AEW’s “Speedball” Mike Bailey says he considered quitting wrestling due to US visa issues back in 2015.
Former AEW World Trios Champion Mike Bailey appeared on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast to promote the Redemption pay-per-view, which will take place in his home country of Canada this Sunday. He’ll compete in a six-way ladder match at the event to determine the No.1 contender for Kyle Fletcher’s International Championship.
During the conversation, the AEW star recounted a dark time in his career. He looked back at the time he had a breakout year in the US independent scene in 2015, competing for promotions like PWG, Evolve and CZW. However, as Bailey was gaining momentum, he faced an unfortunate visa issue that resulted in a five-year ban from entering the country.
“And then I was stopped at the border and banned from the US for five years because I didn’t have the work visa. Boring details, but the story is what matters. I couldn’t come to the US for five years,” Bailey said.
The AEW star considered quitting wrestling after the incident
Speaking further, Bailey noted that after realizing he wouldn’t be able to compete for companies that offered big money to talent for five years, he considered quitting altogether. However, he ultimately decided against it and began competing for DDT-Pro Wrestling in Japan before returning to the US to sign with TNA in 2021, eventually moving to AEW in 2025.
“So after seeing the path that wrestlers were taking and hoping to get a shot at the major companies at the time, being told, ‘Yeah, those companies that are offering big money contracts, you’re not gonna be able to work for those for five years.’ I had a very, very brief moment where I was like, ‘Hmm, maybe this isn’t gonna work out after all,’ the AEW star continued.
“But then I remembered I had already been doing this for 10 years, and it’s not like those first 10 years had been very profitable at all. I was a professional wrestler, and I did professional wrestling because I loved it. And I was gonna keep doing it no matter what,” Bailey said. [H/T SEScoops]
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