After watching free agency shake things up in a massive way earlier this year, with AEW landing the Big 3 of Will Ospreay, Mercedes Mone, and Kazuchika Okada, and WWE securing the rights to Jade Cargill – yes, she signed in 2023 but didn't properly debut until 2024 – and Solo Sikoa further consolidates power within The Bloodline with MFT Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu, the entire professional wrestling landscape has shaken things up in a major way, with five of the six signings – sorry “Samoan Werewolf” – already paying significant dividends for both promotions just a few months into the year.

And the best part? Professional wrestling, much like every other sport, is cyclical, and there are always contracts that expire and performers who go from one promotion to another from year to year, including one of the best in-ring competitors in the world today, “Speedball” Mike Baily, who revealed to Sports Illustrated that his TNA contract is actually set to expire in the next 12 months.

“I’m making the most out of every opportunity given. This is my contract year. I’m doing everything I can to make the most of my time,” Mike Bailey told Sports Illustrated. “I’m glad I’m in a tag team right now–Speedball Mountain–with Trent Seven. I want those tag titles. I want every title.”

Bailey then went on to discuss his in-ring accomplishments in TNA, which included main-eventing a match with Trent Seven and “Broken” Matt Hardy at Under Siege. While Bailey may be best known for his kinetic style of in-ring wrestling, the “Speedball” is ready to keep proving he's one of the best wrestlers in the world, a performer capable of delivering incredible efforts against some of the biggest and best stars in the game.

“In Japan, where the model is very different, six-man tags are much more common, especially in the main event. I think they’re absolutely awesome. I love that about wrestling–all the different styles,” Baily noted. “That’s the fun of pro wrestling, maximizing your situation. TNA shows are so packed. You can’t let one go to waste. I think I’m the best in the world at my style. I’m looking forward to maximizing my minutes.”

Now, for fans out of the know, “Speedball” is truly one of the best in-ring Super Juniors in the world today, with a fast-paced style built around bare-foot kicks and aerial heroics that has earned him a 5.25-star match against Will Ospreay and 4.5+ star efforts against everyone from Konosuke Takeshita, to Master Wato, Bandido, El Hijo del Vikingo, and even Zack Sabre Jr. If you aren't a fan of the 33-year-old grappler from Laval, Quebec, Canada, you will be soon, as it's safe to say's about to have an Ospreay-esque come up in 2025 just like the “Billy Goat” did in 2024.

Tony Khan's preferred wrestlers sound a lot like Mike Bailey.

Speaking of AEW and how Tony Khan prefers to run his wrestling show, the CEO of the promotion discussed what separates his work from WWE with Rick Ucchino and Tony Pike on Cincy 360, including what he looks for in his style of athlete.

“AEW, we have, what I believe is the most exciting matches and we have great stories happening. We really are a challenging brand. We're fighting against an establishment and we've built a huge fanbase in a pretty quick time. People love the fast-paced exiting action, and the interviews,” Tony Khan told Cincy 360. “In AEW, people really feel a connection with the wrestlers. We don't script the interviews here. People go out, maybe they have bullet points and key pieces of information they are trying to get out, but it feels like you're hearing a real person talk, which isn't always the way it feels in some of the competition interviews. That's one major difference. Our biggest strength is the quality of our athletes and the charisma of our biggest stars. Some of the biggest names in wrestling are in AEW and there is a reason why big free agents want to come to AEW. This is where the best wrestle.”

Hmmm, now who does that sound like? Well, if you look at it in relation to free agency, it would have to be “Speedball” Mike Bailey, a performer who, at 5-foot-8, is probably too short to shine in WWE but could be an absolute star in AEW going against the likes of Rey Fenix, Komander and the Martin brothers of Top Flight. If the goal of AEW is to bring in as many of the best wrestlers around to produce incredible dream matches not just on Pay-Per-View matches but on weekly television too, well, then signing Bailey to a new long-term contract has to be a priority.