TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the year is upon us as Bound for Glory comes to us live this Sunday from the Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA. Bound for Glory promises to be a historic night as all six TNA Championships will be on the line as well as the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Aside from that, three other high profile matches will take place to round out the loaded card.
- AJ Styles vs. Sting (TNA World Championship)
- Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan
- Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe (Submission Match)
- Mick Foley vs. Abyss (Monster’s Ball)
- Amazing Red vs. Suicide vs. D’Angelo Dinero vs. Daniels vs. Homicide (Ultimate X for X Division Championship)
- Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. the British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Beer Money (Full Metal Mayhem for TNA Tag Team Championship and IWGP Tag Team Championship)
- Kevin Nash vs. Hernandez vs. Eric Young (TNA Legends Championship)
- ODB vs. Awesome Kong vs. Tara (TNA Knockouts Championship)
- Taylor Wilde & Sarita vs. the Beautiful People (TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship)
AJ Styles vs. Sting (TNA World Championship)
Sting played an integral part in AJ Styles winning the TNA World Championship at No Surrender. To show his respect for the Icon and as a way to say thanks, Styles offered Sting a shot at the TNA World Championship at Bound for Glory. Sting also hinted that if he falls short of winning the World Championship, he may hang up the wrestling boots.
History shows that Sting has had great luck during Bound for Glory. Sting has come out on top and won the TNA World Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Will history once again repeat itself? I highly doubt it. Styles will look like a fighting champion and go over Sting in this match all the while gaining credibility as a champion that comes with defeating a legend such as Sting.
Will Sting retire after the match? That too is doubtful, but the proverbial torch will be passed.
Starman’s Prediction: AJ Styles to retain the TNA World Championship.
Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan
After playing mind games with each other, Matt Morgan and Kurt Angle finally collided in a 5-way match at No Surrender. Morgan laid out Angle with a big boot that caused him to lose the title to AJ Styles. Due to this, Angle was granted a match to face Morgan one-on-one at Bound for Glory.
This match is being billed as Wrestling’s Best vs. Wrestling’s Future, and for good reason. Kurt Angle is one of the best, if not the best, professional wrestler out there today. Matt Morgan also has a bright future ahead of him and will go on to be a big player down the road. Defeating Angle on the biggest stage of the year would be a huge stepping stone for Morgan, however, I just don’t see that happening. Not yet at least.
Starman’s Prediction: Kurt Angle to defeat Matt Morgan.
Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe (Submission Match)
On a recent episode of Impact, Samoa Joe attacked Bobby Lashley from behind and choked him out with a rear naked choke. The following week, Lashley got involved during Samoa Joe’s match and cost him the X Division Title. The two will try to settle their differences in a submission match at Bound for Glory.
Lashley was softened up this past week on Impact after competing in a stretcher match against Rhino. Due to this, Lashley has an obvious disadvantage going into the submission match against Joe. With that said, Lashley is still the new face on the roster while Joe hasn’t been doing too much worthwhile, so Lashley should still be heavily favored in this one.
Plus, overcoming adversity will make his victory look that much more meaningful.
Starman’s Prediction: Bobby Lashley to win.
Mick Foley vs. Abyss (Monster’s Ball)
The relationship between Mick Foley and Abyss didn’t last too long before friction caused by a broken picture frame came between the two. Since then, Foley has left Abyss in a puddle of his own blood while calling him nothing more than a cheap imitation of himself. Abyss the issued a challenge for a Monster’s Ball match, but as Foley usually does, it was tweaked with thumbtacks being banned and Dr. Stevie being booked as the special guest referee.
The cards are stacked against Abyss in this match as Dr. Stevie will more than likely prove to be a biased official. This is Abyss’ type of match, however, as this will be the ninth Monster’s Ball match he has been a part of. With Foley and Abyss in this type of match, you are almost guaranteed a ton of bloodshed, numerous innovative hardcore antics, and maybe even a flaming table or two.
Foley gave Edge a WrestleMania moment in 2006. Look for Foley to give Abyss a Bound for Glory moment in 2009.
Starman’s Prediction: Abyss to defeat the Hardcore Legend.
Amazing Red vs. Suicide vs. D’Angelo Dinero vs. Daniels vs. Homicide (Ultimate X for X Division Championship)
The newly crowned X Division Champion, Amazing Red, will put up his X Division Title against some of the best X Division talent TNA has to offer. Aside from a feud between D’Angelo Dinero and Suicide and Homicide knowing Suicide’s identity, there isn’t much of a story going into this match. Daniels did team with Suicide recently, though, in a tag team match against Homicide and Dinero, if that matters any.
Seeing as it is an Ultimate X match, much story isn’t needed as they usually tend to steal the show. With the talent involved in the match, the 17th installment of the Ultimate X match should be no different. At any rate, with Don West just signing on to be Red’s hype man, I have to say that Red will retain the title here.
Starman’s Prediction: Amazing Red to retain the X Division Championship.
Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. the British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Beer Money (Full Metal Mayhem for TNA Tag Team Championship and IWGP Tag Team Championship)
These four tag teams have been feuding with each other for a while and all signed on to be in a ladder match with both TNA Tag Team Championship and the IWGP Tag Team Championship up for grabs. A fight broke out at the contract signing and the match was modified to be a Full Metal Mayhem match, TNA’s version of a TLC match, instead.
Mayhem is a good word for this match as it will surely feel that way with eight men fighting it out to grab the titles hanging high above the ring. Titles can easily change hands is this type of match up and I expect both versions of the tag team straps to change hands after this match is all said and done.
All four of the teams involved are worthy of either of the titles and it really can go any which way, but I will predict that the British Invasion will lose the IWGP Tag Team Championships to Beer Money but the Brits will walk away as the TNA Tag Team Champions.
Starman’s Prediction: The British Invasion to win the TNA Tag Team Championship and Beer Money to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
Kevin Nash vs. Hernandez vs. Eric Young (TNA Legends Championship)
Eric Young interfered in a title match between Kevin Nash and Hernandez that cost Hernandez a chance at winning the TNA Legends Championship. Young also countered a bounty put on his head by Kurt Angle by offering Kevin Nash double in return for putting him in a 3-way match against Nash and Hernandez for the TNA Legends Championship. In doing so, Young promised to help Nash take Hernandez out and keep the title on Nash.
Somehow I don’t think this match will end up as Nash and Young planned. With the tension between the Main Event Mafia and the World Elite, a swerve should be in line with the bond formed between the two is easily broken. Hernandez will soften up Nash during the match and Young will swoop in to steal the Legends Championship from Nash.
Starman’s Prediction: Eric Young to win the TNA Legends Championship.
ODB vs. Awesome Kong vs. Tara (TNA Knockouts Championship)
ODB, Awesome Kong and Tara are three of the top stars in the Knockouts Division and all want to have the Knockouts Championship around their waist. ODB is the current champion, who won it after beating Cody Deaner for the vacant title last month at No Surrender. In recent weeks, all three have shown that there will be no friends in this match by attacking one another.
My initial thought for this 3-way match was to predict that ODB would retain the Knockouts Championship at Bound for Glory. That all changed after it was reported that ODB posted that she was looking for a job on her Facebook page. This all could be a ruse to swerve Internet fans, but I have to pick against her.
I will now give Kong the upper hand, which will lead to the feud that never happened before between her and Tara.
Starman’s Prediction: Awesome Kong to win the TNA Knockout Championship.
Taylor Wilde & Sarita vs. the Beautiful People (TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship)
These two teams faced each other last month at No Surrender in the finals of a tournament to crown the first ever TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions. Taylor Wilde and Sarita pulled an upset and defeated an Angelina Love-less Beautiful People to win the tag team titles. Since then, the Beautiful People have brought Lacey Von Erich into the fold and will face the champions in a rematch.
I will give TNA credit for keeping the Beautiful People around and relevant after losing what was the driving force behind the group. The Beautiful People got through the loss by adding in instant name recognition in Von Erich. Due to that addition, the Beautiful People have a numbers advantage over the tag team champions and will win the titles that they should have won in the first place.
Starman’s Prediction: The Beautiful People to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
On paper, Bound for Glory features a stacked card with a lot of fresh match ups. TNA is also taking the show on the road for the first time since Slammiversary and features a total of seven titles on the line. They are going out of their way to make this show a special feel and have even gotten heavy metal guitarist, Zakk Wylde, to perform the National Anthem at the show. I can’t help but feel that something is missing, though.
As I stated before, Bound for Glory features a lot of fresh matches which is due in part by the fact that a lot of the feuds have just started or gained traction. Aside from the 4-way tag team match and the match between Kurt Angle and Matt Morgan that has been building for some time, a majority of the matches are of rushed feuds that were creating just in time for this event.
Maybe it was due to a changing of the guard of the creative team or poor planning, but Bound for Glory should be used as the culmination of long term feuds and the beginning of new ones, not for angles that haven’t gotten enough time to develop.
Aside from that, the card does look great and should provide many memorable moments. If there is one potential drawback of this year’s show, though, is that it feels a little too rushed in some areas.
As always, live coverage of Bound for Glory will take place on Gerweck.net starting at 8 PM EST.
