Bound for Glory 2017 preview and predictions

Impact Wrestling will be airing their big Bound for Glory pay-per-view (PPV) tonight. BFG is their biggest show of the year, which nowadays doesn’t mean too much since they only have two a year. But even back when they were putting out a monthly PPV, this would the big one.

For this preview, we’ll be going quick hit style on all the stories. I’ll also rate the match on my personal anticipated between 1-5. (1 being not interested at all and 5 being very excited.) At the end, I’ll give my prediction for that match.

Let’s do it:

Johnny Impact vs. Eli Drake (c)

Impact world championship match

When Alberto El Patron was stripped of his GFW Global championship (now the Impact world championship), Jim Cornette set up a battle royal to crown a new champion. The winner was Eli Drake.

Drake has done a pretty good job retaining the gold against different challengers with the help of Chris Adonis always in his corner. But he needed to cheat heavily when he defeated Johnny Impact to retain his title. Johnny won another chance by defeating Garza Jr. On the go home show, Drake tore up the ring canvas to deliver his finish to Johnny on the wooden boards of the ring.

Personal Anticipation: 3 - I like both guys, but the feud has been rather stagnant since Johnny earned his second title shot. The match will likely be good, but this feud didn’t do a great job getting me hyped. Expect plenty of interference from Chris Adonis.

Prediction: Johnny Impact

Gail Kim vs. Allie vs. Sienna (c)

Knockouts championship match

This really stemmed from the fact that everyone wanted to be Knockouts champion. Originally this was a fatal 4-way including Taryn Terrell, but they had to scratch that when she left the company a month back.

This will be Gail’s final Bound for Glory as she’s on a 2017 retirement tour. A decade ago, she won the first ever Knockouts championship. She’s looking to bookend her career with another.

Now it’s possible that Rosemary is added to this match as Taya Valkyrie, who was supposed to fight Rosemary, had to pull out due to personal reasons. That leaves the Demon Assassin out in the cold. Putting her into this match and making it a fatal 4-way again makes the most sense.

Anticipation: 4 - I think this is going to be a really good match. They have one of my faves as part of it in Allie so I have someone to really pull for. If they add Rosemary, even better.

Prediction: Gail Kim (I can’t imagine she doesn’t win the title at her last BFG.)

Moose & Stephan Bonnar vs. Bobby Lashley & King Mo

Six Sides of Steel

This is probably the feud that received the most time building.

It started when Lashley’s MMA team’s leader, Dan Lambert, started getting into Lashley’s ear about choosing either pro wrestling or MMA. Bobby ended up choosing MMA.

None-the-less, he had some lingering issues with Moose that then authority figure Jim Cornette told Lashley he’d have to take care of if he wanted out of his Impact contract. The Destroyer agreed and Moose and Lashley fought all over the place, but it ended with Lashley’s MMA crew, American Top Team, laying out Moose.

Moose tried to get revenge by going to Top Team’s gym but just got his ass kicked again. He recruited Stephan Bonnar (we really don’t know why) and they went back to the gym and vandalized the hell out of the place when it was empty.

Dan Lambert promises to expose pro wrestlers like Moose as frauds compared to MMA talent. This will be in a steel cage.

Anticipation: 3 - Moose and Lashley are good wrestlers. However, this is a tag team match in a cage and I imagine it can devolve into a cluster quickly, especially given two of the participants aren’t pro wrestlers. Plus, while the story was pretty good, I don’t see the appeal of watching MMA guys I haven’t really heard of pro wrestle. I’d love to see Dan Lambert laid out though.

Prediction: Moose & Stephan Bonnar

LAX vs. oVe

5150 street fight for the tag team championships

This is a feud between the only two tag teams in Impact currently.

LAX was champion until oVe beat them for the titles. Konnan requested a 5150 Street Fight rematch. oVe gladly accepted. The Crist Brothers know that they’re going to be out numbered so they’ve recruited help. It’ll likely be Sami Callihan.

Anticipation: 5 - while the story hasn’t been there, the matches have delivered. The possible addition of Sami Callahan is definitely an exciting prospect. While I wouldn’t bet on it, it’s possible Alberto El Patron returns to side with LAX as well. (He was last in a story with them.)

Prediction: oVe (If Alberto did return as part of this, then I’d go with LAX, but I doubt that so I give the nod to oVe.)

Pagano, Texano, & El Hijo de Fantasma vs. James Storm, EC3, & Eddie Edwards

Triple A vs. Impact

There’s been a mini-brand war going on. It started when El Hijo de Fantasma lost his Grand Championship match against EC3 due to not only judges decision, but the decision by Hector Guerrero, a Triple A legend. Fantasma got into the ring and started jawing with Ethan when Triple A wrestler Pagano showed up. Both started beating up EC3. Eddie Edwards made the save, despite having no love for Carter.

Later on, Texano would join the side of Triple A and James Storm the side of Impact. The Cowboy has problems with EC3, more so than Edwards, but they were able to put their issues aside. They lost a tag match in the Impact Zone and won one in Triple A.

Anticipation: 3 - My excitement for this match is all about the talent in the ring. The story started fairly well, especially when focused on how Storm and Edwards don’t like EC3. But the last month was just matches in Triple A, which killed the momentum. Plus, there’s nothing at stake.

Prediction: Team Impact

Matt Sydal vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Garza Jr. vs. Trevor Lee (c)

X Division championship match

All these guys want the title. That’s pretty much what’s going on here.

They actually ran this exact match on Thursday. As of writing this, they haven’t added the Ultimate X stipulation but I’d be surprised if they didn’t.

Anticipation: 3 if no Ultimate X, 4 if they add it.

Prediction: Matt Sydal (Matt was featured heavily for a while and even had a world title match against Eli Drake.)

Abyss vs. Grado

Monster’s Ball Match for the right to Grado’s visa

Grado was at risk for being deported so attorney Joseph Park (who’s alter ego is Abyss) helped him find a Knockout to marry him. When they finally found success with Laurel Van Ness, they soon learned that she’s actually Canadian so that won’t help with a green card. Grado quickly kicked her to the curb.

To keep Grado in the States, Park made a new sports entertainment division of his law firm and hired the Scot so he’d have a work visa. However, Joseph started swindling his employee and keeping much of the money owed to Grado for himself.

This angered Grado who wanted out. Park said he could if he beats his brother Abyss (Park is never aware he’s actually Abyss himself) in a Monsters Ball match for the rights to that visa.

Anticipation: 2 - Perhaps this’ll be like the Scott Steiner match at Slammiversary where a lot of stuff is filmed prior and that could be OK. But there’s not much too this bout that excites me.

Prediction: Grado

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And last but absolutely not least:

Alberto El Patron returns

This will be the first time that Alberto El Patron returns since having his title stripped from him due to the domestic incident at the Orlando airport with fiance Paige. He was not charged with anything, but it was a bad look for the promotion so they suspended him anyway. He missed the last three months of television.

They are advertising this as “What will he do?” The real question is “What will they do?” Will this be a promo where Alberto plays it straight about his time off? Will it be worked into an angle? Hell, there was even rumor that he could be inserted into the title picture in some way tonight, even as a special referee.

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There it is, folks. Does Bound for Glory interest you this year? Let us know below.