayley’s WWE contract is not publicly known, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Julien D’Alessandro) reported earlier this month that he had heard her deal is up in January.
As is the case with any big WWE name who may be on the verge of free agency, some have theorized that Bayley could make the jump to AEW to reunite with longtime friend Mercedes Moné.
However, since Bayley’s name has been mentioned often on WWE programming as of late, particularly by Valkyria, there is at least some belief that her WWE tenure may not be over yet.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Holloway) recently offered his perspective, saying, “The frequent mentions of her on Raw this week would indicate to me that they expect her back. If they believed she might be leaving, they would not mention her name.”
Bayley’s exchange with Pearce could potentially be another clue that a return to WWE programming is possible, but anything could be on the table until and unless she resurfaces.
Reported Reason for Hendry’s Recent WWE Hiatus
Joe Hendry’s absence from WWE programming over the past few weeks is reportedly due to an outside-the-ring project he is working on for the company.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Hendry has a role in a live-action micro-drama for mobile platforms as part of WWE’s partnership with ReelShort.
Prior to his hiatus, Hendry took part in a concert with Danhausen on the July 27 episode of Raw. However, they were interrupted and attacked by Judgment Day members Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh, as well as boxer Ryan Garcia.
At SummerSlam, Hendry showed up during the Human Monies on a Pole match between Danhausen and Mysterio, and he helped Danhausen pull off the victory.
The next night on Raw, Hendry lost decisively in a match against Bron Breakker, and he has not shown up on Raw since then.
Hendry was called up to WWE’s main roster in April following a successful run in NXT that saw him hold the NXT Championship once.
While Hendry has not enjoyed that same level of success on Raw yet, the fact that WWE is using him for outside projects suggests that the company sees plenty of value in his skill set.
Rumors about Dragunov’s Future After WWE Departure
Ilja Dragunov is reportedly being linked to AEW following the expiration of his WWE contract.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), AEW sources have not yet heard about Dragunov joining the company, but other sources within pro wrestling expressed their belief that Dragunov ultimately will sign with AEW based on a “hunch.”
PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlePurists) first reported Saturday that Dragunov’s WWE contract was expiring, leading to his exit from the company.
False Finish followed up by reporting that although WWE “would have liked Dragunov to stay with the company,” he ultimately made the decision to leave.
Given that Dragunov’s contract expired rather than him getting notified of a release, the typical 90-day non-compete clause does not apply to him.
That means Dragunov is a free agent and already free to work elsewhere at any time.
The 32-year-old Dragunov has long been regarded as one of the most physical and entertaining in-ring workers in pro wrestling, which led to some major accolades in WWE.
Dragunov was both an NXT United Kingdom and NXT champion before getting called up to the main roster and holding the United States Championship.
However, Dragunov’s screen time took a major hit after he dropped the US title to Carmelo Hayes in December, and he had not been seen on WWE programming since April prior to his departure.
If Dragunov and AEW do have mutual interest, it would perhaps behoove them to get a deal done quickly because he could show up next Sunday at the All In pay-per-view as a surprise entrant in the Casino Gauntlet match.
