'Speedball' Mike Bailey believes that you can't prepare for an Ultimate X match.
At TNA Emergence, Bailey will defend his X-Division Championship in an Ultimate X bout that will include the likes of Zachary Wentz, Riley Osbourne, Jason Hotch, and two other opponents.
This will be Bailey's fourth time competing in an Ultimate X match for TNA. While speaking to Fightful for a new interview, Bailey went all the way back to his first Ultimate X match and talked about how he realized that you can't prepare for that type of match.
“My first Ultimate X match ever was when I first won the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary in 2022 and I tried so hard to prepare for that match. I have a Twitch channel and I spent hours watching Ultimate X matches only to get there and find out that you can absolutely not prepare for Ultimate X. It’s terrifying. Just to watch from the audience and see people suspended 20 feet above the ring from a giant X, it looks impressive, but that does not do it justice at all. It is even more terrifying than it looks. Adding to that, all of the people that are going to be involved in the match, there is way too much for me to control. There is way to much for me to prepare for, the best I can do is just — I’ve been wrestling for 20 years at this point, which has led me to being the X-Division Champion for a second time. I believe that the X-Division is the best division in all of professional wrestling and as a champion, there is a target on my back but I’ve also set very high standards and I feel like one of the best ways to uphold those standards is consistency. I think that I’ve been consistent for long enough. There’s no kind of preparation that will get you ready, but I think my experience is what’s going to help me win this match.”
Bailey then went on to talk more about the match and how he hopes to send a message to the NXT locker room by defeating Riley Osbourne.
“Of course, especially someone the caliber of Riley Osbourne. I am looking ahead to if I can win this match and in the process, defeat someone like Riley Osbourne, maybe that will send a message to another locker room. My goal as the X-Division champion is to prove that the X-Division is the best division in all of professional wrestling and that I am the best of the best, so am I more than happy to take on challengers from all locker rooms. I hope that defeating five people including Riley Osbourne will send that message.”
Fans can check out Fightful's full interview with 'Speedball' Mike Bailey in the video linked above.
Also, head over to our YouTube channel to check out our recent interviews with Bryan Danielson, Steve Maclin, and more.
