TNA Bound For Glory 2014 review

It’s tough to know where to begin with the 2014 Bound For Glory show. So tough, in fact, that it’s taken me several weeks to get around to writing about it. The event has historically been promoted as TNA’s premiere event. Technically that didn’t change this year, but there were so many idiosyncrasies and caveats attached to the claim that it was tough to view it as the major event we were supposed to.

First of all there was the decision to promote the show in Japan. On the one hand, yes, Japan is a country in which professional wrestling is an accepted and relatively popular thing. Presumably TNA has some level of following there as they have a TV presence and managed to sell tickets. But it wasn’t a sell-out. In fact, it very visibly wasn’t a sell-out. There were seats available with decent proximity to the ring, which did not help the show seem like the major occurrence we were told it was or, more broadly, TNA look like a company that has a future. Any future.

Then there was the distinctly odd decision to omit many of the regulars. To an extent I can understand this. For example, Jeff Hardy is a very popular wrestler and I imagine the popularity extends to a certain type of Japanese fan, but his criminal record makes entry to the country troublesome at best and impossible at worst. So I can understand TNA not using him on the show.

I could understand Austin Aries or The Wolves or Bobby Roode or Lashley or Eric Young not finding themselves booked too. After all, even the biggest show of the year can’t necessarily feature everyone. But for all of those names to be missing is an absurdity. They are amongst TNA’s biggest names. In fact the only TNA roster members of note that were booked for the show were EC3, MVP, James Storm, Bully Ray and Samoa Joe. Everyone else either plays a minor role or was a guest performer.

That there were so many omissions from TNA’s line-up made the show feel more like a house show than the biggest event of the year (which, let’s not forget, it was meant to be). This is not a complaint about the Wrestle-1 performers who fleshed out the show. For the most part they did what they could. But realistically that was never going to be enough because the wrestlers mean very little within the context of TNA.

An extension of that omission point was that TNA failed to feature their world heavyweight champion. Okay, so Bobby Roode had defeated Lashley for the championship at a TV taping which hadn’t aired at the time of BFG. It’s a problem but a minor one, and certainly not something that couldn’t be sorted out with ease. Lashley could have been booked for the show and walked out with the belt, for example. If it’s true that Lashley was unavailable because of commitments to bargain bin MMA league Bellator then Roode could have appeared as champion and Tenay could have acknowledged the tape delay. Or, here’s a simpler idea still, TNA could have gotten their act together months earlier and planned their biggest show of the year, and the run up to it, well enough to have their top championship on a performer who was able to appear and their TV product sufficiently up to date.

As it was the two men possible to view as the current champion were both omitted. That was poor move from TNA. An appearance from the champion is an expected thing on cards such as this.

The final major issue was the main event. Put simply The Great Muta and Tajiri, at 51 and 44 respectively, were not capable of producing a main event calibre match opposite James Storm. Yeah, Sanada seems like a capable lad, but he’s not good enough to carry two opponents and a partner to anything particularly worthwhile.

I may seem biased, being a Brit and all, but I can’t understand why TNA didn’t hold the show in London or Glasgow. They’ve recorded television in both cities to great success in the past. They filled arenas significantly larger than Korakuen Hall with fans more knowledgeable and more passionate about the TNA product. Any argument that Wrestle-1 helped to cover costs and therefore made it worthwhile for TNA to hold the show in Tokyo is pretty much invalid, there are multiple British promotions that would have helped finance Bound For Glory in exchange for use of TNA talent on shows around Britain. Going to Japan was an egotistical move from TNA and one that didn’t pay off for them.  

For all the problems it had going in Bound For Glory was, at points, an enjoyable show in terms of match quality. That wasn’t enough to salvage it, but it was something. People just looking at this show as a show, not as part of the ongoing saga of TNA’s downward spiral, probably would have felt they got a decent offering.

After an opening video which got us up to speed on the origins of the main event tag team match (Sanada turning on Keiji Mutoh) we were whisked into the partially filled Korakuen Hall where Jeremy Borash welcomed us to the show. Taz and Mike Tenay chimed in on commentary… from Nashville. That they’d stayed in the US was another example of TNA’s cost-cutting. It also seemed to have irked Taz enough for him to become increasingly belligerent throughout the event.

Manik v Minoru Tanaka opened the show. The match started out looking like a smooth, competent affair and nothing more. It gradually built to incorporate bigger moves and a faster pace, including a particularly impressive moonsault from the turnbuckle to the outside by Tanaka. It was a very good choice for the opener. Tanaka won with a Fujiwara arm bar.

That was followed by the first of several flashbacks to old Team 3D footage (because they’d gone into TNA’s meaningless Hall of Fame the night before). It was from a Team 3D versus Rick Steiner and Road Warrior Animal match at Slammiversary 2007. The section we were shown saw Steiner and Animal make a comeback on 3D before Ray and Devon turned things around and won with the 3D. It was an unspectacular clip. No idea why it was chosen.

That was followed by an EC3 promo recorded earlier in the day, in a hotel by the look of things. Carter III said Spud had been on borrowed time since Dixie went through a table. He announced he'd secured himself a new PA (who would turn out to be Brodus ‘Tyrus’ Clay) then said he'd continue his undefeated streak at BFG. That was followed by a hype package that reminded us of all the guys Carter had beaten in his year in the promotion. That included Sting, Bully Ray, Kurt Angle and EY. TNA have done a good job building Carter up with what’s been available to them.

EC3 v Ryota Hama was preceded by a patronising, verging on racist, promo from Carter. It did at least get the desired reaction from the crowd, so that was something. He reminded us he'd beaten every inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame and declared that he would slam Hama. This promo coming straight after a backstage skit and before a match resulted in an overdose of EC3.

I’d previously been unaware of Hama’s work. His gimmick is basically that he’s a fat lad modelled on Rikishi circa 2000. If you’re into slabs of gammon that slap their backsides during matches there’s probably something to like with this character, but it was not for me.

EC3 mocked sumo wrestling mannerisms for some cheap heat. He got overpowered, stepped on and rolled over. He also took a running arse to the face and a traditional Stinkface. He came back with a kick to the genitals (which the ref somehow missed even though it happened right in front of him) and then hit the One-Per-Center for the pinfall victory. Carter's undefeated streak continued but he didn't deliver on his promise to slam Hama. He tried a few times though. Maybe that counts for something with someone.

Team 3D flashback number two came from Lockdown 2009 where they were opposite Beer Money in a cage match. 3D took a beating then 3D’ed Roode through a table to win. Not exactly a great example of their tag team prowess.

Backstage MVP talked about leaving his employer (he meant WWE and I’m astonished he didn’t namecheck it, considering how often Tenay does) to wrestle in Japan and talked about preferring wrestling to sports entertainment. Basically he put over Japanese promotions and Japanese wrestlers at the expense of TNA, not only his employer but the promotion people were watching, because TNA identifies as sports entertainment as much as it does anything else. He finished by saying he wasn't overly familiar with his opponent. It was a wonderful bit of subtle burial by ‘Mr 305’.

Kazma Sakamoto v MVP followed. MVP played the powerful, fiery babyface. Sakamoto played the cowardly heel. Tenay noted that Sakamoto had been Tensai’s “follower” in WWE. That did Sakamoto less favours than MVP’s promo. Sakamoto got the advantage after an eye rake then gave MVP a kicking. MVP made his comeback when he elbowed Sakamoto as he mockingly performed a Balling Elbow. MVP did the move properly and then scored with a shining wizard for the win. It was a decent enough match but not anything special.

Backstage Samoa Joe (wearing his dad's shades and suit) talked about making the X Division the best division in wrestling. He told his opponents to raise their game and prepare to be disappointed in their hopes for gold. It was a standard Joe promo, really. It was also kind of sad to see him lumbered with the X title in 2014. At this point TNA should have had him established as a permanent headliner alongside AJ Styles. They have, as has been noted by many people, made so many mistakes.

The X Division championship match saw Joe defend against Low Ki and Kaz Hayashi. During Low Ki’s entrance Tenay put over the X Division title as the equivalent of the IWGP junior heavyweight title. I thought that was rather flattering to TNA. Kaz Hayashi’s entrance was embellished with references to WCW, a company he worked for in a lower-card role before it went out of business thirteen-and-a-half years before this event.

They only got around ten minutes, which was surprising considering Joe’s status and the fact that it was one of only two title matches on the card. But it was also unsurprising considering TNA's general inability to present anyone like a star. The match was solid but seemed to be lacking something. It’s possible it was harmed by going on so early in the running order, fans not being ready for the megastar power of Samoa Joe so early in the night. Joe tapped out Ki to the Coquina Clutch, to an initially mixed reaction that gave way to cheers.

After the match Joe took a mic from JB and told the audience his name before saying something in Japanese. He put over Korakuen Hall and the fans, said his name again, and then said he is pro wrestling. The fans were into this but Joe is emphatically not the embodiment of pro wrestling in 2014. He hasn’t come close to being that for years.

Team 3D flashback number three took a different approach to the first two. It was highlights from a storyline as opposed to a match finish: the four month build to Dixie Carter getting put through a table. Sadly we didn’t get to see the Japanese crowd’s response to this.

Tommy Dreamer was interviewed about inducting Team 3D into the Hall of Fame. He said it was an honour to induct the lads in a country of honour, adding that it was surreal to be in Japan again and wrestling Team 3D. It was a tiresome interview. Dreamer being involved in the show beyond the induction was depressing. That was a spot that could have gone to a TNA regular, or someone more relevant to the sport in 2014.

Match number five was a Wrestle-1 presentation, Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodoma (representing the Novus stable) taking on Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera.  They were all eager guys showing plenty of pace and energy. The match was a little sloppy in places but remained entertaining. It was a good junior tag bout. Kodama won via a twisting corkscrew moonsault on Pantera after Kuroshio had wiped out Wu with a Swanton to the outside.

That was followed by what was presented as the second biggest match of the night: Tommy Dreamer and Abyss versus Team 3D. Bully and Devon wandered into the crowd before the match as Tenay chatted about their 23 tag title reigns. He included the WCW tag titles, which is contentious. They got into the championship lineage but it was booked by the WWF, making the legitimacy of it as a WCW reign dubious at best.

There was a “We want tables!” chant before the match began. Team 3D are still pretty over, making WWE interest all the more likely. Bully and Devon shook hands with Dreamer before the match. Abyss refused and turned his back on the alleged Hall of Famers.

The four started out with some double team wrestling in the ring. That came to an end when the one-time Dudley Boys did the Whassup headbutt and moved into the get-the-tables routine. That broke down into an arena-wide brawl. Weapons used included a bottle of water (by Dreamer), the ring bell, chairs, a hammer, kendo sticks, and various flimsy “metal” items dredged from beneath the ring. Thumb tacks came out after the standard issue brawling. Abyss took a flapjack onto those, selling them by campily waving his arms. The finish came moments afterwards after a 3D to Dreamer.

It came across like a parody of ECW brawls. It had no real passion or reason for happening and lacked basic psychology. Are we meant to believe they used weaponry because they have respect for each other? That’s just about plausible within wrestling logic, but the match needed a better layout and more aid from the commentary team to make it work if that was what they were going for. After the match Bully talked about the HOF and put over wrestling fans in general.

The pre-main event cool down spot went to Velvet Sky and Knockouts' champion Havok. They went with the obvious and most effective story; Velvet doing everything she could to bring down the powerful, imposing monster. It was a good match, superior to the average WWE Divas match because of the time that is invested in the Knockouts division as a whole (although it's nowhere near what it was years ago). Havok won with, of all things, submission to a bear hug.

The main event was preceded by a vignette of James Storm in a church chatting about saving Sanada from Mutoh. It was incredibly clichéd. Storm has basically been turned into a poor Jim Mitchell rip-off. We were also reminded of the formation of Storm's Revolution stable. They're not as entertaining, or as talented, as RPW’s Revolutionists. Sha Samuels alone is better than Manik, Sanada and Storm.

Before the match started Storm introduced himself as a legend. He got the crowd booing him by saying that he had turned a "boy" into a man (a statement that would have different connotations with a Western audience) by having him turn on his mentor. Sanada entered separately and got some decent heat. I suspect that was more to do with his heel turn than Storm’s promo.

A clean shaven Yoshihiro Tajiri wrestled simply as Tajiri. No first names here. Taz childishly shut down Tenay's attempts to get him to talk up his ECW clashes with ‘The Japanese Buzzsaw’. I mean, it's not like Taz is there to put the talent over or anything. He’s just there for his bubbly personality and sense of childlike wonder.

The Great Muta, the biggest star on the card for the live audience, barely got any reaction at all when he entered. His in-ring introduction was only slightly better. That was a worrying sign. Not as worrying, however, as Muta and Sanada starting the match. As the story of the match was that Sanada had turned on Mutoh (presumably forcing Mutoh to feel it necessary to wheel out his once-protected Great Muta gimmick) it would have made sense for the match to build towards a confrontation between them. They were the feud holding the match together and giving their exchange away at the opening bell set the match on a poor course it was never going to recover from.

Another part of the problem with the beginning was that the two bitter rivals didn’t have a particularly spirited sequence together. They rolled around on the mat a bit before Sanada's mist condom burst and started dribbling down face. Tajiri and Storm went in next and a portion of the crowd chanted for 'The Cowboy' (perhaps they were fooled into believing he really was a legend and felt they should show him some respect). They had a short, basic exchange before Sanada tagged back in to jeers. He and Tajiri spilled out to the floor and went under the ring, where they stayed for around thirty seconds as the audience sat in silence.

When they emerged Tajiri’s face was blue, immediately telling us they’d slipped under the ring as a way of working around the planned mist spot that had been ruined by the burst condom. It was a poor workaround that added nothing to the match. They could just as easily not have had Sanada do the mist. From there Tajiri was isolated to set up an eventual lukewarm tag to Muta.

Muta hit some dragon screw leg whips, did a bit of ringside brawling, and then dropped his corkscrew elbow. Storm interfered but got wiped out. Tajiri came in to give Sanada some kicks. His attempt at the mist was avoided, as was Sanada’s, but then Tajiri and Muta got a double mist on the former protégé, Muta following up with a shining wizard for the three. It was an awful finishing sequence to an awful match. It wouldn't have cut it as an Impact main event and was an embarrassment as the main event of what was supposed to be the biggest show of the year.

After the match Storm attacked Tajiri and threw him out of the ring. Then he choked Muta with a noose and screamed for him to die. Team 3D made the save, allowing Muta to mist Storm before he was given a 3D, a sequence that felt like a house show closer as opposed to the end of a pay-per-view.

That Bound For Glory played host to such a raft of problems is indicative of the poor state of TNA in the latter half of 2014. It was frustrating far more than it was rewarding. Much like TNA itself, really. If the company does cease to exist early next year this will not be a fitting end to its life on pay-per-view. It will, however, work very well as an analogue to TNA’s history: mostly enjoyable with flashes of entertainment in its first half before falling to pieces in its second and ending with just about the worst presentation imaginable.

Results summary:

Minoru Tanaka defeated Manik

Ethan Carter III defeated Ryota Hama

MVP defeated Kazma Sakamoto

Samoa Joe defeated Kaz Hayashi and Low Ki to retain the X Division championship

Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama defeated El Hijo del Pantera and Andy Wu

Team 3D defeated Abyss and Tommy Dreamer

Havok defeated Velvet Sky to retain the Knockouts championship

The Great Muta and Tajiri defeated James Storm and The Great Sanada

Back on Form

Last night's Bound For Glory pay-per-view presented its audience with no less than five championship matches. Four of those saw titles change hands. While some of the switches were good moves (Tara dethroning former tag partner Miss Tessmacher and Guerrero and Hernandez capturing the doubles straps) it was still far too much for one show.
 
The approach is worryingly similar to the TNA of three or four years ago. Back then matches took place with little rhyme or reason and championships changed hands so frequently that their importance was severely diluted. TNA has done if good job of restoring some lustre to those battered prizes over the last year. Bound For Glory 2012 felt more like a step back than a step forward.
 
If the company felt the need to have so many prizes change hands then they should have planned things out better and had some changes take place on different dates. Rob Van Dam's X Division title win is a perfect example of a switch which didn't have to take place at BFG. Defending champ Zema Ion could have wrestled RVD to a time limit draw, setting up a rematch on IMPACT or at November's Turning Point show. Even a deliberate DQ to set up a return encounter would have been better than a cluttered card.

The man who replaces Austin Aries at the top of TNA

 
The multitude of new champs crowned on the undercard diluted the importance of Jeff Hardy's TNA title win in the main event slot. 'The Charismatic Enigma's' victory over Austin Aries would have meant more had it not had to share the night with Tara, Guerrero, Hernandez, and Van Dam's wins.
 
The show itself was mostly enjoyable. The main event was a fittingly well-crafted encounter and while I wish 'A Double' had remained the world champion for a while longer I can't fault the decision to move the belt on to Jeff Hardy considering the reaction his win got.

The interaction between Hardy and Aries should prove a highlight of Thursday’s IMPACT and I imagine we’ll see them clash for the title over the course of the next few PPVs. I hope their inevitable match at Turning Point is of the same standard. Hopefully the rest of the card will be too, but with a few less title changes. Remember, TNA: less is more.

Bound For Glory 2012 preview

I fell out of the habit of previewing every TNA pay-per-view some time last year. At the time the promotion was not enjoyable to watch and I wasn't keeping up with storylines enough to make previewing shows and predicting match outcomes worth anybody's time.
 
2012 has seen TNA improve their product significantly. Bobby Roode was given a lengthy and enjoyable reign as world champion, allowing him to establish himself as a top card player and return some prestige to the title. Since defeating 'The It Factor' at June's Destination X Austin Aries has continued to make the world title mean something and proved that he too warrants a regular headline spot.
 
The company is using talent better and, for the most part, presenting clear, logical storylines. The Claire Lynch plot may have become very silly very quickly but, to take a positive stance, it was at least designed to give four of the promotion's best wrestlers something to do and proved an efficient way of reinvigorating the dreary tag team scene.

Why do wrestlers never look happy when they pose for posters?

 
Despite these positives Bound For Glory doesn't feel like anything truly special. It is talked about as TNA's biggest show of the year, which should make it comparable to WrestleMania. Perhaps not in terms of star power or arena size but certainly with regards to the culmination of storylines and presenting the biggest bouts possible. BFG has a strong main event and some potentially great bouts on the undercard but it also has Al Snow scheduled for action. That may seem a small thing but if there's space on what is alleged to be the biggest card of the year for a road agent to wrestle then it can't be that big a card.
 
The whole Joey Ryan situation has been one of the least interesting things about IMPACT since it began. TNA has attempted to present Ryan's quest for a contract as a shoot and it has never been anything less than unconvincing. Had they simply signed Ryan after his Gut Check appearance (or admitted they made a mistake passing on him and done it a week or two later) then he could have been established enough by now to be wrestling Zema Ion for the X Division championship on the show. As it is the high-flying pretty boy doesn't have a match for the show (not at time of writing anyway)… but Al Snow does.
 
I like Joey Ryan. I enjoyed his appearances as a comedic heel for Ring of Honor very much. I don't think he's cut out to play the threatening, conniving tough guy though. I hope we see more of him in TNA in the future but with a revised role. I expect the younger man to win. What will putting a road agent over achieve?
 
Another match I'm less than thrilled about is Samoa Joe v Magnus. It's not that I think the match will be bad, it's more that it seems to have come too early.
 
A few months ago Joe and Magnus were working together as a tag team and doing very well. They held the tag team titles and would have slotted very nicely into the feud pitting Kurt Angle and AJ Styles against Chris Daniels and Kazarian.

Their split wasn't hinted at and seems to have been booked because TNA doesn't want them as a unit at the moment, which is bizarre when you consider that the two were recognised as NOAH’s GHC tag team champions until Monday evening. TNA’s opinion on the two as a pair could change in a few months, and even if it doesn't Joe and Magnus would have benefited from a slightly more drawn out de-pairing.
 
Another reason to dislike the match is that the television championship is involved. I hate TNA having that belt. They don't have the roster depth to support three singles titles and the TV strap dilutes the importance of the other two. They should have quietly retired it when Devon left.
 
A few years ago I would have been convinced that 'The Samoan Submission Machine' would win this match. Now I don't think it's anywhere near as clear. The days of Joe beating everyone but an elite few are gone, and perhaps a Magnus singles push is planned. A win over Joe at a big event, for a title no less, would be an excellent way of launching the Brit up the ranks. I'd like to see that happen so I’ll pick Magnus to win.
 
One of the matches I expect to be a highlight is the tag team title clash. Defending champions Daniels and Kazarian (a.k.a. the World Tag Team Champions of the World) defend against Chavo Guerrero Jr and Hernandez and the duo of Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. Styles, Angle, and the champs are not only four of TNA's very best wrestlers but because they've been working together so much lately I expect this to be among the night's best outings. Even Hernandez and Chavo can't stop this being any less than enjoyable.
 
I think it's possible Guerrero and Hernandez could leave with the gold. TWTTCOTW v 'The Phenomenal One' and 'The Olympic Hero', as good a rivalry as it is, has been going for a while now. I suspect the writing team will want to get the titles back on to a long term team. In an ideal world the champs would keep the belts for a while longer though.
 
The Knockouts championship match between challenger Tara and champion Miss Tessmacher is not fresh. It has been presented several times over the last several weeks, partly because TNA have been crafting a storyline in which Tara has turned heel on her tag partner slash protégé and partly because so many of the company's Knockouts have either left or are on sabbaticals.
 
The gradual turn of Tara has been handled well. The veteran has pulled it off believably and the reasons behind her new attitude make sense. Adding a stipulation or gimmick to the bout would have been preferable, given that the two women have clashed on TV lately, but the lack isn't catastrophic. I think it will be Tara's night to lift the strap.
 
Speaking of repeats, Bobby Roode and James Storm will clash once again at BFG. The two haven't met in several months, but they did have a high profile feud for 'The It Factor's' world title that spanned six months. I think a bout between the two at this year's show is fitting, considering what happened to the two at last year's instalment and in the days following. It's apt. I don't think it's the beginning of another long programme between the two though. It seems more likely that it’s being used to tie up loose ends in the feud, give 'The Cowboy' a win over the former champ so he can make a case for getting a title match sometime soon, and launching a feud between Roode and King Mo.
 
The MMA star has been installed as the guest enforcer for the bout. It's a clever move. Mo has spent the last few months learning how to wrestle at TNA's satellite league OVW. He may look the part and have the swagger of a wrestler but I’ll be astonished if he's particularly good yet. Having him stand at ringside allows him to get physically involved without having to work a lengthy match.

His debut will also allow TNA to present BFG as one of their bigger events and should ensure a larger than average audience witness the beginning of his rivalry (well, the continuation) with Roode. I hope that's TNA's plan anyway: the former world champion is hated enough to stop fans turning on Mo when he starts wrestling and is talented enough to guide him through his first few matches as a pro wrestler.

Perhaps the most hyped match on the card is the showdown between Aces and Eights and TNA representatives Sting and Bully Ray. There are plenty of variables involved in this match, the majority of them revolving around Aces and Eights membership and the question of whether Sting can trust the bully.

Will Ray and ‘The Stinger’ be tangling with two former WWE stars such as Chris Masters and Luke Gallows, both of whom are favourites to ultimately be unmasked as A&E members? Will Matt Morgan resurface on TNA television, having been on run-in duty for the last several weeks? If so will he take the obvious route and join Aces and Eights or provide us with a genuine surprise and side with Sting? Will Abyss and-or Joseph Park show up?

The big question is will ‘Calfzilla’ turn on Sting? He’s been portrayed as untrustworthy and he is still a heel, but I think Bound For Glory would be the perfect time to have Ray go face. It would give him a number of new opponents, allow him to be part of a key storyline for several months and could be used as a way to build him up for a run at the world title.

Another possibility is that Devon hasn’t really left TNA at all and will return as an Aces representative, allowing Bully to feign surprise before turning on Sting for a Team 3D (or Dudley Boys, if you’re a more long standing fan) reunion. I’d like to see that as I think it would catch many people off guard. It could be used to draw another babyface, such as Rob Van Dam or Mr Anderson, into the Aces and Eights conflict.

At this point I’ll say that if the Devon return does happen, which I think is unlikely, the chances of Hogan hobbling to ringside to make the save are very high.

Whatever happens it seems obvious who’s going to win. The stipulation is that Aces and Eights will gain unfettered access to the IMPACT Zone if they can notch a victory. With this feud nowhere near over it’s clear they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

Finally there’s the TNA world championship match between Austin Aries and winner of the Bound For Glory series Jeff Hardy. The writing team deserves praise for constructing a much better tournament this year. Last year’s inaugural effort was sloppy and uneven with some competitors getting twice the number of chances to gain points as others. The decision to have every man face each other once this year made it a much more enjoyable experience, and had the desired effect of making wins and losses matter.

‘A Double’ has heard boos over the last few weeks. I think it’s a great shame that fans have turned on him so quickly. He has been a breath of fresh air at the top of the TNA card and deserves to stay there for a while yet. Perhaps it’s just the unbridled popularity of Jeff Hardy causing fans to pick sides. Whether that’s the case or not it may cause TNA to turn the champ heel.

BFG would be the ideal place to officially turn Aries. It would capitalise on the sizeable audience the show is likely to draw and would be guaranteed a reaction because Aries would be turning on ‘The Charismatic Engima’. Personally I think TNA should hold off on switching ‘The Greatest Man That Ever Lived’ again so soon because he was chosen as a babyface by the fans. It’s worth persevering for a little longer.

Whether Aries turns heel or not I expect this to be one of the best matches of the evening and get a good amount of time. Twenty minutes or more should allow them to put on a really memorable show. The booking hasn’t really favoured either man so it’s tough to predict a winner but I’ll go with Aries. He’s the man I want to leave as champion. That’s as good a reason as any to pick him.

On paper Bound For Glory looks like a decent show but, as I noted above, it doesn’t look like one of the biggest wrestling events of the year. In TNA’s favour is the fact that it will be broadcast from somewhere other than their regular haunt (Phoenix, Arizona to be precise) which should mean a lively crowd and a larger arena. This time next year I hope the company is putting on a show that can be described as a blockbuster. For now we can take solace in the fact that they’re giving us logical storylines and making the most of their talented locker room.

Predictions summary:

Austin Aries to defeat Jeff Hardy
Aces and Eights to defeat Bully Ray and Sting
James Storm to defeat Bobby Roode
Chavo Guerrero Jr and Hernandez to defeat AJ Styles and Kurt Angle and the World Tag Team Champions of the World
Tara to defeat Miss Tessmacher
Samoa Joe to defeat Magnus
Joey Ryan to defeat Al Snow

'A Double' Is No Champ Double

Tonight TNA will air their Destination X pay-per-view. This event will be headlined by a match for the TNA world championship, pitting champion Bobby Roode against challenger Austin Aries. Aries earned this match by trading in his X Division title on the June 21^st episode of IMPACT because, in the storyline, GM Hulk Hogan didn’t want one wrestler holding both belts but had acknowledged that Aries was worthy of a shot at the world strap.

In reality Aries was relieved of the gold because he is being promoted to the main event and the company wants to freshen up the X Division. Having a vacant title is the perfect opportunity to do that and giving up the strap doesn’t doesn’t harm Aries’ momentum.

Of course the argument to that is that stripping ‘A Double’ of the title, no matter the reason, means that whoever is next in line to hold the X belt doesn’t get the rub of dethroning the longest reigning champ in the belt’s history. Had Aries been booked to put over a new champion in a competitive match a new star could have potentially been created.

As I say I understand TNA’s reluctance to take this approach, having Aries lose right now would make the decision to give him a world title match on a PPV questionable. The company is protecting its breakout star. While they could have had Roode cost Aries the title via interference of some kind it’s not a catastrophic decision. The important thing is that Aries goes into Destination X looking as strong as possible.

Is Austin Aries the next TNA world champion?

The relaunch of the X Division has been needed for a while. Aries was the longest reigning champion ever in part because there were so few wrestlers who could have been booked to defeat him. The division’s roster was stretched thin. The recent influx of new talent Rashad Cameron, Flip Casanova, and Kenny King and the reintroduction of Kid Kash, Doug Williams, and Sonjay Dutt gives the X Division a much needed talent injection.

If an emphasis is placed on in-ring action over silly and frivolous stories the league has a real chance of becoming a highlight of the company again. The X Division has always been something that sets TNA apart from its competitors, particularly WWE, and should be concentrated on far more than it has been lately.

It was at last year’s Destination X pay-per-view that ‘The Greatest Man That Ever Lived’ returned to TNA (he had previously had a run with the company under the ring name Austin Starr). It shows how good Aries is that in the space of a year he earned himself a contract, a title, a hefty push and, to top things off, a headline match with the promotion’s top heel.

Can Aries leave Destination X with the world championship? If he does so he will become only the second man in history to have reigns as ROH champion and TNA champion (the first being Samoa Joe). I don’t think he’ll be victorious though.

‘The It Factor’ has been pushed as TNA’s premier star since late last year and I don’t think enough members of the company’s management team will be convinced that Aries can work as champion to authorise a title switch just yet.

The promotion seems keen on giving Roode a lengthy run as TNA world champion. It’s a decision designed to help establish him as a star attraction and convince viewers that he’s a formidable force. It’s the right approach with the right guy. As much as I like Aries I think taking the belt off of Roode now would be a mistake, he should hold onto it for a while longer and continue getting over as the promotion’s lead villain.

That’s not to say that ‘A Double’ shouldn’t win the world title at some point. He’s gotten himself over as a star babyface and is talented enough to work in the role. In a few months’ time, perhaps after this year’s Bound For Glory series, Aries could rise up and challenge for the gold again. At that point he could win it without harming Roode’s carefully cultivated image.

For now though I think it’s Roode’s time, and Aries is going to have to make do with producing an excellent headline bout. That’s something he is very capable of doing.

Leg Drops and Ankle Locks

Bound For Glory was yet another wasted opportunity. Bobby Roode should have dethroned Kurt Angle for the TNA world heavyweight championship. Instead TNA booked a screwy finish in which Roode broke the count by grabbing the ropes without the referee seeing. Meanwhile the semi-main event saw Hulk Hogan job to Sting and then save him from a post-match beat down from his Immortal teammates. ‘The Hulkster’ cemented his face turn by lamping Eric Bischoff.

Hogan making the save was an absolute waste of time. Not only did it render the months-long feud between the two veterans/dinosaurs pointless, it also deprived a young babyface the chance of rising up the ranks.

It would have been easy to book Hogan to try and save ‘The Insane Icon’ only to be bettered by Immortal’s superior numbers before a young babyface came out to even the odds and send the heels packing. But that would have deprived Hogan of the opportunity to get himself over, so it didn’t happen. Had someone other than Hogan and Sting been elevated there would have been some sort of reason for the match happening.

Presumably Hogan will now join forces with Sting to feud with Immortal. Great. Two fifty-somethings battling washed-up WWE stars and tattooed jobbers. What a lead feud that’s going to be!

While you could be forgiven for thinking that TNA’s lead heel is Eric Bischoff (he was treated as such in that post-match angle after all) that spot is actually inhabited by world champion and Immortal member Kurt Angle. With the Olympian having retained the gold against Roode and Hogan looking like he’s headed into a feud with the faction what are the odds that we see Hogan v Angle for the TNA world championship in the near future?

As much as I’d like to see a scenario in which Hogan and Sting endorse a group of young babyfaces (Fourtune would be the best candidates) Hogan’s recent comments regarding Roode make that look unlikely. Instead we’re likely going to get Sting and then Hogan facing Angle on TNA pay-per-views. With Angle still determined to compete at next year’s Olympic Games it’s possible he’ll need to drop the title in the next couple of months. That means there’s a very real chance we could see Hogan as TNA world champion before the year is out.

Should you be interested in a Hogan v Angle match I suggest you check out their clash at WWE King of the Ring 2002. Coming from a time before Angle’s body had fallen to pieces and Hogan had had his hip replaced it’s far superior to anything they’re likely to churn out these days.

That’s not going to stop TNA from booking it though.

Does He Really Know Best?

Could today be the day Bobby Roode wins his first TNA World heavyweight championship and becomes ‘The Man’ in TNA? Many fans hope so. With a match against Kurt Angle, who is still the promotion’s top worker despite his age and shoddy health, in the main event of TNA’s top annual pay-per-view it certainly seems like the perfect time to elevate a new star. Roode has the look, the verbal skills and the in-ring ability to become the top guy.

One man disagrees with that view: Hulk Hogan. In a radio interview given on Thursday (for Sirius Radio) Hogan buried Roode with the following statement:

“Nah, he’s not ready. He’s not the next guy. You know, they might think he is. Dixie Carter might think he is. The whole world might think he is. He’s not the next guy.”

Yep, Hogan indirectly acknowledged there is overwhelming support for Bobby Roode yet dismissed him as being unready. Why? Because, according to Hogan:

“This is much more than being a wrestler, this is crossing barriers, medias, you know media barriers, and entertainment barriers of all kinds. Getting your character down verbally has ninety per cent to do with getting over.”

Crossing media barriers is something a legitimate leading man needs to do for a wrestling promotion these days. It’s what Cena, Austin, Rock and Hogan himself have all done for WWE at one time or another. But the wrestler doesn’t just magically do it: it’s up to the wrestling company in question to help them get that chance in the first place. TNA needs to concentrate on becoming enough of a success that the US media approaches them and asks to feature their stars in papers on radio shows on on TV. For Hogan to insinuate that Roode isn’t capable of making enough of an impact in these areas isn’t just insulting and incorrect, it’s unrealistic too. Right now no star that isn’t already established as a name performer is going to get the chance to create a media career for themselves because nobody in the media cares about Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Ironically this is the one area in which ‘The Hulkster’ is still capable of helping. He’s been one of the biggest names in wrestling since the early 80s and as such he can still drum up media coverage whenever he desires. Instead of using that platform to bury anyone who is not a proven draw he should be building up the younger talent such as Bobby Roode, because TNA desperately needs to establish such men as main event talents in order to survive and keep paying Hogan his exorbitant salary.

Hogan himself will clash with Sting at Bound For Glory. Yes, two men with a combined age of 110 will be in the semi main event spot on the show. If their age wasn’t bad enough Hogan has a plastic hip and has stated he won’t take any bumps (he said “won’t” not “can’t”, which you could read something into). That would make booking him to provide simple interference a foolish decision, so naturally TNA has gone one better and booked him in a full match.

When asked about his bout with Sting Hogan confirmed that he won’t plan much out in advance. That’s worrying. Sting is known for needing several spots planned out meticulously in advance and freely admits he usually requires his opponents to carry him. Couple these drawbacks with Hogan’s mobility issues and this match looks set to be one of the most unpleasant debacles of the year. But then unpleasant debacles are a TNA speciality.

There will need to be a lot of stalling, run-ins and other distractions if Hogan v Sting is to be anything approaching bearable. Even then you have to wonder why the match is happening at all. Over a year has been spent hinting at this match. That two part timers  whose prime is decades in the past have warranted such hype for what is almost guaranteed to be an awful match is a colossal slap in the face to everyone else on TNA’s roster. TNA should have focused that time and attention on building up two prospective main event wrestlers (such as Bobby Roode) for a big collision and promoted the match as the clash between two young guys wanting to carry TNA into the future. Two new stars would have been created and Bound For Glory would have had a worthwhile main event.

Sting and Hogan could still have been involved by each championing one of the younger stars. Passing the torch? Putting people over? Giving the rub? All of that stuff that ‘The Hulkster’ and ‘The Stinger’ love to talk about.

The lack of opportunities for younger talent doesn’t just apply to the Hogan v Sting main event. The undercard features Rob Van Dam v Jerry Lynn (two men who’s most famous match against one another occurred in March 1999), AJ Styles v Christopher Daniels (a match that has been done to death by TNA over the last decade), and a bout between Bully Ray (a former WWE wrestler approaching 40) and Mr Anderson (another former WWE guy whom is not over as he was a few months ago). That there are so many older wrestlers and former WWE employees on the card is massively frustrating for viewers and, I imagine, for the wrestlers who aren’t booked on the show.

On a final note, Hogan was asked who he would pick as the next breakout star for TNA, the man the company should be getting behind and centring all its hottest angles on. Want to know what his reply was?

“If I had to bet money on anybody, and really be serious about betting money on anybody, I’d say Jeff Hardy’s the next guy if he keeps his act together. Well, I think he’s got a lot of shine to him. I mean he just doesn’t have five star matches, he shines outside the ring. He walks through the mall and people know who he is. He’s got a look, he’s got an air about him. He’s got the It Factor. That’s what you gotta have, man.”

Jeff Hardy, who has held both WWE’s world titles as well as TNA’s, is Hogan’s pick for the next breakout star. That Hogan still considers Jeff Hardy as someone who’s capable of breaking out of the pack rather than the bona fide main event talent he’s been for several years (when he can be bothered) says a lot about his view on the process of elevating talent. If someone like Jeff Hardy is still being thought of as a young prospect the true undercard talent in TNA stand no chance of progressing.

If I were Bobby Roode I’d be on the phone to Johnny Ace trying to negotiate a deal for Beer Money Inc. to move to FCW.