Mike Bailey Is All Elite - 'Speedball' Finally Debuts On Dynamite (AEW News)

It's official: 'Speedball' Mike Bailey is #AllElite

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Dynamite Speedball Mike Bailey
AEW

After months of speculation, 'Speedball' Mike Bailey is officially #AllElite after making his AEW debut on last night's Dynamite.

Of course, a short Speedball vignette aired a few weeks ago on AEW Collision, and last night saw the hugely talented Canadian make his surprise company debut, appearing as a wild card in the International Title eliminator tournament.

Bailey picked up a win over The Beast Mortos with a spinning crescent kick, with the 11-minute match featuring plenty of Speedball's trademark high-energy, high-risk offense. That means the former three-time TNA X Division Champion moves on to a four-way match on next week's Dynamite, where the winner gets a shot at Kenny Omega's International Championship at AEW Dynasty next month.

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Making things official, Tony Khan took to X after Bailey vs. Mortos to post the classic #AllElite graphic for Speedball.

All You Need To Know About Mike Bailey

A near-20-year veteran of the business by this point - making his in-ring debut at just 15 years of age - 'Speedball' Mike Bailey has marked himself out as one of the very best wrestlers on the planet in recent years.

Having called TNA home since late 2021, Bailey finished up with the Anthem promotion in October ahead of his contract expiring at the turn of the year. And once it became apparent that Speedball was looking to test the free agency market, it was no surprise to hear various rumblings and reports about both AEW and WWE having interest in the talent - with the AEW deal all but confirmed when that vignette aired last month.

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It's been quite the journey for 'Speedball' Mike Bailey, initially making a name for himself across Canada as he battled the likes of Kevin Owens/Steen and Josh Alexander, before then impressing internationally for promotions such as CZW, PROGRESS, RevPro, wXw, PWG, and DDT. Unfortunately for Bailey, he was banned from entering the US between 2016 and 2021 due to attempting to travel to an EVOLVE event without the relevant visa in place.

Once that ban was up, Speedball signed with TNA - then IMPACT Wrestling - towards the end of 2021 ahead of debuting for the company early the following year. As mentioned, Bailey's run there saw him win the X Division Title three times and regularly put on spectacular matches, most notably against Alexander and a certain Will Ospreay. Away from TNA, Mike has continued to work various dates for GCW, make appearances for NJPW, and compete for promotions such as Wrestling Revolver, House of Glory, DEFY, and DEADLOCK Pro.

'Speedball' Mike Bailey has technically competed in an AEW ring before, working a couple of matches as part of the 2024 Jericho Cruise - where Bailey lost to Michael Oku, then teamed with Chris Jericho and Paul Wight to pick up a win over Lance Archer, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Kyle Fletcher. And now, Speedball is finally a formal part of the already-stacked AEW roster.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.