TNA's Speedball Mike Bailey Crowned New X-Division Champion at Slammiversary

Speedball Mike Bailey overcomes the odds and takes down Mustafa Ali to become the X-Division Champion

By Matthew Aguilar

The X-Division Championship was on the line in what promised to be one of the most thrilling matches at TNA Slammiversary, as  Mustafa Ali defended his coveted Title against fan-favorite Speedball Mike Bailey. The stakes were already high thanks to the Title, but things escalated quite a bit during the match due to Ali's underhanded tactics. That included Ali grabbing the referee and deflecting a kick meant for him, which then led to Ali's entourage holding Bailey down and setting him up for a loss. Ali even brought in Hall of Famer Earl Hebner to move things in his favor, but despite the odds, Bailey would find a way to win, making him the new X-Division Champion and giving a bit of redemption to Hebner in the process.

A Thrilling Rivalry

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(Photo: TNA)

Early on Ali kept taunting Bailey and trying to goad him, though it seemed to backfire on him almost every single time, as Bailey would go on big runs and knock the Champion off his game. That included a major turning point where Bailey connected with a host of kicks and then knocked the Champ to the floor, only to then sail through the ropes and kick the Champ in the face as he was trying to smile and shake the challenger's onslaught off as nothing special.

The taunting continued, though Ali would also turn some of his ire to the fans, taunting them in equal measure. The Champion gained control for a while, but that all came crashing down after Bailey countered a huge move from the top rope. Bailey connected with three vicious kicks that floored Ali, though he missed the shooting star and gave Ali an opening.

That didn't matter though, as Bailey countered and then went up top for a Shooting Star press and got it. Bailey covered Ali but the Champ found a way to get to his feet and break the count. Bailey then met Ali up top and hit a Spanish Fly off the top rope and into Ali's entourage at ringside. Back in the ring, the two stars knocked each other to the mat and took a second to breathe. They were soon back on their feet and trading strikes, but Ali would capitalize on a miss from Bailey and go for a pin, only for Bailey to kick out and then hit a huge move off the ropes that knocked Ali to the floor.

Doing Anything to Win

Bailey went up top but was caught by Ali and then hit with a kick to the face. Ali had him up on his shoulders and then brought him down into a pin, but somehow Bailey kicked out. Ali got a round of boos from the crowd and went up top but ate the mat, only for him to regroup and knock Bailey off the top rope. Ali went up top again and still couldn't connect, which led to a big kick from Bailey that didn't go as planned. Ali moved the referee in front to take the blow, and then Ali's security came in and held Bailey down. Ali went up top and hit the 450, but he wasn't done.

Ali had his people hold Bailey down again and hit another splash. The security got the referee up and running and started the count, but Trent Sevren was one of the masked personnel and took the referee out of the ring. He cleared the ring of Ali's people but Ali then attacked him and brought him down. The referee was still down, so Ali brought out one of his own in Hall of Famer Earl Hebner. Ali then locked Bailey in a sharpshooter but Bailey wouldn't give up. Bailey kicked a chair Ali had in his hand and then locked Ali in the sharpshooter, and Ali would finally tap, giving Bailey the win.

TNA Slammiversary Card Updated Card Results

  • TNA World Championship 6-Way Elimination Match: Moose (C), Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Nic Nemeth vs. and Joe Hendry
  • TNA Knockouts World Championship Match: Jordynne Grace (C) def. Ash By Elegance
  • TNA X Division Championship Match: Mike Bailey (C) def. Mustafa Ali
  • TNA Digital Media Championship and International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship Match: PCO (C) def. AJ Francis
  • The Rascalz def. No Quarter Catch Crew
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship Match: ABC def. The System
  • Mike Santana def. Jake Something
  • Matt Hardy def. Johnny Dango Curtis

What have you thought of Slammiversary so far? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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