WWE Rumors on Bayley's Contract, Johnny Gargano's Push and Jordynne Grace's Return

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Conflicting Reports on Bayley's WWE Contractual Status

Following Bayley's return to WWE programming during Monday night's episode of Raw, conflicting reports emerged regarding where she stands with the company.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) initially reported that Bayley had signed a new contract with WWE.

However, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlePurists ) followed up by reporting that Bayley had not signed a new deal and was still working under her existing one.

It isn't definitely known how much time was or is left on Bayley's contract, but Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Julien D'Alessandro ) reported last month that Bayley was believed to be under contract until January.

Rumors and speculation regarding Bayley's pro wrestling future have run rampant recently, especially after she was seemingly written off WWE programming following a loss to Lyra Valkyria at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 18.

On Monday's episode of Raw, Bayley resurfaced and cost Valkyria her Money in the Bank qualifying match, which was won by Sol Ruca.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats), AEW has not yet been informed about Bayley potentially re-signing with WWE, and the promotion had "high hopes" about making a run at Bayley and potentially signing her should she become a free agent.

As of now, there appears to be a great deal of confusion regarding whether Bayley has made a long-term commitment to WWE, or if she may be available in four months.

Whatever the case, Bayley is back on WWE TV, which figures to give the Raw women's division a significant shot in the arm.

Johnny Gargano is reportedly ticketed for more television time following his return to the ring last week on SmackDown.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Mrosko ), WWE is planning to feature Gargano more prominently on the blue brand moving forward.

For months, Gargano exclusively appeared in backstage segments, planking on crates and not uttering a word. That all changed on last week's SmackDown in his hometown of Cleveland.

In an effort to coax Gargano into getting up and getting back in the ring, WWE champion CM Punk offered to put the title on the line against Johnny Wrestling.

That was all Gargano needed, as he stood up and accepted Punk's challenge. They went on to have a spectacular match in the main event of the show, and Punk prevailed despite Sami Zayn interfering and attempting to cost Punk the title.

Last week marked Gargano's first match since competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in April, so he figures to make up for lost time in the weeks and months to come.

Gargano has long been considered one of the best in-ring workers in pro wrestling, dating back to his time on the independent scene and in NXT.

There are plenty of exciting talents for Gargano to potentially work with on SmackDown, and last week seemingly opened the door to make that a reality.

Update on Jordynne Grace's Potential Return

Jordynne Grace has not wrestled a match on SmackDown since April, but her absence reportedly may be coming to an end soon.

Per Fightful Select (h/t Mrosko ), Grace may be slated to return to WWE programming in the near future, while doing something "categorically different" than she did previously.

A three-time TNA Knockouts world champion, Grace officially joined WWE in early 2025 as part of the NXT brand.

Although Grace never won the NXT Women's Championship, she was a key figure in the NXT women's division before getting quickly moved up to the main roster in January 2026.

Grace challenged Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship about one month into her tenure on SmackDown, but after losing that match, she largely faded into the background.

While Grace has wrestled on Main Event a handful of times since her last SmackDown match against Tiffany Stratton in April, she has largely been out of sight and out of mind.

Grace is a big-time talent in the ring, though, and if WWE can figure out a good role for her on the blue brand, it should boost the women's division significantly.