Former Women’s Champion Celebrates 10-Year Milestone Of WWE Raw Debut
Former Women’s Champion Celebrates 10-Year Milestone Of WWE Raw Debut
Ella JaySun, August 23, 2026 at 2:22 AM UTC
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A former world champion is celebrating a major milestone that dates back a full decade.
On Aug. 22, 2016, Monday Night Raw was officially introduced to Bayley, a charismatic and cheerful talent known as “The Hugger.” Raw General Manager Mick Foley also referred to Bayley as “the hottest free agent of the new era,” just moments before she marked her red brand in-ring debut against Dana Brooke.
With then-Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair looking on from ringside, Bayley went on to defeat Brooke, courtesy of a flying, spinning elbow and a Bayley To Belly suplex. 10 years later, she’s now looking back on the memorable win and moment.
“10 years of RAW, Smackdown, Wrestlemania, and everything in between,” Bayley wrote on Instagram alongside a series of throwback photos. “I’m so grateful to have lived out my dreams. And yet, a decade doesn’t seem like enough. I believe in women’s wrestling and will continue to fight for it. Thank you.”
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In her Instagram carousel, Bayley showed a mix of backstage and on-screen memories made in the years following her Raw debut. This included joyful photos with her former tag team partner Sasha Banks, former NXT Champion Finn Balor, her former Damage CTRL cohorts, and Flair herself. The former WWE Women’s Champion also added images of championship clashes, triumphant poses, and even one of her getting thrown through into a table by Bianca Belair. To cap it off, she shared a glimpse of a poster seemingly made by her childhood self that read: “New WWF Superstar: Pamela Martinez.”
Bayley, whose real name is Pamela Martinez, originally joined WWE in late 2012 after a stint on the independent wrestling circuit. Her debut on NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, came the following year.
Since her full-time call up to WWE’s main roster, Bayley has enjoyed four world title reigns and two as a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. She last wrestled at a WWE live event in California on July 26.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Aug 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
