Skip to main content
Inside The Ropes
  • News

    WWE News

    AEW logo for their Dynamite TV show

    AEW News

    Japan News

    Wrestling News

  • Features
    Scott Steiner and his 'pet' tiger

    10 Iconic Pro Wrestling “Super Pets”

    Triple H entrance

    5 Changes We Want To See Triple H Make To WWE

    AEW World Trios Championship Tournament

    5 Most Likely Inaugural AEW World Trios Champions

    10 Former WWE Superstars We'd Like To See Return Under The Triple H Regime

    10 Former WWE Superstars We’d Like To See Return Under The Triple H Regime

  • Interviews
    20 Questions Killer Kelly

    20 Questions With Killer Kelly

    Rick Boogs

    Interview With Rick Boogs

    JONAH

    Interview With JONAH

    Rosemary Interview

    Interview With Rosemary

  • Podcasts
    Wrestling Roast #71 – Where Is MJF?

    Listen
    Power Slam Podcast #251 – Post SummerSlam RAW, Pat McAfee & More

    Listen
    What’s Going Down #85 – SummerSlam, Ric Flair & More

    Listen
    Wrestling Roast #70 – Tractors, Returns & Retirements

    Listen
  • Quizzes
    Play Word Rumble

    Play Word Rumble

    WWE logo

    Can You Name Every WWE Pay-per-view?

    WWE Survivor Series sole survivors quiz

    Can You Name All The WWE Survivor Series Sole Survivors?

    WWE Smackdown logo

    Can You Name Every Wrestler That Competed On The First SmackDown?

  • Live Tours
  • Shop
    Magazine
    Clothing
    Accessories
    Collectibles
  • Trending
  • Follow us:
    • Facebook Facebook
    • Twitter Twitter
    • Instagram Instagram
  • Watch us:
    • YouTube YouTube
    • Twitch Twitch
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
  • Play Word Rumble
Wrestling News

‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey’s U.S. Travel Ban Expiring This Month

By Scott McDonald. Published 2nd March 2021.
Mike Bailey travel ban thumbnail

‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey’s U.S. travel ban is finally set to expire this month. The Canadian star will soon be free to work without restriction.

In March 2016, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Bailey ‘got busted trying to get into the U.S.’ to compete for Evolve. He was subsequently banned from entering the U.S. at all for the next five years. The Observer reported that he was in the process of obtaining a visa through CZW at the time of his ban, however the process was going extremely slowly and would have forced him to miss the Evolve booking.

Since the ban, Bailey has been a consistent fixture on the independent scene outside of the U.S. Appearing in Europe for wXw, in the U.K. for OTT and in Japan for DDT, the ‘Speedball’ has continued to build his brand despite the major limitation of being unable to work in the business’ biggest market.

It now seems to be just a matter of weeks until Mike Bailey’s travel ban is lifted. Fans of the star will no doubt be looking forward to his return to U.S. soil, though his bookings may be limited due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still just 30 years old, the highly-rated star no doubt has many years of his career ahead of him. However, should Bailey wish to wrestle regularly in the U.S. any time soon, he would likely need to join one of the major promotions airing on television. The two largest promotions, it seems, are not stopping recruitment any time soon.

With Tony Khan recently confirming that AEW will have four weekly shows in 2021, could we see the ‘Speedball’ join up with former PWG comrades such as Chuck Taylor and The Young Bucks? Though their roster already boasts considerable depth, the company continues to add new stars on a regular basis. Similarly, WWE recently announced their largest performance center class ever.

Should AEW wish to pursue Bailey, their efforts could be helped by the star’s admission that he wants another match with Kenny Omega. Speaking to Wrestling Headlines, the ‘Speedball’ discussed a previous match between the two and what it taught him:

‘If you look at the match with Kenny Omega…that’s a very special one to me because it was one of those moments where I realised, “Oh…his level of thinking of pro-wrestling is levels above mine.” We were still able to have a great match despite my shortcomings, but since then…what was missing I learned in DDT. I went to the same place in Japan that he want and I learned a lot there and I’ve stepped my game up a lot just learning from the same people that he did. It’s kind of hard to rewatch knowing what it could be now, but I just wanna run it back. That’s the main thing.’

h/t to heelbynature.com for the transcription

Wherever Bailey ends up, his fans will likely just be pleased to see him work without restriction once more.

  • Facebook
    Share
  • Twitter
    Tweet
  • WhatsApp
    Send
  • Share

Popular Stories

  1. “That’s Gonna Get Heat” – Ric Flair Makes Shocking New Admission
  2. Fresh Update On Carmella’s Status Following In-Ring “Collapse”
  3. Top WWE Star Was Set To Be Buried On TV Ahead Of Management Change
  4. AEW Star Reacts To Claims He Is “Wasting Away” Outside WWE
  5. Jim Cornette On Why Nobody Will Hire John Laurinaitis
  6. Jon Moxley Set To Compete In Title Vs. Career Match
  7. AEW Star Turns Heel During AEW Rampage
  8. Returning WWE Star Was A “Heat Magnet” Backstage
  9. WWE Hall of Famer Approached About ‘Final Match’
  10. WWE Veteran Hilariously Recalls Being Mistaken For Paul Heyman’s Son
Inside The Ropes
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
  • Write For Us
  • Facebook Facebook
  • Twitter Twitter
  • Instagram Instagram
  • YouTube YouTube
  • Twitch Twitch
© 2022 ITR Digital Media Limited. Read about our privacy policy.