Bound for Glory is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced every October by the American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The event was created in 2005 to be their premier event of the year, similar to the company's main rival World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and its WrestleMania event. As of February 2012, six events have occurred under the chronology.
Since its inception in 2005, all events have been held in the United States. It has been held in five different U.S. states, where every event has been held in an indoor arena. Each event featured wrestlers from TNA competing in various professional wrestling match types. Since the inaugural event, five championship matches have taken place in the main event. Sting has competed in the last four main event match matches, in which he has won either one of two world heavyweight championships TNA has controlled—the NWA World Heavyweight, owned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Bound for Glory pay-per-views, like other professional wrestling shows, feature matches that are prearranged by the promotion's writing staff. These matches are non-competitive performances that combine elements of catch wrestling, mock combat, and theatre. Leading up to the pay-per-view, wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or heroes in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match at the event.
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Bound for Glory was the twelfth of the thirteen event titles TNA has produced under. Each event consist of a main event and an undercard that feature championship matches and other various matches. The first event was held in October 2005.[1] There have been a total of five events under the chronology to take place as of February 2012.[2] The 2006 edition was the first TNA three hour monthly PPV event to take place outside of the TNA Impact! Zone at the Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan.[3] The TNA Impact! Zone is a sound stage owned by Universal Studios and operated within Universal Studios Florida; it is the home to TNA's primary television program TNA Impact!, from which the soundstage gets its name, and is where TNA holds most of it events. In 2007, TNA held Bound for Glory again outside of the Impact! Zone, this time in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, at the Gwinnett Center on October 14, 2007.[4] This trait continued into 2008 at Bound for Glory IV, which took place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on October 12.[5] Bound for Glory IV was also the first event under the chronology to have roman numerals featured in its title.
On June 19, 2005 at TNA's Slammiversary PPV event, TNA commentators Mike Tenay and Don West announced that the first Bound for Glory event would take place on October 23, 2005.[11][12] Like previous monthly PPV events hosted by TNA, it was scheduled to take place at the TNA Impact! Zone, though no official announcement was made.[13] A fanfest, which TNA calls "Total Nonstop InterAction", was also being planned as early as June 2005 to stress the event being their biggest of the year.[12] On October 22, 2005 TNA held the second annual—the first being at TNA's Victory Road PPV event nearly a year earlier—Total Nonstop InterAction fanfest at the Doubletree Hotel in Orlando, Florida, where 800 fans were in attendance.[14] The fanfest help gross $45,000 in revenue for TNA.[15][N 1]
The first installment of the Bound for Glory chronology took place on October 23, 2005 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida, where the event featured ten professional wrestling matches. Before the event began TNA aired a thirty minute pre-show with Sonjay Dutt defeating Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong in a match involving four participants.[1] Approximately 900 people were in attendance for the event, which was the maximum capacity of the Impact! Zone at that time.[15] All three of TNA's active championships at the time were defended at the event.[16] The event was dedicated to Reginald "The Crusher" Lisowski, who had died the night before.[1] The main event on the card was Jeff Jarrett defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Rhino with Tito Ortiz as the Special Guest Referee, which Rhino won.[6] The TNA X Division Championship was also defended by A.J. Styles in a thirty minute Iron Man match against Christopher Daniels, in which Styles retained the title.[16] There were several matches featured on the event's undercard: including a Monster's Ball match resulting in a victory for Rhino over Jeff Hardy, Sabu, and Abyss, who was accompanied by James Mitchell; an Ultimate X match to become the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship where Petey Williams defeated Chris Sabin and Matt Bentley; and an encounter resulting in Samoa Joe defeating Jushin Liger.[17]
Bound for Glory 2005 met with generally positive reviews. Bob Kapur of the Slam Sports section of the Canadian Online Explorer rated the event a 9 out of 10.[17] Kapur commented on the overall event stating that it "was one of the best PPVs in recent memory, and has to be a strong contender for Card of the Year honours."[17] He later stated that TNA "definitely lived up to its name, delivering Total Nonstop Action from top to bottom" with a "well-executed mixture of excellent storytelling in the Iron Man match, high-flying excitement in the Ultimate X match, and brutal hardcore violence in the Monsters Ball, this show is definitely one that has to be seen, either on the replay or on the DVD when it becomes available."[17] James Caldwell, a PWTorch columnist, had different feelings toward the event, stating that the finish to the main event was "fitting, a bad close to a bad PPV."[6] Wade Keller, another PWTorch columnist, rated the Iron Man match 4 stars out of 5, while he rated the main event 1 star, which were his highest and lowest ratings during his review of the event. He did not give an overall event rating.[1] The event was released on DVD on January 31, 2006 by TNA Home Video.[18]
In early June 2006 TNA updated their PPV and TV taping schedule. On this schedule, the second Bound for Glory event was slotted to take place on October 22, 2006 though no location for the event was announced.[19] On July 16, 2006 at TNA's Victory Road PPV event, TNA commentators Mike Tenay and Don West introduced a video package which announced that the second Bound for Glory event would be held in Detroit, Michigan, however, its actual location was the charter township of Plymouth, Michigan at the Compuware Sports Arena, which is a suburb west of Detroit area.[20][21] This announcement meant that this would be the first monthly PPV event hosted by TNA to be held outside of the Impact! Zone or Orlando, Florida in general.[21] Another Total Nonstop InterAction event was also planned for this event, which took place on October 21, 2006.[22][23] Tickets for Bound for Glory 2006 went on sale August 5, 2006.[24] A thirty minute "Road to Glory" special aired on October 21, 2006 highlighting the main matches on the card.[25] The song Enemy by the American heavy metal band Fozzy was used as the official theme of the show.[26]
Hailing from Plymouth, Michigan at the Compuware Sports Arena on October 22, 2006 TNA held the second annual Bound for Glory event, where it featured eight professional wrestling matches.[27] Like the previous year's incarnation, another 30-minute pre-show was featured before the event, with Bobby Roode, who was accompanied by Traci, defeating Lance Hoyt on the telecast.[28] Approximately 3,600 people were in attendance for the event,[29] which was 900 people less than the maximum capacity of the Compuware Sports Arena.[30] All three of TNA's active championships at the time were defended at the event. All three championships changed hands at the event, making this event the only time in TNA history that all have changed hands in one night.[31] The main event on the card was Jeff Jarrett defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting in a Title vs. Career match with Kurt Angle as the Special Outside Enforcer; Sting won the encounter to become the new champion.[32] The TNA X Division Championship was also defended by Senshi against Chris Sabin, which Sabin won to win the title.[28] The last championship match was a Six Sides of Steel cage match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship, in which A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels lost the championship to Homicide and Hernandez of The Latin American Exchange; the ring was surrounded by a steel cage in this match.[27] There were several matches featured on the event's undercard: an 8 Mile Street Fight resulting in a victory for Christian Cage over Rhino; and Samoa Joe defeating Brother Runt, Raven, and Abyss, who was accompanied by James Mitchell, in a Monster's Ball match with Jake Roberts as the Special Guest Referee.[28]
Bound for Glory 2006 met with generally positive reviews. Chris Sokol of the Slam Sports section of the Canadian Online Explorer rated the event a 7 out of 10.[32] Sokol commented on the overall event stating that it was full of "several surprises, a card full of good matches and crowd that was so hot it would've melted the Impact Zone."[32] When it came to feelings on the bouts, James Caldwell said he felt that the main event match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was "slightly above-average for a Jarrett PPV title match."[27] Caldwell also felt that the NWA World Tag Team Championship match was "just a notch below Sabin-Senshi for match of the night so far."[27] Wade Keller rated the Tag Team Championship match 4 stars out of 5, the TNA X Division Championship match 3 and 3/4 stars, and the main event 2 and 1/2 stars.[7] The event was released on DVD on January 30, 2007 by TNA Home Video.[33]
The third installment of Bound for Glory was announced in early July 2007 via TNA's official website, with it being scheduled for October 14, 2007; no location for the event was announced.[34] On July 26, 2007 TNA sent out text messages to subscribers of their "TNA Mobile" service announcing that Bound for Glory 2007 would be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Gwinnett Center, which is actually located in the Duluth suburb of Atlanta.[35] This was later confirmed more publicly when they published a press release via their official website.[35] Also mentioned during the press release was the confirmation of another Total Nonstop InterAction event slated for the weekend of the event.[35] The date for Total Nonstop InterAction was later released in early August 2007, when the event was booked for October 13, 2007.[36]
On October 14, 2007 TNA held the third annual Bound for Glory event, which featured nine professional wrestling matches on the card, at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.[37] This year's show did not feature a thirty minute pre-show unlike previous events. The maximum capacity of the Gwinnett Center is 13,000,[38] however only 4,000 were in attendance for the event.[39] All three of TNA's active championships at the time were defended at the event, with a new championship being unveiled and the first champion being crowned at the event.[40] Sting defeated Kurt Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.[4] Samoa Joe defeated Christian Cage with Matt Morgan as Special Outside Enforcer in another featured contest.[8] The first TNA Women's Knockout Champion was crowned in Gail Kim, who defeated ten other female wrestlers in a Gauntlet match.[41] The TNA X Division and the TNA World Tag Team Championships were defended on the event's undercard. TNA X Division Champion Jay Lethal defeated Christopher Daniels to retain the championship, while A.J. Styles and Tomko defeated Ron Killings and Rasheed Lucius Creed, who were accompanied by Adam Jones—collectively known as Team Pacman—to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.[37] Like previous events, another Monster's Ball match was also included on the card, with Abyss defeating Raven, Rhino, and Black Reign in the encounter.[4]
The 2007 incarnation, like previous events, gained mainly positive reviews. Chris Sokol rated the event a 7.5 out of 10.[40] In the early comments of his review, Sokol stated that he felt "TNA made it clear that their flagship event is their annual Bound For Glory extravaganza."[40] The highest rated matches by Sokol was the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match and the bout pitting Samoa Joe against Christian Cage, which were both rated 8 out of 10.[40] A Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal, which was also included on the card, and the Gauntlet match to crown the first TNA Women's World Champion were the lowest rated matches at 5 out of 10.[40] James Caldwell's highest rating was given to Samoa Joe versus Christian Cage at 3 and a half stars out of 5.[8] His lowest was given to the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal, which was marked at half a star.[8] Wade Keller commented on the overall event in his review stating it was "a good show".[37] He went on to proclaim that it was "far from perfect, but enough really good action to be worth it for TNA fans who were on the fringe."[37] The event was released on DVD on December 11, 2007 by TNA Home Video.[42]
On the first day of 2008, TNA updated their official website to publicize the official dates for all of their PPV events to take place later that year.[43] The next installment in the Bound for Glory chronology was listed as being scheduled for October 12, 2008.[43] The location for the show was revealed via a press release on June 9, 2008 that the Sears Centre located in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, was where it would be hailing from.[44] The press release also announced that a Total Nonstop InterAction event was set to take place on October 11, that tickets for the event would go on sale August 1, 2008, and that the official title of the event was "Bound for Glory IV", meaning this was the first Bound for Glory event to feature roman numerals in its title.[44] The song Tarantula by the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins was used as the official theme song of the show.[45]
Bound for Glory IV took place on October 12, 2008 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, where it featured eight professional wrestling matches.[46] The maximum capacity of the Sears Centre is about 11,800,[47] however, only 5,000 were in attendance for the event.[48] All four of TNA's active championships at the time were defended at the event.[49] The main event featured Sting defeating TNA World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe to become the new champion.[50] Another featured match was Jeff Jarrett versus Kurt Angle with Mick Foley as the Special Guest Enforcer, which Jarrett won.[5] Other matches on the card included a Four-Way Tag Team Monster's Ball match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship with Steve McMichael as the Special Guest Referee, which was won by Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm), who were accompanied by Jacqueline, over the teams of Abyss and Matt Morgan, Brother Ray and Brother Devon—known as Team 3D—and The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez); a match involving three competitors, also known as a 3-Way Dance or a Three Way match, resulting in Booker T defeating Christian Cage and A.J. Styles; and Sheik Abdul Bashir defeating Consequences Creed to retain the TNA X Division Championship.[46]
Chris and Bryan Sokol of the Slam Sports section of the Canadian Online Explorer rated the event a 7 out of 10.[46] They felt the overall event was a "decent PPV." The highest rated matches by both was the bout between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett and the Monster's Ball match, which were both give an 8 out of 10.[46] A Six Person Intergender Tag Team match and a Three Way match for the TNA Women's World Championship, now named the TNA Women's Knockout Championship, were both rated a 5 out of 10.[46] James Caldwell's highest rating was given to Angle versus Jarrett at 4 stars out of 5.[50] The Six Person Intergender Tag Team match was given the lowest at 1 star.[50] Wade Keller commented on the main event match in his review stating it was "another fine match that fit its slot on the PPV well."[5] The event was released on DVD on January 6, 2009 by TNA Home Video.[51]
The fifth installment of the Bound for Glory chronology was first announced in late 2008, when TNA released their PPV event schedule for February through October 2009.[52] On the list, Bound for Glory was scheduled to take place on October 18, 2009.[52] The location for Bound for Glory was first announced during a promotional video package which aired during TNA's Slammiversary PPV event on June 21, 2009, stating that it would be held in Los Angeles, California.[53] Later that evening, TNA issued their first public written statement regrading the event via a press release announcing that Bound for Glory would be held at the Bren Events Center located on the University of California at Irvine campus in Irvine, California; contradicting their earlier promotional video package proclaiming it would be held in Los Angeles.[2] Tickets for the event went on sale August 1, 2009.[2] On August 23, 2009, TNA published an article on their official site giving a first look at the Bound for Glory 2009 poster, which featured Sting, an updated Bound for Glory logo, advertising for the event, and the tagline "The Final Curtain?".[54] In August 2009, the official site for the fifth incarnation was opened at BoundforGlory5.com; Crawl Back In, a single by the rock band Dead by Sunrise to be featured on their debut album Out of Ashes was announced as the official theme song of the event on the site.[55]
Greg Parks reported on the first half of the show[56] and James Caldwell reported the second half.[57] Caldwell's highest rating was given to Angle versus Morgan at 4 out of 5 stars. His lowest actual rating was given to the Knockouts Championship match at 1 and a half stars while the Extreme Monster's Ball match was simply rated a "DUD."[58]
TNA has developed a new system of determining a top contender to face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion at Bound For Glory. This system is called the Bound For Glory Series. A.J. Styles, Bully Ray, Gunner, Samoa Joe, D'Angelo Dinero, Scott Steiner, Crimson, Bobby Roode & James Storm of Beer Money, Devon, Rob Van Dam, and Matt Morgan compete in all sorts of matches by earning points depending on the conditions of victory, no matter if the events are in the Impact Zone, at house shows, or on PPV. Each victory is noted into the record books.
| Rank | Wrestler | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bobby Roode | 59 |
| 2. | Bully Ray | 52 |
| 3. | Gunner | 42 |
| 4. | Rob Van Dam | 35 |
| 5. | James Storm | 30 |
| 6. | A.J. Styles | 24 |
| 7. | Scott Steiner | 21 |
| 8. | D'Angelo Dinero | 17 |
| 9. | Samoa Joe | -10 |
| DNF1 | Matt Morgan | 24 |
| DNF2 | Crimson | 50 |
| DNF2 | Devon | 30 |
1 Morgan was forced to scratch from the series due to a torn right pectoral muscle.
2 Crimson and Devon were forced to scratch from the series due to injuries sustained in attacks by Samoa Joe.
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