5 Best Bound For Glory matches in IMPACT Wrestling history

Bound For Glory is IMPACT Wrestling's biggest pay-per-view of the year.
Bound For Glory is IMPACT Wrestling's biggest pay-per-view of the year.

A week from this Saturday is IMPACT Wrestling's biggest pay-per-view of the year, Bound For Glory. The event will take place at Sam's Town Live in Las Vegas. It will be headlined by Christian Cage defending the IMPACT World Championship against Josh Alexander.

The Walking Weapon invoked "Option C" as X-Division Champion to cash in his title for a shot at the top prize on this huge show.

Bound For Glory has plenty of history with 16 previous events. There have been title changes, memorable moments, and landmark cards throughout the pay-per-view's history.

From the 2005 event where Rhino defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to last year's event where Rich Swann beat Eric Young to win the IMPACT Wrestling World Title, much has transpired at this show.

With Bound For Glory 2021 on the horizon, it is ideal to remember everything that has happened and the historic matches that have unfolded. In this article, let's take a look at the five best Bound For Glory matches ever.


#5 Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe - Bound For Glory 2007

Heading into Bound For Glory 2007, Samoa Joe and Christian Cage staked their claim for a shot at the TNA Heavyweight Championship. Cage is a former champion, while Joe was still looking to win the top prize for the first time. Their issue with one another became personal when Christian's Coalition of AJ Styles, Tyson Tomko, and himself beat down Joe's family.

Making sure their grudge match at the biggest show of the year was a one-on-one contest, Matt Morgan was made the special enforcer to keep control. The two main event performers put on an exceptional bout. Samoa Joe came out full throttle in this Bound For Glory 2007 bout, hitting the tope suicida to Christian on the outside.

Cage caught a break when AJ and Tomko distracted Matt Morgan on the floor and hit a low blow on Joe. He followed up with the Unprettier for a nearfall. Samoa Joe made a comeback that Christian couldn't overcome.

He ended things with the Muscle Buster and the Coquina Clutch for the submission win. It was the standout contest on the Bound For Glory 2007 card.

#4 Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode - Bound For Glory 2013

The buildup to Bound For Glory 2013 saw IMPACT Wrestling honor Kurt Angle with an induction into the TNA Hall of Fame. Angle had been out of action for a number of months, so this felt like the company was saying that his career was winding down with this honor. However, Kurt Angle had other ideas.

Ahead of the pay-per-view, former TNA Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode insulted the idea of Kurt Angle being inducted and said that he deserved the honor more than the Olympic Gold Medallist.

This led to Angle's return and a confrontation with Roode where he challenged him to a showdown at Bound For Glory 2013.

These same two men went at it in the main event of Bound For Glory 2011 for the TNA Heavyweight Championship, with Roode coming up short there, but this was a different, more evolved Bobby Roode on the night.

The contest started off slow and escalated as time went on. Both men hit their big moves with Angle hitting the Angle Slam, while Roode hit the Death Valley Driver with both getting nearfalls.

The finish saw Angle hit a super Angle Slam off the top rope. The referee counted both men, but Roode got up before the 10 count and fell on top of Angle to get the pinfall win.

This showed why Kurt Angle still had a lot more left in the tank, while Bobby Roode finally got a win over the Hall of Famer here at Bound For Glory 2013.

#3 Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me for the TNA World Tag Team Titles - Bound For Glory 2010

Bound For Glory 2010 was an event that has long been remembered for the 10/10/10 hype heading in and the payoff in the main event. Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson to win the TNA Heavyweight Championship with the help of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff to turn heel and form the Immortal stable.

That ending left a black eye on a show that featured some very good wrestling, including one of the most exciting openers in company history. The Motor City Machine Guns were the reigning TNA Tag Team Champions and had proven themselves to be the best tag team in the promotion after beating Beer Money in a Best of Five series. They met their match though in the form of Generation Me.

Generation Me was the TNA name for Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks. Before the Elite brothers went to perform in the sold-out Tokyo Dome for NJPW or helped create All Elite Wrestling, they found themselves in TNA trying to unseat The Motor City Machine Guns at Bound For Glory 2010.

It was a breathtaking clash that had some state-of-the-art tag team wrestling. The Bound For Glory 2010 opener was a high octane affair that never let up and was at a spectacular pace.

The finish saw Chris Sabin leap off Jeremy Buck (Nick Jackson) to hit a top-rope German suplex on Matt Buck (Matt Jackson). The Machine Guns then hit Skull and Bones to retain the gold and open the show hot.

#2 AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels in a 30-Minute Iron Man Match for the TNA X-Division Championship - Bound For Glory 2005

Bound For Glory 2005 was the first edition of the pay-per-view for IMPACT Wrestling. The event had a lot of changes happen ahead of the night, but the company responded by delivering a rollercoaster of emotion throughout the show.

At this time, the hallmark of the promotion was their superb X-Division and that was on full display during the show.

This was also the first major event to take place following IMPACT Wrestling debuting on Spike TV. On the previous pay-per-view, the greatest encounter in company history took place when AJ Styles defeated Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe to win the X-Division Championship in an amazing three-way bout. The rivalry between Styles and Daniels culminated here in an Iron Man Match.

It was the perfect two competitors to deliver a showstealer on the Bound For Glory 2005 card and be pitted against each other in an Iron Man Match. They delivered a 30-minute wrestling clinic.

This followed a similar formula to Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12 where both men couldn't quite beat the other, but at a stellar pace.

The desperation was on with five minutes to go and the pace picked up even more. They traded strikes and enziguris before Styles and Daniels both looked for roll-ups to get the pinfall.

However, AJ was able to hit the Styles Clash with just a second left on the clock to win and retain the X-Division Championship at Bound For Glory 2005.

#1 AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. LAX in a Six Sides of Steel Match for the NWA World Tag Team Titles - Bound For Glory 2006

Bound For Glory 2006 was the first to take place outside of the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. It took place in Detroit, Michigan and featured many huge matches, including Jeff Jarrett defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting in the main event. However, the showstealer was centered on the tag team division.

AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels stole the show the year prior at Bound For Glory 2005, but their relationship soon changed when Samoa Joe viciously attacked Daniels and took him out of action. It was Styles who made the save and defended the honor of his former rival against the Samoan Submission Machine.

Despite Daniels winning the X-Division Championship against Joe and Styles in his return, AJ and Christopher soon formed their own tag team and looked to elevate that division now.

AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated America's Most Wanted at Slammiversary to win the NWA Tag Team Titles, but a new force would stand in their way.

Konnan introduced a new tag team of Homicide and Hernandez known as the Latin American Xchange or LAX. The two men would beat Daniels and Styles in an impromptu Border Brawl Match on IMPACT to win the NWA Tag Team Titles, but Styles and Daniels regained the gold in an Ultimate X Match at No Surrender. This set the stage for the final blowoff at Bound For Glory 2006.

To make sure this finally settled the score, the rematch was made a Six Sides of Steel Match to make sure these four men decided the better tag team once and for all. The Bound For Glory 2006 clash had everything fans desired out of a bitter steel cage match. It was full of hate, drama and powerful storytelling.

Konnan handed Homicide the ghetto fork at one point, allowing him to stab Christopher Daniels in the head to bust him open. Daniels fought with resilency to get his tag team back in this Bound For Glory 2006 contest. AJ Styles had to fight even more to make up for how much blood his partner had lost. AJ was phenomenal, hitting a stunning cross body off the top of the cage to Hernandez.

LAX just overwhelmed the babyfaces though. They took out Daniels by choking him with a coat hanger and then double teamed Styles. Hernandez hit a massive clothesline and then Homicide followed with the Gringo Killer to win the NWA Tag Team Titles for the second time.

This was a physically intense, brutal and bloody war that was the best Bound For Glory match that has ever taken place.

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Edited by Alan John