Folks, he’s here. After months of speculation, Speedball Mike Bailey has finally arrived in AEW, and he wasted absolutely no time proving that his legs are legally registered weapons.
Bailey made his debut on the March 12 episode of Dynamite, entering the AEW International Championship Eliminator Tournament as the highly anticipated mystery wildcard. The rumors had been swirling for a while—his contract with TNA was up, AEW had a surprise spot open, and Tony Khan does love a dramatic entrance. Sure enough, Bailey showed up, and the first thing he did? Try to kick The Beast Mortos’ soul out of his body.
Speedball vs. The Beast: A Violent Welcome Party
Bailey’s AEW debut was anything but a warm welcome. He found himself staring down The Beast Mortos, a guy who clearly didn’t get the memo about first-day kindness. After a quick attempt at showing respect, Mortos responded with violence, because of course he did.
- Bailey’s signature kicks landed early, but Mortos took control outside the ring.
- Just when it looked like Bailey might be in trouble, he flipped, chopped, and dove his way back into the match (probably concussing a few ghosts in the process).
- Mortos nearly stole the show with a corkscrew tope, a backbreaker, and a pop-up Samoan Drop before planting Bailey with an avalanche press slam that almost ended it.
- But this was Bailey’s night. He survived, countered with a moonsault knee drop, and then obliterated Mortos with a crescent kick to the head for the win.
And just like that, Speedball moves on! He advances to the four-way final on March 19, where he’ll be joined by either Orange Cassidy or Hechicero—who are set to fight later tonight. The winner of that final gets to face Kenny Omega at AEW Dynasty on April 6, where Omega has already declared he wants to battle the absolute best.
Final Thoughts: The Speedball Era Begins
Mike Bailey’s debut checked all the boxes: a surprise entry, a hard-fought win, and enough insane kicks to make a taekwondo instructor blush. Now, the real question is: Can Speedball kick his way to a title match against Kenny Omega? Only time will tell.