Impact Bound For Glory surprises include Matt Cardona, ECW veterans, Fandango, and more!

Part of the fun of an Impact PPV is the potential for surprises. Bound For Glory was no different with six surprise appearances baked into the lineup. Those slots were filled by Matt Cardona, Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, Taylor Wilde, and Fandango for maximum joy.

The Call Your Shot Gauntlet had the majority of surprise appearances. That bout is comparable to the Royal Rumble with the final two competitors duking it out in a singles contest to determine the ultimate winner.

Former Knockouts champion Taylor Wilde was the first surprise of the match. She ran wild with offense.

The roof exploded when Bully Ray entered the match. Tasha Steelz didn’t back down and slapped him across the face. Bully picked her up in a military press to toss over the ropes.

Dreamer was the next arrival. He eyed Bully, then Moose and Steve Maclin butt in. Dreamer and Bully landed dual boogie woogie American Dream elbows to knock Moose and Maclin out of the way. The ECW veterans shared a hug.

The return of Rhino was next for three consecutive ECW veterans. The crowd went crazy chanting E-C-Dub. Dreamer, Bully, and Rhino shared a fist-bump. Former ECW wrestler Johnny Swinger joined in on the moment. Dreamer, Bully, and Rhino weren’t so keen on that, but they accepted it when the fans chanted for Swinger. Once the moment subsided, they promptly dumped Swinger out of the ring for an elimination. Also of note, Rhino shared a hug with Heath in a best friend reunion.

This clip has the ECW fun.

The last entrant into the gauntlet was Matt Cardona. He maximized his minutes as only he can. Cardona aimed on busting Bully, but he backed away when caught red-handed. Cardona offered a handshake instead. Body slam by Bully, then he held Cardona’s legs open for Wilde to land a flying headbutt. Wilde was hot with enthusiasm and jumped into Bully’s arms. She planted a kiss on his lips. That encouraged Bully to shout, “Get the tables!” Unfortunately, Bully never got the tables and the match continued.

The gauntlet whittled down to Bully Ray and Steve Maclin as the final two. The two beefers slugged punches back and forth. Maclin hit an Olympic slam. Bully kicked out on the cover. Bully caught his opponent for a uranage. Maclin kicked out on the pin. Maclin charged forward for a running knee in the corner, Bully dodged, and Maclin collided into the turnbuckles. Bully pounced for the Bully Bomb to win. Bully’s prize is the Call Your Shot trophy, which allows him to call his shot at any Impact championship any time anywhere.

Those gauntlet surprises were a ton of fun across the board. The fans reacted with electricity to enhance the moment. Bully winning the Call Your Shot gimmick was a surprise as well, but it should work well for a short run to sell tickets, hype shows, and provide an interesting challenge for the Impact world champion.

In the opening match on the pre-show, Brian Myers issued an open challenge to anyone from anywhere for the Impact Digital Media Championship. Who would answer the call? Hit Fandango’s music.

Dirty Dango has been dabbling in the NWA lately. The fancy dancer entered the Forbidden Door to ruffle feathers.

Dango felt the groove early to swivel his hips as an escape from a sunset flip. Dango plopped a leg drop, then he went on an offensive flurry with a slingshot plancha, atomic drop, side Russian leg sweep, and Falcon Arrow.

Myers returned fire with an Implant DDT. The champ charged for a Roster Cut lariat, but Dango countered for a tornado DDT. Dango wanted to fly high, but Myers rolled away. Dango jumped down from the turnbuckles, and Myers connected on a spear. The Roster Cut sealed the deal for Myers to retain.

Dango was a pleasant surprise. He was not on my bingo card, so his arrival was that much sweeter as a joyful shock. I like how Myers turned up the heat for victory. It established that he’s capable of excelling without resorting to cheating. It makes him appear more dangerous and a tougher threat to dethrone.

Check out the full results of Bound For Glory here. The PPV replay is available through Fite TV.

Which surprise at Bound For Glory was your favorite?