Former IMPACT Wrestling X-Division champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey kept his reputation as a top performer in one-night tournaments Saturday night, winning New Japan Pro Wrestling’s All Star Junior USA tournament.

The tournament took place at NJPW’s “All Star Junior Festival USA” event, a night showcasing junior heavyweight wrestlers from multiple promotions, including Dragon Gate, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW).

Bailey defeated two former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team champions, Francesco Akira and Kevin Knight, to claim the crown. The win earned him a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title, NJPW’s top junior heavyweight singles championship currently held by five-time champion Hiromu Takahashi.

The challenge makes Bailey the first gender-diverse pro wrestler to ever challenge for an NJPW championship in the 51-year history of the promotion. The high-flying striker’s IMPACT X-Division title win last year made similar history.

They became the first out LGBTQ wrestler to win an IMPACT singles championship and the first gender-diverse wrestler to win a title for a major televised North American promotion.

NJPW announced Tuesday that Bailey’s title challenge will happen on Oct. 9 at the company’s “Destruction in Ryogoku” event in Tokyo. The match will be a three-way match between Takahashi, Bailey and current IMPACT Wrestling X-Division champion Lio Rush after Rush inserted himself into the rivalry during a post-match angle on IMPACT and NJPW’s “Multiverse United 2” event Sunday night.

Bailey previously defeated both Takahashi and Rush during NJPW’s Best of the Super Junior tournament in May 2023 before losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Master Wato.

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