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IMPACT Bound For Glory is the biggest event of the year for the company. Their annual October PPV has brought many iconic matches and moments in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling's history. With the show coming this weekend, marking fifteen years since the first, it is a fascinating time to look back on this storied event.
In 2005, Bound For Glory was billed as a landmark event for TNA. Over the years, we have seen this PPV take place in many memorable settings including Japan in 2014.
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Regardless of the setting or circumstances surrounding this event, there is no question of the legacy that has been built by IMPACT Wrestling over the year. In this article, we will be looking back and listing the five greatest Bound For Glory moments ever.
#5 Rhino wins the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship (Bound For Glory 2005)
Heading into Bound For Glory 2005, Kevin Nash was scheduled to get a shot at the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Jarrett with UFC fighter Tito Ortiz as the special guest referee. However due to a medical emergency, Nash had to pull out. With that in mind, TNA decided to have a ten-man gauntlet match at the PPV to determine who would face Jeff Jarrett in the main event.
Earlier in the show, Rhino defeated Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Sabu in an insane Monster's Ball match. The Man Beast went on to defeat nine other men in the ten-man gauntlet to get his title shot in the main event. Rhino came in as a heel at the start of the show, but facing the dastardly Jarrett in the main event of Bound For Glory was used as a babyface turn for Rhino.
We saw guitars being used and interference from America's Most Wanted and Gail Kim on Jarrett's behalf in this contest. Through it all, Rhino was able to overcome these shenanigans and defeat Jeff Jarrett with a Gore in just over five minutes to win the NWA World's Heavyweight Champion at Bound For Glory.
After the match, Team Canada tried to jump Rhino, which led to Team 3D and 3Live Kru coming out to make the save. This moment here was the most memorable from the first-ever Bound For Glory event. It was also voted by the fans as the 21st greatest moment in IMPACT Wrestling history.
#4 Gail Kim becomes the first TNA Knockouts Champion (Bound For Glory 2007)
This year at Bound For Glory, Deonna Purrazzo defends the IMPACT Knockouts Championship against Kylie Rae in a highly anticipated contest. Speaking of the title, it's been thirteen years since the first TNA Knockouts Champion was crowned. At the time, TNA decided to determine the champ with a ten woman Gauntlet For The Gold.
With Knockouts such as Awesome Kong, Jackie Moore, ODB, Roxxi Laveaux, and two early appearances by legendary TNA Wr group The Beautiful People, the competition was steep. However, the favorite going into the match would be the woman who pulled out the victory. Coming in the match in the eighth spot, Gail Kim came in and wound up being the victor by last eliminating Roxxi Laveaux.
Gail Kim is widely considered one of the greatest women's wrestlers of the past two decades. Although she won the WWE Women's Championship in her short first stint with the company, it was in TNA and IMPACT Wrestling that her legacy as an all time great was built. That legacy all started here at Bound For Glory 2007, becoming the first TNA Knockouts Champion.
#3 10.10.10, Jeff Hardy turns heel and Immortal is formed (Bound For Glory 2010)
Heading into Bound For Glory 2010, there were many teases for a mysterious 10/10/10 reveal with that being the date of the show. The start of this came with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff coming in as business partners for TNA President Dixie Carter at the end of 2009. Abyss had snapped a few months back and started teasing this mystery group by attacking the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam. Due to his attack, RVD relinquished the title vacating it ahead of the big show.
Sting also teased this reveal by saying he knew who "They" were and seemingly turning heel with attacks on Hulk Hogan and Abyss. He also teased suspicion of Hogan and Bischoff. This all built to a tournament to determine the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion with the finals at Bound For Glory.
In the semifinals, Mr. Anderson defeated D'Angelo Dinero, while Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle went to a no contest. Bischoff and Hogan decided to make the Bound For Glory main event a three-way including Hardy, Angle, and Anderson to determine the new champion. This match seemed like anyone could win until we got to the convoluted finish.
In the end with all three men and the referee down, Bischoff and Hogan came down with Hulk having crutches from a back injury. Jeff Hardy took the crutch from Hogan and used it on both Angle and Anderson. Hardy used Twist of Fate on Anderson and pinned him to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound For Glory 2010.
After the match, Hardy hugged Hogan and Bischoff, followed by Jeff Jarrett and Abyss coming down to join them. "They" was revealed as these five men coming together to form Immortal at Bound For Glory. Although this stable has been looked back on as polarizing at best, there is no question that this was a memorable moment in IMPACT Wrestling history. It also led to our next moment as well.
#2 Hulk Hogan returns to the side of good (Bound For Glory 2011)
Like we said ahead of Bound For Glory 2010, Sting was the one wrestler who knew all along that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff stood on the side of evil. He became one of the key obstacles for the Immortal stable over the next year even developing his Joker persona during this feud. From the reveal of Immortal, Hogan and Bischoff were able to take control of TNA from right underneath Dixie Carter, running roughshod over the company.
Over the weeks ahead of Bound For Glory 2011 in Philadelphia, Sting expressed his need for Hogan to change for the better. He wanted the Hulk Hogan who was a hero and not the vile, evil leader of Immortal. If Sting won his encounter against Hogan at the PPV, he would allow Dixie Carter to regain full control of TNA.
This Bound For Glory contest was brutal with both men being busted open in the process. Sting was victorious in the end, winning with the Scorpion Death Lock by submission. After the bout, the members of Immortal led by Ric Flair beat down the Stinger with him begging for Hogan to help him. Encouraged by Sting and the roar of the Philly crowd, Hulk Hogan finally changed for the better, did his signature ripping of the shirt and helped his opponent fight off Immortal.
This was one of the loudest reactions from a crowd at any Bound For Glory event. This moment has been replayed many of times and rightfully considered the last time we saw the Hulk Hogan that we all grew to love in the 80s and early 90s.
#1 Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe brawl (Bound For Glory 2006)
Days before Bound For Glory 2006, one of the biggest debuts in IMPACT Wrestling history occurred with Kurt Angle making his TNA debut. In an iconic encounter, Angle went face to face with Samoa Joe and head butted the Samoan Submission Machine, bloodying him. This was the start of what would become the most monumental rivalry in company history, but things heated up further just days later at the PPV.
Making his PPV debut, Kurt Angle was just supposed to be the special enforcer for the main event of Sting against Jeff Jarrett for the TNA Heavyweight Championship at Bound For Glory 2006. However, Samoa Joe wanted some vengeance for what happened on Spike TV earlier in the week. With Angle in the ring speaking to TNA authority figure Jim Cornette, Joe came down to the ring and got into a physically intense, pull-apart brawl with the Olympic Gold Medalist.
On a night that featured LAX winning back the NWA Tag Team Titles from AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels as well as Sting beating Jarrett to win the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship in a Title vs Career Match, this brawl between Angle and Joe is still the most memorable of any moment from Bound For Glory 2006. It marked that this would become the premier feud in the company and one that led to many fans putting eyes on the promotion.
The Joe vs Angle feud would bring TNA their biggest buyrate for a PPV not once, but twice. The following month at Genesis being the first occasion where Angle gave Joe his first loss in TNA after 18 months. It would also last for over two years after with Joe finally defeating Angle at Lockdown 2008 to win his first TNA Heavyweight Championship.
For the importance of this feud and the impact that this had on the company, their initial brawl at Bound For Glory is the greatest moment in the PPV's history, if not IMPACT's history overall.
