Bound for Glory Series 2012: All General Discussion Here

[Self High 5]

THE BOUND FOR GLORY SERIES: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TNA’S ANNUAL POINT-BASED COMPETITION

Twelve IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars battle in grueling series of matches with the ultimate prize on the line - a World Championship Match in the main event at October’s “Bound For Glory” Pay-Per-View spectacular, our biggest event of the year! The wrestler with the most points at the end of the Bound For Glory Series wins and advances to the Bound For Glory main event!


The 12 Competitors

Samoa Joe, Bully Ray, Mr. Anderson, Robbie E, Magnus, Kurt Angle,
AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, D'Angelo Dinero, Jeff Hardy, Daniels and "Cowboy" James Storm


How to Get Points

Points are determined by wins and losses – how you win is equally as important!

Submission Victory – 10 points
Pinfall Victory – 7 points
Countout Victory – 5 points
Disqualification Victory – 3 points
Draw (Time Limit/Double Countout/Double Disqualification) – Two points
Disqualification Lose – you LOSE 10 points


The Type of Matches

Each wrestler will battle each other ONCE in the series! These matches will take place over IMPACT WRESTLING on Spike TV and on TNA’s live event tours across the country, with the point structure outlined above.
Standings and How to Win!

The standings will be updated on ImpactWrestling.com. The standings will be “locked” on the September 6 edition of IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV. The top point leaders advance to No Surrender PPV (9/9) for a one-night playoff to see who gets the Bound For Glory World Title Match!


Rankings as of 07/12/12:

Samoa Joe — 37
"Cowboy" James Storm — 36
Kurt Angle — 27
Jeff Hardy — 21
Magnus — 14
Rob Van Dam — 14
Mr. Anderson — 9
"The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero — 7
AJ Styles — 7
Christopher Daniels — 5
Bully Ray — 0
Robbie E — 0
​

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Original Post:

Spoiler

With TNA confirming that the BFG series is to return this year - starting tomorrow on Impact - with a little bit more structure this year (ie not booked by Russo), I thought I'd start a thread to facilitate all general discussion.

Firstly, TNA have released some info: Link

In short, the series will feature 12 men, who will all face each other once, before progressing to the same one night, four man tournament format at No Surrender to decide the ultimate winner. The point are allocated as so:

Submission Victory – 10 points
Pinfall Victory – 7 points
Countout Victory – 5 points
Disqualification Victory – 3 points
Draw (Time Limit/Double Countout/Double Disqualification) – Two points
Disqualification Loss – you LOSE 10 points

Some of the matches will take place at house shows (thank god - don't want the series to totally dominate the next few months of IW entirely, particularly with its fairly predictable eventual winner in James Storm).

Anyway, the first obvious point of discussion is who do you think the 12 men will (or should) be? Personally I'd like to see:

1. James Storm
2. Bully Ray
3. Kurt Angle
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Mr Anderson
6. Austin Aries
7. AJ Styles
8. Samoe Joe
9. Magnus
10. RVD
11. Kaz
12. Daniels

However, sadly, we'll almost certainly see at least 2, maybe 3 of those places taken by Gunner, Crimson and *sigh* Little Bischoff. Of my list, I imagine it'll be Magnus, Kaz and Daniels who wouldn't make the cut in favour of those 3 luddites.

Realistically I think my list is fairly solid, but think Kaz and Daniels will miss out to Crimson and Bischoff (not a huge deal as they're probably best to remain a tag-team and try and make a go of the tag division). Gunner's stock is pathetic compared to during the BFG series last year. Despite going over RVD at the start of the year, endless Bischoff feuding and last being seen being squashed by RVD have left him looking like a joke.

I really hope Magnus is in and has a solid showing, establishing his own character. Since losing the tag belts, TNA seems to have called time on Joe/Magnus sadly.

Finally my pick for final 4:

1. Storm
2. Bully
3. Hardy
4. Aries

Your turn...

 

[Lowdown]

I think the majority like myself feels that James Storm will win the series this year. But I really want to see how far Magnus will go in this. I really liked his work with Joe so I'm looking forward to this singles run. Austin Aries might very well be the sleeper in this. The main heel in this is Bully Ray, and I think the fianl tow will come down to both him and Storm.

 

[three count bout]

Good Post, was wondering when we'd get a BFG series thread.

I agree with your list of people, and also share your enthusiasm for Magnus! It's unfortunate Impact hasn't had much for him these last few episodes. I'm also pulling for Daniels here as he has never won the TNA title, not that I think he'll win here either but it would be nice if he got far enough and AJ leapfrogs over him in the standings toward the end- I can see Daniels screaming how AJ has stolen everything from him.

I see you're not a big fan of Crimson or Gunners entry this year, and I partially agree But I also think oddly enough it was last year during the Bound For Glory tournament that I started to think both those guys were picking up a modicum of steam.

I will be disappointed if Bischoff is included, as this is a shot at headlining the companies biggest PPV in a scheduled world championship match neither of which should be synonymous with garret. The one thing from last year that was a drawback was the guys who felt like placeholder, you knew they had no real chance of winning i.e Devon, and Pope (only because they were booking Pope so weak at the time)

 

[GrandSword]

I agree with Magnus. The guy was the Ring Ka King Champion. Obviously someone beleives he has what it takes, to atleast be in the tournament. Please TNA have Magnus, Joe, Daniels and Kazarian in the hunt.

I'm thinking "Abyss" wont return to full in ring competition till BFG, and Crimson will probably be in... But TNA seems to really like Robbie E also, he may play a part as he is getting a lot of tv time.

Hopefully TNA put the right guys in and we get some great matches and it is logical this time, unlike the 4 man ladder matches, the bottom loser three ways etc etc.

 

[IHW]

I saw an interview recently where Hogan talked about the potential of Magnus. I think he could be the wildcard here, and maybe make it to the final four with guys like Storm, Aries, and Hardy.

I am excited for this years Series. I predict the logical Storm win. But, maybe its too logical?

 

[J.D Lethal]

Really really good post 1st off

Personally Kaz and Daniels snowballs chance in hell they will be in BFG they are a tag team that has 2-3 more relative ppvs left. Sorry but Suicide and Curry Man are out...I do see Crimson going into BFG but he will make himself better chasing James Storm the man the broke his streak..I saw somebody post that Garrett and Robbie E should/could...They are better used in a Television Title fued(big Robbie T is the OVW champ i'd give him the shot)...but to the matter at hand here are my Top 8

Kurt Angle
Austin Aries
Jeff Hardy
Bully ray
Joe
Mangus
Hernadez(shocking return)
Aj Styles(Due to his current story)

My final 2 are Kurt Angle vs Austin Aries and the winner will be Austin Aries

somewhere before BFG aries will drop that title but he will be the man again(ROH and Now TNA)


Mind you this is all set with the current roster...John Morrison and Randy Orton still can come in at any time,And Ken Anderson is off mylist because i believe he could win the title before BFG.

 

[tomthebodz]

1. James Storm
2. Bully Ray
3. Kurt Angle
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Gunner
6. Austin Aries
7. AJ Styles
8. Samoe Joe
9. Magnus
10. RVD
11. Kaz or Daniels
12. Crimson

Crimson will be put in just because he was taken out by Joe last year, when he was winning, I don't want him to be there.

I can only see one of Daniels and Kaz being in the tournament. Dixie Carter makes a match between the two to decide who enters.

 

[mr.wrestling iv]

I think it's safe to say James Storm will win the Bound for Glory series. The predictability is reeking from this. Will the matches in this series be solid, I have no doubt. I like Storm. Just not as invested in him as others may be.

So if you had your way, who would win the Bound for Glory series? I think Joe should win it. From a storyline perspective, this is the man who couldn't really win a match in this series last year, fell all the way to the red, got pissed, started taking anyone out who could win it. Took out Crimson. Ended up feuding with him and Morgan. I think this year would be the perfect chance to have a redemption style story where Joe dominates the BFG series. Meets Storm in the final match the ppv this is supposed to conclude at and Joe wins. He main events BFG against Roode or Austin Aires.

That's my wish that's not going to happen obviously. Nice fantasy to have.

Anyway. Who do you want to see win this thing other then the likely winner James Storm?

 

[JamJam]

I'm quite surprised not seeing Crimson in it, looks like they'll be having plans for him since his streak is now over. And the random guys in it like Robbie E and Pope weren't really needed. I'd rather they went with an 8 man tournament but ohwell. Everyone is saying that James Storm will win but it's not set in stone I believe. Knowing TNA's booking, and I know that they've done better as of late but I really don't think Storm winning is set in stone. They could surprise with Aries winning which I wouldn't mind at all. It's gonna be an interesting road to Bound For Glory, I can tell you that.

 

[Self High 5]

Excellent. No Bischoff, Crimson or Gunner. Yay! Xmas came early at TNA.

Nice surprises in Pope and Daniels (but no Kaz... how will this affect their AJ antagonism???), and though I'm probably in a minority here, I'm glad to see Robbie E. It's taken a long time, but this big schmuck has really grown on me. I think it's ever since they took the TV belt off him and made him into Devon's personal comedy jobber for 3 solid months. He deserves a change of scene (as does Devon come to it). I can't believe I'm saying this, but I find the relationship between the 2 Robs quite amusing now that they introduced some tension. Anyway, that's for another thread.

My hope is that they use this opportunity to make a star out of Magnus. Maybe even making it to the No Surrender final as a bit of a wild card?

No Aries is a big surprise, but obviously bigger things are afoot for him, and it's wise for TNA to capitalize on his popularity and momentum sooner rather than later. Maybe he'll feud with Roode past Destination-X, because I can't see them pinning A-Double's shoulders cleanly for the 1-2-3 at this stage.

My pick for the final 4:
1. Storm
2. Bully
3. Angle
4. Magnus

 

[The Chosen One of WZ]

A solid group this year but I coulda done without Robbie E and Christohper Daniels. I was surprised Pope finnaly popped back on my screan hopefully some pimpin' is coming soon.

If you take it from kayfabe the only person that can possibly win this is Storm but id rather see Roodes title run ended before Bound for Glory as it has gotten soooooooooooooo dull.

Kurt Angle, Samao Joe and Jeff Hardy should all have realy good showings and lets hope TNA books it better then last year. (Gunner in the finals anyone?)

 

[Arashi]

I love the concept of bound for glory, even if the winner is known. I like that it can be shocking like Roode was to me last year. But just because somethings predictable doesn't mean it's bad. Most movies are predictable, but still they can be good. The Journey is more important than the end. If the Journey is good enough, even a predictable ending can be really good.

And building Storm up like this again could be highly beneficial.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I quite love the BFG series. It seems something genuine, old school, legit. Funny it comes out of TNA, with all of its silliness and worthlessness.

The BEST way for this to go down is for James Storm to come through adversity, and get another shot at the belt, this time to win it from Bob Roode. There is no amount of discussion anyone could have with me that TNA planned it out that way from the beginning, a long term angle like that.


I enjoy matches and win-loss counting, and it being such an immense journey to make it to BFG

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I don't think he'll win, or come close, but I really want to see Robbie E do well out of this tournament. Even if he just develops his character more or gets a couple of surprise wins, I'd be happy to see Robbie get something out of this as the guy entertains me and I want to see him push on now.

Line-up looks pretty good, but the one concern I have with it is that it seems like its Storm's to lose rather than anything else. Last years Series had more of an "anyone can win" aura to it than this years. Still looking forward to it though.

 

[midgensa]

I also love the BFG series. It makes "regular matches" seem VERY interesting on a weekly basis and there is definitely no harm in that.

The line-up looks good and we should see some really good matches. Last year's seemed wide open and it clearly looks like this year it is Storm's for the taking, but there is still a "you never know" aspect to it that should make it a ton of fun.

Going to be fun watching these guys battle it out for a shot at "The IT Factor"

 

[It's Damn Real!]

UPDATE:

James Storm now sits firmly in the lead with 27 points after another pinfall victory tonight, and the OP will have the updated standings/rankings in a few moments.

 

[RawIsJericho]

The BFG series is one of the smartest things TNA has done, it's a fabulous idea.

I for one have many times said to myself over the years while watching wrestling "so why are these guys fighting exactly?" especially nowadays when the under card seems so irrelevant, sure sometimes it's about a feud, sometimes it's for a belt or for a number one contender spot, but then a bunch of other times it's for nothing, they're just wrestling to fill up time, why are these two guys "putting it all on the line" when there's pretty much nothing at stake.

The BFG series makes every match with these guys involved up until the end of the tournament relevant, every match is meaningful, right down to how they win the match. It provides an opportunity to write a bunch of easy to write storylines, and as we saw last year, it has the power to really build up some names.

The only problem with it was last year with some guys having more matches than the others, but with this being addressed, it's just a fantastic idea all around.

 

[vampireblade]

IMO I see the final four guys as Storm, Hardy, Angle, and Magnus (because of how Hogan was talking about him). The final two will be Magnus and Storm with Storm going over to set up Bobby Roode vs James Storm at BFG. Of course this is my opinion and I could be wrong. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

 

[GrandSword]

From a kayfabe point of view I don't understand why Crimson isn't in the series. The guy went undefeated for almost two years and still can't get a TVtitle shot.. however he was in last year's series... It doesn't make much sense.

Absolutely loving Daniels being in the series and I hope we get to see some great macthes from him. I was very annoyed at him being beaten by the no talent Anderson but what can you do.

The thing about Storm is though is I hope they give us some twists and turns, as he is already very far in front and with his push, and he already having two ppv victories over Angle, who else poses a threat to him? The series needs a bit of drama, maybe we'll get some behind the ref's back attacks by Roode to steal points from the Cowboy?

 

[Pera]

I'd personally love for Storm to gain a humongous lead in the BFG series, which then leads to Roode getting quite threatened about potentially facing Storm in a rematch for the World Title. I'd then have Roode start interfering in James Storm's matches and have him attack his opponent, which leads to a 10 point demotion for Storm. At the end, there needs to be that cliffhanger match, where if Storm loses, he's out of the series and if he wins, he slots comfortably into 4th place and manages to just hold on. From there, he wins his matches and we eventually see Roode vs Storm at BFG. Good story, plenty of build up and should be a great match in front of hopefully, a hot crowd.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

UPDATE 07/05/12:

OP rankings updated with the pinfall victory from Jeff Hardy over James Storm on iMPACT! tonight, as well as the updated pinfall victory for Magnus to move him up to 14 points, tied with Hardy.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

OP updated again to reflect the current standings as of IMPACT tonight where Kurt Angle picks up 7 points for a pinfall victory over Mr. Anderson and RVD picks up 7 points for a pinfall victory over Samoa Joe.

The thing I think that's best about the way this whole series is running right now, as shattered dreams made note of in the LD, is that there seems to be quite a bit of parity going on. No one is truly running away with it. Storm came in hot, and then lost, Joe came in after that hot, and just lost tonight, etc. Really prevents anyone from just pulling away from the pack.