Bound for Glory

The biggest TNA pay-per-view of the year, Bound for Glory aired via tape delay from the legendary Korakuen Hall and the show itself could speak volumes about the direction of the promotion. The event took place in Tokyo, Japan so it gave TNA something unique to promote and the Japanese audience provided a different atmosphere for an American pay-per-view broadcast. The company has cut cost in recent months, specifically taping several episodes of TV during a few shows in New York and the Japanese working agreement was cost effective for them as well. If TNA booked the show in the United States, there would be the production costs of transporting the TV crew and the equipment for the broadcast. However, the Wrestle-1 agreement allowed TNA to save on the expenses because the show used a Wrestle-1 ring and production crew so basically the only major expense for TNA was flying the TNA competitors to Japan.

While it was a cheap way to produce a PPV, it didn't really represent the company for the biggest show of the year and it seemed more like an episode of Impact or one of the "One Night Only" PPVs because there weren't really any storylines involved for the show. With the exception of the main event, the rest of the Wrestle-1 talent on the card weren't featured on Impact so without the TV exposure, why would American fans pay for a show if they don't know anything about some of the wrestlers on the card? Another aspect to consider is that the results of the taped show were online before the PPV aired and most of the TNA fan base are internet fans so if they ordered the show, it was probably for the match quality rather than to see who was going to win specific bouts. Speaking of the match quality, the in ring action of the event was solid. However, the major flaw at TNA's biggest show was that the TNA champion, Bobby Lashley didn't defend the title or even make an appearance at the show. How important is the show if the champion isn't there? Granted, the decision to book Lashley as champion seemed like it was based more on MVP being injured at the time than anything else, but the point being, the champion didn't appear at Bound For Glory.

Perhaps, the most interesting news about the event was a segment that actually didn't make the broadcast. After winning a tag team match, Bully Ray displayed a Bullet Club t shirt and cut a promo to challenge them. As I mentioned in a previous column, the Bullet Club is one of the reasons for the resurgence of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the past few years and the stable has an international fan base. Bully Ray is a smart business man and he didn't resign with TNA so it's possible that he could start working for NJPW. If so, it's a wise decision to push an angle with the Bullet Club because it's one of the top groups in wrestling and it could be major money for a Bullet Club/Team 3D feud.