Right here, right now. Happy Day 294 of this year 2021. Episode 42. Days before Bound For Glory: 2. Here we are, it’s Bound For Glory time. The biggest event of the year for Impact Wrestling and the last PPV of the year for us, fans. There will be some special events, like Turning Point in November and probably Final Resolution by the end of this year or the beginning of the next. Right here, right now, this week is the final IMPACT before Bound For Glory. And we know what it means…
On the menu, from Nashville, Tennessee, Chris Bey and Hikuleo will face off FinJuie to determine who will challenge the Good Brothers at Bound For Glory. Deonna Purrazzo picked Mickie James’ poison in Savannah Evans. Alex Zayne will square off with Trey Miguel. Of course, I’ll review this episode, but I will use it as a platform to preview the PPV and give you my predictions, I hope with this Nutcracking spirit you love so much. So no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Nygma Steph way, of course…

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

Some hype videos on ‘Bound For Glory’ matches I chose not to relate here (you’ll find them in this review). On ‘Before The Impact’, W. Morrissey defeated Jake Something. 

  • Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) vs FinJuice ended with Juice and Bey (who was not the legal man) having simultaneous pins as both referees counted on a pair of roll-ups. The refs and both teams started to argue.

  • Backstage, the argument continued between the teams and the referees. Scott D’Amore was heated and said that he will make the decision by the end of tonight. Apparently, he didn’t see that Bey was not the legal man and has to figure it out.

 

  • Gail Kim will induct Awesome Kong into the TNA/Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame this Saturday.

  • Tenille Dashwood & John Skyler defeated Crazzy Steve & Chelsea Green and Jordynne Grace & Fallah Bahh. Of course, they cheated thanks to Kaleb with a K.

 

  • Rhino was in the ring and asked for a mic. Rhino couldn’t even say a word and Heath’s music hit as he made his way to the ring. Heath said it’s been a little while and asked Rhino how he’s doing. Heath’s confused, the fans are confused, they’ve been through hell or high water bro, this non-communication stuff didn’t work for him. Heath said he’s been watching and knew it’s VBD and Eric Young. He begged Rhino to say anything. Maybe if he waited Rhino would’ve answered his questions. Heath told Rhino he loves him and he’s his best friend. His kids missed Uncle Rhino. Rhino smiled a little bit and Heath said there you are but here came Eric Young. Violent by Design came out, Eric Young said VBD is forever, it’s not something you can walk away from. Rhino made a pact with him, this is his family now. Heath said this ain’t family man, this is a crazy bald-headed man and his followers who want him to be with them. Young said he made Rhino into his purest form. Heath said the truth is Rhino’s brainwashed and can’t even think for himself. He begged Rhino to open his eyes and remember. EY told him not to listen to Heath or these people. Heath shoved Eric and Deaner dropped Heath, Doring and Deaner started beating down Heath as Rhino stood along watching. Rhino grabbed Deaner and tossed him off Heath. Rhino backed into the corner and Eric said he’s ready to prove himself and take what’s yours, he told Rhino to cut Heath in half but Rhino rolled out and exited at ringside. Eric Young yelled at him and told him not to quit on them. Heath was back to his feet and dropped Deaner but Doering dropped him with a huge lariat. Deaner and Doering hung Heath up on the ropes and EY choked him out with the VBD flag. Eric whispered into Heath’s ears and then broke the pole over Heath’s back as Heath cried out for Rhino. Eric draped the flag over Heath’s head.

 

  • New vignette on Minoru Suzuki coming soon.

  • Mickie James defeated Savannah Evans w/ Tasha Steelz. Tasha Steelz tried to interfere, then Deonna Purrazzo came to the ramp to distract Mickie but that didn’t work. After the match, Deonna came to the ring to talk to Mickie but Drama King attacked her from behind.

 

  • Backstage, Deonna Purrazzo told Gia Miller she did nothing wrong, the Drama King hit Mickie for her. Scott D’Amore walked up and said yes, it was Matt not her, but she made contact with Mickie and she should be stripped of the title. Scott said he hopes she loses the title in two days and if Rehwoldt is at Bound for Glory, they’ll both be suspended forever.

 

  • “How To Be A Professional Wrestler by Brian Myers – Chapter 44.” Myers kept VSK and Zicky Dice and cut off Sam Beale and Manny Lemons.

 

  • In the Management Office, R.D. Evans, Deonna’s former lawyer, came as the IInspiration’s lawyer for the contract signing. The Decay showed up, Scott D’Amore said we just need a few signatures and everyone can be on their way. Rosemary was annoyed with the ink pen as she’d rather sign in blood. Rosemary told the lawyer that they’ll be at Bound for Glory to bite the Iinspiration’s faces off.

 

  • Trey Miguel defeated Alex Zayne. After the match, Steve Maclin attacked Trey. El Phantasmo and his Bullet Club acolytes attacked Maclin, then Miguel.

  • In the ring, Josh Alexander said in two days he’ll be challenging for the Impact World Championship. He risked his X-Division title for this match, but what is a risk when he thought he’d never take another risk again. He thought he’d live a safe life working every day for his family but he got to come back to the business he loves. He scraped and clawed to get where he is right now. He’s taking every risk to show his sons that every risk yields the biggest rewards. The World Champion made his way to the ring. Christian Cage said here we are, two days away from Bound for Glory. Christian said he understands, he’s been here before, he’s been on the biggest stages in this industry. He’s wrestled for and won World Championships. He’s been in legendary matches that pay-per-views are named after. He said it comes down to pressure and how Josh deals with it. Pressure is a fickle thing, some fade under pressure, while others like Christian thrive under pressure and win world titles. As much as Christian respects him, nothing Josh has done in the last few weeks told Christian that Josh has it in him.Josh said he’s heard all the criticism and it’s all too familiar. He discussed their comparisons and said Josh has something to prove now just like Christian Cage needed to years ago when he first came to Christian. Josh said as long as he’s cashing the check of a billionaire who owns a different company, he’ll never be the face of Impact Wrestling. Josh added at Bound for Glory he’ll bring the title home where it belongs and slam the Forbidden Door in Christian’s face. Christian said he’s not even the best wrestler from Canada let alone in this ring. Josh said if Christian thinks pissing him off will work to his advantage, we’ll see how that works and these two started to brawl. Security tried to separate them but they can’t keep them away from each other as Josh and Christian continued to brawl, tossing security out of their way. The locker room cleared and everyone was out here to break these two up. Christian held the Impact world title above his head to close out the show.

The Nygma’s Noticeable Fact(s) of the Week

– World Championship War

Josh Alexander is a quiet and calm man but Christian knew exactly what he was doing. He pressed the buttons carefully to make sure Josh’s anger would grow. I suspect Christian Cage but Josh Alexander may have lost his temper too… Then, what about Christopher Daniels? He came, he said he wanted a title match, and… I really liked the respect that was surrounding this match and, because of what happened, I fear we may not have the match, or the end of the match, we all expect to see…

– Close That Door…

You could hear the fans say “bring the belt home.” And I understand them… This Forbidden Door thing has brought some good things to IMPACT, and some bad, but it didn’t bring IMPACT to the other companies (excepted NJPW). The roster has been expanding, with Mercedes Martinez, The IInspiration, Zicky Dice and others. They deserve some time on TV. The Rhino/Heath/VBD is the perfect example of a pure IMPACT storyline that has never needed someone from another company to be excellent. That should be the 2022 motto of my reviews, In Our House…

– Mercedes is ready…

Backstage, Mercedes Martinez told Gia Miller she will face off the Knockouts Champion, whoever she is. Can’t wait to see her grace the Impact Zone again and offer us the best of herself.

Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory Preview, Stakes and Predictions

Bound For Glory has been announced as the Everest of the Forbidden Door system. All for one, one for all. Impact Wrestling, Lucha Libre AAA, AEW and NJPW all together in the same PPV (we can add NWA now). We have lived a very strange year, of course with the pandemic, as talents from everywhere were coming and changing the way we were perceiving our company. I said all I have to on Kenny Omega, FinJuice, Jay White, Hikuleo, Mickie James, Christian Cage, etc. All I was asking from them was to embrace the values of Impact Wrestling, respect its roster, and allow it to shine. While it was happening, someone was quietly climbing that Everest… When Omega was not respecting the World Championship, Josh Alexander was reminding us why the X-Division title is the reason why TNA/Impact Wrestling has been so essential to the business for 19 years.

I was absolutely not surprised to see Josh Alexander exercise Option C at Victory Road. That was making sense because it’s purely what the company is about. They began with indie talents, totally unknown at that time, AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, and so many more. Their incredible talent was rewarded as they became Champions multiple times and absolute Superstars in the business. Isn’t it what happened to Josh Alexander as he’s about to become the ninth Triple Crown Champion and once again put his mark on TNA/Impact Wrestling history book?
So, what side of the Door are you choosing? Like I’m used to saying, every Impact Wrestling PPV is a do-or-die one, mostly when some things are out of your control. All the titles will be on the line but only two are 100% IMPACT. There will be some debuts, some intergender, no hardcore…
I will say what I’m used to saying, I genuinely want a PPV like Impact Wrestling can do, with good, great and awesome matches. What I absolutely don’t want is to tell you, on Sunday night, “I told you” or “I saw it coming”. Let’s scrutinize this card and see what may happen (my crystal ball is grumpy)…

* Countdown to Bound For Glory IMPACT Digital Media Championship Match: John Skyler vs Jordynne Grace vs Crazzy Steve vs Tenille Dashwood Madison Rayne vs Fallah Bahh vs Chelsea Green

We are going to crown a new Champion. The title is considered a secondary title, similar to the “World Television Championship” in other promotions. Both male and female talents can challenge for it. For me, that belt is made to promote Impact Plus and YouTube Insiders service. Well, if you want to watch the matches, you have to pay for them. That sixth belt in the IMPACT arsenal may not make sense to some people, including me, but the intergender side of it is definitely Nygma.

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… Chelsea Green

Violent By Design vs Heath & Rhino???

One year ago, Rhino and Heath were the best friends in the world. Heath was about to sign a contract and Rhino was ready to put his career on the line for his friend to be successful. In the 2020 Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match, Rhino won the match and the Cup, but Heath was severely injured. Rhino chose to explore the darker sides of himself and listen to Eric Young, to the point of using the Cup he was keeping for Heath and him to allow Violent By Design to become World Tag Team Champions. Rhino then lost himself in this maze of strong feelings, mostly when Heath came back and requested this match. The question here is, happy ending or not? I would say, give them a bit of time…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… Rhino seems not motivated, so VBD

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This match was created 2 years ago and offers any man or woman on the roster a title shot. There will be 20 competitors in the ring. Two competitors start the match. After a time interval, another will enter the fray. Eliminations occur by throwing your opponent over the top rope. This process will continue until there are only two competitors remaining. The final two will compete in a singles match to be won by pinfall or submission. Whoever scores the victory will earn a future title opportunity of their choosing. This year, that match is very open because Ace Austin wants that Trophy, Moose and W. Morrissey have been doing everything to secure themselves the best spots, Chris Sabin, Rich Swann… Also, who will be the surprise talents? This year’s match is totally unpredictable but, remember, as I said before, the number one is a good one in the Gauntlet matches…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… #1 is a charm, so Chris Sabin.

* IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: Decay (c) vs. The IInspiration

The IInspiration are making one hell of a debut, going straight for the bells against the darkest souls of the company. Even if many of us know who Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee are able of, I thought they would debut against The Influence but that’s not the Management decision. Without showing any kind of disrespect to Cassie and Jess, having such a debut is a chance but it can also be a plea. That means you just have to be so good, so focused, so ready to shine. There’s no doubt in my mind they will be Tag Team Champions, but not at BFG.

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… Decay

* IMPACT X-Division Championship Triple Threat Match: Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin vs. El Phantasmo

With Josh Alexander exercising Option C, the X-Division became vacant. Here we are now with three contenders who are so different they perfectly represent what X-Division is about. Bullet Club member El Phantasmo has already competed in the Impact Zone. He even became the #1 contender for the title but failed to win against The Walking Weapon last May. Steve Maclin can be defined with 3 words, Mayhem For All. That’s what he has proven week after week. And there’s Trey Miguel who has also had some chances at the title and failed every time. One is a powerhouse when the others are high-flyers. What will the collision of the three look like? Can’t wait to see that…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… Trey Miguel

 

* IMPACT Knockouts Championship Match: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. Mickie James

At Slammiversary, Mickie James interfered in Deonna Purrazzo’s celebration of her win against Thunder Rosa. And the Knockouts Champion didn’t appreciate it. Even if Mickie James just wanted to invite Deonna to NWA’s All-Women event, Empowerrr, the Hardcore Country lady has paid a hard price. Not only Deonna attacked Mickie at the NWA 73 event but she came to her house where they brawled violently. If Deonna lost an asset this week as The Drama King Matt Rehwoldt was banned from ringside at Bound For Glory, she is decided to make Mickie’s life hell. I was expecting a stipulation, maybe a guest referee, that could be the case if there’s a rematch. And I think there will be one…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… And still, Deonna Purrazzo (DQ?)

* IMPACT World Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match: The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) vs FinJuice vs Bullet Club

A lot of teams tried to dethrone The Good Brothers, Violent By Design, Mack & Swann, Fallah Bahh and No Way. They all failed. The original members of The Bullet Club welcomed the current members, Jay White, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo, and The Ultimate Finesser himself Chris Bey. Meanwhile, the team that defeated them the first time reappeared as FinJuice and Bullet Club are not very good friends. Gallows and Anderson waited patiently while they were fighting when the answer was so simple. A Triple-Threat Match is definitely benefiting the Champions… As simple as that…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… and still, Good Brothers

 

* IMPACT World Championship Match: Christian Cage (c) vs Josh Alexander

What can I add? A 3-time TNA (well, NWA) / Impact Wrestling World Champion, a Legend, a man who has kept IMPACT in his heart because the company gave him a reason to rise on his own. Then, one half of the longest-reigning ever IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, out of one of the most impressive X-Division runs, a survivor who has never stopped believing in himself. One is the World Champion, the other wants to become World Champion. There’s nothing to add, all to enjoy…

The Nygma’s Crystal Ball says… And new, Josh Alexander

 

To be eNYGMAtic…

It was exactly what you can expect from a Go-Home episode, the tension increasing, feuds at their maximum, the company did a good job with this episode. I already told you so much I think there’s no need to tell you more (I still have The IInspiration press pass to work so the night is not over for me…).
Don’t miss the BFG review on Sunday night. You can watch This is Bound For Glory documentary below. Impact Wrestling will tap some new episodes soon, from Las Vegas. Next week, I have no clue what’s going to happen, who will be the Champion. I can’t wait to know who Minoru Suzuki is going to target.
What could I add? I talked to Deonna Purrazzo, Mickie James, The Good Brothers, Josh Alexander and The IInspiration (coming soon) not so long ago, enjoy these interviews. Follow me on @FrenchNygma and react to the reviews and interviews. Every like, every word is gold. On this very “Nygma is IMPACT” note, until Bound For Glory, until next week, take care and be safe, and never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

 

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling, Fight Network, Dan The JOBR and AXS TV. Photocollage by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag.

By Steph Franchomme

News, Reviews, Social Media Editor, Impact Wrestling Reviewer, Interviewer Well, call me The Boss... And French...

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