Better late than Never!
I would've had this up sooner, but I didn't have the time and had some things to take care of. But TNA Bound For Glory is in the books! What did I think of it? Well, there were plenty of things I didn't like about it, but then there were plenty of things I loved about it. So, let's get right to it.
Pre Show:
Bound For Glory's Pre Show started highlighting all the matches for the show, plus showing the arrival of Jeff Hardy, Gail Kim, Magnus, and Bully Ray.
Ethan Carter III is backstage doing a photoshoot.
Highlights from Kurt Angle's Hall of Fame Dinner was showed.
Tag Team Gauntlet #1 Contender's Match:
Bad Influence came out first and faced Chavo & Hernandez. The ending saw Daniels rolling up the Chavo for the pin eliminating them. Park & EY are out next. There's good action back and forth. The ending of this match sees Park hitting a fall away slam on Daniels, while Young covers for the win. Bad Influence, apparently mad after losing, attack Park & EY. They ram Park into the Ultimate X structure on the outside and Kaz drops Young on his head. The refs come down to help Park to the back and get rid of Kaz & Daniels. The BroMans come down having a 2 on 1 opportunity. They were with this Mr. Olympia guy. Young shows some resilience and fights back, but the BroMans eventually regain control and connect with the Hart Attack on him for the win to gain the title shot later on at Bound For Glory.
Later in the show, after the match, Young is seen checking on Park. He opens the door and backs up in fright. He tells the camera man to get back. There is a bloody hand print seen on the wall.
After a video package highlighting the feud between Styles and Bully Ray, Bully Ray comes out to cut a promo. He says tonight is a night for birth and resurrection AJ Styles is Bound For Embarrassment, Bully Ray is Bound For Greatness, and The Aces and 8's are Bound For Glory.
Bully Ray heads to the back and runs into Dixie Carter, she asks him if this will be AJ Styles last night in the company. Bully smiles and walks off as the program ends.
My Thoughts: The Pre show had a nice feel to it. It felt like an old school Sunday Night Heat from back in the day. They highlighted all the matches, showed superstars arriving to the arena, played some video packages highlighting the importance to each match, and even ended with the top heel cutting a nice promo leading us off the show. This was a great way to sell the show and drop some cliffhangers to get people to order the show.
TNA Bound For Glory:
The show opened with a great video package highlighting AJ Styles and his career in TNA, and shows Bully Ray's rise to the top and TNA and what this match means to both of them. Great video package. The music was even a nice touch.
Ultimate X Match:
- So, the show starts off with the Ultimate X Match with Manik defending against Joe, Aries, Hardy, and Sabin. I liked the early pacing of the match. They weren't overloading with spots at first, it was at a good pace with everybody showing off their moves and getting the going. Joe was great as always with this quick punches and Pele kick in the corner and his exchanges with Aries looked good. Speaking of Aries, he looked good with his dropkicks in the corner that looked great and hit a diving cross body to the floor. Manik seemed to be an afterthought in this match. The one cool spot he had was a double hurricanrana from the Ultimate X on Sabin and Hardy, I believe. Other than that and a few moves, he seemed to just vanish throughout the match. Sabin took a sick looking Twist of Fate from Hardy as well.
The ending saw Sabin telling Velvet Sky to get in the ring to distract Hardy. He finally just threw her into the ring. While Hardy was busy with her, Sabin climbs the ladder that Jeff Hardy brought in, and grabs the X-Division Championship.
Here is my gripe. I don't mind that Sabin won. Sabin as a heel carrying the X-Division Championship will work, and I'm pretty sure his first feud will be with Manik as Hardy, Aries, and Joe will move on. My gripe is that the match was WAY too short. In these kinds of matches, the pacing starts off slow, quickens, and then you have a bunch of spots at the end leading to a dramatic conclusion. The match should've gone like 20-25 minutes, but it felt like it was barely even past 15 minutes. I was expecting a lot more spots at the end to get the crowd excited, but I feel like this match was underwhelming. I feel like it could've so much better if they had more time. These 5 guys, and they have like 15 minutes or so. They could've brought the house down. It was a good match, but it could've been so much better. Again, I don't mind that Sabin won, I just wish it was longer with more spots.
Abyss Returns
- So Bad Influence comes out and says how they should be put into the Tag Team Championship match. Eric Young comes out and reminds them of what they did to Joseph Park. Park has this thing that when he bleeds and sees his own blood, he transforms into his alter ego, The Monster Abyss. So, Abyss comes out with his old theme music, which was always my favorite. He comes out and just dismantles Kaz and Daniels.
I liked the segment for time filler and enjoyed Abyss coming out there and doing what he did. I wonder if they'll ever drop the Joseph Park character and just run with Abyss again. I like the whole "Transformation" gimmick he has when he sees his own blood, but they can only do it so many times, in my opinion.
TNA Tag Team Championship Match:
- Before this match Gunner and Storm were backstage talking about their match against BroMans. Gunner's promo was so strong. He started saying BroMans earned their shot tonight, but told them not to worry about their tan, the gym, their hair, or the girls. He says, they call themselves the BroMans, but he sees people who aren't ready. Storm wraps it up with his catchphrase, "Sorry about your damn luck!" They walk off and we head to the match.
- The match started so fast with Gunner and Storm dominating the BroMans on offense. The Champs just showed how dominant they were with consistent power moves and high octane offense. Gunner and Storm were on fire in the early going. But the BroMans then got the advantage over Gunner working him over. After the fast start, we got into a traditional tag team match where the BroMans worked over Gunner for most of the match cutting him off from his partner. Gunner finally starts to get it going and hits a great looking fall away slam from the top rope. It almost looked like he wouldn't hit it, but he recovered and still made it look good. Gunner get the hot tag to Storm and he comes in and cleans house on The BroMans.
The pace now got to where it was in the beginning of the match. We got great exchanges between both teams. I thought we were gonna get a Tower of Doom spot in the corner, but Gunner took Robbie E away and hit and Electric Chair slam. Storm then suplexes Jessie onto Robbie. Storm hits the Eye of the Storm on Jessie, but he kicks out. The BroMans didn't die even when Storm and Gunner hit their double team finisher which was broken up by Jessie. The ending saw Robbie throwing the tag title belt in the ring, distracting the referee. Gunner is tossed out of the ring, Jessie attacks Storm from behind and The BroMans hit a Hart Attack like finisher and win the tag team titles!
- Now, I really enjoyed this match. This was how a Tag Team Championship match should be. The match started with great pacing with both teams just beating the hell out of each other the Champs gaining the upper hand. The heels gain the advantage back and work over the faces team, then once the hot tag happens, all hell breaks loose for a while. The finish was good, and little old school. They went with the "this guy isn't the legal man" and he gives his team the advantage to get the win. I would go back and watch this match. I really enjoyed it. The BroMans winning the titles freshens up the scene. They're gonna feud with Gunner & Storm more while Park & EY are gonna deal with Bad Influence after what happened to them with Abyss. Nicely done.
Kurt Angle Inducted into TNA Hall of Fame:
- So Sting comes out in a suit with no pain and brings Kurt Angle out. He pretty much says he's getting lonely in the Hall of Fame and wants Kurt to join him. He hands him the ceremonial Hall of Fame watch. The fans were amazing here for Angle and he started to choke up a bit. But then Angle went onto say that he had to respectfully decline the offer. He felt like he didn't deserve it, hasn't lived up to his potential, and accomplished everything he needed to accomplish and once he did, then he would join him in the Hall of Fame. "When he's worthy" he says.
- I didn't expect that to be honest. I thought it would be a great moment where Angle accepted the Hall of Fame Induction and he gets a standing ovation. I don't quite understand why he didn't. They have a dinner banquet for the man and they run with an Angle where he doesn't accept it and says he wants to set a new standard. It didn't rub me any kind of way, it was just a little confusing to me. But I guess it's a first. Never seen somebody turn down the Hall of Fame before.
Triple Threat Knockouts Championship Match:
- This match was severely overlooked heading into this match, but these three went in there and put on a great match. ODB dominated the early parts of the match hitting some power moves on Gail and Brooke. I don't know what happened to Gail for most of the match. There was a spot where Gail was tossed into the corner and was on the floor on the while while Brooke and ODB went at it for a little bit. The match seemed to lull for a little bit here. I enjoyed the exchange between ODB and Brooke for the time being. I liked how ODB wasn't overpowering her the whole time and Brooke got in some good offense. Gail gets back into the match with a figure four on Brooke around the ring post. Later in the match, we almost got another cool spot where Brooke and Gail were fighting on the top rope and ODB went to join them and I thought she was gonna hit a double suplex on them both but instead she was knocked off. We settled for a fireman's carry slam on Gail and Brooke tries to roll her up to no avail.
- Now, ODB sends Brooke into the corner and goes to splash her, but the ref gets hit instead. Gail follows it up with a dropkick which ODB dodges and the ref gets hit again! Nice spot that woke the crowd up. With the ref out, Lei'D Tapa's music hits and she makes her way out. ODB figures she's here for her so she walks out to greet and gets dropped with a big time clothesline. Brooke's turn now. She tries to fight her, but Lei'D Tapa lifts her up and powerbombs her from the stage back into the ring! Great Spot! Gail takes advantage of the chaos and pins Brooke to win the Knockouts Championship! I called it! After the match, Lei'D Tapa grabs the Knockouts Championship, poses with it, then hands to Gail as the two celebrate with each other! So, it turns out Gail and Lei'D Tapa were working together all along. That was pretty cool. Nicely done little twist that caught me off guard.
- Great Knockouts match, in my opinion. These women were given enough time to put on a great match and we got a New Champion and a little twist at the end. It's nice to see Gail with the belt. She is the best female wrestler in TNA right now and she's gonna be a great heel Champion. And with Lei'D Tapa as her bodyguard, it'll be interesting to see the booking going forward. I just wonder what role she'll play. Tapa and ODB are gonna go at it down the road. I hope Taryn Terrell gets back soon so her and Gail can tear the house down again. But what other face Knockout is there? Maybe Velvet Sky gets put back into the mix. With Mickie and Tara gone, and ODB likely going after Tapa, Velvet can challenge for the Knockouts Title again. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
Kurt Angle vs Bobby Roode:
- And now we get the meat of the show, Angle vs Roode. This match had a nice feel to it. The match started nice and slow with a feeling out process with some chain wrestling. The crowd was mostly behind Angle, but there were some Roode fans out there. The match picks up with great exchanges between both men. Angle hitting suplexes and Roode with some sweet reversals. Both men would lock in submission holds and they'd get out of them. What I really enjoyed is that neither man got the advantage on one for long. The match had a consistent pace with fantastic wrestling in between. Towards the end of the match, Angle had Roode in the Ankle Lock and grapevined the leg to hold in place. Roode was crawling towards the ropes almost there, and passed out. The ref lifted his hand up and Roode got to the ropes. It looked like the ref purposely put Roode's hand on the rope. Both got up and traded right hands back and forth. The ending saw Angle and Roode on the top rope. Angle hits an Angle Slam from the top rope! Both men are down and Angle isn't moving. The ref's count gets all the way to 7 and neither man has moved. The ref gets to 8 and Roode begins to move. The ref gets to 9 and Roode gets to his feet and falls on Angle. The ref counts the three for the win.
- It looked as if Angle legit hurt himself off that top rope Angle Slam and couldn't recover to finish the match. The medics came down with a stretcher loading Angle on top of it. I knew there was something fishy about that ending. It didn't seem like the ending they were going with. Angle gets loaded on the stretcher, but gets off, removes his neckbrace and refuses to leave that way and walks out on his own power. Roode gets the win, but Angle gets a standing ovation.
- Overall, this was an amazing match. A nice wrestling match that had a good pace, a few good spots, back and forth exchanges and reversals and counters. The finish caught me by surprise. I thought for sure Angle would win, but it looked like he was legit hurt when he came off the top rope with the Angle Slam. Either way, great match between both men and a great win for Roode.
Ethan Carter III Debuts:
- Ethan Carter gets this rousing debut. The dude looks to be in phenomenal shape. They really tried to put him over with this entrance. His opponent was this really skinny guy named Norv Fernum. This guy literally looked like a twig. They tried to put him over with some offense but EC3 dominated him and finished the match with a DDT similar to the finishing DDT that Dean Ambrose uses. I liked the cockiness, he looks like a great athlete and looking forward to see what they do with him. I also wonder if they're gonna continue putting him against skinny jobbers.
Magnus vs Sting:
- So now we get to Magnus and Sting. The match started slow like with Angle and Roode. Both guys trade blows back and forth. Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock early, but Magnus gets out of it. Sting strikes Magnus, he mocks Old School Sting and Old School Sting Pose. Then he starts striking him like Sting and hits the Stinger Splash. Later on in the match, the roles are reversed and Sting does the Old School and starts mounting some offense. Towards the ending, Sting goes for a Scorpion Death Drop, but Magnus counters and locks in the Cloverleaf. Sting tries to fight it, Magnus applies more force and lowers down into the hold forcing Sting to tap out. At the end, Sting extends his hand and Magnus nonchalantly shakes it and walks off. Good job of making Magnus look like a douche. He makes Sting tap out and blows him off. Magnus heel turn? I see it coming.
- But I was not a fan of this match. It failed to establish any kind of rhythm, good pace, or an epic feel to it. It seemed sloppy and a little rushed. Not to mention it was short. I know Sting isn't in his prime anymore, but he's more than capable of working a longer match than that. It was a solid match, but just the Ultimate X Match, it could've been better if they were given enough time and more to work with. They went out there and just put on an ok match. So, just another gripe I have with the show. I have no problem Magnus winning, I don't feel like the match delivered the way it should've.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles vs Bully Ray:
On the outside, AJ puts Bully on a table and attempts a Springboard 450 Splash to the table outside but Bully Ray moves! What a spot! Taz then hands Bully a knife and he cuts the ropes revealing the wood under the mat. Bully calls to the back, but nobody comes. Dixie Carter instead comes out and gets somebody to hand Bully Ray a chair. Styles comes back with a springboard flying forearm into the chair into Bully's face. He then connects with the Springboard 450 splash. Hebner goes to count the fall but Dixie gets involved. The end of the match sees Styles smashing the chair over Bully's head and connects with the Spiral Tap for the win! AJ Styles is the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion!
- For a Main Event, this was a 4.5 out of 5. This match had everything. It told a story, had a feeling out process, some great spots by AJ, Bully showing his aggressiveness, and even Dixie gets involved. I thought Anderson would cost Bully the title, but AJ wins the match clean. I feel like they could've done a little more with it, but I'm definitely satisfied with how it ended. It was predictable, but the match was so good and AJ celebrating with the crowd made it such a great moment that I didn't care that it was predictable because we all wanted to see how it would go down.
There are probably gonna be people complaining about the show and saying it wasn't good. I thought the only low points of the show were the Ultimate X (go figure) and Sting vs Magnus. I believe Slammiversary was a better overall show, but Bound For Glory was more satisfying. We had title changes, the door opening for new feuds, and a new World Champion to lead TNA into the future. If Sting and Magnus was longer and Ultimate X had more spots, this show would've been better, but I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10. It was still a great show. For the people saying, "TNA is going nowhere" this show was better than anything WWE has done as of late.
Again, my apologies for this taking so long to get posted. I didn't have much time to write this up. I'll try and do a review for Hell in a Cell this Sunday as well. That show by itself is a mess, but I digress.
Read. Comment. Share.
By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete
No comments:
Post a Comment