Tag: speedball mike bailey

‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey signs with Impact Wrestling

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Photo: Mike Bailey

Independent star “Speedball” Mike Bailey has signed with Impact Wrestling. 

Impact executive Scott D’Amore made the announcement at tonight’s Destiny World Wrestling show in Mississauga, Ontario. A video of the segment can be seen here.

Impact’s Josh Alexander holds the Destiny World title and also appeared on tonight’s show.

D’Amore stated that it had been years since Bailey has seen the United States and that the United States needs to see Bailey. A visa issue had prevented Bailey from entering the US for five years. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the March 28, 2016 Observer: 

“Speedball Mike Bailey got busted trying to get into the U.S. this past weekend for the Evolve shows and was given a five-year ban of getting into the U.S.”

Inside The Ropes reported in March 2021 that Bailey’s ban was soon set to expire. 

Bailey, 31, has remained active internationally while unable to wrestle in the United States, though he wrestled just five times between April 2020 and July 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WWE, ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey working on a deal

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Mike Bailey

WWE is continuing to stockpile their talent roster as they are working on a deal with “Speedball” Mike Bailey, according to Dave Meltzer in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Meltzer said WWE is working on getting the Canadian’s visa issues resolved first.

Bailey (Emile Charles Baillargeon-Laberge) has been on a five-year ban from entering the United States dating back to March 2016 as he was stopped for trying to enter the country to work at an EVOLVE show. Progress on a working visa through Combat Zone Wrestling where Bailey was doing work at the time was slow, which led to the initial incident.

Free to work in elsewhere, the 30-year-old has remained gainfully employed in Canada, UK, Europe, and Japan, working for PROGRESS, Revolution Pro, DDT, wXw, OTT, and much more.

He has not been in the ring since September 2020.

On his Friday Twitch show with fiancee Veda Scott, Bailey laughed when asked a question about the news, saying, “When I have anything to confirm or deny, I won’t do it on my Twitch channel.” Scott jokingly said he was supposed to be the wild card in the upcoming Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing.