‘Impact Wrestling: Bound For Glory 2023’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory 2022 pay-per-view, which emanated from the Cicero Stadium in Chicago and features OG Knockout Traci Brooks and the legends that are Don West & Mike Tenay inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame (all of which are WAAAAY overdue for a HOF induction) on the pre-show. Let’s get into the review!

Match #1: X-Division Championship – Chris Sabin def. KENTA

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Sabin launches himself off the apron, colliding with KENTA on the floor. Back in the ring, Sabin hits a top rope crossbody for two. KENTA avoids a slingshot crossbody, then drives him spine-first into the side of the ring. KENTA remains in control with a neckbreaker, then locks in a headlock to slow the pace down. Sabin creates separation with a dropkick, allowing him to regain his composure. Sabin soars with a missile dropkick from the top, followed by a tornado DDT. Sabin goes for the Cradle Shock but KENTA counters with an eye rake. KENTA hits a draping DDT, then connects with multiple dropkicks in the corner. Sabin bounces back with a step-up Enzuigiri. KENTA avoids another Cradle Shock by grabbing the referee. KENTA attempts a pin with his feet on the ropes but the referee catches him in the act. KENTA almost puts Sabin away with a top rope double stomp. Sabin counters the GTS into a superkick. Sabin hits the Clothesline from Hell Michigan, followed by the Cradle Shock to win.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Monster’s Ball – PCO def. Moose, Rhino & Steve Maclin

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Moose, PCO, Rhino and Steve Maclin are unleashed after being locked away with no food, no water and no light for 24 hours. Maclin jumps Rhino from behind during his entrance. Moose assaults both of them with his Feast or Fired Briefcase. Moose powerbombs Maclin on the hardest part of the ring. Moose is setting up for the Spear when PCO enters the fray. Moose hits PCO with a back body drop over the top rope into a ladder. Maclin drives Moose into a trash can with a Death Valley Driver. Maclin inadvertently hits himself with a steel chair, allowing PCO to capitalize with a Chokeslam. PCO hits Maclin with the De-Animator on the apron. Moose plants PCO with one Uranage after another but he won’t stay down. Moose powerbombs PCO into thumbtack-covered cinderblocks on the outside. Moose is Caught in the Crosshairs but Rhino prevents Maclin from hitting the follow-up KIA. Maclin jabs at Rhino with a steel chair. In a shocking turn of events, Bully Ray pushes Maclin off the top rope through a barbed wire table. Rhino Gores Moose but collides with a steel chair. PCO soars with the PCO-Sault on Moose to win.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #3: IMPACT World Tag Team Championship – ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) def. The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz)

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Chris Bey and Trey Miguel kickstart the match with synchronous running dropkicks. Wentz hits Austin with double knees, followed by a neckbreaker. Wentz distracts the referee, allowing Miguel to illegally plant Austin with a neckbreaker on the hardest part of the ring. Miguel takes a cheap shot, knocking Bey off the apron. Austin flies with Soar to Glory, taking out both members of the Rascalz. Bey gets two for one on Wentz and Miguel. Bey spikes Wentz with a Brainbuster but it’s not enough to keep him down. Wentz avoids the 1, 2 Sweet as Miguel catapults Austin into a top rope double stomp. Miguel hits Austin with a Meteora, followed by a top rope senton from Wentz. Wentz inadvertently blinds Miguel with the spray paint. ABC put Wentz away with the 1, 2 Sweet to win.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #4: Will Ospreay def. Mike Bailey

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Bailey strikes first with a Triangle Moonsault to the outside. Ospreay bounces back with a springboard crossbody, taking out Bailey on the floor. Back in the ring, Ospreay hits a big backbreaker but Bailey kicks out at one. Ospreay delivers a chop on the top rope, sending Bailey toppling to the floor. Ospreay baseball slides under the bottom rope but Bailey follows him with a twisting corkscrew to the outside. Bailey hits a running Shooting Star for two. Moments later, Ospreay takes Bailey off his feet with a handspring Enzuigiri. Ospreay continues the assault with a springboard forearm for two. Bailey counters the Oscutter into a backslide for another two count. Bailey spikes him with a Poison Rana. Ospreay hits the Oscutter on the apron. Ospreay hits another Oscutter in the ring but Bailey kicks out at two. Both men exchange a series of kicks with Ospreay gaining the upper-hand following the Hidden Blade. Bailey counters an Oscutter with double knees to the back. Bailey hits Ultima Weapon for a very close near fall. Bailey soars with Meteor Rain, a top rope Fisherman’s Buster but it’s still not enough to keep Ospreay down. Ospreay counters the Flamingo Driver into the Styles Clash. Ospreay hits one final Hidden Blade, followed by the Stormbreaker to win.

My Score: 5 out of 5

Match #5: Call Your Shot Gauntlet – Winner: Jordynn Grace

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Jake Something enters at #1 and begins the match with Eddie Edwards at #2. Kenny King enters at #3. Edwards slides under the bottom rope, which does not count as an elimination. There’s a mini Honor No More reunion as Edwards and King work together. Juventud Guerrera is a surprise entrant at #4. Sheldon Jean gets up on the apron but Juventud knocks him down. King capitalizes off the distraction with a Spinebuster to Juventud. Johnny Swinger enters at #5. Juventud eliminates King. Out of nowhere, Crazzy Steve assaults Swinger with his Feast or Fired briefcase. Gisele Shaw enters at #6 and eliminates Swinger. Steve is about to assault Swinger with his fork when Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer makes the save. Jody Threat enters at #7. Jai Vidal and Savannah Evans prevent Shaw from being eliminated by Threat. KiLynn King enters at #8. Edwards eliminates Juventud. Sonny Kiss is a surprise entrant at #9. Kiss eliminates Shaw with a press slam over the top. Bully Ray enters at #10. Kiss and Ray engage in a dance-off. Matt Cardona returns at #11. Kiss shows Cardona What’s Up from the top rope. Jordynne Grace enters at #12. Eric Young enters at #13. Young spikes Cardona with a Piledriver. Cardona eliminates Edwards. Joe Hendry enters at #14. Brian Myers enters at #15 and immediately spears Hendry for the elimination. Myers reunites with Cardona but Kiss brings the fight to both of them. Myers and Cardona eliminate Kiss with a double back body drop. Heath enters at #16. Heath hits Something, Young, KiLynn and Cardona with Wake Up Calls. Myers eliminates Heath. Frankie Kazarian enters at #17. Myers takes out Kazarian with the Roster Cut clothesline. Rich Swann enters at #18. Jonathan Gresham enters at #19. Gresham uses his T-shirt to eliminate KiLynn. Dirty Dango enters at #20. Something immediately eliminates Dango. Oleg Prudius enters the ring and assaults the other competitors. Myers and Cardona eliminate Kazarian, Swann and Young. Something catches Gresham in mid-air and tosses him over the top for the elimination. Something sends Myers Into the Void. Myers goes low on Something for the elimination. Cardona turns on Myers and eliminates him. Grace eliminates Cardona as Ray eliminates KiLynn. The final two are Grace and Ray, the match must now end by pinfall or submission. Grace hits multiple back elbows, followed by the Grace Driver to win.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #6: Knockouts World Championship – Trinity def. Mickie James

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Trinity goes for Star Struck in the early going but James sees it coming and evades. Trinity hits the running the splits for two. Trinity uses her athleticism and flexibility to avoid an incoming clothesline. James hits head scissors out of the corner but Trinity responds with head scissors of her own. Both Knockouts are down following synchronous offense, sending them both to the floor. They make it back into the ring where Trinity hits the Rear View for two. James drives her face-first into the canvas, then soars with a seated senton off the top. Trinity hits a pinpoint Enzuigiri, followed by the split-legged Moonsault for another two count. Moments later, James connects with the Mick Kick for a near fall of her own. Trinity counters the Mick-DT into a Full Nelson Slam. James spikes her with a tornado DDT out of the corner but it’s not enough to keep Trinity down. James avoids the X-Factor, then rolls her up for two. James spikes Trinity with use of the ropes. Trinity recovers and locks in Star Struck to win by submission.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #7: IMPACT World Championship – Alex Shelley def. Josh Alexander

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Alexander locks in the Ankle Lock but Shelley scurries to the bottom rope. Shelley targets left arm of Alexander in the early going. Both men exchange strikes in the middle of the ring with Alexander gaining the upper-hand off a big boot out of the corner. The fight spills to the outside where Shelley hits a thudding back body drop. Alexander charges at Shelley but he ducks, sending Alexander crashing into the steel ring post. Minutes later, Alexander wraps Shelley’s leg around the post and locks in a submission. Alexander locks in the Ankle Lock but Shelley breaks it with an Enzuigiri targeted at his left arm. Shelley goes for the Border City Stretch but this time it’s Alexander who desperately gets his leg on the bottom rope. The pace quickens as Alexander hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Shelley comes back with a snap German suplex. Alexander counters Sliced Bread into another German suplex, this time into a bridge for two. Alexander cranks Shelley’s leg with a Dragon Screw. Shelley hits a modified Shellshock into the barricade. Shelley successfully connects with Sliced Bread on the floor. Shelley soars with a top rope Frog Splash for two. Shelley immediately transitions into a Border City Stretch but Alexander counters into an Ankle Lock. They go counter for counter before Shelley plants him with Shellshock. Shelley hits another Shellshock to win.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

News of the Night:

1. Well, the biggest news in Impact Wrestling history in some time… Impact is going BACK to being known as TNA Wrestling, starting in January 2024!
2. Sonny Kiss made their Impact debut as part of the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Whilst the pay-per-view might be overshadowed on social media by the announcement that Impact Wrestling is going back to their old TNA moniker, wrestling fans should NOT sleep on Bound For Glory. Good god, this PPV put the other two “big” wrestling companies to shame. Will Ospreay had a PERFECT opponent in Mike Bailey and, honestly, that last run of near falls was some of the most exhilarating stuff in a PPV this year. In fact, I’d say that this match is definitely up there for match of the year status. But the whole show was superb – Sabin and Kenta put it all out there to kick things off and not even a gimmick match like Monster’s Ball could stop the momentum, delivering some true brutality. Two of Impact’s best tag teams that AREN’T Motor City Machine Guns in one match was guaranteed to deliver and The Rascalz and ABC did just that. The Call Your Shot match, whilst suffering from the chaotic nature of what is essentially Impact’s version of the Rumble, was a fun multi-person match with some great surprise appearances. Mickie James and Trinity did a LOT of work to get themselves over with a subdued live crowd, eventually getting the chants and cheers that can make or break a match… I personally LOVED the end of the match, with Trinity getting the win via submission and immediately hugging her long-time friend rather than celebrating. This was 100% James putting over Trinity and cementing her as THE champ. Then, as if spurred on by the high standard of Ospreay and Bailey’s match, Alex Shelley and Josh Alexander outdid themselves in the main event, delivering a near-perfect cap on what is one of the best PPVs of the year for not only Impact but American wrestling as a whole. This is truly, TRULY, unmissable stuff!