"He's got a great face for slapping" - Ricochet takes massive digs at Tony Khan's newest AEW signing

AEW recently showcased the debut of a fan-favorite talent on the latest episode of Dynamite. The star being referred to - 'Speedball' Mike Bailey - is now only one match away from a championship opportunity. However, Ricochet does not seem to consider him that serious of a threat.

Mike Bailey made their long-awaited All Elite arrival on the March 12, episode of Dynamite, debuting in the company as the unnamed wild card opponent scheduled to face The Beast Mortos in the first round of the Dynasty International Title Eliminator Tournament. The former TNA and indie star was victorious against Mortos, advancing to next week's four-way match whose winner will face Kenny Omega for his belt on PPV next month.

Later that night, Orange Cassidy defeated Hechicero in another first-round matchup. The tournament will continue this weekend on AEW Collision, with Mark Briscoe set to take on Mark Davis and Ricochet scheduled to face Katsuyori Shibata to earn their spots in the four-way bout on March 19. Speaking to Adrian Hernandez, The One and Only recently voiced his confidence regarding his odds against Mike Bailey, seemingly claiming to be the superior competitor. He also likened his prospective rivalry with Speedball to the central feud between the characters from the Karate Kid franchise.

"I think he's got a great face for slapping. I think he's got a great back for me to pin one, two, three on the mat. I think he's got a great jaw for me to to knock off. He's really good at kicks, for me to duck and dodge out the way of, because I'm fast. Real fast. If he's (Daniel) Larusso I'll be Johnny Lawrence because if you go back and you watch the movie, you'll see that Daniel LaRusso was the bad guy the whole movie, instigating fights, shoving them, doing stuff. Johnny was just fighting back to LaRusso's bulliness. Go back and watch it. LaRusso was a bully," said Ricochet. [H/T - Fightful]

Before he can prove his claims against Bailey, Ricochet will have to go through the formidable Shibata this Saturday.

Mike Bailey's reaction to officially joining AEW

After weeks of rumors and conjecture, Mike Bailey showed up on AEW Dynamite this week and started off their run in the Tony Khan-led company with a win. After the match, the All Elite CEO took to X/Twitter to officially announce the 34-year-old star's signing.

Speedball responded to Khan's post on the platform afterward:

"LFG," he wrote.

It remains to be seen if Bailey's win streak will continue next Wednesday, and if they are on the path to an AEW Dynasty 2025 showdown with Kenny Omega.