Mike Bailey: ‘Exclusive contracts are bad for pro wrestlers’
Mike Bailey believes that exclusive contracts in pro wrestling are bad for wrestlers.
Speaking to Adrian Hernandez in an interview released Friday, Bailey said that while he understands there is a need for such contracts in wrestling, he feels they can be harmful to a wrestler’s development.
Bailey said:
“This is my hot take when it comes to professional wrestling but exclusive contracts are bad for pro wrestlers, for their development.
I understand there is a need for them. The ecosystem, the companies, it doesn’t work without them, and that makes sense. But if everyone in the world could wrestle absolutely anyone else regardless of contracts, just imagine the match-ups you would see. Well, we can’t really have that, but the closest thing we can have is what AEW is doing, partnering up with CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling and working together to showcase the best wrestlers from all over the world.
It’s been a problem in professional wrestling for a long time, the lack of diversity in terms of seeing champions from different cultures and races. And I think the fact that in order to be considered eligible to become a champion in pro wrestling, you need to speak English, especially as a first language, is completely ridiculous and extremely counterproductive. And I’m glad that it’s become less and less of a thing, and I think it’s due to partnerships like that and opening up the playing fields to literally letting anyone who is the best at pro wrestling wrestle at the very top, as it should be. And I think putting any kind of barrier on that is absolutely ridiculous.
So I think that what AEW is doing right now, I mean, you can see it, because other companies are following suit, is exactly what needs to happen in professional wrestling.“
Bailey is coming off wrestling three shows for CMLL in Mexico last weekend. He headlined the Friday, April 3 Arena Mexico show, defending the AEW World Trios titles alongside Kevin Knight and Mistico against El Clon, Hechicero, and Volador Jr.
Bailey and Knight also defeated Los Hermanos Chavez at Arena Coliseo on Saturday. They then teamed with Mistico again in a win over Los Guerreros Laguneros on Sunday’s Arena Mexico show.
Bailey, Knight, and Mistico are scheduled to defend the AEW World Trios titles on Collision this week against Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, and David Finlay. The match was taped Wednesday in Edmonton.
Bailey’s full interview with Adrian Hernandez is available below. The video is queued to his comments about exclusive contracts.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.