Summary

Dreya Mitchell described Bayley's Lodestone camp as a dream experience, saying the all-women's event gave her a chance to learn, connect with top names, and receive feedback from both Bianca Belair and John Cena.

Mitchell, an independent wrestler from Canada, said Pat Laprade paid for her flight so she could attend the camp. She also said having Leah Sparks there mattered because the two were the only Canadians in attendance.

Bayley funded the multi-day camp herself at the end of 2025. Along with the participating wrestlers, guests at the camp included Cena, Lyra Valkyria, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Natalya and TJ Wilson.

Quote from Dreya Mitchell

Speaking during an interview appearance, Mitchell said the full week stood out to her from the start:

"That whole week was a dream. Being there with one of my close friends, Leah Sparks, the only two Canadians, it was really nice to have that person who knows me and I know her. What I learned, people I met, John Cena,"

Mitchell later went on to say:

"The whole day, we didn't know that any guests were going to swing by. We were all there for Bayley. She was so generous with her time and her money. Having her there and caring so much about women's wrestling and its evolution was so meaningful. Charlotte Flair coming in. Rhea, Bianca, Nattie, TJ. It was an overload. The people I panicked the most with were Bianca and John. Bianca, what can I say about her? Especially as a Black girl, it's nice to see someone going to go to those heights in the sport. She was a big inspiration. Her chilling there and being like, 'I like your stuff.' 'Me? Little old me?'"

On the feedback she received from Belair, and on the surprise moment when Cena arrived, Mitchell said:

"The day she came in and it was more of a practice, we didn't do matches. We did little mock matches, but not too much. I went to talk to her. She loved my character and said I had a lot of life into it. I'm like, 'Okay, I did something good.' With John, it was weird because that was the last day we were doing matches. I went to change and I just hear everyone whooping and clapping. I'm in the bathroom like, 'Wait a minute, what am I missing?' I go out and Bayley just goes, 'This is my friend John.' I turned the corner and was like, 'Oh. Okay.' I told Ella Envy, 'I'm about to poop my pants. Legit. I'm gonna crap my pants. This is John Cena, who is retiring a week later.' I missed the chance to watch him wrestle live in Toronto. I was really sad about that, but the universe has my back and gave me the chance to meet him and get feedback from him."

What Lodestone could mean for Dreya Mitchell

For Mitchell, the biggest takeaway here is straightforward. Feedback from Belair and Cena gives her another level of validation as she keeps building her name on the independent scene.

It also adds some weight to her next outing against Mercedes Martinez at NSPW on April 11. Mitchell is still early in her climb, but a story like this can raise her visibility, especially with Cena continuing to draw attention elsewhere, including his live Undertaker podcast taping at WWE World.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.