Since arriving in AEW, “Speedball” Mike Bailey has become a fan favorite and has held Trios gold twice. While they didn’t win tag titles, Bailey was one half of the popular tag team JetSpeed before Kevin Knight turned on him. Since then, Bailey has been busy feuding with members of the Don Callis Family. Prior to their arrival in AEW, Bailey was signed to TNA and was one of the most active wrestlers on the indies. They appeared to be making up for lost time after being banned from the U.S. for five years.
In 2015, Bailey was crossing the border from Canada to wrestle in the U.S. He had an expired work visa and was caught coming into the country and was subsequently banned. Bailey appeared on TMZ Sports and opened up about the ban. They reflected on how at the time, they were making a name in PWG, CZW, and Evolve.
“After seeing the path that others were taking and hoping to get a shot at the major companies at the time and are offering big money contracts, you’re not going to be able to work for them for five years. I had a very, very brief moment where I was like, ‘hmm, maybe this isn’t going to work out after all’, but then I remembered that I had already been doing this for 10 years. And it’s not like those first 10 years had been very profitable at all. I did professional wrestling and was a professional wrestler because I loved it and I was going to keep doing it no matter what.”
He was able to keep his momentum up by wrestling in Japan, Europe, and Mexico. When he signed with TNA, he was able to retain his work visa. Bailey will be competing at AEW Redemption in a ladder match to determine the number-one contender for the International Championship.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit TMZ Sports and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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