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speaks onstage during the _____ at Discovery Communications' 2015 Winter Television Critics Association press tour at the Langham Hotel on January 8, 2015 in Pasadena, California.

By Alfred Konuwa:

TNA Bound For Glory, TNA’s biggest pay-per-view, aired Sunday night to the fanfare of a digital exclusive.

Prior to his world championship match against Matt Hardy and Ethan Carter III (EC III), Drew Galloway sought desperate measures for his promo, and vowed that he would kill himself in his attempt to win the TNA Heavyweight Championship. Like much of this pay-per-view, the comment—despite its best intentions—was forced and unnecessary.

It’s never fair to compare TNA to market-leader WWE, but it sure is thought-provoking. Compared to Bound For Glory, the build to WWE’s Madison Square Garden live special Saturday night made Brock Lesnar’s Go to Hell Tour look like the road to WrestleMania—and this was just a house show.

TNA is an independent company, so there it does not publicly release buyrates. According to F4WOnline.com, it was estimated that Bound For Glory 2013 drew in the neighborhood of 17,000 buys (h/t SEScoops.com). As TNA’s struggles continue, it’s safe to say a number like that would be a best-case-scenario in 2015.

It’s no secret that TNA is in as much disarray as ever before. The promotion has been all-but-cancelled by Destination America past 2016, and cost-cutting measures has forced the company to stockpile television tapings in advance. In addition to an invasion storyline with Jeff Jarrett’s fledgling GFW promotion, Bound For Glory 2015 was not treated as a priority, and it showed.

The challengers for the tag team championship came in the form of a makeshift pairing of Brian Myers and Trevor Lee, who had an otherwise solid match against The American Wolves. In a match filled with smoke and mirrors, Kurt Angle survived Eric Young. Meanwhile, in a busy gauntlet match, Tyrus is the new No. 1 contender for the TNA Heavyweight Championship.

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