Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory event is taking place from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York.
Tune in later tonight on the site for our Bound for Glory POST Show with Nate Milton joining me to review the card.
RICH SWANN & WILLIE MACK VS MATT SYDAL & ETHAN PAGE
Mathews ran through Page’s resume and they aren’t even pretending he was playing a different character on Impact this year.
The audience chanted “Return of the Mack” with Willie coming off as the biggest star of the four. Mack hit a running shoulder block and made the “you can’t see me” gesture to the hard camera.
Page was in and they got the advantage on Swann. Sydal hid under the ring and hit Swann with a chair and then Mack dove off the apron with a cannonball. There is minimal room on the floor between the ring and guardrail.
Callis made a crack about someone yelling into Mathews’ ears during the broadcast and he responded, “I still have nightmares”.
Mack received the hot tag and lifted the crowd.
Sydal hit a jumping huracanrana from the mat to Swann off the top turnbuckle and Swann flipped into his own huracanrana to Page that looked tremendous.
Page missed a head kick and hit Sydal, Mack hit a stunner to Page but was taken out by Sydal. Swann hit a handspring cutter off the ropes and followed with the Phoenix splash to pin Sydal.
WINNERS: RICH SWANN (pinned Matt Sydal) & WILLIE MACK AT 12:31
This was a great opener and Mack came off well. The closing sequence looked great with Swann and Sydal. The announcers indicated that Mack is a new Impact signing.
Mack addressed the crowd, he said that he hoped you enjoyed his debut with Swann. He pointed out two empty seats in the front row and the loudest fans would get the seats. He plugged COMBA DOT COM who provided the seats. Mathews separately thanked COMDA DOT COM.
They ran the interview from TMZ with Johnny Impact and Taya trying to put the Twitter comments with Austin Aries across as real. Then they aired the pull apart from the Hall of Fame that Impact put for last-minute buzz.
[wp_ad_camp_1]
In the back, Konnan was attacked and being helped up by Santana and Ortiz. He told them to handle business out there and that King attacked him.
Eli Drake came out for the open challenge. The audience began to chant for Y2J. Drake ran down the New York Giants and made fun of their 1-5 record.
James Ellsworth came out to answer the challenge, the announcers noted he is from Maryland and not New York and the crowd knew it. He said he was dating a girl from Staten Island though. The audience started chanting, “Fuck you, Ellsworth”. Ellsworth knocked Drake with a punch to start the match.
ELI DRAKE VS JAMES ELLSWORTH
Ellsworth hit a side slam from the turnbuckle. Drake stopped sweet chin music and dropped him. Ellsworth recovered and hit it, but then was hit with the Gravy Train twice and pinned him.
WINNER: ELI DRAKE AT 2:10
Drake said he asked for a top guy or Hall of Famer and not garbage. Abyss answered the challenge.
Abyss attacked Drake and hit a Black Hole Slam. Abyss brought out a table and went for a chokeslam, but Drake kicked him low. Drake came off the turnbuckle, was caught and put through the table with a chokeslam.
They had to get Abyss on the show somehow and this was it. I don’t know why Drake did the “only New Yorkers” deal unless some other option fell through. Drake was very popular to the audience during the Ellsworth portion and that was extinguished by the end of the segment.
[wp_ad_camp_2]
TESSA BLANCHARD VS TAYA VALKYRIE FOR THE KNOCKOUT’S TITLE
Josh Matthews compared Blanchard to Lindsey Vonn and Amanda Nunes. Callis said he would want his daughter to be just like Blanchard.
Valkyrie hit a spear in the beginning and Blanchard retreated to the floor. Blanchard caught her with a neck breaker onto the apron and followed with a code breaker inside the ring. Taya blocked the buzzsaw DDT and threw Blanchard with a release German suplex and landed on her elbow.
They traded strikes, Blanchard had another buzzsaw DDT blocked. Taya attempted the Road to Valhalla and Blanchard stopped it.
Taya caught her coming off the top and a hit a very awkward looking chokeslam and then hit a top rope moonsault for a near fall. Taya applied a Fujiwara armbar that was broken. Blanchard grabbed the ring skirt as Taya hit the Road to Valhalla, the referee was distracted and allowed Blanchard to kick out in time.
Taya missed Blanchard and ran into the post with her shoulder and Blanchard hit the buzzsaw DDT for a tremendous near fall.
Taya was sent into the turnbuckle, Blanchard came off the top with a flying codebreaker or Bushi’s MX for the win.
WINNER: TESSA BLANCHARD AT 10:37 TO RETAIN THE KNOCKOUT’S TITLE
This turned into a very good match. The near falls were very effective and the audience had a hard time rooting against Blanchard, who is booked as a kick-ass champion that is a strong personality. This was much better than I expected.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Moose, who was wearing traditional African attire and said he is a King and McKenzie was his Queen.
MOOSE VS EDDIE EDWARDS
Moose came to the ring with three women.
Edwards landed the Boston knee party at the start. He went to the floor and was attacked by Killer Kross from the crowd and the bell was called.
WINNER: EDDIE EDWARDS BY DQ AT 0:47
Tommy Dreamer ran out to save Edwards and attacked Moose and Kross with a kendo stick. He can a promo and challenged them to a fight.
MOOSE & KILLER KROSS VS EDDIE EDWARDS & TOMMY DREAMER
Dreamer took a COMDA DOT COM water bottle, then spit the water into Edwards’ mouth and he sprayed Moose in the face. I’m sure Comda loved it.
Jylan Ware of the New York Giants shoved Moose down. The announcers were caught off guard for the big spot.
Between the white dress shirt and pants, Killer Kross was playing Baron Corbin in the match.
Edwards tore open shirt and had a chopping exchange with Moose.
Dreamer hit Kross with a low blow and a cutter. Kross stopped Dreamer from using the kendo stick and hit the Saito suplex.
Moose missed with the kendo stick and Edwards caught him with a roll up to win the match.
WINNERS: EDDIE EDWARDS (pinned Moose) & TOMMY DREAMER AT 8:40
Kross grabbed Edwards and Moose speared him. On the floor, they delivered a double-team apron bomb to Edwards.
The match didn’t do much for me. The audience enjoyed Dreamer’s involvement. They had Edwards win but immediately had Moose and Kross get everything back, so the win meant nothing.
[wp_ad_camp_3]
Sami Callihan said that they were going to steal the show and equal buy rates and ratings.
BRIAN CAGE, PENTAGON JR. & FENIX VS SAMI CALLIHAN & oVe
Cage’s left thigh was significantly taped up.
Fenix was in with Jake Crist and just flowed through his movements, including a handspring off the ropes into a flying headbutt.
Jake went for a somersault off the apron and was caught by Cage in a vertical suplex position but avoided it. Cage threw Jake over the top to the floor with a fallaway slam onto the others.
Callihan tossed Cage to the floor and turned around into a flying cutter by Fenix from the ramp into the ring.
Pentagon hit the Pentagon Driver to Dave, but Jake broke it up immediately. Cage lifted both Crist brothers and threw them with a Samoan drop and fall away slam combination.
Fenix stood on top of Pentagon’s shoulders, Jake leaped off the top for a cutter to Fenix but couldn’t land it and led to a rare “you fucked up” chant from a few people.
Callihan hit a piledriver to Pentagon onto the edge of the apron. Cage entered the ring and took on all three members alone. They hit the All Seeing Eye to Cage and he kicked out for a big reaction. Cage absorbed all their kicks and wouldn’t go down, Callihan hit a piledriver and finally got the pin.
The audience was stunned that Cage lost.
WINNERS: SAMI CALLIHAN & oVe AT 13:27
It was a very good match and designed to elevate Callihan as the first person to pin Cage in Impact Wrestling and that appears to be the program that comes out of this.
Fenix was outstanding in this match and stood out beyond anyone else.
[wp_ad_camp_4]
SANTANA & ORTIZ VS HOMICIDE, HERNANDEZ & THE KING IN A CONCRETE JUNGLE MATCH
The canvas has been removed from the ring and the turnbuckle pads have been taken down.
Bodega Bamz and the Tan Boys played LAX out to the ring and said, “this is for Konnan” at the start.
The boards in the ring were moving all over the place. Kingston dropped Santana onto the boards and he yelled, “you’re going to have to fucking kill me” at Kingston.
Hernandez was cut open at the start of the match.
Kingston attempted a suicide dive and went into the guardrail face first. Hernandez lifted Homicide and dropped him onto Santana & Ortiz on the floor with a Border Toss.
Ortiz went through a table from a shoulder block by Hernandez.
LAX hit a superplex to Hernandez and the audience reacted loudly for that spot. Kingston yelled that Ortiz was done when Konnan’s music played and he came out.
Konnan attacked them with a slapjack and sent Kingston through a table in the corner.
LAX hit the Street Sweeper to Kingston onto the boards for the win.
WINNERS: LAX & KONNAN AT 9:28
From a visual standpoint, the match was unique, and the audience believed everything hurt so that added something.
LAX came off as big stars with the superstar entrance and going over strong. The use of Konnan was the right call, he’s very limited and was only necessary for the ending of the match.
They got a lot out of the main bumps and have to say they overcame a concept, which could have been negative and wasn’t in this case.
Next, was Allie meeting with Father Jim Mitchell in a pre-produced segment to enter the “undead realm”. Mitchell said that Su Yung is holding Kiera Hogan hostage “upstairs in the chapel”.
Allie fought off the Undead Bridesmaid with an ax and apparently killed her, although she is undead.
She found Kiera Hogan in a casket and Su Yung was in the chapel with a larger ax as they began fighting. Yung attacked her with an aluminum bat.
Allie stopped Yung from stabbing her and stabbed Yung in the throat. She rescued Hogan, but they couldn’t leave. Mitchell only promised to help her into the undead realm.
The undead bridesmaids returned and then Rosemary appeared to fight them off and sent them back to their realm where they are safe. Yung regenerated and fought with Rosemary.
Allie and Hogan returned to their realm and it was revealed that ALLIE’S SOUL HAS BEEN CONSUMED BY EVIL.
This was something.
They announced their next pay-per-view will be on January 6th at the Nashville Fairgrounds for a card called “Home Coming”.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Johnny Impact and called Austin Aries delusional. He stated it’s an insult to everyone at this company when Aries says he carries this company and Aries buries himself. He added that Aries is a “short, narcissistic asshole”.
They announced their next pay-per-view will be on January 6th at the Nashville Fairgrounds for a card called “Home Coming”.
McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Johnny Impact and called Austin Aries delusional. He stated it’s an insult to everyone at this company when Aries says he carries this company and Aries buries himself. He added that Aries is a “short, narcissistic asshole”.
[wp_ad_camp_5]
AUSTIN ARIES VS JOHNNY IMPACT FOR THE IMPACT TITLE
Mathews proclaimed that Impact was a star, he walks into a room and everyone looks at him, it’s okay to want to be Johnny Impact because everyone else does too. Impact had Taya in his corner and Aries had Moose and Kross with him.
The announcer introduced Johnny “from Slam City” and was corrected that he is from “Slam Town”.
The exchanged words as members of the audience chanted “205”.
Impact leaped from the floor and landed on the apron and guardrail into a moonsault onto Aries that looked outstanding.
Aries took control in the ring and attacked the neck of Impact that was set up on this past week’s show.
Aries stopped a Spanish Fly, Aries then avoided Starship Pain by cutting Impact off. They fought on the top turnbuckle and Impact hit the Spanish Fly for a two-count.
Aries got out of the way of Countdown to Impact.
Callis compared this to the feud Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had to lead into Survivor Series in 1997.
Aries lifted Impact and hit a Death Valley Driver onto the edge of the apron on his injured neck. Aries hit a 450 splash and Impact kicked out.
Impact made a comeback and hit Starship Pain, but Aries grabbed the bottom rope. Aries landed a discus elbow, a running dropkick, and brainbuster but Impact got his foot on the bottom rope.
Aries kicked out of a backslide, landed knees to the head and applied the Last Chancery as Impact crawled to the rope.
Aries took out Taya on the floor and Impact went after Aries. Impact his own brainbuster and Starship Pain to pin Aries.
WINNER: JOHNNY IMPACT AT 21:00 TO WIN THE IMPACT TITLE
Aries immediately stood up, yelled at the audience and walked to the back as if he was fine.
Impact held up Taya and hugged her on the floor and they went off the air almost immediately.
