Welcome to our coverage of Impact’s Bound for Glory from Nashville, Tennessee.
Davie Portman & Nate Milton will be hosting the Bound for Glory POST Show later tonight. You can also join the Watch Along at YouTube.com/upNXT.
RESULTS
*The Deaners over Dez & Wentz in 3:38 on the Countdown to Glory pre-show
*Rohit Raju over Trey, Willie Mack, Jordynne Grace, TJP & Chris Bey to retain the X Division title
*Rhino over Sami Callihan in 25:27 to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match
*Ken Shamrock over Eddie Edwards in 12:32
*The North over Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, The Good Brothers and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton in 14:24 to win the IMPACT tag titles
*Su Yung over Deonna Purrazzo in 15:05 to win the Knockouts Championship
*Rich Swann over Eric Young in 21:31 to win the IMPACT Championship
The Countdown to Glory pre-show featured video messages sent in from the likes of Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Bas Rutten, Chael Sonnen, Ariel Helwani, and others for Ken Shamrock’s Hall of Fame induction.
Hart put together a really nice speech for Shamrock and compared him to Ed “Strangler” Lewis and mentioned receiving a phone call from Shamrock hours after the Survivor Series 1997 and that he almost quit and would always be one of Bret’s guys. Foley reminisced about a triple threat match he had with Shamrock and The Rock in September 1998.
Matt Striker and Don Callis are calling the preview show.
THE DEANERS VS DEZ & WENTZ
This was brief with Wentz and Dez not getting to do much in the short match. Wentz made a save when Dez was hit by Cody Deaner coming off the top. Wentz was sent to the floor and they hit the T2G on Dez giving Cody the chance to pin him.
WINNERS: The Deaners at 3:38
The main event of the preview show was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s video message for Shamrock. He was wearing the same tight shirt and in the same spot where he endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Johnson put over their time together feuding in 1998, working with Johnson before he was established and helped him become a bigger heel. He called Shamrock a pillar of both the UFC and the Attitude Era.
Shamrock was brought out for the Hall of Fame ceremony and thanked all his peers for the words throughout the show. Shamrock thanked his wrestling trainer Nelson Royal, Vince McMahon for the opportunity in 1997, the people that helped him form his character, and all the fans.
The pay-per-view portion features Josh Mathews calling the event with Callis.
ROHIT RAJU VS TJP VS JORDYNNE GRACE VS CHRIS BEY VS WILLIE MACK VS TREY MIGUEL FOR THE X DIVISION TITLE
This match would have been received well in front of a hot crowd as it was a procession of the six people going nonstop for the duration of the match. Throughout the match, there would be a pair inside the ring and rest on the floor as the action escalated. TJP showed off his submissions including a simultaneous one to four people at once. There were dives to the floor from Grace followed by Mack and then a big moment when Trey was on TJP’s shoulders on the edge of the apron and Bey leaped and kicked him off the shoulders to the floor. The finishing sequence saw Raju shove Grace off the top to the others on the floor while TJP hit the Mamba Splash off the top to Trey, Raju sent TJP away and stole the pin on Trey to retain the title.
WINNER: Rohit Raju at 13:19 to retain the X Division title
This was a warm-up match for a show without a crowd to warm up. It was a showcase for the six for each to have their moments throughout the match. If there was a disappointment, it was Trey not being featured prominently and the one to take the fall as he’s been much-improved this year on the IMPACT roster. I don’t think Raju clicks as the X Division champion but he does his play role well for what it is.
Josh Mathews asked over the microphone to figure out their audio issues, which at least, that came through okay.
Then, we go to John E. Bravo and Rosemary’s wedding party and a segment involving Rhino and Heath. They stop the scene for the people to be quiet, they don’t edit it out and have a countdown as they do a reset. How does this air? The unintentional comedy trumped the actual segment.
CALL YOUR SHOT GAUNTLET MATCH
1. Rhino
If Rhino or Heath lose, they are don with IMPACT Wrestling. A new entrant comes out every 60 seconds.
2. Shawn Daivari
The noted Daivari was dressed in the same outfit from his time in TNA as Sheik Abdul Bashir.
3. Larry D
4. Crazzy Steve
5. Acey Romero
6. Tenille Dashwood w/ Kaleb
Dashwood just takes pictures while Kaleb enters the match.
7. Havok
Havok threw Kaleb out and they weren’t sure if this means Dashwood is eliminated (she isn’t)
8. Brian Myers
Myers used a hip toss to eliminate Crazzy Steve.
9. Swoggle
Swoggle hit a stunner on Daivari and Myers lifted Swoggle to kick him out of the ring, then Myers dumped Swoggle out.
10. Tommy Dreamer
Dreamer came out wearing Road Warrior Animal face paint.
11. Alisha Edwards
Myers tossed Dreamer while Alisha used a kendo stick on Myers before he lifted and eliminated her.
12. Kiera Hogan
Myers took photos with Dashwood, lifted her, and dropped her onto Kaleb on the floor and has made all the eliminations.
13. Taya Valkyrie
14. Fallah Bahh
Havoc sent Hogan off the apron, she landed on Tasha Steelz on the floor and Steelz hit her head on a trash can going down.
15. James Storm
Storm was the first notable surprise in the match.
Storm hit the Last Call superkick and sent Larry D. out.
16. Adam Thornstowe
17. Luster the Legend
18. Heath
Heath clotheslined Acey Romero out and then tossed Myers, who had the most eliminations in the match.
19. Sami Callihan
20. Hernandez
Hernandez ripped off Bahh’s shirt to find his stolen wad of cash and Bahh fell to the floor but kept the cash.
It came down to Rhino, Heath, Callihan, and James Storm as the final four.
Storm went to skin the cat but Callihan kicked him off the ropes for the elimination. Callihan eliminated Heath and it ends his chances of receiving an IMPACT contract
It’s now a match between Callihan and Rhino to determine the winner. Callihan hit the piledriver and Rhino kicked out.
Callihan got a chair, he was told to remove it, and then turned around and was hit with the Gore as Rhino pinned Callihan.
WINNER: Rhino at 25:27
Rhino saves his career and now gets to choose a championship match in the future.
Heath was favoring his leg a lot and was hobbling around before his elimination.
This match was terribly long and had every battle royal trope you could envision. There was no atmosphere and therefore, the surprises were limited to the excitement of the announcers. You had one dominant story and that was Rhino and Heath trying to save their jobs and they used that as the thread for the entire match with Rhino entering first but beyond that, this was flat and should have got a fraction of this length.
Gia interviewed The North, who cut a promo on regaining the Impact tag titles in the four-way match.
MOOSE VS EC3
This was the cinematic match of the evening beginning with Moose arriving at EC3’s “Fight Club” with the TNA championship.
The two met in the ring and started fighting. Moose busted him open on the forehead with Moose dressed in all white and had Ethan’s blood on him.
EC3 explained he was turning Moose into who he is supposed to be and allowing Moose to tap into his full potential. He explained the TNA title belongs to those that carried the company and Moose needs to become a wrestling God and then he can be a champion, but he isn’t there yet.
EC3 teased using the 1 percenter with a flashback to his old TNA footage of the move but hesitated to allow Moose to hit the spear. Moose attacked him with the belt and beat him to a pulp with strikes asking “is this what you wanted?” until EC3 yells “Yes” and they all chant for “Moose” around the ring and he tells Moose to “control your narrative” as he lays out EC3 with the belt and Moose left.
While the segment went long it the idea was to elevate Moose and make turn him into a monster heel and would seem poised for a big program coming out of this segment.
EDDIE EDWARDS VS KEN SHAMROCK
Sami Callihan is in Shamrock’s corner.
The beginning saw Shamrock attacking Edwards and destroying with strikes to the point that Edwards was deemed ineffective. Shamrock lit him up with knee strikes on the floor. Edwards fought back with dragon screw leg whips and a backpack stunner. After getting out of a rear-naked choke by Shamrock, Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party and applied the single-leg crab when Callihan turned the lights out.
Callihan appeared in the ring with the baseball bat he destroyed Edwards’ face with but Edwards fought him off with a kendo stick. Edwards turned around into a belly-to-belly by Shamrock and Edwards tapped to the ankle lock.
WINNER: Ken Shamrock in 12:32
It seemed this was headed towards Shamrock returning to a babyface considering all the praise during the Hall of Fame segment where Shamrock was the big babyface star. Instead, this continued the story of Shamrock as Callihan’s shooter to do his dirty work. They tried to protect Edwards stating he was on the verge of making Shamrock tap but Shamrock took most of the match.
MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS VS THE NORTH VS THE GOOD BROTHERS VS MADMAN FULTON & ACE AUSTIN FOR THE IMPACT TAG TITLES
Before the match began, The North attacked Alex Shelley and he was taken out of the match with a double underhook piledriver by Alexander. This would not be the only participant on the show that wouldn’t be part of their advertised match.
Chris Sabin entered the match by himself and played the underdog role with several big sequences as he tried to overcome the odds. Page and Alexander were the best part of the match with their double-team maneuvers and chemistry as they are a vastly underrated tag team when people discuss the best teams out there.
Sabin hit Austin with the Cradle Shock and Ethan Page broke it up allowing The North to double-team Sabin. The North hit a series of strikes to Ace Austin while he was on the shoulders of Madman Fulton, which looked cool.
Gallows & Anderson took control and attempted the Magic Killer to Alexander, who kicked Anderson off and then blocked the Gun Stun. Behind the referee’s back, Page hit Anderson with the belt and Alexander pinned him.
WINNERS: The North at 14:24 to win the IMPACT tag titles
This was probably the best match of the card so far, although a groan-inducing ending with the belt shot as there has been a plethora of distraction finishes tonight with the heel antics winning out. The North is a great team, and no one is going to complain about them having the belts.
Hopefully, we get an update on Shelley with whatever led to his removal from the match.
Madison Rayne joined Mathews and Callis for the next match.
Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee came out first followed by Kylie Rae’s music playing, and she never came out.
Given that this was the #2 promoted match on the show, it was really lame that IMPACT didn’t alert people before buying the show that Rae would not be part of it. As of right now, we are unaware of why she wasn’t on the show. They could easily have shot an angle on the pre-show if not put out a statement earlier than that.
Purrazzo said she isn’t surprised Rae didn’t show up. She said she will defend her title and issues an open challenge to any man or woman.
DEONNA PURRAZZO VS SU YUNG FOR THE KNOCKOUT’S TITLE
The impromptu match began with Purrazzo attacking Yung’s arm and using creative offense on it. Purrazzo used the Paradise Lock at one point on the bottom rope and broke Yung free with a seated dropkick. Yung fought back sending Purrazzo into the post and hitting a cannonball off the apron when Purrazzo was seated in a chair on the floor.
Yung pulled out the glove that the announcers had to sell the stench of to a ludicrous degree. The referee got knocked out by a jumping kick from Purrazzo allowing Kimber Lee to enter and attack Yung with a chair. Yung used the glove on Purrazzo and red mist on Lee to get rid of her. Purrazzo capitalized and tried for the Fujiwara armbar, which was stopped by the mandible claw and Yung proceeded with a stunner and the Panic Switch for the win.
WINNER: Su Yung at 15:05 to win the Knockouts title
The two had a good match together and if it wasn’t for so many run-ins, foreign objects, and referee distractions I would have been even higher on this match but the creativity for some of these finishes was just overthought and used up-and-down the card and it was overkill. That said, I liked the match and they went with the tradition of having the babyface replacement go over. The false advertising of Kylie Rae right up to match time is going to upset a lot of people and justifiably so.
It was revealed that the Knockouts Tag Team Titles will return at their next pay-per-view in January at “Hard to Kill”, which takes place on Saturday, January 16th.
ERIC YOUNG VS RICH SWANN FOR THE IMPACT WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP
The match was a simple layout and was the most effective on the entire show. Instead of targeting the ankle, it was the neck that Young attacked and centered all his offense around as a prelude to the piledriver, which Don Callis noted and added a lot to the storytelling of the match.
Swann was destroyed for 90 percent of the match as Young taunted him and repeatedly yelled at him to “stay down” and “go away”. Finally, Swann made a comeback and was a house of fire suplexing Young off the top and was thwarted when Young bit him. Young resumed the attack using a crossface and catching Swann on his shoulders off a handspring and hitting another neck breaker.
Then, Young applied an ankle lock to play into the previous injury and Swann broke free of the hold. Swann popped up from the tree of woe position to land a cutter out of the corner. Swann continued with a handspring cutter and hit a Phoenix Splash to win.
WINNER: Rich Swann at 21:31 to win the IMPACT Wrestling Championship
The babyfaces emptied from the locker room to hoist Swann and celebrate inside the ring.
I thought the main event was easily the best match on the show. It was slow and methodical but for this empty setting, it worked best and especially with the added taunts from Young that forced you to listen intently. Young was very strong in this match and is great in the role he is playing.
Overall, I cannot recommend the show, but the last three matches ranged from average to above and the card did get better towards the end. For the major show of the year, this fell short and I felt the battle royal took way too long and sucked a lot of energy out early on. There is leeway deserved because of the lack of fans, which is the responsible option but that didn’t bother me as much as some of the overbooked finishes and crutches they relied on too heavily throughout the show. It was a breath of fresh air for the main event to have no interference that allowed the story to take center stage and both played their roles well.
