Tom Brady has done it with the New England Patriots. Jeff Gordon has done it on the race track this year. Josh Beckett did it at Fenway Park. Tiger Woods does it all the time at the Masters Tournament. Heck, even the Undertaker remains flawless at Wrestlemania. Big time players step up during the most important times. That is why they become legends. Bound for Glory, TNA’s marquis event of the year, didn’t just have one superstar take their game to the next level, but the entire roster, on a night that will go down in history. From Eric Young to Gail Kim and Raven to Sting, every TNA superstar put it all on the line for the biggest event of the year, Bound for Glory.
The show started with your usual introduction package that gave me goosebumps before the show even started. For some reason, it really felt as if TNA finally has made it to the big time. History has been said to repeat itself and I guess it did in a way. It was close to 3 years ago that my Uncle Erik and I sat down to watch TNA’s first couple of pay per views. We watched in awe as âPrimetimeâ Elix Skipper did a tight rope walk across the top of a steel cage and turned it into a hurricanrana at Turning Point. Not only would this move become one of TNA’s biggest moments in their short history, it showed us just how far these athletes were willing to go to put their company on the map.
Match of the Night: Here we are two years later and the best match of the night featured Triple X (âPrimetimeâ Elix Skipper and Senshi) vs. LAX (Homicide and Hernandez). This was the first match of the night and ended up being my favorite one and wouldn’t you know it, Skipper did it again. It didn’t surprise me that they would open with some of the best the X Division has to offer, but I didn’t expect deja vu. Halfway through the match, Skipper climbed to the very top of the steel structure in one of the corners that connected the Ultimate X ropes. Skipper, who has a knack for stealing the show, then proceeded to jump from the top all the way down on top of his opponent in the ring. You have to see it to believe it. The always improving Hernandez seemed to be the difference make with his incredible strength and power. The big man was the one that pulled down the X which had us cringing due to the stain he put on the ropes. Thank God it didn’t snap.
Christian and his coalition remain hilarious in an interview with Borash. I love these guys. The next match was the Fight for the Right tournament which was a little hard to follow. It started out with basically a reverse battle royal. It was interesting to see that the first 8 that got into the ring moved on. I personally saw way to much of Junior Fatu’s rear end. How good are the Motor City Machine Guns? Both Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley really gel with each other. This match also had a lot X Division type action with some high flying and risk taking moves. The match ended up coming down to Robert Roode and Eric Young whom have had their share of battles over the years. Much to my dismay, Young ended up winning to become the Number 1 seed in the number one contender tournament that is to take place in the near future.
Unfortunately TNA thought it was good to put Adam âPacmanâ Jones back on the microphone in a backstage interview. However, the good news was that they put someone in his place for the match against AJ Styles and Tomko for the Tag Team Championship. Team Pacman took their shots at the NFL, but I for one am happy to at least see a two on two match that didn’t require a football at ringside.
The replacement was some Apollo Creed wannabe who called himself âConsequencesâ Rasheed Luscious Creed. He even dressed the part, looking like Uncle Sam. Creed was pretty impressive and at least gave Killings a partner that could wrestle. It was no surprise to me that Styles and Killings put together all the highlights of this match. Pacman Jones did his part by throwing money in the ring and making it rain. In one of the more humorous parts of the show, Earl Hebner started picking up the money and putting it in his pocket instead of making the count. Finally, Styles and Tomko win and bring credibility back to the Tag Team Titles.
Nash appeared during a break and continued to tease the audience of a possible return to the ring. Christopher Daniels and Jay Lethal then put on a wrestling clinic for all who were in attendance. These two guys can just flat out go in the ring. âThe Fallen Angelâ was looking to become a 4 time champion. No matches had been a let down up till this point as Daniels and Lethal proved to be no different. The fans in the Gwinnett Center really got into this match with the fans cheering on each competitor. Black Machismo won the match which can definitely be considered an upset.
What the hell did Scott Steiner just say? Team 3D and The Steiner Brothers were up next. I really wish I could have seen this match when they were both in their prime. However, they didn’t disappoint. The action spilled all over the arena and I got a little motion sickness due to camera shots from all over the place. It was more of a brawl than a match, which is fine with me. Steiner surprised a lot of fans, including myself, by pulling off a Frankensteiner. It was fantastic! For half of the match, I was asking where in the world Rick Steiner was. It seemed as if the Big Bad Booty Daddy was carrying the load. A clue to the future was unlocked when the Motor City Machine Guns came down and got the attention of Brother Ray and Brother D-Von. I guess it was a Michigan thing that brought them out. The Steiners were victorious after using their devastating bull dog off the top rope finisher.
The next segment was a poor attempt at introducing the new TNA knockouts. I still don’t know who they are except for Shelly Martinez. Hmmm, can you say Kevin Thorne’s former side kick? The battle for the TNA Women’s Championship was surprisingly a good match. Obviously, Awesome Kong was the favorite with her demanding size. She is one big mama. ODB has some good size too. Kong dominated early on, but then came the most disgusting move of the night when Kong had a wardrobe malfunction while being thrown over the top. Why can’t these problems happen to Traci Brooks? Awesome Kong will be champion before long. Gail Kim captured the gold as she became TNA’s first Women’s Champion. No one is more deserving than Kim.
Up next was Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage. Out came Matt Morgan. This guy is a beast! No two men have done more in such a short time in TNA than Cage and Joe. The fans in the arena were really pumped up for this match and so was I. These to superstars both belong in the Main Event. How does Samoa Joe move so well in that ring with all that size? How does Christian hang with the biggest and the best in the industry? Another glimpse of the future took place when Tomko and Morgan went at it. How cool would this match be? History was made during this match when Christian tapped out for the first time in TNA.
Then came the match I was looking forward to the most, Monster’s Ball. Raven vs. Rhino vs. Black Reign vs. Abyss. I knew this was about to get ugly. Blood spilled early as Raven was cut open. Then Black Reign put on a crimson mask. Tables were broken, golf clubs were swung, and shopping carts were dented in this violent encounter. Raven still needs to hit the gym, but there is no denying that he is hardcore and he still remains one of my all time favorite wrestling personalities. Abyss won the match after giving Raven a Black Hole Slam on both tacks and shards of glass. Raven’s back must have been a road map of cuts and blood, however, TNA never got a shot on that area. We will have to wait and see if Raven will reveal the damage on a future Impact.
Main Event time! Two of the industries most decorated champions were now ready to battle. This was a great pure wrestling match. Both wrestlers can tell a story in the ring like no other. Karen Angle and Kevin Nash did their best to help out the Olympic Gold Medalist, but Sting survived to become TNA Champion once again. It was great to see Nash get involved and get back in the ring for some action. I don’t think it will be long before Big Sexy gets back in the 6 sided ring. Sting was cut open pretty bad after taking a shot to the head with his own bat. Angle missed Sting’s hands and drilled the Stinger in the forehead.
You may have noticed that I didn’t have a worst match of the night. To be honest, no match deserved this honor. Bound for Glory was the best pay per view of the year by far. This goes for any professional wrestling company. Tonight’s show was a testament to the hard work and dedication the TNA wrestlers and staff put into making this such a great event. I give Bound for Glory an A +. Bias aside, the show kicked some major butt! If you didn’t catch it, you might want to catch the encore!
