IMPACT Wrestling held Bound For Glory tonight in New York City and it featured some great wrestling, particularly the opening contest between Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Ethan Page & Matt Sydal and the 6-man tag between OvE (Sami Callihan, Dave & Jake Crist) vs. Brian Cage, Pentagon Jr. and Fenix. Tessa Blanchard retained her Knockouts title in an excellent hard hitting affair with Taya Valkyrie. But there were some huge moments on the show that left a lot of people ecstatic and for some a little confused.
Bound For Glory (SPOILERS)
ELI DRAKE’S OPEN CHALLENGE WAS…NOT CHRIS JERICHO
When Eli Drake made his open challenge for New York City a special match that was only open to New Yorkers, dream lists were assembled of who it could be. One such rumored opponent was Chris Jericho. He’d been teasing showing up in IMPACT for weeks leading up and while he’s famously Canadian, he was actually born in New York. But the man who answered Eli Drake’s Open Challenge was…Maryland’s James Ellsworth?
https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1051632252466151424
While Drake finished Ellsworth off in quick time, Eli Drake continued to say the challenge was still open. Ellsworth wasn’t from New York so he wanted “the best, Hall of Fame worthy” not “garbage”. And then out came…2018 IMPACT Hall of Fame inductee Abyss. While the match itself wasn’t bad, the choice seemed underwhelming despite all the possible options. But it was reported on Twitter that a last minute issue prevented the original choice from being available and the decision was made last minute to replace them with Abyss.
The original plan for Drake's mystery opponent would've blown the roof off. Things happened. A real tough break for all involved. We'll see what they came up with to replace him.
— Voices of Wrestling (@voiceswrestling) October 15, 2018
ROSEMARY IS BACK
Allie entered the Undead Realm of Su Yung, which turned into a vignette more akin to Lucha Underground than Final Deletion, as an axe-wielding Allie hacked Undead Bride after Undead Bride to save Keira Hogan from her crypt in Su Yung’s world. She even managed to seemingly slay the Queen herself, driving her axe into Su Yung’s neck.
.@AllieImpact just stuck an axe in the neck of @realsuyung! #BFGCOMDA pic.twitter.com/8hIMLvFpYg
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 15, 2018
As Allie was bringing Keira back to the portal back to the regular universe, the Undead Brides all reanimated and swarmed in, along with a resurrected Su Yung, only for Rosemary to return and fend off the Undead Brides allowing Allie and Keira to escape.
THE DEMON ASSASSIN HAS SAVED @AllieImpact! #BFGCOMDA @WeAreRosemary pic.twitter.com/nGeNP9nbj4
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 15, 2018
.@WeAreRosemary stayed behind to fight The Undead Bride and allow @AllieImpact to escape. #BFGCOMDA
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 15, 2018
Allie and Keira made it back, but it appears that some of the darkness has returned with Allie…
DID AUSTIN ARIES JUST WALK OUT OF IMPACT?
AND NEW IMPACT World Champion – @TheRealMorrison! #BFGCOMDA pic.twitter.com/ggMkIcwpKw
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) October 15, 2018
Considering the two involved in the match for the IMPACT World Heavyweight Championship, Champion Austin Aries and challenger Johnny Impact, the match itself wasn’t nearly as high flying as one might expect. But they brought a real brawl to the big fight, and they were anything but light with each other. In the end, Johnny Impact won with a Starship Pain to become the new IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion. But what came after was bizarre.
Austin Aries “No Sold” Starship Pain and walked off giving Don Callis a fuck you as we Crown a new #ImpactWrestling World Champ #BoundForGlory pic.twitter.com/z6WijXZhLX
— JDfromNY (@JDfromNY206) October 15, 2018
Immediately after taking the Starship Pain, Austin Aries sat up and immediately began to yell and curse at someone on the second level of the venue, allegedly IMPACT VP and commentator Don Callis. Aries then immediately headed up the ramp, throwing “the bird” to Callis and the crowd as he walked away. The internet was immediately a-buzz over whether the incident was a “work” or a “shoot”.
https://twitter.com/MikeKillam/status/1051667287294570496
https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1051667571093774342
If you're in the building and can correct me … re-watching on video, it looked like Aries yelled something at Don Callis, who was set up in the balcony. It looked like Impact mouthed "Are you kidding me?" as he watched it unfold. Announcers made no mention of Aries leaving.
— Mike McMahon (@TorchMcMahon) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1051674150295625729
Either that was a really terrible work, or AA is being unprofessional.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) October 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/MikeKillam/status/1051670123482947584
Or maybe it’s all just as simple as this…
Well, aren't Aries and his crew "anti-Impact Wrestling" right now?
— Mark Golden (@TheMarkGolden) October 15, 2018
