Bound For Glory 2022 Preview

I know Impact Wrestling might not be at the top of everyone’s hit list at the moment but the company does have a long history of important shows and big moments. This show is the biggest thing that they offer and we should be in for a special night as a result. The build has gone well and there are some promising matches on here so if they can live up to the hype, we could be in for a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Brian Myers(c) vs. ???

I’m glad to be getting this out of the way early as there is no way of knowing how this is going to go. It’s a mystery opponent/open challenge deal because we haven’t had one of those in at least 14 seconds. This could be almost anyone and while that is interesting, there is only so much to be had out of a Kickoff Show match for the lower midcard title, even with the entertaining Myers involved.

We’ll go with Myers to….lose here, as a title change like this one would be a nice way to get the night started. As for who takes it, I have a grand total of no idea, but we’ll stay home and say Trey Miguel, who is always getting some kind of a match and could certainly use the win. Odds are it will be some outside or Bhupinder Gujjar getting another shot, but Miguel is more fun so we’ll go there instead.

Mia Yim vs. Mickie James

Sometimes you come across a match where the end result isn’t in doubt but it should be a fun ride getting there. That is what we have here, as James’ career is on the line in a recreation of Ric Flair’s final (ha) run in 2007/8. In other words, James isn’t likely to lose for a very long time as she moves through one challenger after another. It just happened to start pretty close to Bound For Glory so it isn’t likely ending here.

Obviously I’ll be taking James, as there is no reason to believe that she is going to lose anytime soon. Yim beating her would be an upset, although not the biggest in recent memory. The good thing is that James should be around for a long time to come and we should get to see her having good matches like this one for the time being. The match will work and it goes to James.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey(c) vs. Frankie Kazarian

This is the paying tribute to our past match, as former champion Kazarian, who somehow doesn’t age, comes back to challenge the hot new champion. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a big Bailey fan, but he is certainly putting in the work to make the most of his time with the title. Bailey is a lot of things but he definitely isn’t lazy, which is always a positive.

I’ll go with Bailey to retain here, as he gets a heck of a challenge from Kazarian. The good thing about someone like a Kazarian is you can put him out there to do just about anything and know that it is going to work. Other than that though, Bailey is going to have to eventually drop the title to a big name, whoever that might be. It just won’t be Kazarian here, as Bailey retains.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT(c) vs. Death Dollz

I had kind of forgotten these titles existed and that tends to be the case quite often with them. VXT does at least feel like a regular team and have done well so that could be a lot worse. Other than that though, you have the latest incarnation of Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya Valkyrie, who have been around and doing their thing for what feels like the better part of ever now.

There is no reason for the Dollz to get the titles here so I’ll go with VXT to retain here. It makes sense to keep the titles on them until a new team is built up to go after the belts later on. The Rosemary etc. stuff isn’t exactly interesting anymore but there is a good chance that they are going to a split after this match goes badly for them. Or at least that is what should happen.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More(c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is one of those matches that should be good and probably will be, just because of who is involved. Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are underrated as a team and it would be nice to see them getting a chance on a big stage like this one. Throw in the Guns and they should be able to do as much good stuff as you would expect them to against a team as talented as the champions.

I’m not sure what to think of this one as you could go either way. The Guns getting the titles back would be a nice moment, but I’m not sure if there is any need to have them stop Honor No More. If the stable is continuing then they need to keep the titles here. Therefore I’ll go with Honor No More to retain in the match that I’m expecting to get completely wrong.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This is their version of a Royal Rumble for what amounts to the Money In The Bank briefcase. There are twenty people involved but since a lot of them are unknown, there is only so much guessing that can be done. It should include at least a few surprises and predictable moments, but the question now is where does the whole thing end, which tends to be the important part.

Given who we know is already in the match, I’ll go with a bit of a gut instinct and say Joe Hendry, even if I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win. Getting eliminated from a battle royal is hardly crushing and Henry getting to inspire us somehow is always a good thing and it would be a nice way start off his Impact Wrestling career. Odds are he doesn’t win, but I’ll go with him as the pick anyway.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Masha Slamovich

Impact has been pushing the heck out of this one in recent weeks, even giving it the go home spot on this week’s TV. Slamovich was the clear challenger for this show several months ago as she has come into the promotion and wrecked havoc on the Knockouts division. You have the unstoppable Slamovich against the monster that is Grace and that should make for a good one.

I don’t see any reason for Grae to retain here as Slamovich has been built up as untouchable for the last several weeks. That is where she needs to just win the title and become the new star, so hopefully Impact gets this one right and doesn’t try to do anything funny. Grace is awesome at what she does but this is the time to change the title and I think they will.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Eddie Edwards

Now this is where things get complicated as you really could go either way. Alexander getting his win would be the second time in a row that he has won the (scheduled) Bound For Glory main event but that would come more or less at the destruction of Honor No More. The team feels like it is ready to either drop off the map or become the focus of the company, which is more or less what is decided by this match.

With that being said, I’ll go with the illogical choice here and take Edwards to win, making Honor No More the dominant faction of the promotion. Edwards is more than capable of being the World Champion, even if it is for the short term, though I don’t know where that leaves Alexander. It could go either way, but I’ll say Edwards wins the title here, just to mix things up a bit.

Overall Thoughts

While I don’t know if this is going to live up to Bound For Glorys of years past, there is enough here to make me care about what we are going to be seeing. If nothing else, just having the name Bound For Glory means something as it has been the biggest show for the company for the better part of twenty years. Even if it can live up to most of the hype, this is going to be a good night.

 

 

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