Powell’s Impact Wrestling Bound For Glory Hit List: Alex Shelley vs. Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship, Will Ospreay vs. Mike Bailey, Trinity vs. Mickie James for the Knockouts Title

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Impact Wrestling Bound For Glory Hits

Will Ospreay vs. Mike Bailey: This is the match that sold pay-per-view buyers on the event and it also stole the show. As much as the dream match description is overused these days, it was an apt billing for fans who are familiar with the work of both men. These are two of the best wrestlers in the world and they produced a gem of a match that somehow managed to exceed my sky high expectations.

Alex Shelley vs. Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship: A good main event with a finish that surprised me. I thought Alexander would regain the championship he never lost, but they opted to extend Shelley’s reign. It does leave me scratching my head about the character shift that we saw from Shelley in the weeks leading up to the show and how that seemed to be forgotten once the bell rang.

Chris Sabin vs. Kenta for the X Division Title: It’s always refreshing to see a singles match for the X Division Title on pay-per-view as opposed to the multi-person matches or even Ultimate X matches. Sabin and Kenta worked well together and had a nice opening match. Sabin going over felt like the logical move with Kenta on loan from New Japan Pro Wrestling, but I hope we see more of Kenta in Impact.

“The Rascalz” Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz vs. “ABC” Ace Austin and Chris Bey for the Impact Tag Team Titles: You live by the spray paint and you die by the spray paint? I’ve made it no secret that I despise AEW and Impact’s recent use of spray paint finishes, but at least it backfired on the heels this time around. These are two top notch tag teams and they produced a good match while is lasted. I wish they had been given more than ten minutes, but they did a great job with what they had. How about making it up to viewers by putting these teams in a sixty-minute iron man match (with no spray paint!)? I’m not even big on iron man matches, but I’d really love to see what these teams would produce in that format.

Hall of Fame ceremony for Mike Tenay, Don West, and Traci Brooks: Forget pre-shows loaded with too many matches or panels making predictions that no one cares about. This was the best pre-show that any company has produced all year. The concise speeches found the right balance of appreciation, humor, and nostalgia. It was especially sweet to listen to Tenay speak so highly of his late broadcast partner West. Congratulations to all three of the deserving inductees.

Trinity vs. Mickie James for the Knockouts: A solid match. I don’t know if the fans were tired or if they just didn’t get caught up in choosing between the two babyfaces, but this was one of the only times that the crowd felt a little flat. Even so, I enjoyed the match and Trinity continues to be presented as a strong champion.

Call Your Shot gauntlet battle royal: Usually, the best thing about CYS being on the Bound For Glory card is that it serves as the “get everyone on the show” match, which allows the majority of the other matches on the show to be singles matches or traditional tag matches. The worst thing about the match being on the BFG show is that it eats up a lot time that could be spread out amongst some of the bigger matches. But this year’s version was presented more serious than usual and the surprise appearances of Juventud Guerrera, Sonny Kiss, and Matt Cardona were well received. Jordynne Grace pinning Bully Ray to win the match was a crowd pleasing moment that capped off the best CYS match that Impact has produced.

PCO vs. Moose vs. Steve Maclin vs. Rhino in a Monster’s Ball: The over the top bumps were too much for this viewer at times. But I suppose if you’re going to do those bumps, doing them on the company’s biggest show of the year is the place to do it. Everyone involved worked hard and made this work despite it feeling like this match was thrown together because the company didn’t know what else to do with these guys. PCO going over surprised me. Moose taking the loss surprised me even more given that he announced on the same show that he will be cashing in his Feast or Fired contract for a shot at the Impact World Championship at the next pay-per-view.

Impact Wrestling Bound For Glory Misses

TNA revival: Why? It was a ridiculous name to begin with and I really don’t see what long term good comes from bringing it back. I’m sure it will please some of the longtime fans, but I also can’t recall hearing anyone say they wish the company would ditch the Impact name and bring back TNA. Maybe it will be good for a few weeks of nostalgia buzz, but then what? The company is stuck with an embarrassingly awful name. I can think of so many better ways to spend the money it will cost the company to create new title belts and everything else that comes along with rebranding. I am beyond baffled by this move. What a strange way to end a very good pay-per-view.