'Speedball' Mike Bailey Says He Has More Control Barefoot, Doesn't Understand How Wrestlers Use Boots

There are so many ways that a person could get injured in the ring, so it's extra important to take every precaution possible to keep yourself and your opponent safe. For example, wrestlers wear boots to protect their feet and ankles. Yet a number of wrestlers like Solo Sokoa and "Speedball" Mike Bailey still continue to wrestle without boots. Now, the latter has shed some light on why he prefers to step in the ring this way.

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Bailey was asked about his decisions regarding his footwear in the ring. The former Impact X Division Champion simply said that he has trained in multiple disciplines throughout his entire life without shoes, "so it wouldn't make sense to wrestle in anything different." 

However, he did state that it's all about control. "The only part that worries me is my heel sometimes," said Speedball. "If I will do a backflip, over-rotate, and land on a heel, that can be a little bit painful. But for everything else, in terms of kicking [since] my wrestling is mostly kick-based, it allows me to flex my foot fully, which gives me so much more control."

To take it a step further, the international sensation doesn't even fully understand how his peers can wrestle in wrestling boots. "They're just thick, clunky things attached to your feet with flat soles. I don't understand it," he continued. "But of course, I do a lot more running and jumping than your average professional wrestler."