AEW’s Speedball Mike Bailey Pays Tribute To Chrono Trigger With This Costume

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As a gaming enthusiast and an up-and-coming wrestling sensation, I’m “Speedball” Mike Bailey, lighting up the independent wrestling scene worldwide. Not too long ago, I held the championship title in TNA Wrestling. Last Sunday, during the pay-per-view event, I found myself in a thrilling triple-threat match for the International Championship, facing off against Ricochet and Kenny Omega. To make things even more exciting, we debuted wrestling attire inspired by everyone’s favorite time-traveling amphibian, Frog from Chrono Trigger!

In his most significant game to date, Bailey wished to honor Frog, as the renowned equipment creator, Sway Archer, who crafts all of Bailey’s gear, was the designer.

I usually face opponents who are bigger than me. My wrestling career has been tougher than most due to bad luck. But my martial arts training taught me humility and respect. Even though Glenn was turned into a frog and is cursed, he’s still a successful fighter and a hero. I believe our stories have similarities. That’s the message I want people to understand about ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey.

Archer aimed to adopt a unique strategy for outfitting Bailey for the Pay-Per-View event, while still maintaining the familiar style that aligns with his signature image. However, it’s important to note that he hasn’t actually played the game himself.

According to Archer’s statement, he admitted that the concept for this collection was entirely inspired by Speedball, despite not being very knowledgeable about Chrono Trigger. He has heard of the game but hasn’t played it himself. However, his intention is to get acquainted with it, so that anyone viewing his work can recognize the influence, even if they don’t know the original inspiration behind it.

Speedball sparked my creativity, and I aimed to incorporate various aspects of Glenn, the frog, while still accomplishing our goals (such as making it more vivid and minimizing white space where possible). One aspect we particularly wanted was the frog eyes on the hood. Fortunately, I managed to come up with a solution for that quite efficiently.

Archer emphasized that in his opinion, the standout feature was the modified knee pad emblem, swapping the iconic “C” symbol from the game’s logo for an “S”, and drawing color inspiration from Glenn’s footwear.

It’s obvious to Chrono Trigger aficionados that it’s not just any frog; rather, it’s clearly referring to the character Glenn.

Thirty years ago in March, Chrono Trigger continues to leave a lasting impression as one of the most significant video games ever made. At the very same event, Adam Cole unveiled Witcher-themed attire during his fight with Daniel Garcia.

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2025-04-08 21:39