Mike Bailey Discusses His Long Road to AEW

– During a recent interview with The Takedown on SI.com, AEW star Speedball Mike Bailey discussed his long journey to AEW, noting how wrestling at a big promotion such as AEW was always the goal for him. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

On what it was like to promote indie wrestling in the mid-2000s: “I started wrestling in Quebec, in the French part of Canada in 2005, and if people don’t know what wrestling was like in 2005, this is pre-Facebook. So if you wanted to advertise your independent professional wrestling show, like you had to staple a flyer to a telephone poll and that was the most accessible means of advertising. So I wrestled for like almost 10 years in Canada making little to no money until I eventually made it to the United States, and started working on some of the major independent promotions there, one of which being PWG, which I think PWG is ultimately, and now like very intimately tied in to All Elite Wrestling.”

On how getting to wrestle in the US was the goal for him: I started wrestling for DDT, which is the same promotion in Japan that Kenny Omega came up with. Trying to follow in his footsteps, and I mean that’s been the journey, that’s been the goal for me.”

At AEW Dynasty 2025, Mike Bailey will face AEW International Champion Kenny Omega and Ricochet in a Triple Threat Match for the title. The event is scheduled for Sunday, April 6 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.