TNA Wrestling returns to Michigan after 10 years
By Austin Gonzales
DETROIT – For the first time since 2009, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) returns to pay-per-view in Wayne County for its flagship event, Bound for Glory. TNA brought its biggest show of the year to a sold-out Wayne State University Fieldhouse, where 3,000 rambunctious wrestling fans packed the venue. The Detroit crowd was energized to see the stars of TNA in action, especially to see the hottest rising star in professional wrestling, Joe Hendry, challenge TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth.
Before the matches began, TNA celebrated its company’s history with the annual Hall of Fame ceremony. This year’s honor went to TNA co-founder Bob Ryder, who started the organization with Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002. Joining Ryder in the Hall of Fame is Michigan wrestling legend Rhino, known for his long tenure with the company and for headlining the first Bound for Glory.
From top to bottom, the entire card was stacked with tremendous bouts. The pre-show kicked off with Ash and Heather by Elegance scoring a victory over Xia Brookside and WWE NXT’s Brinley Reece. The last match before the official start of the show was a 20-person intergender Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, where the winner receives a World Championship match anytime, anywhere, for up to one year. The finals came down to Frankie Kazarian and Rhino, but it was Kazarian who scored a pinfall on the War Machine to earn his future title opportunity.
Once the show officially began, the action was hot from the start. ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey successfully defended his X-Division Championship in a high-octane contest against Mexico’s El Hijo del Vikingo. The TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Jody Threat and Dani Luna, also successfully defended their titles against Rosemary and NXT’s Wendy Choo. Rosemary wasn’t happy with her team’s loss and took it out on Choo.
A feud reached its boiling point as technical wrestling expert Josh Alexander took Steve Maclin to his limit. Alexander stood tall after trapping Maclin not only in handcuffs behind his back but also in a well-executed ankle lock, forcing Maclin to submit.
The violence didn’t stop there, as up next was the Monster’s Ball match. No rules, thumbtacks spilled onto the canvas, and broken front doors were left in the wake of this chaotic match. Matt Cardona tried as he might, but he couldn’t top the French Canadian Frankenstein known as PCO. In the final match before the advertised “triple main event,” Mike Santana challenged TNA’s hardest-hitting superstar, Moose. Despite Moose’s best efforts to have his faction mates assist him, Santana would take home the victory.
The first of the advertised triple main events was the TNA Knockouts World Championship. Masha Slamovich put Jordynne Grace through a vicious match to become the new women’s world champion. Grace and Slamovich gave a friendly handshake and hug before exiting the ring.
The next main event was the TNA World Championship match, where Nic Nemeth defended his title against Joe Hendry, with special guest referee Frankie Kazarian. A lot of questions surrounded this match. Kazarian had been feuding with Hendry for weeks, and wrestling veteran John Layfield made a surprise appearance last month to assist Nemeth in defending his world title. When asked about the possibility of Layfield aiding Nemeth again during the match, Hendry had this to say: “That’s certainly a concern too, but Nic doesn’t need it. Extra leverage or backup plans. I don’t need to tell Nic that, he already knows it. All you have to do is look at his body of work—he doesn’t need to resort to anything like that.” Nemeth successfully defended his title against Hendry with the aid of Layfield.
The final match to cap off the show was the Full Metal Mayhem match. Tables, chairs, chains, and ladders surrounded the ring with the TNA World Tag Team Championship belts suspended above the squared circle. The first team to retrieve the belts would win the match. Despite the crowd being in a sore spot from Joe Hendry’s loss earlier in the night, the audience jumped back to its feet with the match’s death-defying action. Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers of the villainous The System stable defended their gold against brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy and Bullet Club’s Chris Bey and Ace Austin. After many broken housewares, it was the Hardys who emerged victorious, sending the crowd home happy.
Detroit shouldn’t only be known for its sports fandom but also for bringing the energy when wrestling comes to town. From bell to bell, the audience at Wayne State University was loud and proud. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I was at Little Caesars Arena. When TNA returns to Michigan, the people will be hot and ready.