Mike Bailey Wins One-Night All Star Jr. Tournament, Calls Out Hiromu Takahashi
A cadre of junior heavyweights came to Philadelphia last night and four of them competed in a one-night tournament.
"Speedball" Mike Bailey won the All Star Jr. Festival USA Tournament on Saturday, besting Kevin Knight in the finals. Knight beat Bullet Club's Clark Connors to advance to the finals, while Bailey overcame United Empire's Francesco Akira. Bailey drove Knight into the canvas with a Flamingo Driver to win the tournament.
After the match, Bailey called out IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, making it clear that he intends to challenge for the Jr. Heavyweight Championship somewhere down the line. New Japan is set to begin its Destruction Tour in September, with major cards taking place on Sept. 24 and Oct. 9 in Kobe and Ryogoku respectively. New Japan has begun announcing matches for the tour but so far Takahashi doesn't have a major match scheduled yet, meaning Bailey could be Hiromu's dance partner for the Destruction tour.
Bailey already holds a victory over Takahashi this year, beating the champion in the 30th annual Best of Super Juniors tournament, and advanced to the semi-finals where he was defeated by Master Wato. Bailey made his NJPW debut in the tournament, having previously wrestled on NJPW shows in the United States.
Hiromu's "Mr. Belt" isn't the only title that Bailey has his eye on, as the former Impact X Division Champion said that he would like to hold every title in Impact Wrestling at once, saying he prefers to "keep [his] options open," as opposed to limiting himself to one division.