Steve-a-mania Reviews: Bound For Glory 2007

Venue: Gwinnett Center

Attendance: 4,000

We’re introduced into the show with a Wrestlemania-esque video about how the wrestlers work each year round and strive to be a part of the show. It probably would have been a better idea to use someone else as the measuring stick than Hulk Hogan who shit on them several years before. If WWE can pretend certain people don’t exist then TNA sure as hell can too.

LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) vs. Triple X (Senshi & Elix Skipper)- Ultimate X

At this event last year LAX looked strong in a cage match against two of the company’s best. Low Ki was in an awesome X-Division title match and Elix Skipper was, somewhere. What a difference a year makes with them being thrown into an Ultimate X match for the opener. The winning team would be the number 1 contenders, so it’s not a complete throwaway match. After a Border Toss to Elix Skipper over the top rope onto Senshi and Homicide. Hernandez scales the cables and retrieves the giant red “X”. There can be no complaints on the actual match. 11:59 This did exactly what it needed to do. Deliver on being a high risk and action packed opener to get the crowd pumped for the show ahead. It probably won’t be the finest Ultimate X match you could find, but the entertaining spots and high energy pace ensured it to be a very fun contest.

Winners: LAX
Rating: ***

Kristal is backstage with Tyson Tomko, AJ Styles and Christian Cage. She asks Tomko about his and AJ’s tag match tonight. Christian grabs the microphone and talks about why he isn’t automatically the number 1 contender whilst AJ stands back acting like a doofus.

Fight for the Right Match

The rules for this are that 16 participants start on the outside and their aim is to get into the ring. Once 8 wrestlers have made it in the ring it turns into an over the top rope battle royal. When there are 2 participants left it’s a one fall match. Depending on the 8 eliminations and when they happen, that’s the number they will be seeded at for a tournament to take place on Impact. After all that the winner will be the number 1. Contender for the TNA World title.

The match starts off with some outside of the ring brawling as they scurry like rats to get in the ring. Kip James, Kazarian, Junior Fatu, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, James Storm, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are the 8 to make it in. James Storm is out in a hurry. Fatu starts to dominate the match but is shortly eliminated afterwards. Motor City Machine Guns double team moves come back to haunt them as it causes Sabin to be eliminated. Kazarian and Hoyt are eliminated in quick succession. Alex Shelley is the last one out. Roode and Young are the last two in. They go back and forth for a short time until Roode gains control of the match. Young is struggling to get into the match and after reversing a suplex into an inside cradle he gets the win. 11:51 Too many layers to an already stable concept of the battle Royal. In the grand scheme of things it didn’t mean a damn thing either.

Winner: Eric Young
Rating: ½*

Team Pacman are being interviewed backstage. Ron Killings talks about being better than AJ Styles and Tomko. But because of the powers that be at the NFL Adam “Pacman” Jones cannot compete. Was probably the wrong call to have a video package clearly stating he would compete minutes earlier to this interview. Ron Killings though has another partner in mind though.

Straight from that we go to Kurt Angle and Karen Angle arguing with each other. Kurt defends his actions of slapping Sting’s son as Karen in her shrill voice says that Kurt made it too personal.

Team Pacman (Ron Killings & Consequences Creed) vs. AJ Styles & Tomko- TNA World Tag Team Titles

AJ and Creed start out with some quick exchanges. The tag team rules are thrown out as all hell breaks loose. Pacman Jones doesn’t take long to interject himself in the match. AJ gives the match some excitement clearing out all 3 with a springboard shooting star press. AJ Styles and Ron Killings are in the ring, as Pacman Jones flaunts his money. AJ grabs it from him but is rolled up and the money spills everywhere. Earl Hebner picks up all the money. AJ and Tomko finishes Killings off with a Tornado-Plex 8:48 Consequences Creed and AJ had some pretty exciting exchanges. Although AJ as a character was ridiculous at this time he was still on form in the ring. The finish of the referee gathering up the money was another thing I would have rather not seen in a title match too.

Winners: AJ Styles and Tomko win the TNA Tag Team Titles
Rating: **¾

Karen Angle walks into Kevin Nash’s locker room. She pleads with Nash to talk to Kurt, he is unwilling to waste his time with that because Kurt is too stubborn. Pleading didn’t work so she resorts to yelling about how they will both lose their meal ticket.

Jay Lethal vs. Christopher Daniels- TNA X-Division Title

Back and forth to begin with as they come to a stalemate. Lethal overwhelms Daniels with his speed and array of high flying moves. Daniels turns the tide with a slam on the guard rail. Back in the ring he works on the back. Lethal finds his way back in the match but not for long after a Death Valley Driver and a BME. It develops into a very back and forth match from there, neither wrestler is able to gain a significant advantage. But, still being able to keep the pace up. Daniels has Lethal on the ropes, Lethal hits Daniels with the Lethal combination from the second rope! He makes the cover 1…2…3! 11:02 Very good match, just straight up back and forth exciting wrestling. No bullshit storylines or stipulations they just went for it and it turned out great.

Winner: Jay Lethal retains the TNA X-Division Title
Rating: ***½

Kristal is backstage with the Steiner Brothers. Scott rages on like only he can about Team 3D and how they are going to be pulling splinters from their FAT ASSES! Because they got some FAT ASSES!

Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D- Two out of Three Tables

Some brawling to begin with that goes over into the crowd. The action eventually finds it’s way to the ring with Team 3D putting Steiner through the table. We won’t see him again until the end. Team 3D show their dominance now against just Scott Steiner. Steiner mounts a comeback disposing of D-Von. Eliminating Brother Ray with a Franken Steiner. They got very lucky with this table break, Brother Ray was not far off over jumping it completely and it barely broke the table at that. Team 3D manage to take away the momentum of the last elimination. They dominate Scott Steiner now with the use of a chair. Motor City Machine Guns cause a distraction. Which gives Scott Steiner enough time to gain his bearings as Rick eventually shows up to finish off D-Von with a bulldog through the table.12:43 Very bad match. From dodgy table breaks to Rick Steiner lying around for most of the match. It was an all around disappointing encounter.

Winners: The Steiner Brothers
Rating: *

Knockout Gauntlet Battle Royal- TNA Knockout’s Championship

Ms. Brooks and Jackie Moore start in with trading forearms until the next entrant. Mike Tenay reminds us to look out for her Lucha moves. She then gives some very weak forearms. Business is about to pick up with Awesome Kong in there now. She makes her presence known immediately. Bending Christy Hemme like a pretzel over her shoulders. The numbers become too much for Kong as it takes 3 Knockout’s to eliminate her. Awesome Kong in there was good while it lasted, but now we revert to the usual battle royal standard formula. The final two are Roxxi and Gail Kim for a pin fall. Roxxi and Gail Kim go back and forth with each other. Gail finishes off Roxxi with an Island Driver. 12:12 I don’t think this needed to be a Battle Royal. For one, we had already seen one earlier in the night which was bad enough. Secondly, the way to present real women’s wrestling was not in the form of a Battle Royal. The final two allowed us to see a little taste of how great the Knockout’s division would be.

Winner: Gail Kim becomes the Knockout’s Champion
Rating: **

Kevin Nash is with Kurt Angle in his locker room. He wants Angle to apologise so he can just have a competitive match with Sting. Angle says he is on top of his game right now, Nash then says if Angle loses tonight then he loses everything.

Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage (Special Enforcer: Matt Morgan)

The video package before the match shows the feud so far. Claims are made for both being in title contention. Escalated by the fact that Christian Cage, Tomko and AJ attacked Samoa Joe’s Polynesian Dancers that were trying to help him. Out of control brawls leads to Matt Morgan being the Special Enforcer.

Samoa Joe from the start goes full throttle at Christian. Over whelming him with power and an elbow suicida to the outside. Christian finds a way back into the match. But that becomes very short lived as Joe takes control again. Refusing to give Christian a chance to regain his composure. Tomko and AJ Styles try to interject themselves into the match, but Matt Morgan see’s to it that they don’t. He throws AJ onto Tomko, enforcing the law. Christian catches a break with a low blow and hitting the Unprettier. Not good enough though, Joe kicks out and rattles him with a Muscle Buster and Coquina Clutch. 15:48 This was a really action packed match. I remember hearing of people absolutely loving the match. But, with that being said it was too one sided for me to enjoy it too much. It’s always fun seeing a Samoa Joe match from this time, when he was actually a motivated wrestler.

Winner: Samoa Joe
Rating: ***½

Kevin Nash with JB closely behind finds Sting. He tells Sting that its all gone too far, in no mood for a calm conversation. Sting yells at Nash that he went too far when Angle put his hand on his son. Kevin Nash says that having Angle is the closest he will ever be to the game and needs him.

Abyss vs. Raven vs. Rhino vs. Black Reign- Monster’s Ball

Abyss immediately takes down Raven and Black Reign. Raven rattles Abyss with a Kendo stick. Outside of the ring all four go up the ramp. Rhino lines up Abyss on the stage, he charges at him for a gore but Abyss moves and Rhino is sent straight into a wall. Raven leads Abyss off the stage and onto a table. From the balcony he hits Abyss with the elbow drop forcing him through the table. Raven empties the first bag of tacks and James Mitchell comes down to the ring with a second bag, Raven empties the glass on the tacks. He hooks Abyss for a DDT, its reversed into a Black Hole Slam on the tacks/glass for the win. 9:07 Apart from the finish, this didn’t really have the crazy out of this world spots which the previous two were full of. It was still a fun hardcore match. But, was just a breather between an action packed match and the Main event.

Winner: Abyss
Rating: **¼

Kurt Angle vs. Sting- TNA World-Heavyweight

Video package before the match. The history of both men in Atlanta is the focus of the video package. It’s all they really needed for this feud. TNA adding the stalking of Sting’s son from Kurt Angle, and Karen Angle shenanigans was an unnecessary element to the feud.

Starts off in some very peculiar fashion with an exchange of holds. Backstage segments suggested we would get a far different start. Sting screws up an Irish Whip, the action shortly afterwards spills to the outside. Sting dominates courtesy of the guard rail. Back in the ring Angle finds a way back into it with a German Suplex. Trying a more ground based strategy with wearing Sting down. Angle locks in a series of German Suplexes. Sting finds a way out of Angle’s control, locking in the Scorpion Death Lock. Karen Angle comes down causing a distraction for Nash to interfere. Well, it wouldn’t be a TNA main event without shenanigans would it? Angle off the top rope hits Sting with a 450, knee first in the ribs. The referee is knocked down. Nash and Angle dominate Sting. He dodges a double clothesline knocking them both down. Angle attempts to hit him with a baseball bat, Sting barely catches it. He rattles Angle and hits him with a Scorpion Death Drop. 18:51 I could have done without the Nash and Karen Angle shenanigans. To TNA’s credit it did have a big match feel to it, but reverted to the over booked main event style match that is the norm. It could have leant more prestige to the event if it finished in the fashion it started, with competitive and exciting wrestling. The title win served as a good moment, but Angle would win it back a few weeks later on Impact.

Winner: Sting wins the TNA World Title
Rating: ***½

The 411: The X-Division proved again to be the driving force behind it being so enjoyable.Sting vs Kurt Angle really gave off a big match feel, I think they needed if they really wanted BFG to be their Wrestlemania. Sting's title win may be somewhat tainted with the fact that he loses it on Impact, but still a good moment.
Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]