Welcome to today's deep dive. We are really thrilled
you are joining us. We've got a massive stack
of sources today, primarily a really comprehensive
Wikipedia article tracking a Canadian professional
wrestler who faces literal government mandated
roadblock and somehow weaponized that exact exile
to become a globally decorated icon. Yeah, the
trajectory we're looking at today is just phenomenal.
Our mission here is to examine how being locked
out of the biggest market in the world forced
a rising star to completely dismantle and basically
rebuild his entire in -ring psychology. And that
led to an incredible headline -making run that
brings us right up to the present day in, well,
March 2026. OK, let's unpack this. Because to
really understand the true significance of the
exile, we have to look at the massive momentum
he had. right before the door slams shut. Right,
the context is everything. Exactly. So, born
in Laval, Quebec in July 1990, Emile -Charles
Beyergen -LeBerge makes his debut in 2006. And
he's initially wrestling under the name Mike
Seidl for the Federation de l 'Hutte Cubequoise.
Right, and those early years are really defined
by this relentless physical grind. I mean, by
the time he transitions to the speedball Mike
Bailey name, he is just tearing through the Canadian
independent. Like IWS and C4, right? Yeah, exactly.
And he's making a serious name for himself in
the United States, too, with Combat Zone Wrestling.
He's building this reputation around a very specific
Taekwondo infused high speed striking game. It's
incredibly dynamic to watch. Which brings us
to 2015. and Pro Wrestling Gorilla's Battle of
Los Angeles, or, you know, Bilali. Oh, Bila,
yeah. And if you follow independent wrestling,
you already know the gravity of Bila. Reaching
the finals there is basically an industry kingmaker.
And just look at the gauntlet he runs to get
there. He goes through Drew Galloway, Will Ospreay,
and Tommy End. And that specific lineup, I mean,
it tells the entire story of his versatility,
even back then. You have Galloway, who is this
towering, heavyweight brawler. Right. Then Ospreay,
who is arguably the most innovative high flyer.
of his generation. And Tommy End, this devastating
Dutch kickboxer. It's crazy. It really is. For
Bailey to credibly navigate those three completely
disparate styles in a single tournament environment,
I mean, that signaled to every stat in the industry
that he was a blue chip prospect. So he is on
the absolute precipice of stardom. And then we
hit March 2016. Yeah. The roadblock? He's booked
for an Evolve show in the U .S. And the sources
indicate he was in the process of securing a
work visa through CZW, but the paperwork was
lagging. Which happens a lot, unfortunately.
Right. But he didn't want to blow the booking.
So he tries to cross the border without it. gets
arrested, and receives this severe five -year
ban from entering the United States. Yeah, and
a five -year ban in the physical lifespan of
a professional wrestler is, frankly, a functional
eternity. But, I mean, let me push back on that
severity for a second. We're talking about 2016
here. The internet exists, streaming is booming.
Oh, I have to ask. It's like a tech startup losing
access to the entire U .S. market right on the
day their app goes viral. Was a U .S. ban really
a career death sentence for a wrestler or just
a temporary logistical inconvenience? I would
argue it was deeply catastrophic at that specific
time in the industry's life cycle. Really, why?
Well, in 2016, the major television promotions,
WWE, the emerging framework of what would eventually
become AEW, Ring of Honor, they relied almost
exclusively on the US independent scene. Specifically,
promotions like Evolve and PWG, those were their
primary scouting grounds. Ah, I see. Yeah, so
if you weren't physically performing in front
of those specific American crowds, you basically
vanished from the industry's central nervous
system. So it's less about the internet and more
about being cut out of the specific corporate
pipeline exactly wow it's almost like a rising
character actor getting completely blacklisted
from Hollywood right on the eve of their first
major blockbuster and then it forces them to
pivot to I don't know, Bollywood and European
avant -garde cinema, just to keep working. That
captures the geographical and cultural shift
perfectly. The standard American indie playbook
was suddenly useless to him. He couldn't rely
on the evolved pipeline. He had to go overseas
and truly embrace a global exile. So let's get
into the mechanics of that pivot, starting with
Japan. From 2016 to 2020, he anchors himself
in DDT Pro Wrestling. DDT is not your standard
Japanese Strong Style promotion. Not at all.
Right. He wins the DNA Grand Prix tournament
right away in 2016, which actually circles back
to the story we opened with. The grand prize
for that tournament is a one -way ticket to New
York. Yep. And he literally cannot use it because
of the ban. So he just hands it to his final's
opponent, Kazusada Higuchi. It is such a brilliant
piece of heel -adjacent psychology, just handing
over the prize. It's hilarious. It is. But to
your point about DDT, understanding the promotion's
philosophy is key to understanding Bayley's evolution
during this time. DDT is famous for blending
incredibly stiff, hard -hitting physical wrestling
with absurdist high -concept comedy. Oh, yeah.
The sources highlight him winning their Ironman
Heavy Metal Weight Championship. And we have
to mention the match type for that. It was a...
Let me read this, a five -way loser explosion
weapon rumble tag team match. It sounds completely
unhinged. Unhinged, yes, but consider the sheer
skill required to actually execute it. In standard
US indies, you rely on high spots and work rate
to get over. But in DDT, you might be wrestling
an invisible man. or literally a ladder. A ladder.
Yeah, a ladder. And you have to make the audience
genuinely invest in that absurdity before you
suddenly transition into a brutal, legitimate
-looking martial arts sequence. Wow. What's fascinating
here is by immersing himself in DDT, Bailey mastered
sports entertainment psychology in a way no American
indie could have ever taught him. I mean, he
captured the KOD Tag Team Championship twice,
once with Konosuke Takeshita and later forming
the really popular Moonlight Express Tag Team
with Mao. He learned how to deeply connect with
crowds who didn't even speak his native language.
And at the same time, he's not just staying in
Japan. Right. He's constantly traveling to Europe.
He's working rev pro and progress in the UK,
and he's diving into Germany's massive WXW 16
karat gold tournament. Yeah, he was everywhere.
So how does the European style alter his trajectory?
Because that's very different from DDT. Oh, entirely
different. European catch wrestling is notoriously
grounded, gritty and submission heavy. European
crowds historically do not tolerate pure high
flyers who lack fundamental math skills. Oh,
interesting. Yeah, they demand struggle and joint
manipulation. So now you have this performer
who started as a Taekwondo high flyer who just
spent months learning bizarre Japanese character
psychology, suddenly being forced to learn pacing
and counter grappling from these European technicians.
You know, looking at this fusion, I actually
have a theory. Did the five year band secretly
save How do you mean? Well, think about it. If
he stays in the U .S. in 2016, he probably signs
a major contract within a year. Yeah. And gets
put into a corporate developmental system. True.
They strip away his idiosyncrasies. They teach
him how to work the hard cam. And he becomes
just another very talented but highly polished
guy on television. But the band forced him out
of the machine. It insulated him from all that
homogenization. That is a highly analytical read
on the situation, and honestly, the evidence
supports it. Hardship essentially mandated innovation
for him. When he was locked out of the U .S.,
he became this cultural sponge. He absorbed DDT's
theatricality and Europe's brutality. By the
time that ban expired, the speedball Mike Bailey
of 2015 just no longer existed. He had forged
an international mystique and this hybrid in
-ring style that you absolutely cannot manufacture
in a training center. Which sets up one of the
most highly anticipated in modern wrestling history.
March 2021 hits, the Visa ban officially expires,
the wall is finally lifted. And the entire industry
was waiting to see where he would land. He wrestles
a phenomenal match for Destiny Wrestling against
Josh Alexander and Impact Wrestling executive
Scott Daymore happens to be there. Right place,
right time. Exactly. He basically offers Bailey
a contract immediately. And he debuts in Impact,
which we should note has now returned to its
classic TNA Wrestling branding. And he immediately
targets the X Division. And the X Division is
historically the most chaotic, innovative division
in that company. Oh, without a doubt. He wins
his first X Division title in a grueling Ultimate
X match at Slammiversary 2022. He ultimately
becomes a three -time champion. But looking at
the sources... The titles almost feel secondary
to the sheer quality of his output. Yeah, the
championships are milestones, sure, but his legacy
is the match quality. I mean, he takes home the
Impact Year -End Award for match of the year
two years in a row. That's huge. It is. First
against Josh Alexander in 2022 and then against
Will Ospreay at Bound for Glory in 2023. Let's
pause on Will Ospreay for a second because that
is a massive full circle moment. He fought Ospreay
in the 2015 Biola tournament right before his
exile. Exactly. And then eight years later, they're
putting on a match of the year candidate on U
.S. pay -per -view. And actually, speaking of
Bolo, the sources note that in 2023, he finally
returns to PWG and actually wins the entire battle
of Los Angeles. Which is incredible. Winning
Bolo in 2023, eight full years after his first
finals appearance, is the ultimate validation
of his exile. What those TNA matches and the
BLA victory proved was that his international
hybrid style wasn't just like some niche Internet
novelty. Right. It actually worked on a big stage.
Exactly. It translated flawlessly to an American
television audience. He elevated the entire X
Division by bringing his accumulated global experience
directly to them. Here's where it gets really
interesting. It's like a movie protagonist coming
back to his hometown after a five -year training
montage in the mountains, you know, just effortlessly
defeating everyone in his path. That's a great
way to look at it. But he still isn't satisfied
just conquering the U .S. television scene. While
under contract with TNA in 2023, he enters New
Japan Pro Wrestling's best of the Super Juniors.
He steps into the most prestigious junior heavyweight
tournament on earth and immediately defeats the
sitting IWGP junior heavyweight champion, Hiromu
Takahashi. Yeah, and taking down the sitting
champion in NJPW is a massive geopolitical statement
within the wrestling world. It's not a small
thing. Right. He also captures the All -Star
Junior Festival USA tournament that same year.
He was just operating at a P - that transcended
promotional boundaries, balancing major storylines
across continents simultaneously. Which builds
the bridge to his current status. Late 2024,
his TNA contract is up, and on March 12, 2025,
so almost exactly a year ago today, he debuts
in All Elite Wrestling. AEW. A huge move. Now,
I want to challenge this move a bit. AEW has
a notoriously massive roster. Wasn't there a
huge risk of him getting lost in the shuffle?
compared to being the main focus of the X Division.
Well, there is always that risk when moving to
a larger organization with deeper pockets. However,
his strategic approach really mitigated that
risk. Rather than immediately fighting for crowded
singles positioning, he forms a tag team with
Kevin Knight called Jet Speed. Oh, that's smart.
Yeah, it allowed him to showcase his high -velocity
offense in a fresh dynamic that the AEW Tag Division
really needed at the time. And that leads to
the formation of the trio Jet Set Rodeo alongside
hangman Adam Page. This trio clicks perfectly,
and on January 14th, 2026, they defeat the Ops,
which is Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Kasiori
Shibata to win the AEW World Trios Championship.
And taking down a trio that physically imposing,
I mean, it really cements his status, holding
gold in AEW represents the absolute highest tier
of global exposure. But we do have to address
the present reality here. Yeah. This brings us
right up to last week, March 4, 2026, on Dynamite.
Jet Set Rodeo loses those trios titles to the
Don Callis family. Yeah. And the sources emphasize
that the loss came specifically because of outside
interference from MJF. They held the belts for
49 days, though it's officially recognized as
46 days by AEW. So what does this all mean? How
do you evaluate a championship run that ends
that abruptly and controversially? You really
have to view it through the lens of his specific
psychological endurance. I mean, for a standard
wrestler, a 46 -day reign ending via outside
interference might trigger a creative spiral
or a massive loss of momentum. Right. They might
get buried. Exactly. But for Mike Bailey, who
spent five years locked out of the United States
and used it to conquer the globe, an MJF -induced
title loss is negligible. It's just a bump in
the road. Exactly. He doesn't panic. He adapts.
The resilience he built during his exile ensures
that a chaotic title loss is merely the inciting
incident for his next evolution. The exile built
an impenetrable psychological armor. I really
love that framework. Now, before we conclude...
We really need to pivot and examine the human
being behind the speedball persona, because understanding
Emile Charles B. Larson -LaBerge adds incredible
depth to everything we've just discussed regarding
adaptation and authenticity. It really does.
The personal identity is completely inseparable
from the professional success. Emile is non -binary,
utilizing both he -him and they -them pronouns.
He also married fellow American professional
wrestler Veda Scott in May of 2022. The sources
also highlight a documentary film titled Keep
It, Kayfabe, which chronicled his journey and
actually had its world premiere at the San Diego
Comic Con in July 2025. And the reception of
that documentary at a major pop culture event
like Comic Con is a very strong indicator of
where audience demographics have moved. Historically,
you know, professional wrestling relied heavily
on a monolithic hyper masculine presentation
to draw audiences. Right, like the classic 1980s
superhero physique and attitude, the stereotypical
mold. Exactly. But the industry's viewer base
has broadened significantly since then. If we
connect this to the bigger picture, Bailey's
ability to thrive at the highest levels of AEW
and TNA while being entirely open about his non
-binary identity, it demonstrates that modern
audiences prioritize authenticity over outdated
tropes. It's so refreshing to see. It fundamentally
changes the relationship between the performer
and the crowd, doesn't it? Yeah. You aren't just
cheering for a martial artist who can execute
a perfect shooting star press. You are. investing
in a resilient human being who is unapologetically
themselves. Absolutely. It has a layer of genuine
emotional stakes to his matches that you simply
can't manufacture in a writer's room. Authenticity
translates to drawing power today. His transparency
makes him a pioneer in the industry parallel
to his physical innovations inside the ring.
It's a remarkable dual legacy. As we pull all
these threads together, we have tracked a genuinely
unprecedented 20 -year journey. From his debut
in the federation de Roqueboise back in 2006
through the grueling climb of the North American
indies. Through the devastating 2016 visa ban
that frankly would have ended 99 % of athletic
career. Into the global reinvention across DDT
in Japan and the catch wrestling rings of Europe.
And finally returning to dominate TNA and capture
championship gold on national television in AEW.
And this is where I want to turn this directly
to you the listener. Yeah. You might not be a
professional wrestler trying to navigate international
visa law, but you undoubtedly face your own concrete
walls. A major client drops your firm. A career
path you spent a decade pursuing vanishes overnight
due to market shifts. The door deadbolts right
in front of you. That is the reality we all face
eventually. When your primary market dries up,
what is your strategy? Do you fold or do you
look at this story and realize you need to find
your own Japan and Europe? You have to find that
unfamiliar territory to absorb new skills and
become undeniable So that when the door finally
opens again, you don't just politely walk back
in you kick it off the hinges It demands a complete
reframing of adversity and I think that leaves
us with one final thought for you to carry forward
today If a government mandated five -year ban
from the biggest market in the world couldn't
stop speedball Mike Bailey from becoming a champion
What impossible barrier in your own life might
actually just be a detour to your greatest success?