SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Mike Bailey has had several opportunities at singles titles in AEW to date and although they have come up short, they have impressed with each opportunity given to them in those matches. They wrestled Darby Allin for the AEW World Hvt. Championship in May on Collision, Kyle Fletcher for the AEW International Championship at Grand Slam Mexico in August, and against Jon Moxley in a Continental Championship Qualifier where they took Moxley nearly all the way to the 20 minute time limit.
Bailey admitted on their Youtube vlog after the All In London PPV that they were not satisfied with their position on the All in London PPV card where they competed in the Casino Gauntlet match for a future shot at the AEW World Hvt. Championship. They said their goal was to have a spotlight singles match on the card referencing TNT Champion Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin and AEW World Hvt. Champion Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay as being the types of matches and performances they aspire to have on an AEW PPV.
Bailey said they know there is a lot of competition for the best spots on PPV cards, as the roster is full of wrestlers that would be capable of holding the AEW World Hvt. Championship. “Yeah, I mean, if you look at the total, like the full landscape of it all, right? I am being put in these opportunities for a reason,” said Bailey during an interview on Radican Worldwide available now for PWTorch VIP members. “And I mean, All Elite Wrestling is where the best wrestle and that’s a tagline, but it’s true. There is a roster full of absolute killers. There are so many wrestlers in AEW who would be right at home winning the AEW World Championship and defending that on pay-per-view.
“And I mean, I think if you look at my record, right, I have not been able to win a singles title in AEW, but I am a two-time Trios Champion and none of those losses have been easy. I have given every champion that I have faced some of their biggest challenges. Again, as you mentioned, I took Jon Moxley very, very close to that 20-minute time limit, which is no easy feat.”
Bailey said that their previous opportunities have led them to where they are now, as they are getting a shot at the AEW World Hvt. Championship on PPV at WrestleDream.. “And I think that at WrestleDream I will get the chance to win the AEW World Championship, and that is exactly where I want to be,” said Bailey. “That is exactly where I should be. And if, God forbid, I don’t win the championship at WrestleDream, I will keep trying. And I think that my joining United Empire was a big part of that plan.”
Bailey believes that joining forces with United Empire and fighting for the AEW World Hvt. Championship at WrestleDreams puts them close to where they want to be in terms of the position on the card and being part of something as great as the Omega vs. Ospreay match at All In London was. “I saw Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay at All In, as you mentioned, right?,” said Bailey. “Watching them and thinking, ‘Man, I want to be in that match,’ but also I was in awe that I was seeing one of the greatest pro wrestling matches in history right before my eyes. And as bittersweet as that was, I think that joining United Empire will only get me closer. And I mean, that’s how in AEW it’s very difficult to be a lone wolf, and you kinda need to protect yourself.
“I have been in a lot of those singles matches, the Death Riders, the other members of the Don Callis family were almost always a factor and that made things that much more difficult for me. So, I think that joining United Empire is a great step to getting to where I want to be and I think that fighting for the AEW World Championship in Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream puts me very, very close to that (goal).”
NOTE: You can GO VIP and listen to the entire interview with Mike Bailey talking about transitioning from TNA to AEW, how they navigate being married to Veda Scott, who is also in wrestling, and the Clockwork Carnage match for the AEW World Hvt. Championship at WrestleDream on Oct. 17 HERE
Speedball Bailey will challenge for the AEW World Hvt. Championship on Oct. 17 in the Clockwork Carnage match at the WrestleDream PPV against seven other wrestlers including Will Ospreay and Samoa Joe.
You can purchase the All In London PPV on HBO Max, traditional PPV providers, and PPV.com.
