‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey says he can’t wait to work with some of the best talent in the world in IMPACT Wrestling.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey spoke about how he landed with IMPACT Wrestling, as well as how he almost ended up signing with WWE. Bailey says he went through a negotiation process with the latter, but it ultimately didn’t work out.
“We went through a process and we had some pretty in-depth discussions,” Bailey says. “I didn’t sign a contract. It pretty much went up to that point of me accepting an offer and going through the proceedings that would lead up to me signing for several months, and them deciding they were going in a different direction.”
Bailey pointed to fellow Canadian and Bound For Glory main eventer Josh Alexander as someone who highlights what he hopes to accomplish, and what others can as well.
“Josh is a good starting point for all this—he is a great example of what you can achieve within Impact and as a Canadian pro wrestler,” Bailey says of his fellow Canadian. “Every independent wrestler should be watching people like Josh Alexander. The more I spoke with Josh and people I know at Impact, the more I wanted to be there. The amount of people at Impact I’m dying to work with was another reason to sign.
“I’ll wrestle Josh Alexander a thousand times and I’ll be happier for it. Trey Miguel is the current X Division champion, and he is brought up to me the most as the one that people want to see me wrestle—and I agree with that. I want to wrestle Chris Sabin, Ace Austin, wrestling and learning from Impact veterans like Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards and Moose, who is the champion, and more. The list is too many to name.”
Immigration issues caused Bailey to be barred from the United States for the past five years. He still made a name for himself despite that restriction and says he appreciates the positive response to signing with IMPACT Wrestling.
“I love wrestling. And when wrestling works, it works for everyone. It brings people together in a way that is really hard to describe. There are so many ways to fail and it is very unforgiving, which is why it is so satisfying when you succeed.”
