Mike Bailey has a Canadian wrestling journalist to thank for his ‘Speedball’ nickname.
Bailey has been signed with Impact Wrestling since 2021, where he is a former X-Division Champion, and has worked for CZW, Ring of Honor, and PROGRESS among other promotions.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet of Insight, Bailey discussed the origins of his moniker. He said,
“So a speedball is a piece of boxing equipment you hit and it rebounds. The reason I was nicknamed ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey is because, his name was Michael Ryan. He wrote about Montreal wrestling. He’s since passed away, but in one of my early matches, he described my style as ‘bouncing around the ring like a speedball.’ A big reason I love that nickname is because I didn’t give it to myself.”
After serving a five-year ban from the United States due to Visa issues, Bailey returned to the country in January of this year.
Bailey competed in PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles and outlasted Bandido, Buddy Matthews, and Wheeler Yuta before coming up short to Daniel Garcia in the finals.
For what it’s worth, the term “Speedball” in America refers to using a mix of heroin to cocaine to increase one’s high.
