For each of the past two years, 12 souls were chosen to compete in what has become the tournament of tournaments in IMPACT WRESTLING -- a summer long marathon known as the Bound For Glory Series. At stake was a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, Bound For Glory.
No handouts and no politics.... The victor would only be determined through sheer skill and determination against some of the best wrestlers in the business today. This element of sports competition coupled with long-term storytelling and viewer investment made for an interesting new concept highly praised by TNA audiences worldwide.
The premise had been well conceived, but the execution had its fair share of problems. As the inaugural tournament progressed, criticisms abounded over the uneven number of matches for each competitor, excess tag team/multi-man matches, point-by-point tracking confusion, and so on and so forth. While TNA rectified most of these issues with a simple round robin tournament layout, let’s break down perhaps a more effective approach to this year’s BFG Series:
I. Maintain the round robin format but split into two blocks
Popularized by the pro wrestling tournaments in Japan, the BFG Series could definitely benefit from this revised format. Splitting into two blocks (consisting of six wrestlers each) would mathematically reduce the total number of matches from 66 to 30. And because wrestlers would only compete against five opponents within their respective blocks, it would make those matches more important to the standings while eliminating some repetitive scenarios in the process.
II. All matches should be televised
For a tournament of such high rewards, every match should be broadcast on primetime television, especially now with IMPACT and Xplosion on the road permanently. Just hearing about the results isn't exactly as satisfying as watching the action for yourself. It also allows the audience to keep better track of the leaderboard, considering TNA did not air any match recaps from the weekend live events last year.
III. Remove the disqualification penalty
Probably the most intriguing aspect of the BFG Series is that the method of victory is just as important as the victory itself. Unlike traditional tournaments, this one little detail can crush a wrestler’s dream of glory even if they go undefeated throughout the entire process. The established points system is as follows:
Submission (10 pts), pinfall (7 pts), count out (5 pts), disqualification (3 pts), no contest (2 pts), DQ loss (-10 pts)
The one loophole, exposed by Jerry Lynn to Rob Van Dam in the 2011 edition, is the DQ loss penalty that can drastically alter the standings at any given time. Hell, anybody could have done that to prevent their rivals from reaching the final four. Although this wasn’t an issue last year, it’s still unnecessary when the emphasis should be placed on wins rather than losses.
IV. Select your fighter
The key to any exciting tournament is the caliber of talent on display. The TNA roster is so stacked that practically any combination of wrestlers could fill the dozen slots and produce amazing action every night. Based on a variety of factors, certain names possess greater appeal than others to comprise the lineup for the 2013 BFG Series.
Block A: AJ Styles | Jeff Hardy | Bobby Roode | Samoa Joe | Kazarian | Chris Sabin
Block B: Kurt Angle | Austin Aries | James Storm | Daniels | Magnus | Jay Bradley
- AJ Styles seeks to redeem the worst year of his life and career with another run at the top of the mountain as his own man.
- Austin Aries wants to further solidify his moniker as "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" after setting records and winning titles for the past two years.
- Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe yearn for another taste of glory after having headlined past Bound For Glory events (back then as the defending World Heavyweight Champion).
- Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy look to repeat their previous success in the BFG Series and move back into title contention once again.
- The tag team of Daniels and Kazarian relish their individual opportunities to become the World Heavyweight Champion of the World. #WHCOTW
- James Storm craves another shot to achieve the heights he once reached before he was betrayed and knocked off abruptly by his former Beer Money tag partner.
- Jay Bradley fights to make a name for himself coming off Gut Check and possibly become the fastest rising star in TNA history.
- Magnus and Chris Sabin pursue their ambitions to break out into perennial main event contenders and chase the top prize.
V. Regular season lasts for 10 weeks followed by semifinals and finals
With 30 matches scheduled, the competition would run for 10 weeks after Slammiversary until mid-August. Split 20 matches on IMPACT (two per week) and 10 matches on Xplosion.
[Side note: this would allow the live crowd to watch all 12 participants in action during each set of TV tapings since four matches would be taped for IMPACT and two matches taped for Xplosion]
The semifinals would consist of the top two scorers from each block in a single elimination playoff in Norfolk, Virginia with A1 vs. B2 and B1 vs. A2. Two weeks later, the winners advance to the finals in Cleveland, Ohio to determine the undisputed number one contender to the World Title. Finally, cap off with a 6-7 week build for the big main event between champion and challenger at Bound For Glory.
