TNA Wrestling’s annual “Slammiversary” pay-per-view event saw several title changes Saturday night, but none embodied the twisting nature of pro wrestling storytelling and catharsis more than “Speedball” Mike Bailey’s X-Division championship victory over Mustafa Ali.
In front of his hometown crowd in Montreal, Bailey became a two-time TNA X-Division champion in a match that personified the ethos of the X-Division’s “no limits” moniker while providing a redemption moment for one of pro wrestling’s most infamous moments: the Montreal Screwjob.
Bailey became the first out LGBTQ wrestler to hold a TNA singles championship with his first X-Division title win at “Slammiversary” in 2022. That win also made them the first out gender-diverse wrestler to hold TNA gold.
Bailey and Ali matched each other in athleticism throughout the match, with Bailey using his superb kicks to gain an edge only to see Ali utilize the numbers game via his secret service detail outside of the ring to keep Bailey on the ropes.
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Some particularly high notes saw Ali hit Bailey with a tornado DDT to the arena floor and Bailey take out Ali, his second Campaign Singh and his secret service detail with a Spanish fly from the top turnbuckle to the floor.
Things began to unravel after Bailey hit his Ultima Weapon finisher and appeared to score the pinfall only to have it voided when Ali’s foot barely touched the bottom rope resulting in a rope break and one of the closest near falls audiences have ever seen. Ali pulled referee Frank Gastineau into the path of a Bailey superkick moments later, leaving Ali’s crew an opportunity to interfere. Bailey’s tag team partner Trent Seven, disguised as one of Ali’s security team, evened the odds, but Ali appeared to have one more ace-in-the-hole: TNA Hall of Fame referee Earl Hebner.
Hebner’s presence in this match deserves some context, especially with the match occurring in Montreal. The biggest blight on Hebner’s decades-long career in wrestling is being the referee who called for the bell during the main event of WWE’s 1997 “Survivor Series” in Montreal between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at the behest of then WWE head Vince McMahon, double-crossing Hart in real life. The moment earned the name the Montreal Screwjob, represented the end of Hart’s tenure in WWE and had ramifications in both real life and wrestling storyline for all parties involved for decades.
27 years later, Hebner returned to the scene of that moment to the tune of “You Screwed Bret” chants seemingly to screw Bailey out of the title, but Hebner refused to call for the bell when Ali locked Bailey in the Sharpshooter, Hart’s famed finishing submission. Bailey recovered soon after to secure the win with a Sharpshooter of his own, tapping out Ali as Hebner called for the bell.
Bailey celebrated the win by sharing a kiss with his spouse, out non-binary pro wrestler and broadcaster Veda Scott, who was seated in the front row.
He commented further on the night via social media. “Tonight in Montreal, we made history,” Bailey said. “20 years of hard work and heartbreak led to this victory. Not just a victory for me, but for all of my family and friends who gathered here in my hometown to support me. I couldn’t do this without all of you. Merci beaucoup.
“Being part of the redemption of a pro wrestling legend was an absolute honor. Thank you, Earl. I have nothing but respect and gratitude for Mustafa Ali, the brightest mind in professional wrestling today and maybe my greatest rival. I will see you again soon.”
