IMPACT Wrestling’s Bound for Glory isn’t looking like the best possible version. Not since the 2014 show from Japan has Bound for Glory felt this lackluster. In fact, the only major event that this company has put on in it’s history that has been this poorly perceived leading up to the event is Slammiversary 2015.
At least with BFG 2014, you got the Great Muta and Tajiri in the main event. Slammiversary saw EC3 win the TNA World Championship at a set of tapings before the event, which was scheduled to air after the show. What a cluster.
This time around, there’s no excuses. They deliberately booked Eric Young, who hasn’t been relevant in wrestling since 2016, against Rich Swann, who at best is a mid-carder in the company in the main event. Talk about no star power. The two guys who should be in the mid-card or stuck in a battle royal are headlining the biggest show fo the year. Worst yet, it’s over a weak “career-ending injury angle” that no one bought.
All this after promising the company was done hot-shotting the world title onto guys. Only to hot-shot the title onto a guy who just debuted, after he got jobbed out in the WWE. It’s pathetic.
This card needs a massive overhaul and that’s what I’m doing go to do. I won’t add people, not on the roster, I can’t cure the injured. If a guy hasn’t been seen in months, they can’t be used. It’s simple stuff. Work with what you’ve got.
So what should the main event? Simple, your best worker, and your biggest cross-promotional name. The best worker is Eddie Edwards, the man who never should’ve lost the world title, and the biggest name that can attract a more casual audience is Ken Shamrock. The set up is simple, he beat Callihan, Scott D’Amore things he’s got something left so he puts him in the title match. Shamrock attacks Edwards after getting booked and proclaims that he thinks Edwards has gone soft, that the wolf in him has died. That he can’t tap into what made him once great. Edwards will still do the open challenge thing, and still face Eric Young, but this time he beats Young.
The tag and Knockouts titles aren’t going to be too dissimilar from what we got later in the summer. Essentially the rematches between Jordynne Grace and Deonna Purrazzo don’t go the way they did. Instead, Grace wins at Slammiversary, retaining by getting Purrazzo in a pinning solution while trapped in Purrazzo’s armbar. The hold would be locked in for so long that Grace’s arm is wrecked following the match. In the eventual rematch, Purrazzo starts fast with a few kicks to her shoulder and slaps on the armbar getting the fast tap. Grace then takes off a few weeks (a month maybe?) from TV to sell her recovery. All the while Purrazzo is breaking arms left and right Pentagon style. This sets up Purrazzo vs. Kylie Rae, which Purrazzo wins. Post-match, with Rae trapped in the armbar and the referee threatening to disqualify Purrazzo, Grace returns wearing an elbow brace and knocks out Purrazzo clean. The rematch is set for Bound for Glory.
For the tag titles, even simpler. The North goes on a hiatus where Ethan Page starts taking his martial arts training seriously and returns to the company with Josh Alexander after a few weeks of TV as a more serious and brutal version of themselves. They get offered a rematch but reject, instead of wanting to prove to the Motor City Machine Guns that they’re better than not just the Guns but every tag team in the world. They would then run through every tag team in the company (and some from outside), leading up to the Guns being the last ones standing.
EC3 and Moose’s feud wouldn’t be too dissimilar but the promos from EC3 would be more coherent. There’d be no “spooky” vanishing or that nonsense. Instead, it’d be six or seven weeks of EC3 taunting Moose about never being good enough to actually win that title. Citing the names EC3 has defeated and asking Moose if he’s ever beaten anyone like that. The bout is billed as the “last two true TNA World Champions” and the winner gets the title.
For Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary, all that stuff stays the same. They’re involvement with Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan also stays the same. On the flip side, Suzie would snap on Kylie Rae, and break up, bringing Alisha Edwards in to befriend Kylie, claiming that she knows first hand how it feels to be close to someone who snaps mentally. Suzie gets brougth into the Havok/Nevah duo, who also bring back James Mitchell. Around this time, D’Amore claims he’s bringing back the Knockouts Tag Team Championship and names Vakyrie and Rosemary as the first team. This brings out Steelz and Hogan, and they get added to the bout. In a singles match involving Rosemary and Suzie, a brawl breaks out between Rosemary and Taya, as well as Havok/Nevah and that brings out Alisha and Kylie to help Taya and Rosemary, which then sees Steelz and Hogan come out. The four teams brawl and D’Amore announce that they’ll face off in an elmination match at BFG to determine the new Knockouts tag team champions.
For the Call Your Shot Battle Royal, the Dreamer/Myers feud, Swann/Young fued, Ace& Fulton/ Good Brothers feud and the Rhyno and Heath storyline all converge in one match. As none of those feuds are really all that strong or interesting, it makes no sense to give them their own platform. The change though is that this isn’t just about a title shot anymore but instead will see any wish they had (within reason) be granted. Dreamer wants to bring back a hardcore division, Myers wants Dreamer fired, Swann wants EY in a singles match that EY keeps ducking from, EY wants another shot at Eddie but this time with him handcuffed, the Good Brothers want to rename the promotion GOODimpactBROTHERS, and Ace Austin wants IMPACT to start paying for him to make his “movies” with the Knockouts on the roster. Heath and Rhino would also have their own reasons (getting Heath signed), and the rest of the names in the battle royal would also have their own bizzare desires. The Deaners want IMPACT to pay for beer for them for the rest of their careers, XXXL wants Dreamers Wrestle House, Johnny Swinger wants uniforms for the wrestlers – which would just be Zubaz styled singles for both genders, Reno Scum wants the Misfits (band) inducted into the IMPACT Hall of Fame, Crazy Steve won’t reveal his desire for fear that it’s “too crazy even for me”, Kaleb wants a title shot for Tenille but on a beach and the champ has to be buried in sand. All while Callihan just wants a world title shot.
For the X-Division, keep it largely the same. Take out Jordynne, howver, put in the Rascals, and make it an Ultimate X match and not as cramble match. Keep everything else largely the same.
Bound for Glory 2020 Card
IMPACT World Championship – No ropes/Submission match
Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards (c)
IMPACT World Tag Team Championship
The North vs. MCMG (c)
IMPACT Knockouts Championship
Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazo (c)
TNA World Championship
EC3 vs. Moose (c)
IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team – Elimination Match
Taya/Rosemary vs. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan vs. Kylie/Alisha vs. Havok/Nevah w/Suzie
Call Your Shot Rumble
Tommy Dreamer, TJP, Fallah Bahh, Brian Myers, Heath, Rhyno, Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Cody Deaner, Cousin Jake, Crazy Steve, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Hernandez, Johnny Swinger, Kaleb with a K, Luster, Adam Thrownstowe, Sami Callihan, XXXL, Eric Young, Rich Swan
X-Division Championship – Ultimate X
Rohit Raju (c) vs. Dez vs. Wentz vs. Trey vs. Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey
Here’s how it would go.
X-Division Championship – Ultimate X
– Rohit Raju retains the title after Trey finally gets his hands on the belt, only for Bey to kick the title from his fingers and into the awaiting hands of Raju who’s standing underneath.
Call Your Shot
– Dreamer, Heath, Callian and Swann are the last four standing, Callian knocksout Dreamer, Heath knocks out Callihan and Swann catches Heath by surprise to win. He picks a cage match to face off with EY, while Heath holds back tears on the floor.
Knockouts Tag Title
– Rosemary and Taya get bounced first when their partnership breaks down. Havok knocks Nevah out after Suzie snaps at ringside, causing both women to get distracte and allow Havock to splash Nevah by accident. Suzie, still at ringside, attacks Kylie and yanks her out of the ring, allowing for Hogan to put Alisha down and win the titles.
TNA World Championship
– EC3 beats Moose to win the world championship and announces in his post-fight interview that he will destroy this title once and for all.
IMPACT Knockouts Championship
– Jordynne Grace talks about how she’s been working on something new in her pre-match interview. The bell rings, and Grace hits a roaring forearm that knocks Purrazzo out cold, which allows Grace to pin her within mere seconds. (This is to set up a pay per view headlining bout where the winner can only win by submission or KO.)
IMPACT World Tag Team title
– Page and Alexander showcase their more aggressive style but Alex Shelley counters Page with a Sliced Bread and wins. Page then slaps Alexander post-match as the Guns celebrate.
IMPACT World Title
– Shamrock is able to get the best of Edwards all match after Edwards comes out in his current gimmick. Shamrock is able to work through Edwards guard and constant pressure to get Edwards to tap. Post match, Shamrock tells Edwards that this shouldn’t of happened, that the wolf is dead. (This is set up a more sadistic, ground-based Edwards, who would bring back elements of his Wolves gimmick.)