TNA 'Bound for Glory' Preview: Sting vs. Magnus

The Main Event Mafia implodes, The Icon faces his protege:

Sting vs. Magnus

The Icon, Sting, has become Magnus' biggest backer, handpicking him to be in the Main Event Mafia and wanting to eventually pass the torch to his chosen successor. However, Magnus has become disgruntled over the obstacles that have been thrown in his path by EGO and is increasingly impatient that he hasn't already lived up to his potential. Can their friendship survive the tension as they come to blows on TNA's biggest pay-per-view of the year.

The Road to Bound for Glory

After the strength in numbers of Aces & 8s was too much for him to overcome singlehandedly at Slammiversary in a no holds barred match against Bully Ray for the TNA World Heavyweight title, Sting decided to form a new Main Event Mafia to get even and rid the gang from the company once and for all.

Sting chose Magnus to be the fourth member of the group, with Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe being chosen first, on the July 4th Impact, despite Nick Aldis having never held a major championship belt in his short pro wrestling career. However, Sting saw tons of potential in him and thought he was ready to step up to the next level and become a headlining act.

Magnus stepped up to the plate by having a tremendous run in the Bound For Glory Series, winning a Gauntlet match on July 11th to earn 25 points and with his earlier string of victories in the tournament that was enough to bag him a place in the final four.

Even Kurt Angle's trip to rehab couldn't derail the Main Event Mafia's momentum, at least initially, as Sting's team of himself, Joe, Magnus, Rampage Jackson and AJ Styles defeated the Aces & 8s team of Mr. Anderson, Devon, Wes Brisco, Knux, and Garrett Bischoff on the Aug. 22nd Impact when The Phenomenal One pinned Bully Ray's brother with the Styles Clash, which due to the match stips meant that Devon had to leave TNA forever.

The relationship between Magnus and Sting started becoming more tense at No Surrender on Sept. 12th when Sting's pep talk to Magnus about how he was the future of the business led to him rudely interrupting his mentor and telling him that he was sick and tired of such rhetoric and that tonight the future would become the present. However, although he defeated Bobby Roode in the Bound For Glory Series semi-finals that night, Magnus lost in the finals to AJ Styles in the main event after EGO (the Extraordinary Gentleman's Organization of Roode, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) got revenge by beating up both men and leaving them laying half way through the match.

This led to a match between EGO and the remaining members of the Main Event Mafia (Sting, Magnus and Samoa Joe) on the Sept. 19th Impact, which saw Magnus crash to defeat when he was clobbered with Sting's baseball bat by Roode and was pinned by him.

On the Sept. 26th Impact, Magnus was more concerned about the pesky thorns in his side of EGO than the Main Event Mafia's match against Aces & 8s, leaving Sting to tell him not to let those fools get in his head and to focus on the matter at hand. Despite EGO attacking Magnus during the bout, the Mafia still managed to defeat Wes Brisco, Knux & Garrett Bischoff when Samoa Joe choked Brisco out.

Next week, Magnus lost a gauntlet match to EGO, despite initially pinning Daniels with the MDD and tapping out Kazarian with the Texas Cloverleaf, when the numbers became too much for him, Kaz clipped his knee out from behind and Roode forced him to submit to the ankle lock.

It was here when Magnus finally lost it and threw a hissy fit over EGO besting him once again. Sting tried to calm him down and give him another pep talk, but he wasn't listening to it anymore, feeling dejected and not believing he had what it took to be a champion anymore. Sting responded by saying that he was in the same place 25 years ago, needing just one big match to put him on the map and then he got that match with Ric Flair. Magnus asked Sting who would do the same for him and The Icon then promised that he would at Bound For Glory.

On the Oct. 10th Impact, Dixie Carter booked a tag match between the teams of Sting & Magnus and Bad Attitude. Although they won, Magnus got upset that Sting tagged himself in and pinned Kazarian with the Scorpion Death Drop when he was in control and had the match won, and he complained that his partner was trying to steal the glory, before walking out on him.

However, it was Dixie that drew Magnus' ire this week, being incensed that she would put a $50,000 bounty on AJ Styles' head and thus challenged his Bound For Glory opponent Bully Ray to a match to even things up. Unfortunately, Magnus lost the non-title match when Sting came down and stopped Ray from using a steel chain, but this distracted him and allowed the Aces & 8s leader to pin him with a low blow.

Of course, Magnus then became angry with Sting again, wouldn't listen to Sting's assurances that he was only trying to help him and stormed off when Sting tried to shake his hand. Sting went after him and tried to reason with him backstage, but he was bluntly told by Magnus that he was sick of being on the losing end and wanted to accomplish something by himself. Samoa Joe then walked in to play peacemaker and the segment finished with Sting telling Magnus that he would indeed be by himself in San Diego.

What's at stake?

Sting needs to prove to his erstwhile protege that there is still life in the old dog left and teach him that patience is a virtue worth following. Meanwhile, Magnus needs to prove himself to his mentor and show that he was right to put such faith in him.

The future of the Main Event Mafia is also on the line, as if Sting and Magnus can't settle their differences at Bound For Glory, then the group will be destroyed from within and will quickly be disbanded.

One gets the feeling that the MEM is doomed to implode and the pupil will finally turn on his teacher tonight when he can't defeat him by playing by the rules, leading to a length grudge between the two.

Find out if my prediction is right, Cagesiders, by following our live Bound For Glory coverage tonight.