Bound for Glory 2011: Predicting TNA's Biggest Show of the Year

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents Bound for Glory, live on pay-per-view Sunday night.

Everything in TNA has led to this, the biggest show of the year. With a stacked card of nine matches, TNA promises not only a huge show, but a great one as well.

I usually post my predictions for PPVs on Saturdays, but I will be heading to Philadelphia that day. That’s right, I’m going to Bound for Glory!

Therefore, I won’t have the time to do this the day before, or even the day of, the show.

Anyway, here’s the massive card and who I think will come out on top.

Pre-Show: Mexican America vs. Ink Inc.: World Tag-Team Titles

This feud actually started months ago, but had to be put on the backburner due to Hernandez legitimately injuring Jesse Neal.

What a perfect way to continue the story, though. Neal comes back from injury, and he and his partner Shannon Moore want revenge. What better way to do so then to take the titles away from Mexican America?

Ink Inc. made their return a few weeks ago and attacked the champions in a tattoo parlor. They really took it to the champions as they left them down and out. Since then, there hasn’t been much wrestling between the two teams.

What they have been doing, though, is brawling all over the Impact Zone.

Mexican America have been wasting the titles. When they won the belts, I had hoped that they would breathe new life into the tag-team division.

Unfortunately, they haven’t.

All they’ve really done is talk and talk and talk. Oh, there was also a title defense against Devon and D’Angelo Dinero squeezed in there.

If TNA is trying to recreate the Latin American Xchange, they’re failing miserably at it.

Ink Inc. is a team that is good in the ring, good together, and is over with the crowd. I think they would make great champions.

We of course have to factor Sarita and Rosita into the result, but with Christina Von Eerie in Ink Inc.’s corner, they may be taken care of.

Mexican America’s time as champions has been a bust. It’s time for some new blood.

Winners and New Champions: Ink Inc.

Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe vs. Crimson

All three of these wrestlers were a part of the big Bound for Glory Series. Matt Morgan was a favorite to win the thing before having to pull out due to a legit injury.

The favoritism then shifted towards the undefeated Crimson. With 50 points towards the finals, Crimson looked like a sure winner. That is, until Samoa Joe got a hold of him.

Joe was the big loser of the event. Every match he was involved in ended up with the Samoan Submission Machine on the losing end. Also, with a disqualification under his belt, Joe had -10 points.

He decided that if he wasn’t able to win, then nobody could. He took out a total of three competitors, including front-runner Crimson. Morgan grew tired of Joe’s actions and confronted him. That ended up in a brawl and a match at No Surrender, which Morgan won.

Joe ended his losing streak on a recent episode of Impact Wrestling by defeating Morgan in a rematch.

Two weeks ago, Crimson made his return, and he and Joe immediately went at it. Joe was in control until Morgan made the save.

Joe’s winning ways didn’t continue, as he was defeated by Crimson last week and Morgan this past Thursday. That all brings us to this triple-threat match.

I highly doubt Samoa Joe will win here. He’s going nowhere in TNA, and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to start now.

While I’d like to see Matt Morgan win this, I just don’t see it happening. This will go to the undefeated Crimson to keep his streak intact.

Winner: Crimson

Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray: Falls Count Anywhere

This all started when Mr. Anderson joined Immortal in July. He and Bully Ray immediately clashed due to their very different personalities. It wasn’t long before the two had a match at Hardcore Justice.

Ray won the match, and Anderson was kicked out of Immortal on the next episode of Impact Wrestling. The beating was so bad that he was put on the injured list.

He didn’t stay down for long, though, as he returned with a vengeance.

Ray gained and kept the momentum as the weeks passed. He and Jerry Lynn defeated Anderson in a handicap match, he cost Anderson a match against D’Angelo Dinero after hitting him with a kendo stick, and this past Thursday he was put through a table.

Anderson may have some help going into the match, though. To win the match last night, Abyss accidentally hit Scott Steiner with Ray’s chain. Immortal continued to put down the Monster because of it, and he finally had enough.

Abyss grabbed Bully Ray by the throat, but the numbers game was too much for him. Anderson would return to help him out, but he ended up through a table.

With Abyss’ possible face turn, Anderson may have found an ally.

The bully has all the momentum in the world going into this match, but the asshole is a crafty one. While a falls-count-anywhere match is right up Ray’s alley, Anderson can be a very violent person himself.

With its Extreme Championship Wrestling roots, Philadelphia will eat this up.

As far as the winner goes, I think Mr. Anderson will be victorious here.

With the end of Immortal imminent, possibly tonight, I got a feeling that members of the stable, and people associated with them, will lose their matches tonight.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn: Full Metal Mayhem

The hardcore match has become a tradition at Bound for Glory, whether it be the Monster's Ball or Full Metal Mayhem. With two hardcore veterans go at it, this should be a good one.

This is another match the Philly crowd is going to go nuts for. Two ECW legends going at it in a hardcore match in ECW’s backyard? Not one person will be sitting for this match.

These two have had many five-star matches in ECW, and their rivalry was reignited here in TNA. They had a great match at Destination X in July that Rob Van Dam won. Ever since then, Jerry Lynn has been screwing with the “Whole F’N Show.”

Van Dam had a spot in the finals of the Bound for Glory Series until Lynn cost him the seven points that would have solidified his spot.

Lynn revealed that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff convinced him that he was better the Van Dam. That’s why he was doing what he was doing.

A few weeks ago, RVD was taken out backstage. We don’t know who did it, but we can assume it was Lynn.

This past Thursday, we saw them brawling all over the arena. That brawl turned into a tag-team match, as it also involved A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels. The faces won, giving Van Dam the momentum going into the match.

Will it be enough to defeat his old nemesis? I think it will be.

This match should be an intense one, and the crowd atmosphere will be phenomenal as Rob Van Dam picks up the victory.

Winner: Rob Van Dam

A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels: I Quit Match

These two have gone from best friends to worst enemies so many times I lost count. This most recent change has been quite the interesting one.

Christopher Daniels made his return to TNA around the Lockdown PPV in April to avenge A.J. Styles getting injured by Bully Ray. By Destination X in July, Daniels wanted one more match with Styles.

This wasn’t a face versus heel match; it was a friendly competition between two friends. Styles won the match, but Daniels couldn’t get over the loss. After pleading for a month, Styles gave him his rematch on an episode of Impact Wrestling.

Daniels would pick up a cheap win after Styles slipped off the top rope. Ever since then, he hasn’t been able to stop bragging about it.

The whole thing blew up when they went at each other. The brawl ended when Daniels kicked Styles in the family jewels.

This past Thursday, they brawled alongside Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn. It turned into a tag-team match that the faces won.

Later on in the night, though, Daniels beat down Styles backstage.

That brings us to Bound for Glory.

Every time these two get into the ring together, they put on a showcase.

At Destination X they had a five-star match. The rematch lost a star due to the finish, though. I have no doubt in my mind that this will be another five-star showcase between two five-star talents.

With the “I quit” stipulation, this should be one to remember.

It’s a fitting ending to their long-time friendship/rivalry, too. They want to know who’s the best? Get the other to say “I quit”—that will show who’s the greatest among them.

Much like Anderson/Ray and RVD/Lynn, the crowd will eat this up due to the stipulation's hard-core nature and, of course, the great wrestling that will be involved.

Who will come out victorious? It’s a tough one, but I’m giving it to the phenomenal one.

Winner: A.J. Styles

Winter vs. Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James: Knockouts Title

Winter defeated Mickie James at No Surrender for the title. Instead of getting an automatic rematch, Mickie had to earn it. She also has to face two other Knockouts as well.

The Vice President of the Knockouts Division, Karen Jarrett, created the Queen’s Qualifying Matches featuring six Knockouts in three one-on-one matches. The winners would go on to face Winter in a fatal four-way match at Bound for Glory.

Velvet Sky defeated Angelina Love to get her much-deserved shot, while Madison Rayne beat Tara and Mickie defeated Brooke Tessmacher.

Last week, we saw the heels beat the faces in a tag-team match, and this past Thursday the Knockouts had a good old-fashioned brawl.

There hasn’t been a match like this over the Knockouts Title in quite some time. In fact, it was at last year’s big event that Tara defeated Madison, Angelina, and Velvet. Overall, though, this should be a good match.

I don’t see Mickie James or Madison Rayne winning here. Mickie has already had the title twice and both reigns were kind of a bust. While Madison was a great champion during her long reign last year, I just don’t think the title would go from one heel to another.

This match will come down to the champion and Velvet Sky.

This is Winter’s second reign as champion. Her first run only lasted a few weeks, so will this one be any better? I don’t think so. As good a performer as Winter is, I’ve only ever seen her as a transitional champion. This match will go to Velvet!

She is way overdue for a run with the title. She’s been with TNA for a while now and is no doubt the most popular Knockout in the division.

It’s time to let the pigeons loose!

Winner and New Champion: Velvet Sky

Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick: X-Division Title

Ever since Destination X, the X-Division has been like its old self. X-Division stars have been featured every week on Impact Wrestling and have been given the chance to shine.

At Destination X, Brian Kendrick helped in saving the division by taking the X-Division Title away from Abyss.

Also on that night, a new era was about to begin: the era of Austin Aries.

A Double would immediately enter the title picture.

These two X-Division stars have very different personalities and they clashed right away. Aries’ “I’m the greatest that ever lived” mentality didn’t like Kendrick’s calm, cool and collected lifestyle. They’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.

It culminated at No Surrender, when Aries defeated Kendrick to become the new X-Division Champion.

I was hoping that we’d get to see someone else, like Alex Shelley, get the title shot here, but Kendrick has worked with Aries over the past few months. They’ve gotten to know each other inside the ring and should have a great match because of that.

This match will showcase everything that the X-Division is all about.

Who will win? I think Austin Aries’ “win at all costs” attitude will gain him victory here.

Winner and Still Champion: Austin Aries

Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode: World Heavyweight Title

The Bound for Glory Series was one of the longest tournaments I have ever witnessed.

When it started, Bobby Roode was at the bottom of the pack. He spent the first month and a half with zero points. When the series started, Roode was my pick to win, so things weren’t looking too good.

Then he won a match and kept on winning matches. He made it to the top four and defeated Gunner and Bully Ray at No Surrender to become the No. 1 contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

The company had finally given a TNA original, a homegrown talent, a shot at the big time.

Kurt Angle didn’t like it too much, though. He saw Roode as a threat and scheduled four matches. Roode would have to face each member of Fortune leading up to the big PPV.

He managed to defeat all of them except for Christopher Daniels, who backed out of the match. All three matches were great and helped prove that Roode belonged in the main event.

Angle made those matches because he wanted to see Fortune take out Roode before the show. His reasoning was that his teammates in the stable were jealous of him and would take out their frustration on him during their matches.

The plan didn’t work, as Fortune are behind Roode 100 percent.

While Fortune has his back, Angle still has Immortal. The heel stable is much bigger then Fortune. Thankfully, Roode may have Jeff Hardy watching his back as well.

While Immortal was on the attack this past Thursday, Hardy made the save. The Charismatic Enigma could play a big role in this.

At the same time, Roode and Angle both agreed on no outside interference. I'll believe that when I see it.

Kurt Angle has stacked the deck, but Bobby Roode has overcome it all. Well, almost all of it. He has one more hurdle.

Can he do it? I think he can!

Winner and New Champion: Bobby Roode

Hulk Hogan vs. Sting: No Disqualification Match

If Sting wins, Dixie Carter gets TNA back.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the match we’ve all been waiting for. At the same time, an equal amount have been dreading this.

“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan versus “The Insane Icon” Sting has been in the works ever since Hogan debuted in TNA in January 2010.

That’s right; this feud has been going on for almost two years. Then again, they’ve been feuding since 1997.

Hogan and Sting had their first one-on-one encounter in November 1995. Both were faces at the time, so this doesn’t really count as a part of their rivalry.

This first matchup between the two legends has mostly been forgotten due to the no-contest finish, thanks to the villainous Dungeon of Doom.

The big match happened two years later at Starrcade 1997. Sting defeated Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Not many people realize that the Hulkster has never beaten Sting in a big match situation. The two had three more big matches before WCW closed its doors, all of which Sting won.

Fast forward almost 15 years: they have one more big match.

When Hogan came to TNA, Sting knew something was up. He knew that Hulk was up to no good, but no one believed him. When Hogan turned, Sting left.

In March of this year, the Network brought the Icon back, and he won the TNA World Title. Even though Sting would lose the title to Kurt Angle at Hardcore Justice, he continued his fight against Hogan.

Ric Flair got involved and had a match with Sting. As per the stipulation, Hogan had to face Sting because Flair lost.

Hulk had a plan, though. He announced his retirement and thought everything was right with the world. When Sting revealed his retirement was a sham, Hulk finally accepted the match and added the stipulation that if Sting won, he and Dixie Carter would get the company back.

This past Thursday during a contract signing, Hogan would gain the momentum by beating down Sting.

With the no-disqualification stipulation to this match, you just know there’s going to be an insane amount of outside interference.

Immortal will come out to support the Hulkster, and the likes of Fortune, Mr. Anderson, and Jeff Hardy will be out to support Sting.

While I know this is going to be a train wreck, nostalgia is going to kick in for many people, myself included.

This is not going to be a classic. This is not going to be one to remember. This will, though, be the end of a very long storyline.

Even though Hulk Hogan apparently signed a new contract with TNA, which means he’ll be around longer, he won’t be winning. Everything Sting has been saying for almost two years will culminate in a victory.

Winner: Sting

Final Thoughts

Folks, this is TNA’s biggest show of their year. This is their Wrestlemania.

TNA has built this show up perfectly, and it promises to be great.

TNA’s best PPV this year was Slammiversary. Hell, I’ll go as far as to say Slammiversary was one of the best of the year, right up there with WWE Money in the Bank.

This Sunday could prove to be the best PPV of the year between WWE and TNA.

I could very well be wrong, though. TNA could completely blow their big show. They’ve done it before, and odds are they will do it again. I just hope it’s not Bound for Glory.

With the card looking great, this very well may surpass this year’s Wrestlemania.

Let’s be honest, though, it wouldn't really be that hard to do so. The majority of PPVs this year surpassed Wrestlemania. 'Mania may be the biggest show of the year in terms of the business, but quantity does not mean quality.

Check back some time next week, most likely Wednesday, when I’ll have “TNA Bound for Glory: A Live Perspective” up on the site.

Thanks for reading, and for those getting the PPV or even going, enjoy the show!