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After losing out on signing Will Ospreay to AEW – which, as the “Commonwealth Kingpin” noted during the Full Gear media scrum, was never really an option on the table – another one of the top stars in TNA, “Speedball” Mike Bailey is approaching a free agent period of his own in 2024, as the three-year contract he signed with the promotion is set to expire around Halloween.
Sitting down for an interview with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture, “Speedball” explained that, after really catapulting himself into the mainstream wrestling world over his current run in Impact, he's looking to turn in his best work yet for TNA before hitting the open market once more in next fall.
“I make a real effort, and I remember, honestly, if you tell me a match from this year, I can probably tell you most of it, at least the structure and how it went down and the moves and everything. But my memory is very good. So I got to wrestle this year once again, some of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time, and I don't say that lightly. I think that pro wrestling right now is the best it's ever been. I got to be in the BOLA Finals and beat Konosuke Takeshita, who also, much like me, was the greatest wrestler in the world. I said it about him in 2016, I think, and now people are finally starting to believe it. I got to have another match with Will Ospreay. I got to wrestle Alec Price. I got to wrestle Bryan Keith, and he is also someone who hopefully it doesn't take much longer, and very soon people will be saying he is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. But that match with Will Ospreay really stands out. According to Dave Meltzer, at least, it is the greatest match that I've ever had,” “Speedball” Mike Bailey said via 411 Mania.
“A lot of people value his opinion, and I think that IMPACT right now, going into TNA, is in a great place, and I think that I am closing off this year, I just finished my second year with IMPACT, end it on such a high note that's good for myself, but good for the direction in which IMPACT is going and what's coming up next. It is the highest-rated match in IMPACT/TNA history since Joe/AJ/Daniels in 2005. That is the year, 2005, I was 15 years old, and j had just started going into pro wrestling. That match, I saw it and I was like, ‘Oh, this is the kind of wrestling I want to do.' Now to have an official marker of, the wrestling you wanted to do and the level you wanted to be at, you're it. That's it. Time to go. I've been in IMPACT for two years now, heading into my third year. We're TNA, we're back. Things are changing. This is momentum, I think is the word I can use, that describes it the best. I'm going into my contract year with all the momentum in the world, and I am ready to do big things with IMPACT in 2024.”
When Bailey initially signed with Impact, he was coming off of a five-year ban from entering the country due to entering the United States illegally to compete on a show for Evolve. Sure, hardcore wrestling fans knew him and his innovative offense, but for the most part, he was wrestling on the margins with no real mainstream appeal. Now, he's got a Cagematch page absolutely loaded up with impressive accolades and even a 5.25-star match for his efforts against Ospreay in Impact. If he can continue to shine, the sky really is the limit for the “Speedball.”
Will Ospreay kind of complemented Speedball before their big match.
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In the lead-up to their match at Bound for Glory, the final Impact Bound for Glory before the company reverts to the TNA moniker, Will Ospreay reflected on his relationship with “Speedball” Mike Bailey and even put him over, even if in the end, he feels as though the duo simply aren't on the same level.
“That's unfortunate, innit? Sorry Mike. I've got it on in the background but I'm doing the kitchen. But I always keep an eye on you. And I know you are doing well as always. You put on a good shift. And you didn't get pinned, that is something that you can always take away. But like, God D*mn man! How many times are you going to come up short? You are without a doubt one of the best wrestlers that I have ever seen in my entire life. And every time that there's an IMPACT show, everyone talks about Mike Bailey,” Will Ospreay said via WrestleZone.
“But the one thing that I keep seeing is Mike Bailey failing and failing and failing. And you know, every single time that Mike Bailey and Will Ospreay have been in a ring together one-on-one, you can't get the job done. Most challenging part of all this mate, I'm trying to finish a kitchen before I come out to Chicago and whoop you at Bound for Glory. Do you honestly think you or Josh Alexander have got the capability or the talent to finish New Japan Pro Wrestling's best wrestler? Do you think you are better than Will Ospreay? We will find out in Chicago my dear boy.”
Unfortunately for Bailey, he wasn't able to secure the win at Bound for Glory, as Ospreay kept his perfect singles record intact against the kinetic kicking expert. Still, the real winner of the match has to be Bailey, as he not only put on a banger but proved that he can hang with one of the best performers in the world today, earning a 5.25 star feather in his cap from Dave Meltzer that will certainly play into his next contractual negotiations with TNA, AEW, or even WWE. All in all, that's a pretty fantastic consolation prize.
