I think they fumbled with BFG 2006 and then proceeded to throw the rest of the game with everything since then.
There were two things wrong with that whole card. I mean the Cage/Rhino feud was fine, but it wasn't what should've logically went on at Bound For Glory.
Cage and Sting have this friend stuff going and then he turns on him and helps Jarrett win the title. They should've feuded until BFG 2006 where Cage goes over Sting somehow, someway to keep him propped up as a heel challenger to the championship and to keep their issue strong. You could've used Cage brutalizing Rhino and beating him at the PPV before BFG as a way to emphasize that Cage doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself anymore. Not only that, but it gives Cage a hot mini-program that develops his character more before he gets into it with Sting. As a way of getting around Cage and Rhino having another match you could have Cage say that he wouldn't give Rhino another match, because he'd already beaten his bitch ass. Rhino then jumps into the Monster's Ball match, which they could have a Title Shot up for grabs for the winner.
And the main event should've been Samoa Joe, who was on an incredible hot streak since he came into the promotion, taking on Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World title and Jarrett's career. Joe goes over in this one and wins the belt.
This way what you have are two logical feuds there. You have Sting and Cage continue and/or finish off their beef temporarily. Cage goes over, so that you can keep him strong for a defense against the new champ sometime down the line.
Then in the main event title match you have the perfect scenario. Jarrett has always had a virtual monopoly over the World heavyweight title and people really, really hated him from it and I would say that a lot of that is in the "I don't want this guy on my TV at all, I can't stand Jarrett" type of heat. He always took up TV time and no one wanted to see him.
Joe was pretty much the complete opposite and he was always the highlight of the show. He had a tremendous amount of fan support and they were just dying for him to get pushed through to the top.
So in having Joe go over Jarrett you not only get him even more over by eliminating Jarrett, but you also say to the fans "Y'know, we ain't WWE, we give you what the fuck you want!"
Post-match you have Angle, reluctantly, handing Joe the belt and you can have a staredown where they get into each other's face. No brawl, save that for some other time. Build to it, make people want to see more. Angle's first match at Genesis would've either been Jerry Lynn (who he wanted to work with, if I'm not mistaken) or AJ Styles. Although I'd rather hold off on the Styles match and give some sort of substantial build to it. Although I suppose you could have them interact before Bound For Glory and kind of hint that AJ would be his first match.
Hell! LAX was fucking hot at the time. Have them get their belts back sometime after the PPV. Then you have, instead of Joe/Angle initially brawling and wasting the match right away.. Killings turns heel, joins up with LAX to fight the system and they start doing a Freebird type of thing with them. Killings/Hernandez get the belts from AJ and Chris Daniels, put the X-Title on Homicide after beating the shit out of (I think) Sabin at Genesis. Killings/Hernandez are tag champs, Homicide is the X-Champ, and then you have Konnan declare his desire for LAX to hold all the belts, so he gets killings to target Joe. Beatdown ensues and then you have Angle come out for the save.
You've got a credible singles guy in Killings who can both work the mic and work in the ring. You have Homicide getting his first singles title. And you have the hottest act in TNA getting most of the belts and feuding with the fresh champ in Joe and Angle, fresh off his WWE run and with a wave of his own momentum, into this whole deal. Joe gets the rub from Angle, LAX gets the rub from feuding with the top two stars in TNA, and Killings gets a long awaited, long deserved push and he gets to show his shit.
And you wouldn't even have to do this right away. You build the whole thing. Killings Hernandez take the titles, they defend and beat 3D at Genesis, Homicide wins the X-Title at Genesis. Then it's LAX versus 3D for the next month. Homicide versus Spike Dudley for the X-Title at Turning Point and Killings/Hernandez take on Ray and Devon in a Tables match for the titles. LAX rules the PPV again. And the next night they state their desire to bring the World title into their family.
Meanwhile you have Joe defend against Abyss (who'd win the Monster's Ball match) and beat him in a massive brawl at Genesis. Then you have Christian and Tomko come out to assist Abyss in beating down Joe post match. You have Sting come out. They're still somewhat overwhelmed and then you have Angle come out and clear house. They all stand victorious. Sets up Joe/Cage and you can have Angle and Sting do a one time only dream team thing against Tomko and Abyss at Turning Point.
Then you transition into the LAX versus Joe/Angle feud and you can have their first match at the PPV after Turning Point. Regular match, goes to a no contest due to the excessive violence, chaotic brawl, etc. Put Sting/Abyss as the top singles match and you have Rhino and someone else go after Tomko and Christian.
Joe/Angle eventually get the belts. And each time they defend it they can be more and more competitive, this leads to eventual mishaps of miscommunication, they get heat. Angle eventually turns full on heel on Joe and just unloads on his leg/ankle. Joe wants a match with Angle a.s.a.p. and Cornette won't allow him to work with a bum ankle, so he'd have to sign papers stating that if he gets even more injured, it's his responsibility not TNAs. And if he wants them to put the match on their PPV, he'd have to sacrifice something for it - his rematch clause. So he does. Despite the bum ankle/leg he puts up a good fight in the match, but Angle (ref bump or distraction) gets the cheater's edge and gets a shot in on Joe's leg with some kind of foreign object and then taps him out. You have Angle join up with Cage, Tomko, and various other heels and duck & distract Joe until Bound For Glory '07, where you have some sort of submission match or Last Man Standing or some other fitting blood feud match between the two of them where he puts Joe over.
That's a rough longterm plan of what I'd of done, instead of dicking Joe out of the belt and dicking the fans of the investment they put in him ever since he debuted.
I'm not saying that this would've resulted in them overtaking WWE, but I think it'd of done the job better and brought up fresh stars to, at least, get there. And I honestly think a long term Angle/Joe PPV would've done far better as far as far as PPV buys are concerned than what actually happen.
And an Angle/Sting match wouldn't of been wasted on Free TV and would've been built and marketed as the dream match it should've been.
