Photo credit: WWE.comBayley beat Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a Triple Threat match at Backlash on Saturday to retain the WWE Women's Championship.
The champion displayed her veteran instincts by shifting her weight during a pinfall attempt by Naomi and getting her shoulders on the mat for the three-count.
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Backlash marked Bayley's first title defense at a premium live event since beating former Damage CTRL stablemate Iyo Sky for the championship in the penultimate match at WrestleMania 40.
Coming out of The Show of Shows, a first challenger for The Role Model was needed, which set the stage for a match between Naomi and Stratton with the winner earning a future title shot.
Naomi, who helped Bayley in her rivalry with Damage CTRL leading up to WrestleMania, defeated Stratton in the April 12 episode of SmackDown, setting up a title match between The Role Model and The Glow on the April 19 SmackDown.
Amid a highly competitive match, Stratton interfered by first attacking Bayley to cause a disqualification. She then took out Naomi as well, leading to The Center of the Universe standing tall.
Naomi and Stratton had a rematch on the April 26 SmackDown, but that bout did not have a conclusive finish either, as Nia Jax made a surprise appearance and attacked both of them, as well as Bayley while she was on commentary.
With both Naomi and Stratton vying for a title shot, and neither managing to shake the other, they were both granted a championship match against Bayley at Backlash in France.
It represented a huge challenge for the titleholder who had to deal with two talented and unique opponents at the same time.
While Backlash marked Stratton's first title opportunity on the main roster, she experienced a meteoric rise in NXT previously thanks to her athleticism, holding the NXT women's title once.
Naomi is also a high-level athlete, and although she left WWE for a period of time, she had made an impact since returning in January and brought a championship pedigree with her as a two-time SmackDown women's champion.
Bayley's title reign was in danger at Backlash, but she managed to prevail. Still, it may not be the end of her story with Stratton and Naomi, although Jax figures to become a factor as well.
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