Steve-a-mania Reviews: Bound For Glory 2006

Venue: Compuware Sports Arena

Attendance: 3, 600

The Kevin Nash open invitational X-Division Battle Royal Gauntlet

Only fitting to have the man himself join Tenay and West on commentary. He has with him a reward for the winner, a bowling trophy. Austin Starr is the first entrant, sporting a very flamboyant look miles apart from the usual Austin Aries look at the time. Sonjay Dutt is next out. The two start of with some fast paced back and forth action. 60 seconds surpass as the next entrant is in, Maverick Matt. Matt and Starr go on the double team against Dutt, it evens out though when Jay Lethal is in as he overwhelms Starr with some rapid offence. A-1 is next in, he powers down Jay Lethal and attempts to throw him out of the ring. Zach Gowen is the next entrant, everyone’s favourite one legged wrestler. He is quickly taken down by Austin Starr with a clothesline. Kazarian is in next, he joins Maverick Matt and the 2 eliminate Sonjay Dutt. Sirelda is next in, she takes it to Austin Starr and Kazarian. A-1 charges at her and clotheslines her out of the ring, Matt and Kazarian eliminate A-1 straight afterwards. Shark Boy is in next, upon entering dishes out several drop kicks. Alex Shelley is the next guy in, he hits Lethal with a cross body and takes down Kazarian. D-Ray 3000 is in now, him and Shark Boy soon pair up hitting the fro-ram on anyone in their way. Johnny Devine is in now, he suplexes Gowen out onto the apron and follows up with a hang man eliminating him. Elix Skipper is in and nails Devine with some kicks. Short Sleeve Sampson is the next in, seeing Slick Johnson slap his bald head apparently was more important than a double elimination. D-Ray and Shark Boy are out. Norman Smiley is in now, him and Sampson set up Austin Starr and Johnny Devine for a double spank on the ropes. Slick Johnson runs the riot act on Sampson, Sampson chases him around the ring and eventually in it. Petey Williams is next in to a good pop from the crowd. Slick Johnson eliminates Elix Skipper. Petey Williams hits Lethal with the Canadian Destroyer to the delight of the fans, but is thrown out by Alex Shelley. Starr throws Johnny Devine out of the ring, Alex Shelley charges at Starr and gets a back body drop out of the ring onto Devine.

Now we settle into a one on one match with the last two, Jay Lethal and Austin Starr. Jay Lethal hits Starr with the Dragon Suplex, Starr quickly recovers and he nails Lethal with a brain buster and covers for 3. Kevin Nash gets in the ring and he presents Austin Starr with the bowling trophy, Alex Shelley can only stand by and be jealous. 17:24 Very much a comedy match that went from the hopeful to the absolutely ridiculous at times. Nash on commentary was gold though.

Winner: Austin Starr
Rating: *½

A Video is shown next of a confrontation between LAX and America’s Most Wanted. Which had Gail Kim slapping Konnan and Hernandez taking Kim out with the Border Toss.

Backstage Chris Harris talks about this being another night where AMW get to prove that they are the best Tag Team in the World. He then vows revenge on LAX for what they did to Gail Kim.

Team 3D vs. The James Gang vs. The Naturals vs. America’s Most Wanted

Shane Douglas comes to the ring and he introduces the newly franchised Naturals. Brother Ray dominates James Storm in the early going with knock downs. BG James manages to tag himself in. It doesn’t take long though before it breaks loose. Andy Douglas is on the top rope, Storm comes towards him but Douglas levels him with some rights, knocking him in a tree of woe. Chris Harris comes to his aid as he battles Douglas on the top rope, Chase Stevens lifts Harris on his shoulders. James Storm quickly sits up with a German suplex on Chase Stevens, knocking Harris and Douglas down in a Tower of Doom. BG James reverses a Catatonic and hits Harris with the Pump handle slam. Storm is in the fold now and hits BG with the Eye of the Storm. Brother Ray follows it with a Bubba Bomb on Storm. Kip James finishes the sequence with a Fame Asser to Brother Ray. The Naturals have Brother D-Von in the ring and hit the Natural Disaster, but D-von kicks out. Andy Douglas accidentally knees Chase Stevens which allows Team 3D to hit Douglas with the 3D for the win. Shane Douglas comes down to the ring unimpressed, face to face with Team 3D as they let him past and leave the ring. Shane Douglas slaps Chase Stevens in the face and runs the riot act to Andy Douglas. 7:02 Short but decent tag team match. The Team 3D and VKM exchanges were fun, just a filler match to ensure 4 of the top tag teams got on the show which I have no complaints about.

Winners: Team 3D
Rating: **¼

JB is outside of Samoa Joe’s locker room hoping to get an interview. He goes bug eyed when he realises Jake Roberts is standing over him. JB’s first reaction is wondering where the snake is. Roberts says the thing about snakes is when you hold it, it may grow and also about how he doesn’t like stripes. But he will be the guide.

Abyss vs. Raven vs. Brother Runt vs. Samoa Joe- Monster’s Ball

Samoa Joe fights all 3 off to begin with. Brother Runt grabs a chair from under the ring, with it being set up Raven drop toe holds Abyss onto it. Samoa Joe face washes Raven in the corner, he turns around and walks into a choke slam. Raven and Brother Runt group together to take down Abyss. Abyss catches Raven with a clothesline and he throws Brother Runt into the crowd. Samoa Joe knocks all 3 down hitting them with a corkscrew dive outside of the ring. Raven leads Samoa Joe up the ramp hitting him with a mask, the last shot knocking him off the ramp through a table. Meanwhile Brother Runt climbs the structure on the stage, but Abyss throws him off. The cameraman completely misses Abyss diving on Brother Runt from the structure with focusing on Jake Roberts face. Back in the ring James Mitchell passes Abyss a bag of thumbtacks Jake Roberts holds up the bag with a snake in it though, It‘s anything goes Jake!. Raven is in and tries to shove Roberts out of the way, Raven then hooks Roberts for a DDT. Abyss charges knocking both of them down. He then lays out the thumbtacks, before having a chance to use them Samoa Joe is on the attack. On all fours, Samoa Joe off the ropes sends Abyss face first in the tacks with a back Senton splash. Raven hits Samoa Joe with the chair, Jake Roberts for some reason grabs it from him. He follows that up with a DDT, Samoa Joe then finishes off Raven with the Muscle Buster for 3. 11:19 I did prefer last year’s Monster’s Ball match, but that one in pure brutality is a difficult one to beat. This was still a fun little hardcore match, clearly used as a vehicle for Samoa Joe going into Genesis. It was an entertaining and chaotic match, that had it’s own brutal spots.

Winner: Samoa Joe
Rating: ***

Eric Young vs. Larry Zbysko (Loser is Fired)

In the video package before the match started, it was presented as a serious angle but it doesn’t take long for it to become a comedy match/angle. Zbysko controls the early going with an abdominal stretch. He grabs what I assume is brass knuckles, he swings but Young ducks. He grabs the knucks and hits Zbysko with them for the 3. 3:35 It was never expected to be anything but bad, at least the result was a crowd pleaser.

Winner: Eric Young
Rating: ¼*

Jim Cornette is in the ring with a voice raspier than Jake Roberts explains being sick as a dog. He says that tonight is not the night to settle the Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe debacle. But if he interferes against Jarrett or Sting tonight he will be fired, not quite sure why he would want to seeing as how his beef is with Angle. Kurt Angle’s music starts and he makes his way down to the ring. Kurt Angle says that he was too excited to wait for Jim Cornette to introduce him. Mid way through his sentence Samoa Joe runs down and the two get into a big brawl where they have to be separated by security.

Senshi vs. Chris Sabin- TNA X-Division Title

Back and forth to begin with, Senshi finds his way into the match with some lethal kicks. He remains in control locking the arm, Sabin tries to fight back with chops. Senshi keeps Sabin grounded with a body scissors and some quick slams, followed up by some even quicker covers. Sabin nails Senshi with a springboard drop kick and sends him out of the ring through the middle rope. Sabin follows it up with a suicide dive through the ropes. Senshi locks in the Dragon Sleeper, in desperation Sabin falls back into the corner. Keeping on the offence hits Senshi with a springboard Tornado DDT. Sabin hits Senshi with a Yakuza kick in the corner, he sets up the cradle shock but its reversed. Senshi picks him up for the Ki Krusher, Sabin escapes though and hits him with the Cradle Shock! Sabin covers, 1…2…kick out! Sabin sets up the Cradle Shock from the top rope, Senshi lays some stiff kicks into him. Sabin falls setting him up for the Warriors Way, he hits it! He makes the cover, but Sabin gets his foot on the rope after 2. Senshi locks in the Dragon Sleeper, Sabin surprises him with an inside cradle for the win! 13:00 This almost seemed like a sorry for the Jackass shenanigans. Both guys were on form in a hard hitting and fast paced contest, that was at times breathtaking.

Winner: Chris Sabin becomes the new TNA X-Division champion
Rating: ***¾

Backstage Christian talks about the difficult upbringing that Rhino had. He talks about how people in Detroit look up to Rhino and is like them, but where Christian is from those people are dirt bags and pieces of crap.

Christian Cage vs. Rhino- 8 Mile Street Fight

Rhino goes to meet Christian backstage and outside the building they trade lefts and rights. Making their way into the building, find themselves on top of a zamboni, Rhino drives it into the arena. Rhino remains in control, grabbing a “street lamp” and whacking Christian with it. Rhino throws several chairs into the ring, it ends up biting him in the ass as Christian rattles Rhino with a chair shot. Rhino back on the offence stacks a table in the corner. Christian whacks him over the head with an 8 mile street sign busting him open. He hits Rhino with an Unprettier but only gets a 2 count. He then grabs a ladder and hits Rhino in the head. Christian grabs a straight jacket from under the ring and puts Rhino in it tying him up. Rhino tries to fight back and wards Christian off with kicks. Breaking loose he hits Christian with a devastating Rhino Driver off the apron through a table. Back in the ring Rhino goes for a Gore but Christian moves out of the way sending Rhino through a table! Christian grabs Rhino and hits him with an Unprettier making the cover 1…2…kick out! Christian piles chairs and the remains of a broken table on Rhino. He bashes the rubble with a chair over and over again. He pulls Rhino out and makes the cover for 3. 14:44 Fun brawl, the weapons were a bit silly with the street sign and lamp posts, but played into the match type and story somehow.

Winner: Christian Cage
Rating: ***

AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. LAX- NWA World Tag Team Titles (Steel Cage)

AJ and Daniels waste little time as they run into the ring and take it to Homicide and Hernandez. In the early going AJ and Daniels are in control with some quick tags and double team moves. Hernandez gets his team back into it by throwing AJ into the cage busting him open. LAX like AJ and Daniels before remain in control with quick tags and double team moves. Konnan passes Homicide a fork through the cage, he uses it on Daniels stabbing him in the forehead with it and trying to peel off his skin. Konnan passes Homicide some Tequila and he takes a drink, spitting it at Daniels and pouring it on him. Homicide has Daniels on the top rope, Daniels head butts Homicide and hits him with a hip toss from the top rope! Before long AJ is in and unloads on LAX with rights and lefts. AJ hits Homicide with the pele kick, he climbs to the cage. Homicide grabs AJ, Daniels gets a waist lock on Homicide whilst on the top rope. Hernandez hooks Daniels for a power bomb and all but AJ are lifted over slammed to the canvas. AJ stands tall on the tope of the cage, he dives off hitting Hernandez with a cross body! Hernandez climbs to the top of the cage now, he looks to repeat AJ’s success. But Daniels moves out of the way. He sets Hernandez up for the Angels Wings, Konnan passes Homicide a coat hanger. He chokes Daniels with it. AJ comes to his partners aid and sets Homicide up for the Styles’ Clash. Hernandez hits him with a devastating clothesline. Homicide then grabs AJ and hits him with a Cop Killa! He covers and gets the 3. 14:50 The only negative thing that can be said about this match was the length of the match. These teams have such good chemistry and perfect setting for LAX to bring the brutality and AJ & Daniels to bring their crazy high risk moves, which they out did themselves on. It delivered on an intensity and brutality scale to the maximum.

Winners: LAX become the new NWA World Tag Team Champions
Rating: ****¼

Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting- NWA World-Heavyweight Title vs. Sting’s Career

In the early going Jeff Jarrett manages to overwhelm Sting with an answer to everything he has, several hip tosses and a drop kick. Jarrett spits at Sting, which fuels a fire in him and he hits Jarrett with lefts and rights followed up with a Pile Driver. On the outside Jeff Jarrett grabs a chair, Angle takes it from him though. Sting levels Jarrett with some rights leading up the ramp, Sting has the chair now. Angle tries to take it from him, the two set in a tug of war over the chair. Jarrett runs at Sting, but he moves and Jarrett clobbers Angle. Back in the ring Jarrett locks in the sleeper hold, Sting manages to escape. The two bounce to the ropes with an equal mind set knock each other down with a cross body. The referee makes the count, Angle though runs in and Angle slams the referee. Sting and Jarrett are up both hitting their finishers only for a near fall though. Jeff Jarrett locks in the figure 4 leg lock which Sting manages to turn him over for, he then goes for the Ankle Lock laughing in Angle’s face as he does so. Sting rolls through sending Jarrett out of the ring. Sting grabs a baseball bat, Angle grabs hold of it. He points at him with, Angle grabs the bat from him. He turns around and Jarrett whacks him with a guitar, but no effect! Sting unloads on him with lefts rights, knocking him down and locks in the Scorpion Death lock. Jarrett taps out. 15:11 The finish of the match strikes me as one when you either like it or hate it. I liked the finish. early on it showed great potential for a good story but then developed into it being about Kurt Angle. I get he is the new hot acquisition for TNA, but this wasn’t about him.

Winner: Sting wins the NWA World-Heavyweight Title
Rating: **¼

The 411: This Bound For Glory felt more special than the previous year, it had some very good matches with the title matches delivering on quality or moments. Despite the fact that Sting would make winning the title a pattern for him, I still think this one holds a special significance. A lot like the previous year AJ & Daniels put on a great performance alone to make this event worth your time, but there is plenty to boast about. A true example of the belief that TNA could deliver when it came to PPV.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]