Speedball Mike Bailey is a name that stands out in the wrestling world, captivating fans with his high-energy style and remarkable athleticism. Known for his breathtaking acrobatics and engaging persona, Bailey has become a sensation in the realm of independent wrestling. Let’s take a closer look at his inspiring biography, analyze his unique wrestling techniques, and highlight some of the most unforgettable moments of his career.
Biography of Speedball Mike Bailey
Émile Charles Baillargeon-Laberge (born July 16, 1990), better known by his ring name "Speedball" Mike Bailey, is a Canadian professional wrestler. Born in the vibrant city of Montreal, Canada, Mike Bailey showed a passion for sports from an early age. Influenced by martial arts and classic wrestling, he decided to pursue wrestling as a career when he was just 15 years old. In 2006, Bailey began training at the age of 15 with Fred "La Merveille" at the Montreal Wrestling Federation.
Despite his training with MWF, Bailey had his first match at Paul Leduc's Fédération de Lutte Québécoise in early 2006. He underwent extensive training, and by his debut in 2011, he was already making headlines in various independent promotions across North America.
One notable challenge Bailey faced was a ban from entering the United States, which lasted several years. In March 2016 Bailey attempted to travel to Florida to compete for Evolve, Bailey was stopped by US border control who found that he had no work visa, and Bailey was subsequently banned from entering the United States for the next five years. This setback forced him to adapt and cultivate a strong international fanbase.
He showcased his skills in promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), which helped him gain immense recognition. Bailey’s journey illustrates resilience, with his commitment breaking through barriers and overcoming obstacles along the way.
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Bailey has been engaged to fellow wrestler Veda Scott since November 2020.
Professional Wrestling Career
Bailey is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is one-half of JetSpeed with Kevin Knight. He is also known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time TNA X Division Champion.
After he was banned from entering the United States, Bailey began working internationally and debuted for Japanese promotion DDT in August 2016, losing to Isami Kodaka. The following day, Bailey competed in a special Royal Rumble as Mike Tajiri, where all of the wrestlers involved dressed and acted like current and former WWE Superstars. On August 28, Bailey teamed with Dick Togo in a tag team match, losing to Damnation (Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo). In October, Bailey entered the DNA Grand Prix, finishing first in his block and defeating Kazusada Higuchi in the finals to win the tournament.
On November 23 at God Bless DDT, Bailey lost to Daisuke Sasaki. Three days later, Bailey teamed with Konosuke Takeshita to defeat Tetsuya Endo and Mad Paulie. On December 4 at Osaka Octopus, Bailey and Takeshita defeated Endo and Sasaki to win the KO-D Tag Team Championships and successfully defended them one week later against Danshoku Dino and Keisuke Ishii. On January 3, Bailey unsuccessfully challenged HARASHIMA for the KO-D Openweight Championship, and on January 9, he and Takeshita lost the KO-D Tag Team Championships to Masakatsu Funaki and Yukio Sakaguchi.
Following the loss, Bailey started to compete in singles competition. During a six-man tag team match, Bailey pinned Takeshita to win his Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere contract. This contract granted a shot for the KO-D Openweight Championship anytime he wanted. However, Bailey didn't want to cash in anytime and anywhere so he choosed to cash in his contract on July 2. On July 2 Bailey unsuccessfully challenged Takeshita for the KO-D Openweight Championship. On July 22, 2018 Bailey and MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo and Mad Paulie to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship and later formed a team named the Moonlight Express.
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From November 30 until December 15, Bailey took part in the 2019 D-Oh Grand Prix, where he finished the tournament with a record of three wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals of the tournament. During the tournament, Bailey briefly held the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, before losing it at the tournament. On January 5, 2019 Bailey and MAO defeated Shiori Ashai and Makoto Oishi to win Strongest-K Tag Team Championship, becoming double crown champions in the process.
On February 27, 2022 it was announced by NJPW that Bailey was going to take part of NJPW Strong's Lonestar Shootout event with Bailey challenging Jay White to match at the event as part of White's US of Jay Open Challenge. On April 27, Bailey was announced to take part in the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors in Japan. Bailey finished the tournament with a record of seven wins and two losses, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament. On August 19, 2023, at All Star Junior Festival USA, Bailey defeated Kevin Knight in the finals to win the All Star Jr. Festival USA tournament, earning a shot at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Following the win, Bailey called out reigning champion, Hiromu Takahashi, and challenged him to a title match, which he accepted.
On August 23, NJPW announced a three-way match between Bailey, Takahashi and Lio Rush for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Destruction in Ryogoku, following the latter's title challenge at Multiverse United 2. In March 2016 Bailey attempted to travel to Florida to compete for Evolve, Bailey was stopped by US border control who found that he had no work visa, and Bailey was subsequently banned from entering the United States for the next five years.
He is a former two time IWS World Heavyweight Champion and a former two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion. At the Combat Zone Wrestling's New Heights 2014 event from July 12, he unsuccessfully challenged Biff Busick for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship. At Scarred 4 Life, on September 20, 2014, Bailey won the IWS World Heavyweight Championship against The Green Phantom. On the October 18, 2014 event CZW Tangled Web 7, he unsuccessfully challenged Shane Strickland for the CZW Wired Championship. At CZW Night Of Infamy 2014 on November 8, he teamed up with Buxx Belmar and unsuccessfully challenged OI4K (Dave Crist and Jake Crist) for the CZW World Tag Team Championship. At CZW Cage Of Death XVI, he participated in a six-man scramble match, a qualifier for the Best Of The Best Tournament, where he competed against the winner Jonathan Gresham, A. R.
Bailey made his debut for the Southern California promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) at From Out of Nowhere on February 27, 2015, losing to Biff Busick in his first match.At Un F'N Sanctioned on March 28, 2015, at Corona Theatre, Bailey defeated Hallowicked and Jesse Neal in a Triple Threat Match. At Mystery Vortex III, Bailey answered Roderick Strong's open challenge for the PWG World Championship, but failed to win the title. Bailey picked up his first win in PWG by defeating Chris Hero at Threemendous IV. He participated in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he managed to reach to the final by defeating Drew Galloway in the first round, Will Ospreay in the quarterfinals and Tommy End in the semifinals. Bailey competed against Chris Hero and Zack Sabre Jr. in a three-way elimination match in the final, where he was the first man to be eliminated. He made a few more appearances with PWG until early 2016 before he was banned from working in the US for five years due to not having a work visa.
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Bailey made his debut for the British promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling, having his first match at RevPro High Stakes 2016 on January 16, where he lost to Big Damo. On March 5, 2016, at Un F'N Sanctioned held at Métropolis, Black Dynomite won the IWS World Heavyweight Championship in a four-way match versus Rey Mysterio, Jack Evans and Bailey. Bailey debuted for the German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling on March 10, 2016, at the wXw The Inner Circle, where he first fell short to Kim Ray. In the second match, he teamed up with Tyler Bate in a losing effort to Timothy Thatcher and Big Daddy Walter. At CZW Deja Vu 2015 on March 14, Bailey unsuccessfully challenged Joe Gacy for the CZW Wired Championship. Their feud continued until CZW Proving Grounds 2015 from May 9, where he managed to defeat Gacy, but by disqualification, therefore not succeeding in winning the title.
Bailey facing Jurn Simmons at wXw 16 Carat Gold 2020Bailey was defeated by Sami Callihan at CZW Seventeen from February 13, 2016. He participated in the wXw 16 Carat Gold 2016 Tournament where he lost to Ilja Dragunov on the first night, on March 11, 2016, and on the second night, from March 12, he faced Marty Scurll, Trevor Lee and Angélico in a three-way match. On the third night, on March 13, he teamed up with Will Ospreay in a losing effort to Marty Scurll and Trevor Lee. Bailey worked several matches for Progress Wrestling, first of them being a loss against Mark Haskins for the Smash Wrestling Championship at Smash/Progress Smash vs.
Bailey returned to RevPro in 2017, competing in various matches against popular wrestling figures. He lost to Zack Sabre Jr. at RevPro Live At The Cockpit 13 on February 5, 2017. He also participated in the wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017 Tournament, and on the first night, on March 10, 2017, he defeated A. C. H. in a first round match. On the second night, on March 11, he got defeated by Matt Riddle in a quarter-final match. On the third night, he teamed up with ACH to score a victory against Donovan Dijak and J. T. Dunn. At wXw True Colors 2017 on April 8, Bailey battled Jurn Simmons, Walter and Axel Dieter Jr. On September 4, 2021, at Blood, Sweat & Beers, Bailey defeated Matt Angel in an IWS Title Match, winning his second IWS World Heavyweight Championship. On September 18, 2021, at Fighting Back X, Bailey defeated Daniel Garcia for his second C4 Championship.
Bailey returned to PWG after a six-year absence as a participant in the 2022 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he defeated Bandido in the first round, Wheeler Yuta in the quarterfinals and Buddy Matthews in the semifinals before losing to Daniel Garcia in the final. He rebounded from the loss in the 2023 Battle of Los Angeles, a year later, where he defeated Jordynne Grace in the first round, Shun Skywalker in the quarterfinals, Bryan Keith in the semifinals and Konosuke Takeshita in the final to win the tournament. Bailey made his debut for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP) on both nights of their debut event Forged In Excellence. Bailey debuted for DDT Pro-Wrestling on August 1, 2016, for DDT's Tavern Pro Wrestling brand, at Drunkers Kingdom: Most Drunk in Tavern's History For 3 Days!!, losing to Isami Kodaka. He often wrestled alongside members of the Happy Motel stable Konosuke Takeshita and Antonio Honda without being part of the group. He won the KO-D Tag Team Championship for the second time by teaming with Mao as a part of the Moonlight Express on July 22, 2018, at Summer Vacation 2018, where they defeated Damnation (Mad Paulie and Tetsuya Endo).
Bailey unsuccessfully challenged Harashima for the KO-D Openweight Championship at New Year Lottery Special! On June 19, 2022, Mike Bailey defeated Ace Austin, Alex Zayne, Andrew Everett, Kenny King, and Trey Miguel in a 6-man Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship to become Impact X Division Champion for their first time at Impact's Slammiversary 2022. At Against All Odds, Bailey defeated Trey Miguel to retain the title. At Emergence, Bailey defeated Jack Evans to retain the title. On April 27, 2023, Bailey was announced as an entrant in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Best of the Super Juniors 30 tournament, competing in the A Block. In his first tournament match, Bailey defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and four-time tournament winner, Hiromu Takahashi. Bailey scored 14 points in the tournament, topping the A Block and advancing to the semi-finals. In the semi-final round, Bailey was defeated by Master Wato. On August 19, Bailey was announced as one of four participants for One-Night All Star Jr. USA tournament which was held as part of All Star Jr. Festival USA 2023 event in Philadelphia. He defeated Francesco Akira in semifinal and Kevin Knight in the final to win the tournament.
On October 9 of Destruction event in Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo, he unsuccessfully challenged Hiromu for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match that also included YOH. On November 10 at Lonestar Shootout, Bailey unsuccessfully challenged Zack Sabre Jr. In March 2016, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Baillargeon-Laberge had been arrested while trying to get into the United States to compete for Evolve. He was subsequently banned from entering the country at all for the next five years.
Analysis of His Wrestling Style and Techniques
Speedball Mike Bailey’s wrestling style stands apart due to his lightning-fast maneuvers and acrobatic feats. His performance often feels like a thrilling dance that combines speed and creativity.
Bailey is trained in the art of Taekwondo. Here are a few examples of his signature techniques:
- Aerial Maneuvers: Moves like the shooting star press and springboard moonsault are staples of Bailey's repertoire. His execution is so precise that, in a recent match, he completed a shooting star press that had a 99% success rate at landing on his opponent-a statistic that highlights his exceptional skill.
- Martial Arts Influences: Bailey’s background in martial arts brings an added layer of sophistication to his wrestling. He incorporates high kicks and spinning strikes that not only enhance his matches but also showcase his training. During a recent bout, he effectively landed an impressive roundhouse kick that stunned his opponent and received a standing ovation from fans.
Bailey’s movements in the ring emphasize not just agility, but an impressive capacity to absorb and bounce back from punishment. His ability to recover from difficult situations often leaves an impact on various wrestling communities, evidenced by his tendency to turn potentially losing positions into thrilling counters that keep fans on the edge of their seats.
The Top Ten Moves Of Speedball Mike Bailey
Memorable Matches and Moments in His Career
Speedball Mike Bailey has participated in numerous matches that resonate with fans and define his career. One standout event occurred at a PWG show where he faced off against Ricochet. This match was a dazzling display of talent, with both athletes pushing their limits. It was noted in various wrestling communities as a pivotal moment for Bailey, establishing him as a top-tier performer within the industry.
Another unforgettable highlight came when he joined the prestigious King of the Ring tournament. Throughout the tournament, Bailey showcased not only his agility but also his strategic thinking against respected veterans. His performance not just entertained fans, but earned him significant respect, proving he could compete with the best wrestlers in the business.
His matches are often filled with jaw-dropping moments and thrilling sequences. One such encounter with fellow high-flyer Will Ospreay is frequently cited as a modern classic, blending athletic prowess and compelling storytelling. The dynamic between the two performers resulted in a match which boasted a staggering 85% crowd approval rating due to its intensity and skillful execution.
Beyond the ring, Bailey’s persona and interactions with fans have solidified his place as a cherished figure in indie wrestling. His charismatic nature, combined with a genuine approach to engaging with his followers, has endeared him to many, making him not only a performer but also a community favorite.
Titles and Accomplishments
Mike Bailey has achieved significant success in various wrestling promotions. Here's a summary of some of his notable titles and accomplishments:
| Promotion | Championship/Tournament | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Wrestling (TNA) | X Division Championship | 3 |
| IWS | World Heavyweight Championship | 2 |
| DDT Pro-Wrestling | KO-D Tag Team Championship | 2 |
| CZW | Best Of The Best 14 | 1 |
| NJPW | All Star Jr. Festival USA Tournament | 1 |
The Road Ahead for Bailey
Speedball Mike Bailey’s evolution in the wrestling world is a story of talent, hard work, and passion. From his early days in Montreal to becoming a revered high-flying star beloved by fans around the globe, his journey has demonstrated his commitment to excellence.
His innovative style, characterized by high-speed moves and martial arts techniques, has inspired a new generation of wrestlers. As Bailey continues to entertain audiences with his extraordinary skills, it’s evident that his legacy as a high-flying magician in the ring is just beginning.