“Speedball” Mike Bailey put a French TV host in a half crab on live television ahead of AEW’s Grand Slam France event — and he’s only half-joking about whether that was disrespectful to the hold’s true master, Michael Oku.
Mike Bailey (Credits: Fightful)
AEW visited France for the Grand Slam France event on October 6 at the Adidas Arena. During the pre-show media tour, a television host asked Bailey to demonstrate a hold — and the 20-year veteran obliged with the half crab. Speaking to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp in a new interview, Bailey broke down his choice.
“I think just asking a pro wrestler to put the host in a hold might not be the best idea. But I have been doing this for 20 years,” Bailey said. “I have been put in similar situations many, many times and I think that the half crab — which might be disrespectful to Michael Oku because he is the master of the half crab and I was kind of relatively on his turf, right? He’s English but still, Europe.”
Why the Half Crab Was the Smart Play
Bailey explained that the half crab was a deliberate, calculated choice — much safer than the alternatives a host might expect. “I think it was a much smarter hold than a high elbow guillotine or an open hand slap to do to a news presenter,” he joked. “This is the thing, he’s not gonna fight his way out of it.”
Once locked in, Bailey had total control: “Not only do I have a fantastic half crab, but I have an even better straight ankle lock. So once that locked in, I have full control of him. Also when I’m sitting on his lower back, he’s not going to be able to wriggle himself out. So I can sit there comfortably as long as I want which was a big part of my plan.”
Pushing Wrestling Into the French Mainstream
Bailey also reflected on what the Grand Slam France stop meant for the country’s wrestling scene. “I think it’s very fascinating to see how pro wrestling is captured by the media lens all over the world,” he said, noting that while wrestling is ingrained in American culture, “France is still a few years behind.”
“Pro wrestling is evolving, I think bringing AEW and Grand Slam to the Adidas Arena is a huge step in pushing pro wrestling to the mainstream in France.” But French media, he added, still feels like it has to show the audience what wrestling is rather than just talk about it — “so we kind of have to show them.” Sometimes, that means putting a host in a submission hold.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bailey discussed his Prestige Wrestling match with Mustafa Ali.
Also Read: Mike Bailey: My Greatest Accomplishment in Wrestling Is ‘Constant Progress’ | Will Ospreay Proud of ‘Daring to Try Something New’ After Winning Clockwork Carnage at AEW WrestleDream
Source: Fightful — read the full story there.