In a recent announcement, an International Championship Eliminator Tournament began on AEW Dynamite to determine the next challenger for Kenny Omega’s AEW Dynasty title.
Two matches on the latest episode featured “Speedball” Mike Bailey’s inaugural official match for All Elite Wrestling (he had previously participated twice in the previous year on Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise). He emerged as the wild card victor against The Beast Mortos.
“SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY IS THE WILD CARD! They’re dueling with The Beast Mortos RIGHT NOW in their debut for a shot to challenge AEW International Champion Kenny Omega!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS & Max@SpeedballBailey | @BeastMortos | @KennyOmegamanX pic.twitter.com/Dgprye30V6
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 13, 2025
Immediately after Bailey’s win, Tony Khan proclaimed that Mike Bailey has officially joined the AEW ranks, accompanied by the comparatively scarce “Mike Bailey is #AllElite” graphic:
A very successful Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite debut was made tonight, and it’s now official: @SpeedballBailey is ALL ELITE!
Thank you all for tuning into AEW tonight, live on @TBSNetwork and/or @StreamOnMax NOW! pic.twitter.com/ej4CgsEiuB
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 13, 2025
In the night’s high-stakes main event, Orange Cassidy triumphed over Hechicero, becoming the second contender to move forward in the tournament.
In the AEW Dynasty title clash against Kenny Omega, Orange Cassidy and Speedball have made it to the fatal 4-way! #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/iDGCz0pWtm
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) March 13, 2025
The forthcoming edition of AEW Collision this Saturday will witness Mark Briscoe squaring off against Mark Davis, while Ricochet goes head to head with Katsuyori Shibata. The successful candidates from those clashes will meet Bailey and Cassidy next week on AEW Dynamite in a four-way face-off, the champion of which will ascend as the official No. 1 contender.
Who do you predict will comprise the four-way battle and who is your favorite to claim the overall tournament win? What are your impressions concerning Mike Bailey’s debut?