2 weeks Ago By Erik Beaston
TNA Wrestling presented its biggest pay-per-view of the year, Bound For Glory, from Detroit Saturday night. Nic Nemeth defended the TNA World Championship against Joe Hendry and Jordynne Grace defended the TNA Knockouts Championship against longtime foe Masha Slamovich in the night's two main events, but they were hardly the only high-stakes matches on tap for the extravaganza. What else went down, who emerged victoriously, and how did the night's events alter the future of TNA Wrestling? Find out with this recap of the October 26 spectacular, including grades and analysis for each of the show's match-ups.
The card for Saturday's pay-per-view included: NXT's Brinley Reece teamed with Xia Brookside to battle Ash and Heather By Elegance in the opening match of the Countdown to Bound For Glory preshow. A red-hot crowd was solidly behind Reece and Brookside, who rolled late in the match and appeared to be en route to a high-profile victory. Instead, late chicanery allowed the entitled heels to wipe out Brookside, leaving the NXT rookie alone.
Heather delivered a top-rope Spanish Fly and Ash added a swanton bomb for the tainted victory. It was a basic tag match but was worked well and highlighted the skills of all four women. Despite her inexperience, Reece never looked out of place and did a great job as the babyface in peril.
Brookside was the star, but the heels winning allows the storyline to propel forward whereas a clean babyface victory would have been its conclusion. Result Ash and Heather Elegance defeated Reece and Brookside Grade C+ Top Moments and Takeaways Bob Ryder, one of the founding fathers of TNA Wrestling behind the scenes, and Rhino took their rightful places in the company's Hall of Fame. Eric Young, one of the stars most synonymous with the company over two decades, inducted Ryder and told the story of his passion for the industry.
Ryder was a revolutionary, someone who was active in websites and understood the internet's significance in the future of the business. A beloved member of the TNA Wrestling family until his untimely passing in 2020, he was a journalist, innovator, travel agent, and friend. Saturday night, TNA made sure his legacy lived forever.
Tommy Dreamer inducted his fellow ECW alumnus Rhino in front of his hometown fans, family, and friends in Detroit. He celebrated his friend's long list of accomplishments across professional wrestling, his work ethic, and his love of professional wrestling. The Man-Beast delivered an electric speech, thanked everyone from Dreamer and Paul Heyman to Triple H, Jim Ross, and Pat Patterson, and told a story about Heath Slater comforting his dying brother through phone calls toward the end of his life.
He expressed his love for the fans, lastly, and wrapped up by calling the Hall of Fame "ours.".
