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Over the last few weeks, I've not been able to cover Impact Wrestling in the manner that I used to because Friday nights are when SmackDown happens, and as with any online pro wrestling portal, that is a higher priority. And so, to prepare for Bound for Glory, I binge-watched all the episodes of Impact Wrestling from the past few weeks, and I fell in love with pro wrestling yet again.
AEW and NXT are too in-ring driven, and RAW and SmackDown are far too inconsistent. Impact Wrestling is the right mix of drama, comedy, and in-ring action, making it the perfect variety show that has something for everyone who still enjoys pro wrestling.
That said, I did not think that Bound For Glory was their strongest show, but perhaps it's just a side-effect of how good their pay-per-views have been thus far. I know that a lot of casual fans are disappointed that Impact Wrestling did not go all the way with Sami and Tessa, but over the long haul, I personally think that this was a smart choice.
So, without too much of a prelude, let me commence with the 'Best and Worst' of the show.
#1 Best: Surprises in the gauntlet match
I know that rumors about Kylie Rae's arrival were all over the internet, but it was still very cool to see her come and compete in the gauntlet match. If she's signed on to Impact Wrestling for the long haul, she can be a very valuable asset for the Knockouts Division, and maybe even take Allie's spot.
I also loved the fact that Swoggle and Joey Ryan showed up during the course of the match. Neither man is a stranger to the company, and it'll be great to see what's next for both of these individuals.
#1 Worst: Ken Shamrock's big return
Ken Shamrock busted out some big moves at the top of his match against Moose. The crowd was stunned and so was I.
But then, I don't know if he ran out of tricks in his arsenal or if the match just went on for far too long. Moose tried his best to carry the contest through the time duration, but you could tell that the crowd was losing interest in the contest as it went on.
Even though Shamrock is in great shape and was doing stuff that very few people in their mid-50s can do, I just thought that he seemed extremely rusty, as is but natural from someone who hasn't been in the ring for this long. Maybe he should have been in the Battle Royal instead of the co-main event.
At the same time, if Shamrock decides to stick with Impact, I can only see him improving from here.
#2 Best: The main event
The main event match between Brian Cage and Sami Callihan was exactly how you'd want a match between the two men to be. It was nasty. There was blood, there were thumbtacks and there was biting!
I love the way that Impact Wrestling books its big men to look absolutely invincible, be it Brian Cage or Mahabali Shera or even someone like Madman Fulton. The visual of Brian Cage kicking out of the Package Piledriver at one was something to behold. And the sight of Melissa Santos running to the ring to celebrate with her husband brought a fantastic storyline to a close.
The internet is all upset because they did not get the story that they wanted, but very honestly, this was a fantastically told story, from start to finish. I'm very curious to see who's next for Cage and I wouldn't be surprised if it's Callihan again.
#2 Worst: Rosemary being misused
No Impact Wrestling star got the same pop and the same kind of reception that Rosemary did when she came to the ring for the gauntlet match at the top of the show. And somehow, she was just another body in the match who was eliminated during the action.
I've been to Impact Wrestling tapings where her character was portrayed in a far better manner than it is right now. I don't know if the new management just doesn't believe in her like they once used to, or if they don't want babyface Rosemary to be the same intimidating figure she once was.
In fact, I don't really think that any Knockout was used in the manner that she should have, during the gauntlet match. While it was an inter-gender match on paper, the match wasn't as intense as say, a Tessa Blanchard match is!
#3 Best: The ladder match
I know that Twitter is up in arms about the fact that Tessa Blanchard did not become the X-Division Champion. They wanted her to cash in Option C and take on Sami Callihan, who they assumed would win the World Championship. But the one thing about Impact Wrestling is that they do not rush things at all.
I'm sure that the eventual plan is for Tessa Blanchard to win all the gold. But for the time being, Impact Wrestling is focusing on building Ace Austin, who's a breakout athlete and who's knee-deep in the middle of a storyline with Alicia and Eddie Edwards.
Check out the ladder spot that I've linked on this page. There were many OMG moments through the course of the match, and I do believe that Josh Mathews and Don Callis were in top form, calling all the action!
Congratulations to Ace Austin on becoming the new X-Division Champion!
#3 Worst: Botches
I don't know if Marufugi is going to be Marufuji's Impact Wrestling name, but it did seem more like a botch than a deliberate move, to be quite honest. And this wasn't the only botch of the night that I noticed during the show.
Joey Ryan arrived and he was dubbed Cody Deaner in the graphics, as my colleague Greg Bush pointed out during the broadcast. I do realize that botches are par for the course during a live broadcast, but these were noticeable and quite embarrassing to see, as a fan of the Impact Wrestling product.
There is a degree of professionalism that you associate with a product that makes you either want to tune in (or not). That is one aspect of the program that Impact Wrestling really needs to work on, because Greg, who watched the show on FITE, also complained about the feed being down, at the top of the said show.
The cameras and cameramen were also visible at multiple points during the broadcast.
#4 Best/Worst: Keeping the title on Taya
I'm just not certain that it was the right call to keep the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship on Taya Valkyrie. At the same time, I am not sure that it was the wrong call either. She's just been champion for a very long time, and I don't know who's next in line to dethrone her.
I just thought that having Tenille Dashwood become the Knockouts Champion would add a bit more excitement to the division overall. We've seen Taya Valkyrie run through the field, and unless someone like Kylie Rae steps up to dethrone her, I don't know who's next for her.
Maybe Impact Wrestling pulls a rabbit out of the hat and surprises us as they've done at so many points during the company's existence. Maybe she loses the titles on TV.
Bound For Glory wasn't my favorite pay-per-view, but it was definitely a good show!
