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Okay, the pre show. I can forgive the tech problems and the cue problems since this is a live event in a new venue being done by a crew who has probably grown comfy in their safe little Universal studio. They worked out the kinks in the first five minutes so no harm done. I liked the set up, the ramp etc. Mike Tenay and Don West have grown a little stale to me. The constant hard sell and West's ongoing shock and disbelief with what's going on around him is trying. This is wrestling; you've been around it for four years. Friends turn on friends, people get hit by chairs. That's the business. Speaking of chairs, plastic folding chairs have no business being anywhere near a wrestling ring. More on this later...
Bobby Roode, now Robert Roode. I'm fine with a name change and a gimmick change, this one just seems stale. I'm a big fan of Traci though. Roode is a good worker so if he can find some depth in his character than he should be a good mid to upper mid card performer for the next while. I thought the match with Lance Hoyt should have been a squash though to get Robert over as something more than a repackaged cast off from Team Canada.
The X-Division Invitational was where TNA started to visibly miss the target. This is the X-Division, something that sets TNA apart from the WWE. Athletes whose matches are known for work rate, fast paced action and unpredictability. But what did we get? Sirelda. A midget. A referee wannabe wrestler. And they were all fighting for what? A bowling trophy being presented by someone who openly mocks the X-Division. In one match TNA reduced the X-Division to a tacky WWE cruiser weight knock off. It stinks of Russo but I'm no insider.... Anyone can have a bad idea. This should have been a showcase match, a match to define the next generation of X-Division stars now that AJ, Daniels and Joe have moved on. And although Big Kev did make me laugh out loud with his claim to have taught Petey Williams the Canadian Destroyer his sarcastic no selling of the X-Division did more harm than good. I did however like the debut of "Austin Starr"... I'm assuming this is Austin Aries' way of keeping his street / indi cred intact. Now whenever he gets booked to loose or is involved in something silly on TNA he can always fall back on "I'm Austin Aries, Austin Starr is just a character I play on TV.". Being an old Randy Savage fan though, I enjoyed his physical mannerisms at the conclusion of the match. The end obviously sets something up with Alex Shelly, perhaps as a reluctant tag team that eventually splits and feuds or maybe they'll just jump right into the feud.
The next match was the tag team four way. AMW, Team 3D, The James Gang and The Naturals. Again, I was hoping for much more than what we were given. We've got four established teams and more experience than not. And here, one day removed from the event the only thing I remember about the match is miscommunication, awkward spots and no tables. Let me take a detour for just a second and talk about some of the bad timing. One of the things that makes TNA attractive to some wrestlers is the few amount of dates they have to work in a month. Yes, it takes less of a toll physically on your body, but when someone goes out there three days a month vs. three days a week things are going to look pretty clunky. A long time ago I worked with a well known hockey player, I asked him about his workout routine and you know what he told me. I skate. His theory was if you want to get good at something you go out and do it over and over again. You can go to the gym all you want, it won't make you a better skater, hockey player or wrestler. If you want to be go at something you've got to practice your art. All eight of these guys looked clunky and like they could have used an extra week to warm up in the ring.
Up next was the Monster's Ball match. I was really looking forward to this one and figured it was going to tell a good story. Going in, we had the three way feud of Raven, Abyss and Runt with a dash of Jake "The Snake" thrown in for fun. Samoa Joe was added to the line up and I was looking forward to quite a good little brawl. It wasn't. To me, this match didn't show any booking logic. If Bound For Glory is TNA's Super Bowl and tonight was their emergence then Monster's Ball should have been a 30 minute showcase of Samoa Joe. Pair off any two of the other three to continue to tell their story and use the leftover as a crash test dummy for Joe. Joe is TNA's franchise player. He is the company's future and he has arrived. The fact that he wasn't involved in the top one or two matches was a mistake but a mistake that could have been fixed if TNA pulled out all the stops and used Monster's Ball to show off their 280 lbs monster. The ole ole kick... the brawling... the flying around like a cruiser weight... it all should have been there. Those ordering a TNA PPV for the first time should have watched that match and said "So THAT'S what all the hype is about!!". Instead, Joe bumped like a mortal and even got taken out a few times. And Jake... just looking at him made me sad. I'd bet a dollar he didn't smell all that good.
Ah yes... Eric vs Zbyszko. They kept it short and it served its purpose, which has been a rarity so far this far into the card.
We moved on to Kurt Angle coming out to talk about what happened between him and Joe. Cue Joe. Cue adrenaline. TNA is doing a great job here... get these two so close that they're almost touching and then separate. The only thing these guys have exchanged beyond glares is a head butt and a kick and everybody is ready to give them a match of the year trophy!! THAT'S how you build towards a match! Great stuff!!
Senshi vs Chris Sabin was FANTASTIC!! A decent feel out process, good story telling and high spots mixed with high impact delivery. I certainly hope these two continue their feud all the way to the Ultimate X. Certainly one of the two Match of the Night's.
X-Division furry followed by clunky plunder. Christian vs Rhino was garbage wrestling at its worst. Seriously. I even read a few show reviews that praised this match. Anything that starts out in the back never ends well. This was all about hitting a guy and taking 20 steps, hitting a guy taking another 20 steps and eventually they got to the ring. And nothing says "fake hardcore" more than plastic street lights, plastic chairs and oversized street signs. Ugh. What kills me is that this match had no middle... it went from beating on each other backstage to "let's end this". There was no story. There was also a ton of miscommunication, the position mix up before the pile driver was a good 8 seconds of "what are we doing?!" going on between Rhino and Christian and cued to the crowd that a big PLANNED spot was coming up. Remember above when I motioned the plastic chairs? Well bringing two aluminum ones does nothing but point out the problem even more. And what about the ladder? Buying a flimsy Featherlite and spray painting it black does not a wrestling ladder make!! TNA should invest in some props designed for wrestling in look and functionality. It's those little details that hold the whole look back from achieving a polished finish.
Next was the match of the night... AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels vs. LAX for the gold. Much like the X-Division match I don't have a lot to say about this one since it was pulled off very well. The pace of the match fit right into the history these four have... fast and aggressive. The in ring story telling was good, selling was good all the way up until the end with only Hernandez showing super human recuperative powers. The high spots were unbelievable and silky smooth. Hopefully there will be more epic battles between these four. My only real complaint is that TNA should have been better prepared to set up the cage... that dead time listening to Don West was torture.
On to the main event.... Jarrett vs. Cage for all the marbles. I don't think anyone was expecting a lot from this one. I'm not sure how to talk about this match because this was the source of so much confusion to me. Sting's new look did nothing for me. The robe looked like he lifted it from Liberache's estate sale and fuchsia just isn't that intimidating. Jeff Jarrett on the other hand actually looked good. I was impressed with the effort he put forth early in the match and I think it took the Detroit crowd a bit by surprise too. It's been a long time since Jeff tried to impress and I think he did well this time (yes, I'm talking about Jarrett... I know, it doesn't feel right to me either). Sting looked good physically but his ring work really rough. Throw to the ropes... punch. Throw to the ropes.... Shoulder block. Throw to the ropes... whatever. Did this really ever sell? Sting's performance reminded me of Hulk's last few appearances and really maybe that's how TNA should be using him. Have Sting come out for 4 - 6 matches a year (he's younger than Hogan... he can take it) just to go through the nostalgia routine. Kurt Angle added some excitement to the match but it had to kill him knowing that he could turn either one of Jeff or Sting into a pretzel if he so desired. One thing I noticed at the end of the match though, as hard as Jarrett worked in this match, he did not have a drop of sweat on him at the conclusion. Sweat = work and effort. If there's no sweat it doesn't look like a struggle. Again, just a small thing.
Overall I did not totally enjoy Bound for Glory. Going in, I was looking forward to the show hoping it would live up to the hype and TNA would "become". I've been a TNA fan for the better part of its four year existence but I think they really dropped the ball on this one. Large. Hopefully TNA will recover, they've got another whole year until next years Super Bowl.
Michael
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Saw it loved it thought it was better then the live Summerslam PPV I was at.
I didn't see it mentioned on how long it took to set up the cage .Seemd like over 10 min . Thus the main event really didn't start till 10:38 it went what about 12 min .
Sting looked great, hell I am his age and want his workout info, so I can drop 30 lbs in 2 +months.
Production, as you mentioned missing a few spots.
Best match tie between Senshi and Sabin to me a 4+ star match LAX/Aj Falen angel also Mostly due to the high bumps. does Hernandez have death wish? He looked real unsteady ,almost didn't want to look. Homicde should have been the one. Before the match he scaled the cage like it was nothing . AJ seemed a bit more at ease on top . Disappointed in the finish .Figured AMW would come down and take out Konnan . Even with Konnan rumored to be leaving
Sting JJ was good for what is was worth nice to see Sting almost back to surfer/NWO Sting , seemed at first Kurt was out of his element . He was overshadowed by Sting big time .
Joe/.Angle bit was good by keeping them apart as best they could. Hopefully they can keep there first singles match till Dec .
All in all worth ever $ I own a DVD recorder so recorded the whole show !!
One last note Mike Tenay and Don west did a real good job killing time while waiting for the cage to get set up.
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Bound For Glory was a decent enough PPV. There were a few moments that I could care less about, but I will discuss those in further detail. For starters, luckily for yours truly I missed the long, dragged out speech made by Bobby Roode because I was watching this show from a noisy sports bar. After all the months of hype and vignettes, I am asking the question where's the final pay off? I was never shocked that Tracy Brooks was his manager since it was rumored this was the direction they were going for her character. Besides, I'm sure she comes cheaper than Sherri Martel and Bobby Heenan, but I digress. I suppose all the past Hoytamania hoopla is a thing of the past because Lance Hoyt will be the very first 7 foot jobber ever on TNA. I was just glad that it was a quick match because there was nothing to truly write home about.
The Kevin Nash X-Division (Hoss and Freak Show) Invitational was really entertaining when the "real" X-Division guys came out to wrestle. I'm not going to gain any supporters by this next comment, but Zach Gowen has no business in a wrestling ring. Not to ridicule his physical handicap, but this kid literally has 3 moves (which is 1 more than A1). Then, the others who have no business in a match with an "X" in it, A1, Sirelda, Slick Johnson and Normal Smiley receive dishonorable mentions as well. Where were Jerrelle Clark, Cassidy Riley and/or David Young? The hype and vignettes for Austin Starr, however, did pay off immensely. I love Starr's gimmick by the way.
The Four Way Tag Match was good and offered an alternative to the WWE Tag Division, which is a breath of fresh air in that regard. Is it just me or is Shane Douglas extremely obnoxious in his role as mouthpiece/manager for the Naturals? I mean really Chase and Andy, is he holding a gun up to your heads or what? Run like hell from him or kick his ass!!! He's always happy for his team before the match, but he slaps the taste out their mouths once they lose. He's been training them hard since the summer and they still continue lose their matches. I think it's time to give up and the Franchise should go back to interviewing backstage again. Overall, good to see Team 3D come out strong during the bout.
The Monster's Ball Match is always fun to watch because I can never get enough of hardcore action. I was hoping that Raven and Jake Roberts would tease a showdown about who had the better DDT. As far as former WWE guys making a real name for himself in TNA, that nod definitely must go to Brother Runt for his involvement in the match. I can't seem to recall him ever being this good when the WWE had their own hardcore division. Samoa Joe is a natural and had no doubts that he would come out victorious.
Eric Young vs. Larry Zybysko was ideal for a restroom break. I can only hope that Larry stays fired because his overall aura is like nails on a chalkboard. I wish that I could say that I am an Eric Young internet geek mark, but I would be telling a lie. I suppose the lesser of two evils prevailed here.
Senshi vs. Chris Sabin was better than the rest of the undercard. I wished that Senshi had remained champion a while longer, but at least we were not bored to tears (or homicidal tendencies) since there were no references to Jackass.
Christian Cage vs. Rhino in an 8-Mile Street Fight was better than expected, but I thought Rhino would go over in the end. Au Contraire, doesn't matter than you're wrestling in your own hometown. I think the score is now 0-2 for Rhino against Cage.
LAX vs. Styles/Daniels in the Six Sides of Steel was decent, but didn't hold a candle to Elix Skipper's tightrope/hurricanrana spot during the same match from a couple of years ago. I'm simply amazed by the agility of Hernandez and all the high spots of Homicide. They are deserving of the belts for a second time. This was my only complaint about Styles/Daniels' title reign as tag champs. Remember a few months ago when they had open contracts for every tag team in TNA to wrestle them? Well, we never saw that happen. They could've still wrestled other teams and build up their feud with LAX in the meantime. Well, maybe we'll see the Naturals and AMW get their shots next.
The Main Event with Sting vs. Jarrett was okay, but I wasn't sure if Angle was going to turn on Sting since he took out the ref. I hope the alleged rumors of Jarrett wanting to become a face down the road isn't true, but I don't want him to come back for a rematch too early either. I wasn't too enthusiastic about this match in comparison to the others that took place earlier. I am curious how long Sting holds the title? Overall, I thought it was a good PPV.
T.BOLER
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I have purchased a few TNA PPV's here and there. This was easily the best one I've seen. The Battle royal was great, I had some friends over who use to watch wrestling on a regular but stopped in 2001. And they loved the battle royal, it was a good mix of comedy and action. Nash should stick around as funny "Nash". As long as he doesn't get any back stage power he can be a plus for the company.
The Tag match was okay, the action wasn't as crisp as the battle royal. I think the Naturals would have been better served with the victory last night.
Eric Young is more over with the coward than Joe is!! Monster's ball was a good solid match. After all of the bumps that he takes, Abyss deserves a short run with the world title.
The X division match was a 9.9! It was awesome, had me and my friends on the edge of our seats. Can't wait for the rematch, Senshi deserves to win the belt back.
The 8 mile street fight was good, Christian and Abyss should be moved up to the # 1 and #2 heels spots! The finish was great! Trying to beat Rhino to death with the chair and all of that "plunder" was great!!
Six sides of steel was great but, I'm so spoiled by watching AJ Styles the last few years, I expected that match to be a 10. Instead it was a 9.5! Still awesome. When Sting retires, he needs to pass the face torch to Styles. He's my current favorite wrestler. LAX is the best tag team to come along since... Well AMW... But there still great!!
Main event was pretty boring, until Sting no selling the guitar shot! That was a great ending to the match. It made the night end on a high note instead of a downer.
Sting new look was good, I'm a huge Sting fan it was nice to see him come out with a mix of the Crow and his original look. I'm sure like always, he will have a short title reign and pass the belt on to someone else.
In all it was a good PPV. 8 out of 10.
Quick note, my friends and I use to get together in the mid 90's-01 on a regular to watch the WCW PPV's and some ECW PPV's. Now we only watch maybe one TNA PPV a year and every other Wrestle mania. But if TNA stays on this course, I'm sure my friends and I will be ordering at least 6 TNA PPV's a year.
TJ
Queens NY
