The biggest night of Impact Wrestling's year arrived Saturday night on pay-per-view as the company presented Bound For Glory, a blockbuster extravaganza headlined by championship encounters, heated grudge matches and the culmination of all of the company's top storylines.

Who emerged from the intensely personal world title clash between Rich Swann and Eric Young? Was Kylie Rae able to out-wrestle "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo and take her Knockouts Championship?

Find out now with this recap of the October 24 spectacular.

Match Card

Announced for Saturday's blockbuster pay-per-view are:

• IMPACT World Heavyweight Championship Match: Rich Swann vs. Eric Young (c)
• Knockouts Championship Match: Kylie Rae vs. "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo (c)
• 4-Way Match for the IMPACT Tag Team Championships: The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs. The Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton vs. The North
• Six-Way Scramble Match for the X-Division Championship: Trey Miguel vs. TJP vs. Willie Mack vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju (c)
• From an Undisclosed Location: EC3 vs. Moose
• Eddie Edwards vs. Ken Shamrock (with Sami Callihan)
• Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match featuring: Heath, Rhino, Hernandez, Acey Romero, Larry D, Tenille Dashwood, Taya Valkyrie, Brian Myers, Tommy Dreamer and Havok (among others)
• Pre-Show: The Rascalz vs. The Deaners

Coverage begins at 7:30 with the Bound For Glory pre-show on AXS TV.

The Rascalz vs. The Deaners

Setting the stage for the night’s in-ring action as part of Countdown to Glory, The Rascalz’s Wentz and Dez battled Cody and Uncle Jake Deaner in the opening contest. 

A fast-paced start allowed Wentz and Dez to seize control early. They used double-team maneuvers and lightning-quick offense to keep the opposition off-guard but the country boy strength of Jake allowed him and his cousin to halt their momentum.

An assisted side slam allowed Jake and Cody to score the win and position themselves in tag title contention coming out of the show.

Result

The Deaners defeated The Rascalz

Grade

C

Analysis

This was a sprint of a match that never really had the opportunity to get going.

The work was there, the effort was, too, but the time constraints never allowed the match to become much more than a warmup for everything that will follow.

The Deaners going over was somewhat of a surprise given how integral a part of Impact The Rascalz have been over the last year or two, but such a creative choice may lead to them building some momentum for themselves in the wake of Impact’s most prestigious event.

Jake, in particular, looked like a beast here and someone who might be a star of the company’s bright future.

Six-Way Scramble Match for the X-Division Championship

Rohit Raju spent the last month of his X-Division Championship reign channeling his inner-Honky Tonk Man and ducking, dodging and narrowly escaping every challenge that came his way. It would be much more difficult in the PPV opener as he defended against Jordynne Grace, Chris Bey, TJP Willie Mack and Trey Miguel in a Six-Way Scramble Match.

The action started fast and furiously before Grace showed off her considerable power by taking Mack off his feet with a shoulder block. TJP showed off his creativity, applied four stereo submissions to his opponents until a rake to the eyes by Raju. The opportunistic champion teed off on his challengers while the commentary team put over the numerous mainstream publications he was featured in this week.

Mack pulled Grace to the floor before she could mount a comeback, then rocked Raju, Miguel and Bey as the big man fired up. Raju re-entered the ring and quickly found himself the subject of punishment from all five challengers.

Grace wiped Bey out with a backfist, then delivered a tope suicida that wiped out Raju and TJP. Mack followed with a dive of his own. A dropkick by Bey took Miguel off TJP’s shoulders and into a moonsault that left Grace, Raju and Mack lying.

Raju nearly retained his title with a big knee that rocked TJP, but the former WWE cruiserweight kicked out at two. Grace set up for a superplex to Miguel but found herself in the Tree of Woe. In the tried-and-true Tower of Doom spot, she pulled her opposition off the top in a double superplex. Raju comically yelled, “EQUALITY!” before delivering a double stomp to Grace for a near-fall.

Raju just barely saved his title, breaking up a pin by Thicc Mama Pump after a Grace Driver to Miguel. TJP delivered a Mamba Splash to Miguel but the always alert Raju slid in like a thief in the night and scored the pinfall victory for the win.

Result

Raju defeated Grace, TJP, Mack, Bey and Miguel

Grade

B-

Analysis

Raju is such a fun champion. He’s a total slimy bad guy who has no right winning as much as he does but is always in the right place at the right time. 

There’s skill, obviously, but there’s also a ton of luck and the occasional underhanded method and the result is a modern-day take on the Honky Tonk Man persona that stole so many wins during his reign as Intercontinental Champion in 1980s WWE.

Grace was impressive here, really showcasing her strength and athleticism against a loaded lineup of wrestlers, while Mack stood out for the speed and agility he always demonstrates despite his size.

A high-energy match that never slowed down and managed to showcase all six of its participants, this was a strong opener for a show that figures to get even better as the night goes on.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

The Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match is fought under battle royal rules. The difference is that the final two wrestlers will compete in a singles match to determine the winner. If neither Heath no Rhino won, they would both be gone from Impact.

Rhino started the match off at No. 1 following his loss Tuesday on Impact. The returning Shawn Daivari entered at No. 2. Their fight spilled to the floor, through the ropes, where Daivari targeted the left arm of The Man-Beast.

XXXL’s Larry D arrived at No. 3 and Crazzy Steve entered at No. 4. Acey Romero entered at No. 5, ensuring XXXL would have the opportunity to pair up on the competition. They squashed Steve but failed to follow up, opting to tee off on opposite sides of the ring.

Tenille Dashwood, accompanied by Kaleb Conley, arrived at No. 6. Havok became the second woman to enter the match at No. 7. She took Romero down with an impressive headscissors, then flattened Conley with a powerbomb.

“The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers hit the ring at No. 8 and blasted Steve with a kick. He eliminated the deranged clown of the Impact roster. Crazy Steve eliminated. 

Swoggle entered at No. 9, joining real-life bestie Myers for a brief reunion, which was broken up by Daivari. The friends teamed up to eliminate Daivari before Myers tossed his buddy to the floor. Daivari and Swoggle eliminated.

Tommy Dreamer entered at No. 10 and donned Road Warrior Animal facepaint, t-shirt and hairstyle in tribute to the recently passed icon. Swoggle re-entered and joined Dreamer for a pint-sized Doomsday Device on Myers. Alisha Edwards entered at No. 11, only for Myers to eliminate both her and Dreamer in succession. Dreamer and Edwards eliminated.

Kiera Hogan, accompanied by Tasha Steelz, entered at No. 12. Meanwhile, Myers eliminated Tenille. Dashwood eliminated. Hogan stomped away at Havok in the corner as Taya Valkyrie entered at No. 13, accompanied by Rosemary and John E. Bravo. La Wera Loca uncorked some hard chops to the chests of XXXL. 

Fallah Bahh and his enormous roll of cash entered at No. 14 just in time for Havok to send Hogan to the floor. Hogan eliminated. Valkyrie eliminated Havok. Havok eliminated.

“Cowboy” James Storm entered at No. 15 in the best surprise of the match thus far. Storm downed both Larry D and Romero, then dumped Larry. Larry D eliminated. Reno Scum’s Adam Thornstowe hit the ring at No. 16 immediately worked over Storm. Myers tried to eliminate Storm but the Cowboy put up a resistance. Luster The Legend of Reno Scum entered at No. 17. Heath entered at No. 18 and immediately eliminated Romero. Romero eliminated. He followed up by unceremoniously dumping Myers. Myers eliminated.

Former world champion Sami Callihan entered the match at No. 19 and sought to eliminate Storm. Hernandez entered at No. 20, per his victory on Tuesday’s show, and eliminated Bahh. Bahh eliminated. Hernandez eliminated himself, chasing after Bahh and his money. Hernandez left. Rhino dumped Thornstowe to bring the match to five men remaining. Thornstowe eliminated. Luster followed suit, sent packing with his partner. Luster the Legend eliminated. 

Storm was the first of the final four to be eliminated, followed by Heath as his Cinderella story became a nightmare. Immediately, referees and the trainer checked on Heath, who was clearly hobbled by some sort of injury very early in his run. Storm and Heath eliminated.

The match became a one-on-one encounter between Rhino and Callihan. Sami attempted to use a chair but the official stopped him, allowing Rhino to deliver a Gore, pick up the win and retain his employment status.

Result

Rhino won

Grade

C-

Analysis

The injury to Heath really hurt this one. You have to assume the outcome was originally meant to be something different before the lower-body injury forced a change. What a bummer, too, because Heath’s story had been such a major part of the road to this show.

With that said, if Heath could not win, at least Rhino had the opportunity to pick up a big win on a pay-per-view he was triumphant at some 15 years ago.

Myers was spotlighted nicely, and it was a welcome return for Storm, but the rest of this one was not exactly the best representation of Impact’s ability to highlight multitudes of different acts to great success.

EC3 vs. Moose from an Undisclosed Location

Emanating from an undisclosed location, and in a ring surrounded by masked minions, EC3 battled Moose in his first match with Impact Wrestling in years.

Moose, the self-proclaimed TNA World Champion, bloodied his opponent and demanded to know why EC3 had tormented him for months. EC3 avoided a chair shot and stunned Moose. The heel regained the upper hand until the fight spilled outside the ring.

EC3 threw his opponent on a guardrail, then the ring post, enlightening him in between. “This belongs to the annals of history,” the aggressor said to Moose. He demanded his opponent become what he should be, to live up to his potential. Then, he can hold the title.

He set up for the Headlock Driver but was momentarily distracted as memories of his original TNA run flashed across the screen. Moose rocked him with the spear. The heel pummeled his opponent with his bare fists as the months of torment fueled him.

Knelt before him, EC3 looked up at Moose. “Control your narrative,” he said.

“Thank you,” Moose responded before blasting him with the TNA Championship. 

EC3’s minions removed him from the ring.

Result

Moose...won?

Grade

A

Analysis

It makes sense that the company that popularized cinematic wrestling would deliver in a big way here.

This was not about EC3’s return to Impact, nor was it about putting him in a big spot. It was all about Moose and getting out of him the killer edge that he should have, rather than the delusions of grandeur that had defined him of late.

It was a great bit of business that forced the nastiness out of Moose while positioning EC3 as somewhat of a sacrificial lamb in the name of helping others realize their fullest potential. Perhaps because he could not?

What could have been an overproduced mess was a really compelling story that will help both involved long-term, the sign of a successful segment.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ken Shamrock (with Sami Callihan)

The newest Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee and “World’s Most Dangerous Man’ Ken Shamrock, accompanied by Sami Callihan, battled former world champion Eddie Edwards in the night’s next match.

Shamrock grounded and pounded early, keeping Edwards off his feet and at his mercy. Eddie finally fought his way out of Shamrock’s grasp and unloaded a few hard right hands. Shamrock seized an opening and targeted the left knee and ankle of his opponent.

Unrelenting in his striking, Shamrock continued to unload on Edwards as the fight spilled to the floor. Back in, the veteran fighter continued to dominate the action, teeing off on his opponent as Edwards struggled to get anything going in his favor.

That ended with a big throw that stunned the heel. Callihan tried to will Shamrock back into the match as Edwards finally built some momentum. A tope suicida wiped out both heels at ringside and followed with a missile dropkick back inside.

Edwards delivered a double under-hook powerbomb but Shamrock immediately countered into a triangle choke. Edwards answered with a jumping kick to the head, followed by a running forearm.

Moments later, Edwards grabbed a half Boston Crab but Callihan used his phone to darken the arena. When the lights came back up, he had a baseball bat in-hand. Edwards answered with a kendo stick but the momentary distraction allowed Shamrock to score the win with an ankle lock.

Result

Shamrock defeated Edwards

Grade

C+

Analysis

There were a lot of bells and whistles to this one but the outcome was the right one on this night.

On the same night he was inducted into the HOF, Shamrock earned the biggest win of his return to date. And best of all, Edwards has the out since Callihan provided the chicanery that led to the finish. 

The match was worked smartly, sticking to Shamrock’s comforts and devolving into the harder-hitting, faster-paced spots only when Edwards and Callihan were involved in key spots. It is a testament to those two that you were able to watch this match, buy into Shamrock as a threat and believe that the outcome would have been different if it wasn’t for the cheating of Impact’s resident hacker.

4-Way Match for the Impact Tag Team Championships

The 4-Way Match for the Impact Tag Team Championships pitting The Motor City Machine Guns against challengers The North, Ace Austin and Madman Fulton, and The Good Brothers started well before the bell rang as Josh Alexander attacked Alex Shelley on the ramp and delivered a sickening piledriver that left one-half of the champions unable to compete.

Chris Sabin went it alone, attempting to defend the titles on his own but endured the wrath of The North, Austin and Fulton. He bumped around the ring for all of the heels, his body wracked with pain. 

Sabin caught Fulton with a tornado DDT and finally tagged Karl Anderson into the match. Machine Gun delivered a spinebuster before “Big LG” Doc Gallows paired off with the equally as massive Fulton. Gallows wiped out The North with a double clothesline before Sabin tagged back in and delivered a double DDT. 

Sabin fended off both Good Brothers until Anderson rolled through the crossbody for a near-fall. The resilient Sabin continued to fight through the numbers disadvantage and set Austin up for the Future Shock. Ethan Page just barely broke up the pin, saving the match.

The North scored a near-fall on Sabin, nearly regaining their tag titles. Sabin again tagged Anderson in and The Good Brothers unloaded. Austin caught Gallows with a kick that sent him to the floor, just as Fulton re-entered the fray. 

The North weathered that story but Alexander fell prey to a big neckbreaker by Anderson. Alexander sidestepped Gallows and a resourceful Page blasted Anderson with the tag title, allowing Alexander to score the win and the titles.

Result

The North defeated Austin and Fulton, The Good Brothers and The Motor City Machine Guns to win the titles

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was every bit as good as expected, even with the unfortunate absence of Shelley.

Sabin was outstanding here, reminding fans why he is an Impact Triple Crown winner and one of the best and most resilient babyfaces in company history. He held the first half of the match together while the chaotic second-half highlighted all three teams appropriately.

The North is, has been and probably will continue to be of the best tag teams in wrestling so Page and Alexander regaining the gold was probably the right call. Plus, the finish sets them up to feud with The Good Brothers and that is a program that benefits all involved.

Knockouts Championship Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. WHO?!

Kylie Rae no-showed the Knockouts Championship Match against Deonna Purrazzo, for reasons never explained on commentary or via storyline. Instead, The Virtuosa issued an open challenge to anyone in the locker room. Su Yung, The Undead Bride, emerged just weeks after Purrazzo brutalized her alter ego Susie at Victory Road.

After an early onslaught from the face-painted challenger, Purrazzo halted her momentum and worked her over. Yung absorbed it all and fought her way back into the match, unloading on the champion.

With Kimber Lee screaming in disbelief, Yung launched herself off the ring apron and onto Purrazzo at ringsider. A Pedigree earned the challenger a two-count before Yung retrieved a hideous, blood-stained glove from her gear and teased a mandible claw.

Purrazzo bumped the referee with a kick, preventing a pinfall after Yung obliterated her. Lee entered with a steel chair and blasted Yung’s back with the weapon. Yung caught Lee with red mist but Purrazzo recovered and applied the Venus de Milo. Yung broke it with a mandible claw.

Yung delivered the Panic Switch to win the title.

Result

Yung defeated Purrazzo to win the titles

Grade

C+

Analysis

The in-ring content here was strong, picking right up where they left off at Victory Road. Susie devolving back into Su Yung was a storyline development we knew was coming but this felt rushed and, more importantly, glossed over a major loose end: where the hell was Kylie Rae and why wasn’t her absence acknowledged? 

There are people who specifically wanted to see that match and half a special was dedicated to that. Any explanation, from a backstage attack to travel problems, would have been a better option than the complete and utter lack of reasoning for her absence.

That Yung ended Purrazzo’s title reign was another questionable call. 

The Virtuosa appeared to be the centerpiece of the Knockouts division for the foreseeable future and while the outcome can be rectified relatively easy, why hot-shot the title unnecessarily?

Impact World Championship Match: Rich Swann vs. Eric Young

The emotionally intense main event between Impact World Champion Eric Young and Rich Swann headlined this year’s Bound For Glory.

After months of frustration and anger, Swann unloaded on the champion early. Young transitioned from focusing on the established ankle injury to targeting the head and neck of Swann after a nasty fall on the ring apron.

Young sickeningly twisted, stomped and punished the head and neck as he looked to eliminate his top contender. All while commentators Josh Matthews and Don Callis spoke to the discomfort of watching such a relentless assault.

An ill-advised slap to the face fired Swann up, though, and sparked a fiery babyface comeback. Swann took Young down with a headscissors from the top rope and followed with a frog splash for a strong near-fall. Young got defensive, biting the head of Swann before delivering the top-rope elbow drop to the back of the neck.

The champion applied a crossface but Swann rolled into the ropes, forcing the break.

Young followed with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker but Swann kicked out. Young returned to the ankle, trapping the challenger in an ankle lock. Swann forced the break via the ropes.

Swann stunned the champion and scored a handspring splash for two. He survived the Tree of Woe, delivered consecutive cutters and executed the Phoenix Splash for the win and title.

Result

Swann defeated Young to win the title

Grade

A

Analysis

The World Class Maniac lived up to his nickname, ruthlessly attacking the head and neck of his opponent. When that did not work, he went back to the ankle. He threw everything he had at Swann but there was one thing he was not accounting for: the heart and determination of his challenger.

He did not account for the fact that Swann was more than his physical tools and gifts. Beneath it all, he was hellbent on avenging the months of anguish caused by Young and driven to be world champion.

He overcame Young’s onslaught in a hell of a main event and captured his first world cahmpionship.

It was the culmination of a months-long storyline that created genuine emotion and a desire to see Swann overcome his tumultuous upcoming, and his dehibilitating injury, to realize his boyhood dream. He did Saturday night and the Impact faithful got the storybook ending they deserved. 

None of it would have been possible without a detestable heel like Young. One can only hope this is not the end for EY at the top of the card because he has been nothing short of extraordinary.