TNA Bound for Glory 2005

1) Alex Shelley vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Sonjay Dutt – 6
2) Samoa Joe vs. Jushin Liger – 5
3) Simon Diamond, David Young, & Elix Skipper vs. Sonny Siaki, Shark Boy, & Apolo – 4
4) Monty Brown vs. Lance Hoyt – 5
5) Team Canada vs. The 3 Live Kru – 3
6) Matt Bentley vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin – Ultimate X Match – 5
7) America’s Most Wanted vs. The Naturals – 4
8) Abyss vs. Sabu vs. Rhino vs. Jeff Hardy – Monster’s Ball Match – 7
9) Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles – 30 Minute Iron Man Match – 8
10) Samoa Joe vs. Ron Killings vs. Abyss vs. Rhino vs. Monty Brown vs. A.J. Styles vs. Kip James vs. Lance Hoyt vs. Sabu vs. Jeff Hardy – Gauntlet Battle Royal – 4
11) Jeff Jarrett vs. Rhino – 2

There’s a lot to cover here so I’m not going to waste any time. The opening four way was a pretty cool match that eventually turned into a total spotfest. Strong hit some sick backbreakers and Dutt scored on some twisted aerial moves in a match that set a really good pace for the show to start on. The crowd was really into the match as well and proceded to be hot all night. Joe and Liger had a decent bout but it wasn’t really memorable. Yes, it was good to see Liger competiting in the US again but he looked a little slow, quit possibly due to his age, and didn’t seem like he was able to keep up with Joe. The six-man tag made me feel like I was watching an episode of Impact. Simon used to be one of my favorites in ECW, but now he just needs to shave and hit a stairmaster. David Young did a pretty cool dive for a guy his size but that was probably the only highlight for a match that seemed really out of place. For once, Monty Brown had a decent match with someone. While it wasn’t the greatest match ever, the crowd seemed really into it and Hoyt showed some amazing agility for a man his size.

What can I say about Team Canada vs. The 3 Live Kru? Since both stables have since been disbanded, I think it’s best just not to say anything and let the rating speak for itself. The Ultimate X Match was going a good pace until disaster struck. The big red “X” that was hanging from the ropes just kinda decided to fall right in the middle of the match leaving everyone dumbfounded. So the ring crew climbed in and put the X back up while the combatants fought on the floor. Mere moments later, the X fell again, this time right into the hands of a waiting Petey Williams who was declared the winner. Bentley and Sabin stormed off in disgust and everyone else, including Williams, was wondering just what in the hell happened.

The tag title match was mainly a brawl on the outside because apparently no one in Jarrett’s little stable knows how to work anymore. AMW retained the belts after handcuffing Douglas to the guardrail and hitting Stevens with a beer bottle while Gail Kim distracted the referee. Does any of this sound familiar? As a matter of fact it does! It’s the exact same finish to every AMW match since they’ve joined up with Jarrett. The same old lame shit title defense after title defense. Spare me.

The monster’s ball match was pretty cool to watch. It started off with the same old hardcore stuff that TNA does on a normal basis but then Sabu took some crazy bumps and Jeff Hardy damn near killed himself after jumping off the top of one of the sets. It was a crazy thing to watch and managed to add a few more points to an otherwise lackluster battle. Daniels and A.J. had the match of the night. No weapons, no skanky looking Asian chicks interfering, no giant letters falling from the sky, and most importantly, no Konnan anywhere in sight. Just good actual … gasp! … wrestling! They had one of the best Iron Man matches I’ve ever seen. Counter move after counter move, aerial wrestling, and more near falls than you can shake a stick at. Near the twenty-minute mark, A.J. was thrown outside and took a sick bump on the stairs which ended up bruising his thighs and affecting his performance some. At 29:58, A.J. scored the only fall of the match and capped off a brilliant match.

The gauntlet match was a mess. Most everyone involved was totally gassed, except for Kip James, who had no business being in there in the first place. Rhino came in near the end and was totally exhausted after he won. Then came the stooges. Jarrett brought down a casket for some reason and just totally dominated Rhino. Then AMW and Gail Kim interfered, Jarrett grabbed his old, worn out, lame-ass guitar and Rhino gets extra points in my book for being the first person smart enough to dodge the damn thing. Rhino scores the upset but then his title reign is buried when Jarrett and company stuff him in a casket. Team 3-D then comes down and a huge brawl ensues and I have flashbacks to WCW Nitro from the Russo era. I think that “Bound for Mediocrity” would’ve been a better title. The iron man match saved the show from what was otherwise a forgettable show.

DVD Bonus Match:
Matt Bentley vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin – Ultimate X Rematch (Impact – 11/3/05) – 6 – This looked like pretty much the exact same match from the pay-per-view. All three guys bumped big to redeem themselves from the previous blunder they had. At one point, the infamous “X” came loose from one of the chains that was holding it onto the cables and the crowd chanted “Please don’t fall! Please don’t fall!” at it. I honestly think that it’s the first time I’ve ever heard a crowd chant at a letter of the alphabet before. Williams won the match, except this time it didn’t fall at the match gained an extra point for not having the world’s biggest botched spot times two.