For 15 years Bound For Glory has been the biggest annual event for IMPACT Wrestling. It’s the night when the lights shine brightest and its wrestlers lay everything on the line to prove that they are the best in the business. This past Saturday was no different. The stars of IMPACT Wrestling laid it all on the line and delivered one of the best shows of the year in all of wrestling. So, let’s take a look at what went down at this year’s Bound For Glory.
The evening kicked off with Countdown To Glory, a pre-show highlighted by a match between the Rascalz and The Deaners, which The Deaners won, and the induction of “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Ken Shamrock is the first-ever IMPACT Wrestling World Champion, so him being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a no-brainer. This special occasion was marked by videos from Bret “Hitman” Hart, Mick Foley, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who inducted Ken into the Hall of Fame. Introduced by the always wonderful Matt Striker, Ken’s acceptance speech was gracious. He clearly took this honor very seriously and was thankful for the recognition of the blood, sweat, and tears he’s put into the business for decades. And the video tributes from Bret, Mick, and “The Rock” were terrific. It was great to see them honoring one of their own for his immeasurable contributions to professional wrestling.
Rohit Raju (c) vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs TJP vs Jordynne Grace vs Willie Mack – Six-Way Scramble Match for the X-Division Title
Bound For Glory’s first match was for the X-Division Title. This Six-Way Scramble was highly entertaining. Including former Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace among the combatants, it was a frenetic free-for-all filled with high-energy spots, capped off with Rohit Raju retaining his title by stealing a pin from TJP on Trey. After connecting with the Mamba Splash on Trey, it looked like Trey was going to win. However, Rohit capitalized on the situation by rolling into the ring and making the cover to hold on to his X-Division Title!
Call Your Shot Gauntlet
Here’s how the Call Your Shot Gauntlet works. Two competitors start the match. Every minute, another will enter the fray. Eliminations occur by throwing your opponent over the top rope. This process will continue until there are only two competitors remaining. The final two will compete in a singles match to be won by pinfall or submission. The victor receives a future Championship opportunity of their choosing, anytime, anyplace!
This match featured a diverse selection of wrestlers, such as Rhino, Daivari, James Storm, and, for the second year in a row, Swoggle. One of the entrants, Tommy Dreamer, showed up with a haircut, face paint, and t-shirt paying tribute to the recently deceased Road Warrior Animal. It was a cool and classy move by “The Innovator of Violence.”
Sami Callihan and Rhino were the final two. Per the rules, these final two competed in a traditional singles match. Callihan connected with a Piledriver for a near fall. Rhino hit the Gore to score the victory, winning the Call Your Shot Gauntlet. With the win, Rhino retained his job and also secures Heath a spot on the IMPACT Wrestling roster! All in all, it was a fun time and a fan favorite took the win.
EC3 vs Moose in an Undisclosed Location
There’s a lot of variety in IMPACT Wrestling. One minute you have a feel-good match featuring a wide swath of legends and modern-day superstars. The next you have EC3 vs. Moose in what felt like a street fight with Halloween vibes. I really enjoyed it because it provided a nice change of pace, and its dramatic look and feel kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering how it was going to play out.
In the age of COVID, many wrestling promotions have gotten creative with their production techniques and provided fans with matches that play out like mini-movies. This was one of those matches, and this is something that IMPACT Wrestling was doing long before COVID. Featuring high-impact moves, this brutal battle ended with Moose standing tall and still holding on to his TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Eddie Edwards vs Ken Shamrock w/ Sami Callihan
Following his induction into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame, Ken Shamrock stepped through the ropes to do battle with Eddie Edwards. I hadn’t seen a Ken Shamrock match in many years, so I was interested in checking out what kind of physical condition he was in.
Ken is still in tremendous physical shape, and he proved why he’s a human submission machine. Taking Eddie to the mat numerous times throughout the bout, delivering devastating suplexes, and providing us with that trademark Shamrock yell — Ken delivered the goods and walked away with a win. I think this was the right move. This was Ken’s night, and I’m glad he got his hand raised in the end.
Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs The Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton – Four-Way Tag Team Title Match
This four-way Tag Team Title match started with Josh Alexander, of The North, driving Alex Shelley, of the Motor City Machine Guns, head first into the entrance ramp. And this happened before the match officially started, setting up the defending champions at a huge disadvantage. In the end, The North came away as the new IMPACT Tag Team Champions, after obliterating their opponents with relentless offense and teamwork that simply couldn’t be stopped. It was tag team wrestling at its finest.
Deonna Purrazzo (c) w/ Kimber Lee vs Kylie Rae – Knockouts Championship
For some unknown reason, Kyle Rae didn’t show up to Bound For Glory for her Knockouts Championship match with Deonna Purrazzo. Many fans were upset over IMPACT not notifying fans sooner, but only those within the company know all the details.
Rather than eliminate the match entirely, Deonna issued an open challenge to anyone brave enough to take her on for the title. Su Yung, who hasn’t been seen for quite some time, answered the call.
It was a solid match that had fans buzzing on social media because of the unexpected return of the enigmatic female wrestler. In the end, Su hit the Panic Switch to defeat Purrazzo and become the new Knockouts Champion!
Following this exciting bout, it was announced that the Knockouts Tag Team Titles are returning at the next IMPACT Wrestling PPV: Hard To Kill, on January 16. This is great news, as IMPACT has the best female division in all of wrestling, and the return of these titles further solidifies their standing.
Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann – IMPACT World Championship
The main event pitted defending IMPACT World Champion Eric Young against Rich Swann, providing the culmination to a bitter rivalry brimming with emotion.
This was the match of the night. Both wrestlers are exceptionally talented and at the top of their game. Pro wrestling is all about storytelling, and these two told one for the ages.
Throughout this match, Eric Young was verbally trashing Rich Swann, adding insult to injury. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, Rich Swann fought back and bested Eric Young, cementing himself as the IMPACT Wrestling World Champion.
Bound For Glory was phenomenal! There were multiple title changes, spectacular matches, and even a great pivot with the Knockouts Championship match that surprised and delighted fans. Don’t sleep on IMPACT Wrestling. It is one of the absolute best wrestling promotions on the planet, and it keeps getting better every day.
