PPV Evaluation - TNA Bound for Glory 2013
By Nathan Kyght, PWTorch PPV specialist

BEST MATCH – KURT ANGLE VS. BOBBY ROODE

While I don’t think that was the blow-away match that many were expecting, it was still good for best match at TNA’s version of "WrestleMania." The injury angle involving Kurt is part of a storyline moving forward, which is good news all around, and Bobby Roode proved a great foil. I hope to see more out of these two, as I don’t think we got all they were capable of, but it was still very enjoyable.

WORST MATCH - ECIII's DEBUT

On pay-per-view?! Whoever thought having a jobber match halfway through what is, in theory at least, the biggest show of the TNA year was mistaken. The ECIII gimmick may prove to be entertaining (I admit I do like the “The world needs us, we’re the Carters” line), but this was a really strange time and place for the debut.

BIGGEST SURPRISE – BAD INFLUENCE LOSE

When TNA announced that the pre-show match winners would move on to the Tag Title match on the pay-per-view, the answer was obvious: Bad Influence, of course. They’ve consistently been arguably the most entertaining act in TNA for months, they would have been a great in-ring addition to BFG, and the crowd would get them twice! Then, Bro-Mans won. Twice. My head hurts.

BIGGEST LETDOWN – BFG

The worst move of the night may have been deciding that this show is TNA’s biggest of the year. That kind of thing happens organically, and by just making it a tagline, the audience is going to expect something truly memorable. Was the show bad? No, I don’t think so. Was it any more “special” than the average TNA pay-per-view? Nope.

BEST MOVE – A.J. STYLES

(A precursor to this pick: I genuinely thought A.J. was hurt executing this move, so I’m only giving it the nod because he was not.) With Bully Ray on the announce table, A.J. went for the Spiral Tap from the top rope, but Bully moved. A.J. managed to hit the table, two chairs, and the railing. An absolutely insane spot.

BEST MATCH FINISH - MAIN EVENT
A.J., after a year-long journey, which was not alluded to nearly enough, finally made his way back to the TNA Title. A satisfying end, albeit with a bumpy storyline heading in.

OTHER THOUGHTS

- Oh, the A.J. storyline. I liked the BFG match, and I get that TNA is essentially doing the C.M. Punk angle from Money In The Bank two years ago, but I write this with the benefit of having seen Impact. So, A.J., a man without a contract, won the title. Then, Dixie Carter ordered him to defend against Bully Ray, so he showed up and did it?! Why? And why does Dixie want Bully to have the title? Didn’t Bully and his motorcycle gang try to put the company out of business last year? TNA, you make me feel crazy.

- Ultimate X was decent on the show, but fell below the “All-Star” tag it was given, in my opinion.

- Sting vs. Magnus was a disappointment. The story was that this match would “make” Magnus, but it didn’t feel like a big moment at all.

- The Hall Of Fame with Kurt Angle. This was mind-boggling. A months-long storyline ends with Kurt Angle refusing his induction? What can this possibly accomplish? They even made a point of having Sting say that he was "all alone" in the Hall of Fame. And then Kurt says he doesn't want in. TNA is constantly booking themselves as a second-rate company. Intentionally! They should present their Hall of Fame as the aspiration for all wrestlers, not something that comes across as an option. And, lest we forget, the WWE Hall of Fame is so important that the WWE HOF ring given to Abyss a few years ago gave him SUPER POWERS! I am not making that up.

- The rest of the show was just there. Again, not really bad, but nothing you need to go out and see.

WHAT IT'LL BE REMEMBERED FOR

I feel like I’ve written this about TNA a hundred times, but hopefully as a turning point. Start booking with logic, and keep characters clearly defined. This pay-per-view was fine, but TNA's “WrestleMania?" Seriously?

UPDATED 2013 PPV EVALUATION RANKINGS

1 - WWE SUMMERSLAM (2013-08-18)
2 - WWE PAYBACK (2013-06-16)
3 - WWE WRESTLEMANIA XXIX (2013-04-07)
4 – TNA SLAMMIVERSARY (2013-06-02)
5 - WWE MONEY IN THE BANK (2013-07-14)
6 - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE (2013-01-27)
7 - TNA LOCKDOWN (2013-03-10)
8 - WWE EXTREME RULES (2013-05-19)
9 - WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2013-02-17)
10 – TNA BOUND FOR GLORY (2013-10-20)
11 - WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS (2013-09-15)
11 – TNA GENESIS (2013-01-13)
13 - WWE BATTLEGROUND (2013-10-06)

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