MOTW 146: Mark Davis vs Speedball Bailey
"M.O.T.W. #146: Mark Davis vs Speedball Bailey" - ink & digital illustration
Today brings us to the 146th edition of our Chris Things Art 'Match of the Week' illustration series! And this week we have another current one from just this past Saturday in Roanoke, Virginia that really brought a smile to my face.
This action-packed, fun-as-heck David vs Goliath battle took place on July 11th, 2026 - the main event of AllEliteWrestling's Collision TV show at the Berglund Centre in Roanoke, Virginia for the AEW National Championship.
Some things in Pro Wrestling just never get old & for me, a well-done big man vs little man wrasslin' match is one of 'em! From the get-go the dynamic was clear; Bailey as the smaller man would need to stick & move and if the larger Davis were able to catch the mouse, he'd be in trouble. And man they delivered on that so well from start to finish!
This whole thing was just so satisfying. A mix of great, hard hitting big man offence (that even reminded me of the great Stan 'The Lariat' Hansen at times) & spectacular, super dynamic offence that nobody but Speedball can match. I also really enjoyed the moments of struggle; like where Davis gets Speedball for the gut-wrench but Bailey immediately grabs the leg to block & then eventually the ropes out of desperation, much to Davis' growing frustration. And of course, Davis taking advantage of Bailey's bare-feet & actually biting his toes on multiple occasions was just so great!!
Add to that an overall crazy chemistry & some totally incredible sequences that really took me back to Receda era PWG & my gosh, this thing rocked so much! Easily the best thing I watched this week! Hats off to both Speedball Mike Bailey & Mark Davis - this is why both are two of my long-time favs! So much fun!!
Highly recommended!
ENJOY!!
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