Bayley Asked by FOX Sports Host Why WWE Doesn’t Provide Superstars With Drivers and If They Have a CBA

– During a recent interview with Fair Game and Kristine Leahy for FOX Sports this week, WWE Superstar and Smackdown women’s champion Bayley was asked about the toughest part about being a WWE Superstar. However, the conversation then took a turn into what appeared to be a bit of an uncomfortable moment for Bayley. When Bayley was getting into the rough travel and self-transportation for WWE Superstars, Leahy was shocked upon learning Superstars have to get their own rental cars when they are on tour and that WWE doesn’t take care of those issues for them. She then asked Bayley if they have CBAs (collective bargaining agreements) in the WWE, and Leahy even facetiously asked Bayley if she wanted her to negotiate the talents’ new CBA.

When asked about life on the road for a WWE Superstar, Bayley responded, “It’s not pretty. It’s hard. “The hardest part is literally the drives afterwards. Like we’ll have four-hour drives, five-hour drives. Sometimes it’s in the sketchiest towns when there’s literally nothing, and you’re afraid you’re gonna run out of gas, which does happen.” She added, “It’s gotten very close where I have to take my foot off the pedal. The last time it happened–”

Leahy interjected, “You’re driving yourself? You don’t have like a driver?” Bayley confirmed, “Yeah, we drive ourselves. We get our own rental cars and we drive ourselves.

Leahy was shocked that the WWE Superstars have to get rental cars and drive themselves around from town-to-town. Leahy responded to Bayley how she expects them to get around while on tour, “You’re superstars. I feel like after the show there’s a driver, and it’s like, ‘Here’s your driver. Get in. You’ve had a hard day of work. We’ll drive you with a full tank of gas.'”

Bayley continued, “We do it five days a week, so they can’t do that for 30 superstars five days a week.” Leahy then replied, noting her belief that WWE makes enough money they could afford such service for their talent. She said, “I don’t know. I think they make a lot of money off of you guys.”

Bayley then said, “I think so too, but you know, they take care of us for most things.” Leahy then interjected again, saying, “Do you want me to negotiate your guys’ new CBA? Do you have CBA?” Bayley says, “No, but–” Leahy quickly follows up with, “Let’s make one. Drivers!”

This is just my opinion, but the line of questioning appears to make Bayley more than a little visibly nervous and uncomfortable as she tries to move the conversation away from talk about CBAs (collective bargaining agreements), noting how driving around on the road can be a “fun” experience. She went on, “OK. You know what? Things like this, we can — they work around it, but it’s fun though. It does become fun because you get to connect with whoever you travel with, and its memories that you won’t have with anybody else. And it becomes like a real family, sisterhood or brotherhood.”

You can check out a clip of the specific part of the interview where Leahy and Bayley talk about the travel, which then transitions to Leahy asking about CBAs for the talents, below. There’s also an embedded version of the full interview.

The subject slightly evokes issues that came to the forefront last April after John Oliver did a segment on WWE’s treatment of its wrestlers, who are classified as independent contractors, on Last Week Tonight.

"It's not pretty… It's hard."@itsBayleyWWE opens up to @KristineLeahy about how life as a #WWE Superstar may not be what you think: pic.twitter.com/mA3Dzosl3w

— Fair Game (@FairGameonFS1) July 11, 2019