TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy took to an episode of his “Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, where he talked about a number of topics including reports of “Speedball” Mike Bailey leaving the company for AEW and how he believes Bailey is an ideal fit for AEW.
Hardy said, “I think he is an ideal fit for AEW, especially with their style, kind of — you know, the matches they are typically looking forward to produce on their television. So I mean, he’s going to do great out there. I have nothing but the greatest things to say about Mike Bailey. My time working with him had been a pleasure. He really gets it. He gets the idea of classic wrestling and storytelling a lot better than I expected him to, because I knew he was a guy who was always flashy, super cool, had fancy moves, and whatnot. He’s a great athlete, but he’s got a great mind. He was really good at implementing myself, him, and Trent Seven when we teamed up and we had this small storyline arc. He was really good about putting everybody’s stuff in the right place I thought, you know. Big, big fan of Mike Bailey, and I think he’s got a ton of potential and just a real sweetheart of a human being.”
On Bailey’s potential in WWE:
“I would have loved to have seen Mike get an opportunity at NXT too. I think he would have been good, because he would have been so unique on that particular platform, especially with the way he works. The one concern I may have for him at AEW is because there are so many people who have these amazing styles and these high work rates. I just hope that he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle with everyone else there while at AEW. I just hope they allow him to stand out in the way that Speedball Mike Bailey really can stand out.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
