TNA’s annual Bound for Glory emanates from the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachussetts, tonight with a card featuring title matches, surprises, and the final meeting between two legendary tag teams.
The main event will feature TNA World Champion and WWE NXT star Trick Williams defending against Mike Santana.
TNA & NXT Tag Team Champions The Hardys put both titles on the line against Team 3D in their final clash, fittingly a tables match.
Other main card title bouts include TNA Knockouts Champion and NXT’s Kelani Jordan defending against Indi Hartwell, International Champion Frankie Kazarian defending against Steve Maclin, and X-Division Champion Leon Slater defending against NXT’s Jeâ€Von Evans.
A Hardcore War match will see Order 4 (Mustafa Ali, Special Agent Zero, Jason Hotch, John Skyler & Tasha Steelz) against The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose, Brian Myers, JDC, & Alisha Edwards).
The annual Call Your Shot gauntlet match, plus Tessa Blanchard vs. Gia Miller rounds out the PPV card. The pre-show will see Knockouts Tag Team Champions The IInspiration defend against The Elegance Brand.
Our coverage begins with the pre-show at 6 PM Eastern.
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Pre show.
There was a modest set-up for the Hall of Fame inductions, with a small podium in the back of the arena so it looked like they were surrounded by fans.
Tommy Dreamer inducts the Beautiful People into the TNA Hall of Fame.Dreamer is accompanied by Jazz and TNA President Carlos Silva. Dreamer is here to induct the Beautiful People despite being ugly because Billy Gunn was unavailable. Dreamer quickly brought out Angelina Love & Velvet Sky, who put a paper bag over Tommyâ€s head. This is a full-circle moment for the Beautiful People, who debuted at Bound for Glory in 2007. Love thanked all the women who were in the “Gauntlet for the Gold†match in 2007, and her trainer. She also thanked her trainer, Tommy Dreamer for hiring her (she was his first hire), and “Cute Kip†(aka Billy Gunn). She also thanked The Jarrett Family and Vince Russo, the composer who created their entrance music, and all the production people. Love introduced her family to the crowd and thanked them her support. She apparently bit her sister to get the remote back when she tried to change the channel from wrestling (wish Iâ€d thought of that). She thanked the fans and her partner Velvet Sky, and turned the podium over to her.
Velvet Sky also thanked all the people behind the scenes, and again noted it was a full circle moment for her having gotten her start at Bound for Glory. She also thanked Dreamer and Terry Taylor, Jeff Jarrett and Vince Russo, Jeremy Borash, Mikey Tenay, Don West and Taz. She thanked her parents for their support when she left college to chase her dream as a pro wrestler, her trainer Jason Knight. She thanked Afa and his family for inviting her to wrestle on her WXW shows, where she won her first wrestling championship. Sky also thanked her partner, and told the young girls out there to never stop chasing their dreams. She thanked her extended family and the fans, her “Pigeon Army.†She led the crowd in a chant of “Let the pigeons loose!†to end her speech.Â
Lisa Marie Varon inducts Mickie James into the TNA Hall of Fame.Varon, who was very emotional, brought out a copy of the TNA Knockouts Championship. Varon wanted to be comfortable so she tossed her heels into the crowd. Varon threw her speech away and spoke from the heart about how James came into WWE “like a Tennessee Tornado.†They did whatever it took to prove that they werenâ€t just the best match “for a womenâ€s match†but for the best match, period. Varon described James as a friend that is there, who shows up. Varon described Mickie James as a role model “not just in wrestling, but in life.†Honestly, even though she was very emotional, you couldnâ€t have asked for a better induction from Varon.
The crowd chanted “you deserve it!†for Mickie. James described TNA as “a family.†She thanked Jeff and Jerry Jarrett for taking a chance on “Alexis Laree†and thanked Raven, Julio and CM Park for her early days in TNA (the weekly-ppv days). That was her launching pad to WWE. She then thanked Dixie Carter for convincing her to come back to TNA in 2010 and reinvent herself as “Hardcore Country.†She praised TNA as a company in 2010 who didnâ€t just give women four minute matches, but main events. James got emotional talking about her last TNA run, how she came into a locker room feeling defeated but left feeling vindicated. She praised the loyalty of the TNA fanbase and the “Hardcore Country†fanbase. James thanked her parents for instilling her love for wrestling and not to listen to the naysayers who are afraid to go after your dreams. For her haters, fakers, and under-appreciators, she finished with the lyrics from her “Hardcore Country†song. Â
WWE could learn something from TNA about keeping these things short and to the point.
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