The Reality of Wrestling: Bound for Glory

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The Reality of Wrestling: Bound for Glory
By Phil Clark

This past Sunday, TNA had their first non-Orlando PPV since their weekly PPV’s at the Nashville Fairgrounds ended in September 2004. The show itself seemed to be a success all the way around; the show itself sold out the arena they were in and the card was a typical TNA card this year: solid, but not mind-blowing. TNA did the best they could in putting just about every name they had onto the card in some way and were able to keep the Detroit crowd into the show the whole way through. This success compiled with TNA’s new primetime time slot, successful house shows in the summer, and the signing of Kurt Angle does make TNA the #2 wrestling promotion in the U.S. Whether or not they can stay at #2 is the big question that TNA has to answer.

P.C. Says: Bound for Glory gives me hope for TNA

After watching Bound for Glory on Sunday, I was filled with one thing towards TNA: hope. However, that was all I was filled with; there was no child-like glee or even that little euphoria that I will get after seeing a particular outstanding PPV or show. But for TNA, that is what this year has been: solid and only that. However, I will take solid and predictable (when it comes to having a good PPV) than wondering—as I do with The E—if the show will even be worth looking at the live reports.

I do believe that TNA should take a look at this show very carefully because they will see one constant thing out of the Detroit crowd: HUGE pops in X-Division matches. I will count the tag title match because three of the four participants are X-Division guys. The battle royal was full of entertaining spots including the Canadian Destroyer, which got an unusually big pop (as did Petey himself) from the Detroit. The same type of crowd enjoyment could be heard during the Senshi/Sabin and LAX/Styles & Daniels matches. What this also shows is that TNA’s heavyweights need to kick it up a notch as Monster’s Ball, , the four-way tag, and Sting/Jarrett all were very bland and not very noteworthy. In the case of all four, they were designed to benefit the positives of the people involved; Monster’s Ball wasn’t nearly as violent or entertaining as the one at last year’s Bound for Glory PPV and should’ve been, the four-way tag wasn’t long enough and really should’ve been separated into two separate matches (AMW/Naturals, James Gang/3D), and Sting/Jarrett should’ve been the usual overbooked, interference by half the roster type match Jarrett has always had as this would’ve fit the title vs. career stipulation and would’ve given Angle the opportunity to beat up a few people just for the hell of it. Overall, this was the X-Division’s night.

Cage/Rhino was a match that I was thoroughly happy with, not because it was a great match (I’d give it ***, maybe ***/14), but because it was a study in good storytelling. In this case, the feud and Rhino’s head injury angle were what told the story and it turned out great because of that. The “friends turned enemies” storyline has always been one that adds attention and atmosphere to a match, plus it was in Rhino’s hometown so the crowd was guaranteed to be into it (they were). The match went strictly by the book as Rhino kicked Cage’s ass for most of the match giving the crowd what they wanted to see only to have Cage end up exploiting Rhino’s injury for the win. I’m not disappointed in the least with the fact that Cage got the blowoff win here as it makes 100% sense if he’s going to challenge Sting in November that he should come in with a big win and since it was Rhino’s concussion, not Rhino, that lost the match, he was able to avoid being hurt by the loss because he got to be the gutsy babyface fighting through an injury only to be overcome by it (a trick that made Mick Foley’s career in The E). In the end, it looks like this was a win/win for everyone involved.

And finally to finish things off, my match ratings for the Bound for Glory card:

Kevin Nash Invitational: **1/2
AMW Vs. Team 3D Vs. The Naturals Vs. The James Gang: **
Eric Young Vs. Larry Zbyszko: N/A (wasn’t really a match)
Monster’s Ball: **3/4
X-Division Title Match (Senshi/Sabin): ***3/4
8 Mile Street Fight (Cage/Rhino): ***
NWA Tag Title Match (Styles & Daniels Vs. LAX): ****
NWA Title Match (Sting/Jarrett): **1/2

Overall, another good TNA card with a possible low-end MOTYC.

The Reality is”¦the biggest story to come out of Bound for Glory is the announcement (on the Internet) that TNA will be pulling the trigger on Joe/Angle at Genesis in November. It seems to me that I’m one of the only people thinking that the long build is the way to go with money matches or dream matches. In the case of Joe/Angle, it’s going to be a dream match in November that will hopefully (there’s no definite in TNA) go on last. However, give it six months and have it for the NWA title at Slammiversary, or give it a year and have it for the belt next year at Bound for Glory and it’s a money match with much bigger potential than it has right now. The Joe/Angle confrontation did only a .76 this past week (I’m aware it was unadvertised before Thursday), and really shouldn’t be a one-month thing. Plus, if TNA does have Joe & Angle continue this feud after November, then what is the point of having the big PPV match right away? What TNA has to understand is that Joe/Angle is the ONLY dream match (that means you Sting) that they have right now. Not only that, but after Joe’s promo on the NWA belt two weeks ago, I think it would be more fitting that a Joe/Angle match be for the belt because what better match could TNA put on to show that they actually care about the belt’s lineage and be respectful to that lineage? Also, this match would have the potential to fit the “big fight atmosphere” that rarely exists in North American pro wrestling by giving it time to simmer and giving the people time to want the match more and more. Sting/Hogan had it in 97, Austin/Rock had it at WM X-7, and Joe/Angle could, but it looks like that won’t happen. Finally, TNA has once again booked themselves into a corner (big surprise). They just signed the hottest free-agent in the wrestling business and in his first PPV match they book him against the man who will more than likely be the future of the company who’s been undefeated in TNA for 16 months? In other words, the unbeaten streak dies or Angle loses in his TNA PPV debut. Kind of makes you think they should wait a while on this one doesn’t it?