Let’s check out the card –
1. Kurt Angle vs. Sting vs. Mr. Anderson *For the TNA World Title
2. Bully Ray vs. James Storm *Bound for Glory Series
3. Bobby Roode vs. Gunner *Bound for Glory Series
4. Mexican America vs. D’Angelo Dinero & Devon *For the TNA Tag Team Titles
5. Brian Kendrick vs. Austin Aries *For the TNA X-Division Title
6. Winter vs. Mickie James *For the TNA Knockouts Championship
7. Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe
8. Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorensen *#1 Contender’s Match
MATCH #1: X-Division Number One Contender’s Match – Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorensen
Sorensen’s gimmick is that he was a good quarterback in high school. No, really. Kash is a former X-Division Champion, back in 2003 during the weekly pay-per-view era, and he is also a former two-time TNA Tag Team Champion with Dallas. Tenay notes that the weight limit is now 225 pounds, which is a shame. They go back and forth a bit until Sorensen picks Kash up and drops him awkwardly (not sure what that move is supposed to be) and gets the win in about 8 minutes. We’ll see how Sorensen does with his first big chance. Fine choice for an opener.
WINNER – Jesse Sorensen (New #1 Contender for the X-Division Title), **½
Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle are backstage talking about tonight’s main event. Angle seems upset and Hogan tries to assuage him.
MATCH #2: Bound for Glory Series Match – Bully Ray vs. James Storm
Ray is in first place with 49 points and Storm is in fourth place with 40 points. Ray plays Larry Zbyszko early on, stalling. Storm needs a submission to win, so he focuses on the arm and utilizes the Fujiwara Armbar often. Eventually Ray taps out, but Storm had accidentally spit beer in the referee’s face so he gets disqualified at around 11 minutes in. That gives Ray first place for sure. Doesn’t that make the other BFG Series match pointless?
WINNER – Bully Ray (by disqualification), **
MATCH #3: TNA Knockouts Championship Match – Mickie James vs. Winter
Mickie recently regained the title so this is Winter’s rematch. Angelina Love is of course accompanying her date rapist and helps her out by interfering whenever she gets a chance. Winter tries to use the title belt but referee Earl Hebner takes it away from her. Finally Love distracts the referee long enough for Winter to spit blood in Mickie’s eyes and rolls her up for the win at about 9 minutes to regain the title.
WINNER – Winter (new Knockouts Championship), *
Jeremy Borash gets a word with Gunner, who promises to main event Bound for Glory. Apparently if either Gunner or Roode wins by submission, they can tie Bully Ray. Speaking of, Ray comes out to tell Gunner not to submit no matter what.
MATCH #4: TNA World Tag Team Title Match – Devon & D’Angelo Dinero vs. Mexican America
This is Mexican America’s first title defense. My video feed goes in and out for this match so I miss most of it, but by the end Mexican America cheats and uses Rosita and Sarita to get the victory and retain the titles.
WINNERS – Mexican America (retain titles)
MATCH #5: Samoa Joe vs. Matt Morgan
Morgan uses his size and power but Joe stays in step with him and looks like a badass for a change. The seven-footer actually uses a high cross body off the top rope but Joe cuts him off and wears him down. Joe has been of offense for a majority of this match. He uses the choke but Morgan reaches the ropes. Moments later Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint to get the win around 12 minutes in. That was a solid power match.
WINNER – Matt Morgan, ***
Backstage, Borash gets a word with Bobby Roode and James Storm, who are getting psyched up for the next BFG match. Storm gets his partner fired up.
MATCH #6: Bound for Glory Series Match – Bobby Roode vs. Gunner
Both men need submissions here. The crowd is behind Roode but they don’t seem to be too into the match. Roode viciously attacks the arm, using a variety of submission holds to wear Gunner down. Gunner comes back with his power, but he can’t escape the Crippler Crossface and Roode gets the win to tie Bully Ray at around 12 minutes.
WINNER – Bobby Roode, **¼
Eric Bischoff comes out to congratulate Roode on his victory. He then announces that Roode will face Bully Ray to settle the Bound for Glory Series TONIGHT!
Backstage, Borash gets a word with Austin Aries, who promises to win the X-Division Title tonight from Brian Kendrick.
MATCH #7: TNA X-Division Title Match – Brian Kendrick vs. Austin Aries
They take it down to the mat and trade holds back and forth. The battle spills to the floor and that’s where Aries takes control. Aries dominates the champion, who pluckily fights back but keeps getting cut off. Aries drills Kendrick with the brainbuster to get the win at about 12 minutes.
WINNER – Austin Aries (NEW X-Division Champion), ***¼
Borash gets a word with Bully Ray backstage, who says that BFG being in Philadelphia gives him a better chance of beating Bobby Roode tonight.
MATCH #8: Bound for Glory Series Final – Bobby Roode vs. Bully Ray
They talk trash to each other and appear in no hurry to start since they both wrestled a match already tonight. These two have fought many times in tag team matches but this is easily their highest profile singles match. In fact this may be the highest profile singles match for either of them. Ray is dominant early on, but Roode comes back with a blockbuster for two. Roode survives the Bubba Bomb and hits a spinebuster to get the win at around 13 minutes.
WINNER – Bobby Roode, **½
MATCH #9: TNA World Title Match – Sting vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
Sting and Anderson work together to dispatch Angle and then go to work on each other. The match goes about how you would expect, with lots of laying around and lots of suplexes. Sting backdrops Angle to the floor and locks Anderson in the Scorpion Deathlock. Everyone keeps trying their finishers but no one can score the win just yet. Sting hits Anderson with the Scorpion Death Drop but Angle breaks it up and throws Sting into the guardrail, where Hulk Hogan is waiting to blind Sting with some kind of spray. Sting gets confused and grabs the referee, allowing Angle to hit the Angle Slam and get the pin at 16 minutes. Hogan and Angle celebrate to end the show.
WINNER – Kurt Angle (Still Champion), *½
Thanks TNA.
