Impact Wrestling: Bound For Glory 2020′ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory 2020, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the big duke-a-roo between Eric Young and Rich Swann for the World Title, so let’s not waste any time picking our butt-holes and licking our hillbillies. Bound For Glory, which I should have booking control over because I was going to buy TNA Wrestling, except that I couldn’t raise enough money because I suck ass, starts now.

Match #1: Rohit Raju (c) def Chris Bey, Trey Miguel, TJP, Jordynne Grace & Willie Mack – Six Way Scramble Match for the X Division Title

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

As soon as the bell rings, Rohit tries to retreat but his opponents stop him. The action is fast and furious in the early going as Grace takes down Willie with a shoulder tackle. TJP locks in simultaneous submissions on Willie, Trey and Bey! Willie sends the champ soaring across the ring with a flying forearm. Willie connects with a standing Moonsault on Rohit for two. Grace dives through the ropes, taking out TJP and Rohit on the outside. Bey dropkicks Trey off the shoulders of TJP, then dives to the outside with a huge crossbody! Rohit rolls up TJP with a hold of the tights but he’s somehow able to kick out at two. Upside down in the corner, Grace takes four of her opponents off the top in a modified Tower of Doom. Rohit then hits her with a double foot stomp for a near fall. Grace its Trey with the Grace Driver but Rohit breaks the count. TJP connects with the Mamba Splash on Trey but Rohit capitalizes and steals the pin to retain the X-Division Title!

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was an awful lot of spots, but it is Pay Per View, so what did I expect? Raju winning was a letdown, but I guess Impact sees Raju as an immediate attraction of some kind, to say the least. You can expect this to be series of stunts, timed well and sold just as such, but perhaps not the great bout that you’d hope for, considering that this is the biggest card of the year for Impact. Nobody was lazy here and the men and woman working together was a success in my view. As a huff and a puff, this was not quite enough to blow the damn house down, but the roof was on fire, so I gotta give these guys some credit. All in all, this was a good opener that was a bit predictable in the long run, but it was good fun none the less.

Match #2: Rhino def Sami Callihan to Win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Two competitors start the match. Every minute, another will enter the fray. Eliminations occur by throwing your opponent over the top rope. This process will continue until there are only two competitors remaining. The final two will compete in a singles match to be won by pinfall or submission. The victor receives a future Championship opportunity of their choosing, anytime, anyplace! Rhino and the returning Daivari kick off the match. Rhino’s career is on the line tonight. They brawl around the ringside area as the clock ticks down. Larry D of XXXL is the next entrant. Crazzy Steve enters the match. Acey Romero joins his XXXL partner. They immediately work together to sandwich Steve in the middle of the ring. Tenille Dashwood, alongside Kaleb with a K, is the next participant. Kaleb gets in the ring while Dashwood stays on the outside. The terrifying Havok is out next, accompanied by Nevaeh. Brian Myers enters the gauntlet. Myers throws Steve over the top for an elimination. Swoggle makes his return to IMPACT Wrestling as the next participant. Myers uses Swoggle as a battering ram to eliminate Daivari. Myers reminds him that it’s every man for himself and eliminates Swoggle. Innovator of Violence Tommy Dreamer enters next. Alisha is the next participant in the gauntlet. Myers continues to dominate by eliminating Dreamer and Alisha. Kiera Hogan is the next participant. Myers takes a selfie with Dashwood but quickly eliminates her. Taya Valkyrie is out next, accompanied by Rosemary and John E Bravo. Fallah Bahh with his stolen roll of cash around his neck enters the match. Havok chokeslams Kiera for the elimination but she then gets eliminated by Taya. Cowboy James Storm makes his shocking return and eliminates Larry D. Adam Thornstowe of Reno Scum is out next. Luster the Legend joins his partner. Heath, whose career is on the line tonight, comes out next. Heath clotheslines Acey over the top for the elimination, then follows up with the elimination of Myers. Sami Callihan is the next entrant. Hernandez is out in the final position and tries to reclaim his stolen roll of cash. Fallah throws it to the floor and eliminates himself to retrieve it. Rhino eliminates both members of Reno Scum. Callihan, Storm, Heath and Rhino are the final four. Heath eliminates Storm. Callihan tosses Heath over the top rope and due to the stipulations, his IMPACT career is over unless Rhino can win the match. Callihan and Rhino are the final two. They will now compete in a traditional singles match. Callihan connects with a Piledriver for a near fall. Rhino hits the Gore to score the victory, winning the Call Your Shot Gauntlet. With the win, Rhino retains his job and also secures Heath a spot on the IMPACT Wrestling roster!

My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – This was the standard gauntlet/battle royal deal, but with Heath injuring himself, which apparently screwed-up the finish of him winning it. Rhino and Sami had a great fight near the end and sold me on Rhino being a great winner, considering the story-line and his wrestling capabilities.

Match #3: Moose def. EC3 in an Undisclosed Location

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose arrives to the undisclosed location. Surrounded by his followers, EC3 makes his presence known. They brawl in the middle of a ring as Moose delivers stiff shots to EC3. Moose questions why EC3 has has been tormenting him. When EC3 doesn’t respond, Moose says he’s going to beat the answers out of him. EC3 turns the tide and hits a big Exploder Suplex. EC3 tells Moose he’s nothing as he sets up for the One Percenter. Moose counters and connects with the No Jackhammer Needed spear. EC3 tells Moose to control his narrative. Moose utters the words “thank you” before hitting him over the head with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Moose leaves as EC3’s followers carry him out of the ring.

My Opinion: 0 out of 5 – It was a…brawl? Nobody really won and nobody really lost, so what was the point of this?

Match #4: Ken Shamrock w/ Sami Callihan def Eddie Edwards

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Shamrock begins to wear Eddie down in the early going. Shamrock kicks him to the floor, and delivers a thunderous kick to the back. Shamrock drives Eddie’s head into the steel guardrail with a knee strike. Eddie finally creates separation with a Blue Thunder Bomb, followed by a modified Dragon Screw Leg Whip. Eddie continues to build momentum with a dive to the floor, taking out both Shamrock and Callihan. Back in the ring, Eddie hits a top rope missile dropkick for two. Eddie’s next move is a Tiger Bomb but Shamrock counters into a Cross Armbreaker. Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party but instead of going for the pin, he locks in the Boston Crab. Callihan uses his cellphone to turn out the lights. When they come back on, Callihan is holding a baseball bat. Eddie fights him off with a kendo stick! Shamrock capitalizes off the distraction with a belly-to-belly suplex from behind. Shamrock locks in the Ankle Lock to win by submission.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – When this was hold-for-hold, it was pretty damn good. Ken and Eddie have the chemistry to make a longer, tighter match into a masterpiece, but what we got was more along the lines of a commercial for how good that match would be.

Match #5: The North def Motor City Machine Guns, The Good Brothers and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton – Four Way Tag Team Title Match For The Impact World Tag Team Championships

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

The match officially begins with Chris Sabin competing alone. You can tag anyone into the match, and two competitors are legal at any given time. The first person to score a pinfall or submission will win the match for their team. Fulton wears down Sabin, connecting with a strong Irish whip into the corner. Sabin fights off both Ace and Fulton with a tornado DDT, allowing him to make the tag to Karl Anderson! The Good Brothers hit a double team back suplex on Ace but Fulton breaks the pin attempt. Gallows clotheslines Fulton over the top rope to the floor. The courageous Chris Sabin tags himself into the match and soars over the top rope to the floor. Anderson counters a top rope crossbody from Sabin into a pinning predicament for two. Alexander counters the Magic Killer from The Good Brothers. Page hits Anderson over the head with the belt, allowing Alexander to score the pin. The North are the new Tag Team Champions!

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a good match, considering that Alex Shelley was out of the fight due to some undisclosed injury that was explained away as a pile-driver taking him out before he got to the ring. There’s enough action here to make this all worth a viewing, but a lot of this amounted to every-body getting their spots in and stuff like that. The North winning felt pretty good considering the circumstances, but I’d have no real qualms with them winning anyway. I wish this could have been a true tag team match, but having most of the band together is better than no band at all.

Match #6: Su Yung def Deonna Purrazzo w/ Kimber Lee –Knockouts Championship Match

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Kylie Rae’s music hits but she’s nowhere to be seen. Deonna Purrazzo gets on the mic and says she’s not surprised Kylie didn’t show up tonight. Deonna says she promised a Knockouts Title defense tonight and that’s what we’re going to get before laying out an open challenge. The demonic Su Yung makes her terrifying return and answers Purrazzo’s challenge for the Knockouts Championship! Su hits a twisting backbreaker on the apron in the opening moments of the match. Su chases Kim around the ring, allowing Purrazzo to gain control. Back in the ring, Su picks her off the top with a head scissors. Purrazzo a trifecta of German Suplexes before exchanging strikes with the Undead Bride in the middle of the ring. Su launches herself off the apron, crashing into the champion on the floor. Su connects with the Pedigree for a very close near fall. Su puts on the bloody glove, leading to a flurry that takes out the referee. Su has Purrazzo pinned for three but the referee is out. From behind, Kim hits Su in the back with a steel chair. They try to break her arm like they did to Susie but Su fights out of it. Su takes out Kim with the poison mist. Su hits the Panic Switch to defeat Purrazzo and become the new Knockouts Champion!

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – Kylie Rae no-showed for an unknown reason, so Su Yung came out and demolished Deonna near the end of this. The match was good and solid until the final act, where this thing went full-tilt hubba-bubba with the scary mayhem, mumma! Mumma…mumma…why am I fat mumma?! These two were eventually able to up the stakes and make this an intense fight with the right winner.

Match #7: (Main Event) Rich Swann def Eric Young – IMPACT World Championship Match

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Swann is as determined as ever to get revenge on Young as he goes on the attack at the opening bell. Swann quickens the pace and hits the champ with a furry of offense. Swann attempts a handspring but Young counters and drives his head into the mat. The concern now shifts from Swann’s previously injured knee to his neck. The beatdown continues as he relentlessly attacks the neck of Swann. Young hits a thunderous neckbreaker off the top rope. Swann picks him off the second rope, then follows up with a huge Frog Splash for two. Young bites the face of Swann, followed by a top rope elbow drop right into the neck of Swann. Swann builds momentum with a handspring cutter, followed by the Phoenix Splash to win the match and become the new IMPACT World Champion!

My Opinion: 5 out of 5 – Now this was a classic. You talk about a match feeling like a competition and a fight, which is what I would say of this bout. Rich and Eric have an all-or-nothing approach to wrestling that makes them both intense beyond words. When these guys got past the first act of the match, all bets were off, to the point that it often looked like these guys forgot that wrestling is fake. That’s the way this should be…wrestling I mean…I mean wrestling should look real but be fake…got it? Rich looked fantastic here, some much so that him being a World Champion only now is almost a complete shame…almost. Rich will still be dealing with the repercussions of his assault charge against his wife, Su Yung, for years to come, but if he chooses to focus all of that alleged anger into his wrestling instead, he might get to stay at the top of the IMPACT for years to come. There’s so much action in here, that it was like stuffing a pelican up a dolphin’s ass and getting a Kabob made of Velveeta in return. Hey, I like Velveeta damn it! Holy moly, this was a spicy meat-a-ball of a main event that had the right fighter win the strap. Congratulations Rich Swann and best of luck to you in your new role as IMPACT World Champion.

News Of The Night:

1. James Storm, Swoggle and Shawn Daivari returned to Impact in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match.
2. The Knockout’s Tag Team Titles are coming back.
3. Alex Shelley took a pile-driver to excuse himself from the match due to an un-disclosed injury.
4. Kylie Rae no-showed Bound For Glory due to an un-disclosed reason.
5. Ariel Helwani, Bas Rutten, Chael Sonnen, Mick Foley, Bret Hart and The Rock all inducted Ken Shamrock into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall Of Fame.

Final Verdict: 4/5

The main event made a night of solid matches into a must-see event.