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Yelled at by SCOTT STEINER
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: New York
Posts: 1,885
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Re: Bound For Glory Discussion Thread
I know I'm a little late here, but better late than never.
I started looking forward to BFG the second Hardy won the series and Aries/Hardy was made official. It was such an appealing main event for so many reasons, since it was the first time meeting, they're evenly matched, both can put on a good show, both are hugely over babyfaces, and both have reasons they 'need' to win. That hooked me.
I had modest expectations. I've never ordered a TNA PPV, mostly because I've never regretted NOT ordering a TNA PPV. My thoughts:
X Division Championship: Zema Ion vs. Rob Van Dam
Ion and RVD coming out in new gear was a good touch. This was the ideal choice for opener, made it even cooler by the fact that it was RVD. As someone else said, what made this match a nice surprise was how Ion had an answer for everything. In a way, that puts him over very nicely. Constantly countering RVD is fresh. The action kept moving and was never boring, this was reminiscent of RVD/Regal from WM X8 in that was a solid sprint. Not a fan of the match ending on just a combo of moves, but it was still good.
I personally love RVD holding the title. The X Division slipped a bit recently and RVD holding the title, like Joe being TV Champion, restores some luster and could make the division important again, and important when someone beats him for it. Solid opener.
**3/4
Television Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Magnus
This is a gem. Good action, good counters, Magnus looks great, Joe gets to put on a real show at BFG, there were some close calls, and both looked good. This reminds me of Benoit/MVP: let Magnus "earn" his eventual victory over Joe. Very nice match.
***
Steet Fight: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
I agree that this went on WAY too early. One year in the making, the biggest feud in TNA in years, and they go on third. I understand it wasn't the title match, but at least put it on fifth or sixth. I get that TNA was afraid that it would drain the crowd before the main event, but the ME was going to get noise one way or another.
That said, damn good match. Classic bloody brawl, bloodier than expected, Storm wearing a new jacket was a nice touch. The staredown felt huge. The action kept moving, was pretty sick, and the finish, with the beer bottle, superkick, and landing on the tacks was perfect, very WM quality. This was the perfect blowoff. Personally, I find Storm superkicking Roode again on Impact anticlimactic. This match should have been the last time they were together for a long time, unless Roode was going to congratulate Storm and turn him face. Oh well, still a very good match.
****
Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow
Just a dull affair. Snow shows Ryan the ropes, which makes sense for the feud, and Morgan makes a shocking return. Inoffensive, but not all that good. This is the best kind of bad match you could see. At least Ryan goes over.
*1/2
TNA World Tag Team Championship: Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez
Solid match. A little slow going, but the action picked up nicely. Was it a great "story?" No. But the action was fun, everyone got to shine. Personally, I expected and have no problem with Chavo and Hernandez winning. AJ and Angle won at Slammiversary, WTTCOTW won at No Surrender, let a new team win. Not the classic it should have been, but good enough.
***1/4
TNA Women's Knockout Championship: Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Personally, I thought this match was solid. It had a good start, Tess held her own, it was never boring, not botchy, and did its job. Not sure what Tara winning means, and the revelation of her boyfriend was really stupid, but a decent match.
**
Sting & Bully Ray vs. Aces & 8s
Yes, after months of feuding, a standard 2-on-2 is a disappointment. I agree. But this was an entertaining brawl, which inexplicably turned into a regular tag match. It was pretty fun, and I'm okay with it ending out of nowhere, since it makes you hate A&8s a lot more.
Like everyone else, I was SHOCKED to read that it was Devon. We all legitimately thought he had parted ways with the company in August, had this title vacated, and was done. It was like seeing a ghost. I think Devon has that on his side now. Back in January 2011, I had ZERO interest in seeing Bubba Dudley as a singles competitor. Within less than a year, he was one of the best workers in the company, now he may be the best. Devon could be a GREAT part of Aces&8s, and he already has the suprise on his side.
***
TNA World Heavyweight Title: Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy
This match-up reminded me of Hogan/Warrior, Bret/HBK, etc. Did it live up to the hype? Absolutely. Aries countered Hardy like crazy, which made Aries look great, the action was so back and forth, it could have gone either way. It was one botch, but shit happens. I love the ending sequence, how Hardy gets Aries out of the corner and turns it into a twist of fate, then he gets another twist of fate to seal the deal before a swanton.
I usually like matches that end with real counter sequences, like the ME of BFG last year, and I've noticed TNA really utilizing combos. Aries won the title by kicking Roode in the head and THEN hitting the BB. Hardy hit two TOF and THEN a swanton. You feel that the match is already over, which I'm not a fan of, but it does make perfect sense. Still, this was a great match, a great main event, and possibly the best ME in BFG history (need to rewatch Angle/Sting to compare.
All in all, it was a good show. You get TWO great matches, three good matches, and even the bad matches weren't terrible. It's funny, when TNA books a great card for BFG, they kind of drop the ball. BFG '09 and '11 had amazing lineups, but were not great quality-wise. '09 was worse, '11 kind of fell below expectations with RVD/Lynn, the 3-way, Styles/Daniels and the main event, even though I like BFG '11.
This card was little all over the place, but like BFG '10 I thought it was quite entertaining. I understand the booking complaints: Ion/RVD being made out of nowhere, Storm/Roode going on 3rd, the tag match getting back in the ring, and lot of older guys going over new talent (RVD, Joe, Tara, Hardy), but I think it'll all pay off. Best TNA PPV of 2012, and probably my favorite PPV of the year.
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The Top Matches of 2013 (**** and higher)
1. No. 1 Contender's Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. CM Punk - Monday Night RAW - February 25 - ****1/2
2. WWE Championship: The Rock vs. John Cena - WrestleMania XXIX - ****
3. The Undertaker vs. CM Punk - WrestleMania XXIX - ****
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Bound For Glory Discussion Thread
