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AEW CEO Tony Khan has signed some major names to the Jacksonville-based promotion in the past few years. Khan has reportedly signed former TNA star "Speedball" Mike Bailey and may announce his signing at the upcoming AEW Grand Slam: Australia event on February 15.
The 34-year-old chose to not renew his deal with TNA Wrestling following the expiration of his contract in November 2024. He is a three-time TNA X-Division Champion. According to a recent report from Fightful, Bailey inked a deal with AEW before the beginning of this year, but he wasn't allowed to debut before January 1. However, Speedball is expected to debut in the Jacksonville-based company whenever Tony Khan decides to use him.
The promotion is seemingly holding off his debut until a major event. The upcoming Grand Slam event in Australia can be the stage when Tony Khan introduces All Elite Wrestling fans to the incredibly talented Mike Bailey. The Canadian could have some exciting matchups against stars such as Ricochet, Kyle Fletcher, Shelton Benjamin, Swerve Strickland, and more in the Jacksonville-based company.
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However, the angle is speculative at this point.
Rumored AEW signing Mike Bailey allegedly came close to inking a deal with WWE
Speedball is one of the major names in professional wrestling due to his incredible wrestling skills. He allegedly came close to inking a major deal with WWE's NXT brand in 2021.
During an appearance on Talk is Jericho last year, Mike Bailey revealed that he was close to signing with NXT before his hiring process was suddenly stopped.
"They’re letting go of people and the person that [SIC] had hired me; there were rumors that they had gotten released, so I texted them, and I was like, ‘Hey, is everything okay? Are we good?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, no problem! Contract’s [SIC] in the mail. We’re sending it tomorrow,' and then the next day, I got an email saying, ‘Hey, due to new hiring guidelines, we’re gonna have to stop your hiring process!''' he revealed. [H/T: Ringside News]
It will be interesting to see if Bailey makes his debut in Tony Khan's company in the coming weeks.
