Bound for Glory 2005: Rhino's Two-Match Climb Gives TNA a Chaotic but Memorable Finale

The free pre-show four-way brought Sonjay Dutt, Alex Shelley, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong into a single X Division showcase before the paid Bound for Glory card. Shelley and Strong exchanged technical counters before Dutt reached the ropes with his walking forearm and a hurricanrana. Aries responded with a brainbuster, while Strong landed backbreakers on Dutt. The crowd rallied behind Dutt as all four traded submissions and near falls; the rapid changes of opponent prevented it from reading like a normal singles title challenge. No X Division championship was on the line in this particular bout.

Late in the match, Aries tried to climb but Shelley and Dutt interrupted, while Strong briefly had position for a superplex. Dutt pushed Strong down, flipped from the ropes into a DragonRana and Sonjay Dutt pinned Roderick Strong. The source clock is not unanimous: original 2005 PWTorch and 2005 WrestleView-led reports give approximately 12:07, while another historic match ledger records 12:31. The inherited B / 7.8 credits athletic variety and Dutt's crowd momentum without claiming the pre-show win gave him a new championship. WATCH the final aerial reversal.

Samoa Joe met visiting New Japan star Jushin "Thunder" Liger in the opening pay-per-view match, with Polynesian drummers and dancers accompanying Joe and streamers welcoming Liger. The crowd responded to the unusual pairing immediately. Liger tested Joe with a headlock and low trip before sliding outside, feinting a dive and then diving from the turnbuckle. Joe caught Liger's next airborne attack into a Samoan drop. A running knee and ground strikes shifted control to Joe, but Liger escaped a corner charge and answered with a kick, a fisherman's suplex and a frog splash. Liger's palm thrusts and a modified powerbomb produced credible near falls, even though the much larger Joe continued to withstand the offense.

Joe intercepted another high-risk attempt, hoisted Liger onto the ropes and landed the **MUSCLE BUSTER**. Instead of scoring a pin, he immediately trapped Liger in the **COQUINA CLUTCH**. The referee lifted Liger's arm three times without a response, ending the bout by **REFEREE-STOPPAGE TKO**, not a voluntary tap-out or three-count pin. Contemporaneous PWTorch's two live reports and independent detailed retrospective accounts agree on the decisive sequence, with timings clustered around the recorded 7:15-7:16. The B+ (8.3) credits the Japan–TNA attraction, energetic near falls and decisive finish while acknowledging the short runtime. Joe gained a clear victory against a renowned junior-heavyweight visitor; Liger's resistance supplied the athletic credibility rather than an extended championship storyline.

Simon Diamond, Elix Skipper and David Young faced Apolo, Sonny Siaki and Shark Boy in an undercard six-man tag, with Diamond alternating between coach-like direction and legal wrestling. Shark Boy opened against Diamond and escaped an early lift to deliver quick strikes before biting Diamond. Apolo then attacked Skipper with a facebuster, while Siaki briefly controlled both of Diamond's partners after a hot tag. The six men traded dives outside, including a springboard moonsault by Young and a plancha by Apolo, giving a short and otherwise modest bout one burst of sustained activity.

As the action returned to the ring, Skipper lifted Siaki into position for a double-team maneuver and Young caught him with a spinebuster. David Young pinned Sonny Siaki for the Diamonds in the Rough victory, not Simon Diamond or Skipper, and none of the other three opponents was responsible for the decisive fall. The inherited C- / 5.8 reflects a busy but brief match with missed connections and little enduring storyline consequence. SKIM the outside dives and the specific Skipper-to-Young final combination rather than treating the six participants as interchangeable.

Monty Brown's Bound for Glory singles match with Lance Hoyt began with a confrontation over the available championship opportunities after Kevin Nash was hospitalized. Brown told Jeff Jarrett he intended to claim the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, only for Jarrett to challenge him to get past Hoyt first. The taller Hoyt answered Brown's punches with a shoulder tackle, a clothesline and a dive over the top rope, earning a strong crowd response. Brown responded by luring Hoyt up the ropes and dumping him outside, then returning to the ring with his own power offense. Neither wrestler had a title at stake in this early-card encounter.

Hoyt countered Brown's first Pounce attempt with a big boot and landed a moonsault for a two-count. Brown lifted him for the Alpha Bomb, but Hoyt survived and even produced a chokeslam near fall. After they exchanged strikes, Brown rebounded from the ropes and hit the Pounce; Monty Brown pinned Lance Hoyt for the recorded win. C- / 5.8 recognizes the athletic exchange and a finish specific to Brown, while the shorter runtime prevents treating the bout as a major singles showcase. SKIM the moonsault escape and decisive final tackle.

Team Canada's Bobby Roode, Eric Young and A-1 faced 3Live Kru members Konnan, B.G. James and Ron Killings in a six-man match built around the Kru's divided loyalties. Kip James offered to help at ringside, but Konnan rejected the offer while B.G. and Killings seemed receptive. Inside, Konnan fought Young and landed a powerbomb; Killings followed with a hurricanrana while Roode and A-1 isolated him through tags. B.G. finally entered and drove the Canadians backward before the ring filled with all six. Kip was not an official participant despite his connection to the trio's storyline.

Roode struck B.G. James with a hockey stick while the referee looked elsewhere, allowing Young to cover James in the original WrestleView play-by-play. The Pro Wrestling History result ledger instead credits Bobby Roode with the fall on James. Both agree that B.G. was the defeated wrestler and Team Canada won, so a clean, uncontested Young-versus-Roode individual pin attribution is not supported. Afterward Kip appeared with a chair and attacked A-1 rather than helping Team Canada, deepening the Kru story. C / 6.0 and SKIM recognize a short feud-advancing contest, with the stick and post-match choice carrying more weight than the in-ring wrestling.

Petey Williams, Chris Sabin and Matt Bentley met in Ultimate X for the chance to challenge the X Division champion at Genesis. The championship itself was not on the line. The three climbed suspended cables toward the hanging X while switching between ringside dives and precarious aerial counters. Sabin powerbombed Bentley from the ropes after Bentley trapped him high above the canvas, and Williams hung Sabin upside down in the corner before mocking him with the familiar "O Canada" routine. Sabin later leapt to the floor onto both opponents and worked his way toward the X. Bentley intercepted his climb and knocked him off the cable. That impact caused **THE X TO FALL TO THE MAT**, interrupting the contest while officials attempted to hang the object again.

The restarted attempt did not last. As Sabin and Bentley climbed once more, **THE X FELL FOR A SECOND TIME**. Williams stood underneath and **CAUGHT THE FALLING X** before it hit the mat, which the referee accepted as victory around 13:38. He did not climb the cables to remove the object properly, nor did he pin either opponent. Sabin left in frustration and Bentley protested while Williams celebrated a disputed win and the next title opportunity. Contemporaneous PWTorch reports explicitly describe both object failures and the referee's decision, making it misleading to call the finish an ordinary successful Ultimate X grab. The inherited A- (8.5) records the match's exciting aerial exchanges, but the visible equipment failure and arbitrary distinction between a dropped X and a caught one limit the credibility of the conclusion and warrant attention in later grade review.

America's Most Wanted defended the NWA World Tag Team Championship against The Naturals just one night after regaining the belts on Impact. Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas attacked before the bell, sending Chris Harris and James Storm around ringside and using the guardrail to slow the champions. Stevens powerbombed Storm into the barrier while Douglas fought Harris. Gail Kim created a distraction that let Harris send Douglas into the metal support for the earlier Ultimate X match, opening a wound that AMW targeted. The Naturals recovered after several tag exchanges, nearly scoring a fall with coordinated offense. Harris's own attempt to use powder backfired when Stevens kicked it into his face and Harris accidentally struck Storm with his Catatonic.

The challengers hit AMW's **DEATH SENTENCE** on Harris but could not finish him. Kim distracted the referee again as Harris handcuffed Douglas to a ringside railing, leaving Stevens isolated. Storm struck Stevens with a concealed **BEER BOTTLE**, and AMW landed their **DEATH SENTENCE ON STEVENS**; **JAMES STORM PINNED CHASE STEVENS** to retain the NWA tag titles after approximately 10:38. Douglas watched while restrained, so the bout ended with a manipulated two-on-one advantage rather than an uncontested pin. Contemporary PWTorch and WrestlingInc accounts corroborate the broken glass, handcuffs and final fall. The B (7.8) acknowledges the fast early exchanges and crowd response, with the repeated hidden-weapon finish limiting the originality of a rematch staged only one day after the title switch.

Rhino, Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Sabu met in Monster's Ball, a four-way no-disqualification fight built around weapons and escalating risks. Sabu dove out toward Rhino and used chairs, while Abyss repeatedly absorbed the high-impact offense of the others. Hardy brought a ladder and targeted Abyss with shots before arranging him across stacked tables near the Impact Zone set. Sabu sent Rhino through another table with a running springboard attack. Hardy then launched a dramatic **SENTON FROM THE SET THROUGH THE TABLES** onto Abyss, a defining spectacle of the show. Abyss recovered enough to put Sabu through a separate ringside table, and James Mitchell supplied the familiar bag of thumbtacks as the fight moved back between the ropes.

Rhino charged Abyss with a **GORE THROUGH A TABLE** set in the corner, but that was not the winning fall. Hardy returned to attack Rhino, who drew him toward the ropes and caught him for a **RHINO DRIVER FROM THE MIDDLE TURNBUCKLE**. **RHINO PINNED JEFF HARDY** at approximately 11:47 as Sabu tried to intervene. The finish was not a pin over Abyss or Sabu, and there was no title directly at stake in the stipulation. Later that same evening, Rhino had to reenter a ten-man gauntlet and then challenge Jeff Jarrett, making this physical victory the first stage of his unlikely championship night. The A- (8.8) recognizes the high-risk action and memorable setups, even as the match spent little time selling cumulative punishment.

A.J. Styles defended the X Division Championship against Christopher Daniels in a scheduled thirty-minute Iron Man match. The two had an established rivalry, and the time-limit stipulation made the earliest falls and near misses more important than a typical sprint. Styles opened with flying offense and a stubborn headlock, then bridged into a Muta Lock as Daniels tried to escape. Daniels countered with the **KOJI CLUTCH**, forcing Styles to reach the ropes rather than submit. Near the halfway point, Styles answered with a backflip reverse DDT and targeted the midsection. Daniels hit a Fall from Grace for a narrow two-count. As fatigue grew, Daniels launched a suicide dive and Styles answered with a somersault attack to the floor, creating a sharper pace for the match's closing minutes.

Neither wrestler had scored when the clock reached the final minute. Daniels attempted **ANGEL'S WINGS**, but Styles fought out, set him for the **STYLES CLASH** and connected at approximately 29:51. Styles rolled Daniels over and **PINNED HIM AT 29:58**, winning the Iron Man contest **1-0** and retaining the X Division belt. That was the only counted fall; neither wrestler had taken an earlier pin, and there was no overtime round. PWTorch's contemporary detailed coverage and the historical 2005 results ledger agree on the decisive move, exact scoring and time. The A (9.2) reflects strong continuity through the holds, multiple believable near falls and a late finish that made every preceding minute contribute to the payoff.

Kevin Nash's medical withdrawal left TNA without its advertised challenger for Jeff Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Larry Zbyszko responded by ordering a ten-man over-the-top-rope gauntlet, forcing several men who had already wrestled to return late in the evening. Samoa Joe and Ron Killings opened; Sabu entered carrying visible injuries from Monster's Ball. Lance Hoyt, Abyss and Jeff Hardy followed, with Monty Brown crashing through opponents until he and Hardy both went over the top. Rhino entered still battered from his own earlier Monster's Ball win, followed by Kip James and finally X Division champion A.J. Styles. It was one crowded, staggered-entry battle royal rather than ten separate singles encounters.

Kip tried to rescue Killings from elimination, but Joe forced Killings to the floor. Abyss then eliminated **BOTH JOE AND STYLES** together as they fought near the ropes, leaving only Rhino and Abyss. Rhino delivered a **GORE** and sent Abyss **OVER THE TOP ROPE** to take the winning spot after the recorded 14:16. No pinfall or submission decided this gauntlet, and Styles did not voluntarily withdraw from the match. The B (7.5) reflects the story function more than sustained technical action: Rhino unexpectedly earned a second match immediately after winning Monster's Ball, setting up a title opportunity on a night when the planned Nash main event could not happen. Detailed PWTorch and Inside Pulse contemporaneous recaps corroborate the sequence and explain why the replacement contest is essential to understanding the closing championship switch.

Rhino challenged NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett only after winning both Monster's Ball and the emergency gauntlet, a punishing path created by Kevin Nash's medical absence. Tito Ortiz served as special referee. Jarrett attacked the exhausted challenger immediately, drove him against a casket placed at ringside and repeatedly struck from the ropes. Rhino caught one diving attack and attempted the Gore, but Jarrett sidestepped. Gail Kim then attempted to enter from the top rope before Ortiz stopped and ejected her. Jarrett smashed a guitar over Rhino's head while the official was distracted, yet Rhino survived the ensuing cover. America's Most Wanted tried to supply a second guitar and distract Ortiz, who answered by striking Chris Harris and James Storm.

Jarrett picked up the replacement guitar, turned and ran directly into Rhino's **GORE**. Ortiz counted **THE THREE-COUNT**, giving Rhino the **NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP** in the recorded 5:40. The win was a pinfall, not a disqualification, and Kim's interference had failed to secure Jarrett's retention. After the decision, Jarrett's allies attacked and shut Rhino inside the casket until Team 3D came to the rescue; the post-match assault did not cancel the title change. The B- (7.4) acknowledges that this was a short, heavily interfered-with main event, rather than a long wrestling exhibition. Its importance came from the unexpected three-match night for Rhino and a decisive championship finish. Contemporary PWTorch reports and the detailed Inside Pulse history agree on the Gore and referee-administered fall.