AEW's Speedball Mike Bailey Reflects On 5-Year Ban From Entering US

In 2016, AEW star "Speedball" Mike Bailey was banned from entering the United States for five years after attempting to wrestle at an EVOLVE event without being in possession of a work visa. Despite having crossed the border on various occasions without any trouble in the past, Bailey was close to facing a lifetime ban from the United States after authorities discovered that we would be working in the country without a visa. This caused the 34-year-old to mostly compete in Canada until 2021, and in a recent "Close-Up" interview with Renee Paquette, "Speedball" reflected on being barred from the U.S. and shared insights on his earnings north of the border.

"I think I was just kind of numb and it took me at least a few days. I don't really remember exactly how long. I think it took me one match to be like, yeah, screw it. I'm just going to keep doing this and see what happens," he explained. "I started in 2005, I had been wrestling for 10 years for no money at all ... people don't understand how wrestling in Quebec was in 2005, the wrestlers weren't getting paid because the promoters weren't making any money because no one was selling tickets because you couldn't advertise your shows because there was no social media yet ... So, I was like, yeah, I'm not going to stop because I'm not going to be able to wrestle in the U.S. I'm doing this because I love it."

After the ban was finally lifted, Bailey returned to the United States at Impact Wrestling Countdown To Hard To Kill in 2022, where he defeated Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Laredo Kid in a Four Way Match in Dallas, Texas.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.