Earl Hebner Redeems Himself In Montreal As Mike Bailey Wins X-Division Title At TNA Slammiversary

TNA Wrestling brought their Slammiversary event to pay-per-view, packing Montreal’s Verdun Auditorium with 4,000 fans ready for action. The night was full of matches with wrestlers who needed to prove something, and the X-Division Title match was a perfect example of that.

The X-Division Championship was defended as Mustafa Ali took on “Speedball” Mike Bailey. Since his WWE release, Mustafa Ali has been spreading his message and won the X-Division Title during his TNA debut. “Speedball” Mike Bailey aimed to shut down Ali’s 140-day reign and prove his worth in the company.

Mustafa Ali initially offered Speedball a match for the X-Division title but retracted it, forcing Bailey to fight a gauntlet of Ali’s Secret Service men before the match was made official. Bailey, pumped to perform in his home country, had the fans behind him as he took on the former leader of Retribution.

The match started fast, with both competitors evenly matched until Speedball hit Ali with a stiff kick to the chest. Ali sold for Bailey throughout, but the Secret Service men distracted Bailey, allowing Ali to hit a tornado DDT off the top rope to the floor. The fans chanted “F*ck you, Ali,” and Mustafa loved it. Speedball rallied with a shooting star press for a two count, leading to “Fight Forever” chants from the crowd.

After Bailey took out the Secret Service men with a Spanish Fly from the top rope to the floor, the action continued. Speedball hit a poisonrana from the top rope and an Ultimate Weapon. The referee counted to three, but Ali’s foot was on the rope. This swerve surprised fans, as they even played a bit of Bailey’s music. The referee then took a kick from Speedball as Ali moved. The Secret Service attacked Bailey, but he fought back until Campaign Singh hit him with the X-Division Title belt. Ali’s security held Bailey while Ali hit two 450 splashes. The referee counted to two before Trent Seven pulled him away and took out Ali’s security.

Ali hit Seven with a chair, then struck Bailey before calling for another referee. Earl Hebner, involved in the Montreal Screwjob, appeared, drawing boos from the crowd. Mustafa Ali applied a sharpshooter, but Hebner didn’t call for the bell. After Ali confronted Hebner, Speedball kicked a chair out of Ali’s hands and applied his own sharpshooter. Ali tapped out, and Hebner called for the bell, with “Speedball” Mike Bailey winning the X-Division Title, redeeming Hebner in Montreal.

In the end, both Mustafa Ali and Mike Bailey put on stellar performances. We’ll keep an eye on Mustafa and Mike as they continue in TNA Wrestling, as fans may see them meet again.

What’s your take on TNA Wrestling’s booking for the X-Division Title match? Do you think Mustafa Ali will end up back in WWE someday? Let us know in the comments!