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

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 18

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 18 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

Yesterday I posted an article about the release of Kassius Ohno from WWE. As it’s pretty significant news it got discussed during the latest That Wrestling Podcast recording session too. This was recorded on Sunday, so don’t expect any mention of his upcoming matches for CZW, Dragon Gate USA or anywhere else.



How far could Manik (or indeed TJ Perkins) go in WWE?

Also in this episode is the debut of a new recurring segment: Breaking In. It’s similar to the episodes in which we discuss how far current WWE Superstars™ can go in the company but looking at people who work elsewhere and discussing their chances of making it through the WWE system. The debut episode looks at three TNA performers.

Plus some thoughts on general wrestling goings-on, natch.

Destination X 2013 review

Until last year Destination X was one of TNA’s twelve annual pay-per-views. The move to four annual pay-per-views this year has resulted in the event being demoted to the status of TV special. As the name suggests it traditionally focused on the X Division and its competitors. In practice that had been something of a problem for TNA for a few years, thanks to the general inability of the company to keep the X roster sufficiently stocked.

The answer to this, as far as TNA’s concerned, is to bring in outsiders for Destination X. If the sole aim is to put on a decent show featuring X Division matches then that’s a fine answer. But in actually it’s a course of action that overlooks the fact that TNA has to attract an audience for their weekly television show and market pay-per-views.

Bringing in outside talent does not help in these areas. Very few people are going to buy a pay-per-view or tune in to a television special to watch a bunch of guys that they don’t know. The ones that do tune in are going to be disappointed when they watch the next episode of Impact and discover that most of the X Division guys will be appearing.

The answer is obvious: sign new talent to be a part of a rejuvenated X Division. That’s easier said than done, of course. TNA is going through some pretty public financial difficulties right now, which makes signing new talent unlikely.

TNA management have nobody to blame but themselves. Instead of concentrating on big names like Sting and Hogan they should have spent their money on enlarging the roster, allowing them to create their own names. It’s now reached the point where the TNA roster is comprised almost exclusively of men and women who have been with the promotion for years, making fresh matches impossible to come by, which in turn leads to an uninspiring product that uncontracted wrestlers don’t want to be associated with, which means TNA can’t bring in sufficient new talent and so the problem becomes worse.

It’s a vicious circle. Right now it looks like the problems are too far gone to be fixed. TNA should have acted years ago. I hope they survive and can become a worthwhile number two promotion but I can’t see it happening.

Anyway, last Thursday’s Impact was this year’s Destination X. It featured the return of Homicide, Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams, and Rubix, as well as Boot Camp victor Rockstar Spud. The former Trent Barreta also made his first TNA appearance, wrestling under his real name of Greg Marasciulo.

I’m sure all or most of these wrestlers combined would work for the same amount of money as Sting or Hulk Hogan. They’d be better for the product too. But TNA would rather have the former WCW names, doing the same things they’ve been doing for years and being incapable of offering anything to the future of the company.

The show opened with a shot of the men who would be wrestling in triple threat X Division matches during the night. Chris Sabin was then shown preparing for his main event match with Bully Ray (more on that below) in what appeared to be a bathroom. That’s how you make talent look like stars!

TNA champion Bully Ray kicked the night off with an in-ring promo. It was standard stuff. ‘Calfzilla’ belittled Chris Sabin, said he’d leave with the title, and assured us that Aces and Eights would be destroying the reformed Main Event Mafia very soon. He also referred to himself as the most hated man in wrestling. He’s not at the top of the list but I’d say he’s pretty close.

Bully called out Brooke. She came tottering out and told him that she’s moving on with her life. She brandished the ring she was given by NFL hunk Phil Costa to drive her point home. For those unaware Brooke and Bully are married in TNA storylines and Brooke is engaged in real life to the aforementioned NFL player. This uneasy marring of storyline and real life is a standard move from TNA.

Hogan came out and told Bully that he’d raped and pillaged TNA and his family for long enough. I thought the use of rape was a little strong but it came from the same guy who called Aces and Eights terrorists and pussies at Slammiversary. ‘The Hulkster’ is not the sort of man to tone things down.

Anyway, Hogan said the raping and pillaging is over because enough is enough. Someone needed to remind him that’s not how pro wrestling works: things get sorted in matches, dammit! Luckily Kurt Angle and the MEM were watching things from backstage and took this moment to pipe up. Appearing on the big screen ‘The Cyborg’ told Bully he’d lose the TNA title in a fair fight and there was nothing he could do about it. Powerful stuff, right?

Mike Tenay and JB (who was on commentary because nobody knew where Taz was, which could be a shoot or work considering how chaotic TNA is) hyped the Bully Ray v Chris Sabin main event and then showed Austin Aries victory over Bobby Roode from last year’s show. From there we saw Roode walking down a corridor saying he was going to get his first few points in the BFG series later in the evening.

Gail Kim was shown watching a TV and playing around on her phone. She was live tweeting the show apparently. I’m sure that was a barrel of laughs.

Roode v Aries was the first match of the night. At first I wasn’t keen on Roode, a guy with no ties to the X Division, appearing on the show. But then I remembered two things. First of all, this is TNA and there are for bigger things wrong. Secondly, it was a rematch from the previous year’s show so it made sense.

Yep, he's a good guy again

‘A Double’ played face in a fast, intense bout. They crammed in a bundle of pinfall attempts, signature moves and finishers. It made for a lively match. Aries eventually went over clean with a brainbuster. The crowd were very into him.

Afterwards ‘The It Factor’ lobbed a few chairs about to illustrate his frustration. I think that could be a great gimmick for Roode: the man who takes his losses out on chairs.

Backstage Hernandez and Homicide caught up. Chavo showed up and the conversation stopped. It was super-awks. Homicide wandered off and Chavo told ‘SuperMex’ that they’d face off at next year’s DX as the X and world champions. I think that’s a bit optimistic, and not just because the chances of either man winning a singles belt are slim: there’s every chance TNA won’t be around to promote a Destination X show next year.

Mr Anderson rallied the Aces and Eights troops, asking if everyone knew what they had to do. They did. That’s hardly surprising when Aces’ plan was basically to wander to ringside and watch the main event. This segment existed simply to let viewers know that DOC’s left A&E and TNA.

The first X match of the night was Petey Williams v Homicide v Sonjay Dutt. Because none of the men are regulars on TV Tenay had to resort to referring to an online feud between Dutt and Williams. Had they been under contract that dispute could have been built up with some high quality wrestling matches. I thought that was supposed to “matter” in TNA. Has that slogan outlived its usefulness now?

Petey got hit with a Gringo Killer but Dutt made the save and nailed ‘cide with his moonsault into a double stomp for the victory. The match was pretty cool but nothing special.

After a break Kenny King and Chavo Guerrero were both in the ring awaiting the third man in their match. That was Manik. Formerly Suicide. Formerly TJ Perkins. The Suicide name has been consigned to history and TJP is now wrestling in the same suit under the Manik name. The point of this is known to no one. Perkins would be far more likely to get over if he wasn’t hampered by absurd gimmicks.

This match wasn’t quite as good as the one before it but it did feature a nice spot: Manik applied an Indian death lock on King and hit a Northern Lights suplex on Chavo. After that the commentary team started putting Chavo over as a singles guy, referencing his cruiserweight title wins in WCW and WWE, the last of which occurred in 2007. If TNA did what I suggested and concentrated on building up their own name talent they wouldn’t need to stoop to embarrassingly referencing accomplishments achieved in other companies.

Manik went over with a double underhook into a gutbuster. It was an impressive move. Definitely believable as a finisher.

In the back the MEM had a pep talk. Rampage said he was going to knock somebody out. That’s to show how manly and unpredictable he is, kids.

That was followed by another pep talk, this one being delivered by Hulk Hogan to Chris Sabin. ‘The Hulkster’ said he’d had no idea that the injuries and the setbacks suffered by Sabin had been setups for greatness. Sabin was told to make the fans remember him and bring the world championship back to TNA. Sabin’s one line in this segment was “Thank you.” That told us all we needed to know about who the star was.

The Main Event Mafia came to the ring. Four of them were wearing sunglasses, indoors and at night. They looked like idiots. Rampage Jackson (he of MMA fame) was wearing a T-shirt, army fatigues and a big chain, so he looked out of place. I appreciate what TNA are trying to do resurrecting MEM but they’ve made a mistake by having two headline guys in the group. The focus should be on boosting younger talent. At this point they should embrace the inanity of the faction and bring Scott Steiner back to cut all the promos.

The gang talked about how they’re going to rid TNA of Aces and Eights. I find it hard to care about this programme anymore. It’s been going for a year and hasn’t made a single new star or given us any truly excellent matches. I just want it to end and for a new lead storyline to be thought up.

Mr Anderson appeared on the big screen to say Aces were conserving their energy for a party later in the night. Joe took the mic to say that he and the Mafia were going to head to the back and drink the heels’ beer. And that’s what they did.

The segment ended after all the Mafia members bar Angle were locked in a room with Aces and Eights. Bully and Devon threw Angle into the back of a track and he was driven out of the arena.

The final triple threat match saw Greg Marasciulo beat Rubix and Rockstar Spud. It was a decent enough match, but again it was nothing amazing. Triple threats are hard to pull off for wrestlers. They’re equally hard for audiences to watch when there’s no legitimate reason for them to happen.

 

A rare appearance for Rockstar Spud. Why they don't use him every week I've no idea

 

We got a shot of Bully Ray chatting to someone on the phone. He put over how great his plan was and told the mystery person on the other end of the line that Angle was being taken to the location discussed to be made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Hilariously, the next shot was of Angle driving back into the arena without any explanation as to how he’d escaped his predicament. We didn’t see him again until the main event and no mention was made of MEM having been stuck in a room backstage. Presumably Angle let them out. But it is possible they escaped by magic.

Out in the ring knockouts champion Mickie James talked about the great Knockouts division moment she'd had the week before. The footage she had played revealed that she was talking about her singing at a bar and being part of a parade. Until that footage played the fans had been cheering her. They booed her after that.

Mickie talked herself up until Gail Kim came striding out. She told Mickie the only thing people were talking about was her win in a ladder match the week before. Mickie tried to slap Gail but Gail ducked and struck first. They tussled but referees broke them up. Mickie's great as a self-absorbed heel. Gail's promising as a babyface who doesn’t back down.

Backstage Austin Aries told Chris Sabin he was the reason Chris is getting a title shot. Not because of the cash-in clause (more on that below) but because Aries tested him and drove him to improve in their recent match. Acting like a true babyface Austin said he'd be rooting for Sabin. Sabin didn’t say anything. He did not come across as a star.

Borash did the in-ring introductions for the main event. If TNA want to save themselves some dosh they should release JB. Don't feel sorry for him. He could get work on a shopping channel, no trouble.

So… this match came about because Chris Sabin was the X Division champion. A ruling was introduced last year that allows X Division champions to turn in their title for a shot at the world championship. This process has been referred to several times as “cashing in”, which makes the obvious Money in the Bank rip-off even more obvious.

Nabbing the MITB concept is not, in and of itself, a bad idea. The trouble is that it’s just one of many instances of TNA emulating WWE as opposed to trying to forge their own identity and creating fresh ideas. It also serves to devalue the X Division championship. The belt now comes across as trinket that’s traded throughout the year in order to get a more important prize come July. As the X Division is the one thing that sets TNA apart from WWE that’s a real problem.

For the first several minutes of the match champion and challenger exchanged strikes, kicks and chops. Sabin pelted Bully’s ribs while Bully targeted Sabin’s knees, which had been the cause of him missing two years of action. It was a sensible story to tell.

Sabin rolled out on to the entrance ramp after a particularly vicious elbow was driven into his knee. Aces and Eight sauntered out on to the ramp which predictably brought out the Main Event Mafia. The two gangs surrounded the ring as Sabin was chucked back in by Bully.

Bully continued focusing on Sabin's knees, stopping occasionally to shout at the MEM. Bully tugged down Sabin's knee pad for extra damage (whadda heel!). The crowd started a "Bully sucks!" chant as the champ mocked Hulk Hogan's ear cupping pose but it quickly petered out when Sabin showed no signs of making a valiant comeback. He’d tried a few times but got put down every time with an attack on his knees.

Bully hit a suplex from the middle rope. Sabin kicked out. The champ pulled the challenger up and went for a Bully bomb but Sabin escaped and kicked him in the head. The challenger made it to the top rope and scored with a missile drop kick. Unfortunately the referee was caught by that too, so the subsequent cover didn't get counted.

A brawl between the factions kicked off when Anderson passed the trusty rubber hammer to Bully. A&E and MEM all headed backstage, leaving Bully and Sabin in the ring. Bully tried to use the hammer, which has put down such names as Sting and Jeff Hardy, but Sabin saved himself by kicking him in the gut.

Bully responded with a low blow and went for a power bomb but Sabin managed to reverse into a pin for the three count. Yep, just like that Chris Sabin won the TNA world heavyweight championship. The crowd reaction was not as animated as I’d expected. It could be that that result came from nowhere (a swift exchange of big moves and near falls would have been a good idea) or it could have been shock that Sabin had actually won. Maybe a combination of the two.

 

I don't think many people predicted this outcome

 

Bully feigned unconsciousness as Sabin celebrated, even though he hadn't been struck with anything that would knock him out. Perhaps the result had stunned him into fainting?

I don’t think the result is a good idea. Sabin does not have the star power to get over as a headliner in TNA. The way he won the title won’t help him there either, his victory was presented as a fluke. He’s going to be overshadowed by the Main Event Mafia and the storyline with Bully. It also seems pretty clear that the title change occurred in order to keep Bully busy until Bound For Glory. He’ll regain the gold and work against the BFG series winner in October. Sabin will have a short reign and be bumped back down into the X Division. It will look like he was out of his depth at the top.

I’m all for TNA trying new things and giving guys that deserve it a run on top. But the trouble is that Sabin didn’t deserve it. He was fine as an X Division guy. There was no call from anyone for him to become a world champion. It could work out. I’d love to be wrong and for this to be something that helps TNA turn things around. But it’s not going to happen.

Overall, Destination X was a decent show. It was an above average episode of Impact but it paled in comparison to previous instalments. That’s about what I’d expected, to be honest.