Fightful Select had the opportunity to talk with “Speedball” Mike Bailey ahead of his upcoming Ultimate X Match at TNA Emergence.Fightful.com’s Rob Wilkins spoke with TNA’s X-Division Champion and discussed numerous topics.When asked how Bailey prepares for an Ultimate X match, Bailey said his first was in 2022, and he tried hard to prepare for it. He spent hours watching Ultimate X matches on his Twitch channel. Bailey added that he ultimately found out you cannot prepare for a match like the Ultimate X. Bailey says it is even more terrifying than it looks.Bailey mentioned that he has been wrestling for twenty years, leading him to his second reign as an X Division Champion. Bailey told us he believes the Ultimate X division is the best division in all of professional wrestling. Bailey added that he has a target on his back as the champion but also said he set very high standards for himself.Fightful asked if he has the same routine as going into a singles or tag match. He doesn’t believe there is an individualized preparation for every match, but he said consistency is the best way to uphold those standards.When Bailey was asked if Option C would be an option for him, he said, “Option C is something that I'm not interested in for many reasons.” Mike told us that he fell in love with the division and style of wrestling. He added that he first saw the style of professional wrestling, wanted to do it, and knew that was the kind of professionalism that Bailey wanted to become. The 2023 PWG Battle of Los Angeles winner said that the World Heavyweight Championship is not worth inherently more than the X division championship, but I want both. He mentioned how he wants to simultaneously be the X division and the World Heavyweight champion. Mike also said it would be great if you threw the TNA Tag Team Championship in there with Trent Seven.He mentioned that they sound like very unrealistic goals, but there have been many times in his career where he’s set very high goals for himself and achieved them.Fightful asked Bailey about the psychology of the Ultimate X match and whether he tunes out the crowd. He says he absolutely soaks it in. Bailey said he wrestles for the audience, wrestles for that energy, and feeds off of it.He told Fightful that if you watch his matches, he makes a point to stay connected with everyone, be it the wrestlers, the cameras, and the reacting audience, which gives him energy. Bailey would add that the fans spend a lot of money and take the time to get to the show and that he is grateful for every sound and every reaction they give him.When asked how he felt going into the match against Mustafa Ali at Slammiversary, Rob mentioned that one of his dream matches was Ali vs. Bailey. Bailey said, “Yeah, I think it was a dream match.” He also added that it was one of the best matches of his career. Bailey said if you only look at what happened at Slammiversary, it is only the tip of the iceberg. He said there is a month-long feud, and there is so much behind that. Mike said he talked a lot about Immersed and what it means to be a French Canadian in Montreal, wrestling in the biggest TNA show in nearly a decade in front of 4000 people and his hometown. Bailey added that Ali helped get TNA to such a huge platform, and he has immense respect for Mustafa Ali. Mike mentions that Ali says he now uses pro wrestling as a platform to talk about stuff that is very important and means the world to him.Fightful asked if there were any Ultimate X matches that he enjoyed watching. Mike said what stands out for him is Generation Me (The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson) against the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin). He said they utilized every part of that structure and every aspect of the match and did something special.We then went into the Shooting Softly discussion, where the wrestlers said positive things about another wrestler. Bailey was asked about Jordynne Grace, PCO, and Steve Maclin. Bailey said Grace, you get beyond what you see about Jordynne. He mentioned her physique is impressive. Bailey added that it overshadows how brilliant Jordynne is as a wrestler. He mentioned how careful she is and how much thought goes behind everything she does in the ring.PCO was the next name discussed. Mike said he was such an inspiration. He added that PCO has successfully reinvented himself and reignited his pro wrestling career, spanning four decades, which is unbelievable. Bailey said PCO continues to be an absolute inspiration for him. The last one was Steve Maclin; he said Maclin is such a sweetheart. Bailey said it's not what he portrays and believes that the best pro wrestlers are the kindest people, and Steve Maclin is one of the best individuals he’s met in his life.Rob asked Bailey two completely random questions: What is Bailey’s go-to order at Tim Hortons, and because he travels a lot, where is his favorite airport? Bailey said he orders a large black coffee, dark roast, at Tim Hortons. His favorite airport is Portland because it is rampant with emotional support dogs. He noted that any airport with dogs he can pet easily makes it the best one.In closing, Rob mentioned that Mike would be in a match with NXT’s Riley Osborne for the first time and asked if he gets excited anytime he faces someone new. He said, “Of course, especially someone like Riley Osborne. Bailey added that he is looking ahead and that if he defeats someone like Riley Osborne, he could send a message to another locker room. Bailey said his goal as the X Division champion is to prove that the X Division is the best division in all of professional wrestling and that he is the best of the best. He would be happy to take on challengers from all locker rooms.“Speedball” Mike Bailey will defend his X Division Championship on August 30th at TNA Emergence. The event will air live at 8 PM EST. Speedball will face Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz, Jason Hotch, Riley Osborne of NXT’s Chase U, and the two winners of the X-Division Qualifiers matches that will take place on the August 22nd edition of TNA Impact. You can follow “Speedball” Mike Bailey on social media on the following platforms: X, TikTok, and Instagram at @SpeedballBailey.
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