(Photo courtesy of TNA Wrestling) “Boston Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster makes an appearance at Bound for Glory.”
Jake Messer
Connector Editor
On Oct. 12, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling came to Lowell to hold their flagship pay per view, Bound for Glory, an accumulation of that year’s wrestling stories within the company. The show, which ran over four at Tsogas, delivered, both critically and financially.
The event, which was held at the Tsongas Center, drew an audience of 7,794 people, TNA’s North American attendance record, surpassing the former record of 7,623, set back in July at Slammiversary in New York. In addition, the massive audience also was a new attendance record for any sporting event ever held at the Tsongas Center.
“I am so proud of TNA Wrestling – the wrestlers, staff, crew, fans and everyone else. We wanted to break the attendance record. Well, we did that with, truly, a record-breaking night in company history,” said TNA Wrestling President Carlos Silva. “The matches were amazing and the electricity inside the Tsongas Center was incredible.”
The show kicked off with the TNA International Championship on the line as Steve Maclin took on Frankie Kazarian in a serviceable match. The action was tempered and fractured, but ramped up nicely towards the finish that saw Maclin pick up the victory and his second reign with the International Championship.
After that opener came Gia Miller versus Tessa Blanchard, and it was certainly the worst match on the card. The match itself was short, but was also very cliche and confusing. Cliche managers that were more memorable then the two grappling in the right, coupled with a confusing finish that saw Blanchard hit Miller with a roll of coins behind the referees back, to secure the win. This match left the fans confused and waiting for the next one to start.
Next up was the Call Your Shot Battle Royale, where 20 people entered the ring in hopes of being the last person standing, as the winner would earn the right to call their shot against any champion, at any time they so desired.
Both men and women competed against each other in this match, and it only added to the entertainment. TNA has always been a great place for women to wrestle, even in times where it wasn’t for the rest of the industry.
After a cavalcade of fun moments and returns, another match ended in a screwy finish. Nic Nemth and Frankie Kazarian were named both winners, as both men pinned each other. Whether or not it was the right decision, at least this allows for more storyline opportunities in the months to come.
Next up, Kelenai Jordan was able to retain her TNA Knockouts World Championship against Indi Hartwell in a good match. The action was fast and hard hitting, and built up to a decisive conclusion, something that isn’t a guarantee on this show thus far. This match showcased that the revolutionary Knockouts Division in TNA is still doing well over 20 years later.
Next up was the hardcore war match between The System and Order 4, in an astonishingly vicious match, easily the most brutal match on the entire card.
Kendo sticks, baseball bats, baseball bats covered in barbed wire, cheesegrater, thumb tacks and blood galore, the fans in the stands felt the hatred on display. The hatred was personified in a truly memorable moment when Agent Zero grabbed Alisha Edwards and threw her back first in a massive pile of tacks, truly brutal as fans were treated to a close up of her back, which was riddled with holes.
The finish, which saw Mustafa Ali pour more tacks on the out-of-it Edwards, he then climbed up to the top rope and attempted to hit the 450 splash on her. Thankfully, Edwards was able to move, thus leaving Ali front flipping into the tacks, leading to the end and the victory for The System, a great match that had fans engaged throughout.
After that battle, fans were treated to the match of the night, as Leon Slater put his TNA X Division Championship on the line against Je’Von Evans. The two men, who are both 21, stole the show, with their epic match that saw the two go back and forth. With a beating heart at its core, this match was alive and brought the Lowell faithful to their feet on multiple occasions.
With these two putting on a match of the year candidate, it seemed the house was about to be torn down, until suddenly, a time limit draw was announced. After many boo’s and expletive chants rained down, five more minutes were added, which was great until two minutes later, a faction named the Dark State, who ran in to beat up the two men, meaning no one won and Slater retained the belt.
A truly mind boggling decision. If TNA wanted to have a winner, why did they end it in a draw, something that was not made clear to the fans in the arena or at home, then restarted, then have a run in by a team that is irrelevant to the two wrestlers. Truly something that is way more complicated than it needs to be, and ruins what is otherwise a match of the night.
After that frustrating conclusion, it was time for the people’s main event, as it was time for the Hardy Boyz to take on Team 3D for “One Final Match.” With both the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships on the line.
The teams, which have been wrestling for the better part of two decades, put on a show that the fans ate up in its entirety, even though the rules were not made clear. The match started with Team 3D putting Matt Hardy through a table, which didn’t eliminate him or end the match in a tables match, very weird but it was clear the fans didn’t mind.
More tables were broken and more moves were hit, until the moment of the night happened, When Jeff Hardy climbed to the top of a 20 foot ladder, and hit his signature swanton dive off the ladder onto Devon Dudley, even though Hardy’s head was mere inches from hitting the ladder he jumped off of.
After the conclusion, the teams, standing face to face, stared at each other. Then, Team 3D took their boots off and handed them to the Hardy’s, retiring right then and their. This moment, which was packed with emotion and joy, brought the crowd to their feet and gave the two teams a much deserved standing ovation, not just for the match, but for what they have done throughout their storied careers in the industry.
“It was something that was epic, because it truly was the end of an era,” Matt Hardy said. “It was the last time we would do this with these guys, that you know, that the match has been taken off the table because, because they’re done.”
After that, it was finally time for the main event, which saw Mike Santana defeat Swerve Strickland for the TNA World Championship. The match itself was good, but the crowd was definitely burnt out from the match before, leaving the match without a certain energy that big wrestling matches tend to have.
Even with that being said, the emotion was still there for Santana, who celebrated his first world title win with his daughter in the ring. A moment, which was years in the making, nearly brought tears to Santana’s eyes, knowing he fulfilled his promise to his daughter and to himself, a truly great ending to the pay per view.
On a rainy night in Lowell, the fans came out in record numbers for the company and TNA certainly delivered on their promises of entertainment, mostly. If the company was able to avoid so many shaky finishes to great matches, then this show would have been better received by the hardcore fans.
Even with this clear drawback, many walked away happy with the show and the performance of the wrestlers that night, and the fans showed that appreciation in droves as Matt Hardy was busy until the wee hours Monday morning.
“I can’t tell you how many real-life testimonials I heard being there, signing autographs till 4 a.m. ‘Thank you for giving me my childhood one last time,’” Matt Hardy recalled.
