“Speedball” Mike Bailey Explains the Real Origin of His Nickname—and It’s Not What You Think

“Speedball” Mike Bailey is known for kicking heads off and delivering some of the most brutal matches in wrestling—but where did that nickname even come from? Turns out, it’s got nothing to do with drugs and everything to do with Montreal.

The AEW star recently appeared on the Hey! (EW) digital series and set the record straight. “So the man who gave me the nickname was Michael Lacor Ryan,” Bailey said. “He has passed away. I don’t know if it’s from drug use or other reasons, but he was a writer. He wrote a lot about Montreal wrestling when I started wrestling, so he did a lot for the scene, and he gave me the nickname, and I kind of took it and ran.”

Bailey also gave credit to one of the wildest names in Canadian indie wrestling. “From the IWS, which is the biggest independent promotion in Montreal, the promoter—who you may or may not know—is called PCP Crazy Manny and he was a big fan of the nickname,” Bailey explained.

And just to clear up any confusion, Bailey added: “It’s not Speedball after the drug combo, which is like a silly place to go immediately, right?”

The nickname stuck, and now it’s become one of the most recognizable monikers in modern wrestling—carried by a guy who went from the Montreal indies to TNA Wrestling and now AEW.