The 2021 Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Impact Wrestling. It took place on October 23, 2021, at Sam's Town Live in Sunrise Manor, Nevada. This was Impact Wrestling's first event to take place outside of Nashville, Tennessee, since March 2020. It was the 17th event under the Bound for Glory chronology and featured wrestlers from Impact's partner promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Mexico's Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), and Japan's New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Nine matches were contested at the event, including one on the pre-show. In what had been the advertised main event, Josh Alexander defeated Christian Cage to win the Impact World Championship. However, Moose invoked his Call Your Shot Gauntlet championship match privilege (which he won earlier in the night) to immediately challenge and defeat Alexander, winning the World Championship in front of his family to close the show.
In other prominent matches, Mickie James defeated Deonna Purrazzo to win the Impact Knockouts Championship, Trey Miguel defeated El Phantasmo and Steve Maclin in a tournament final three-way match to win the vacant Impact X Division Championship, and in the opening bout, the debuting The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay) defeated Decay (Havok and Rosemary) to win the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
Contents
Production
Background
On July 17, 2021, at Slammiversary, it was announced that Bound for Glory would take place on October 23, 2021. On September 10, 2021, Impact announced that Bound for Glory would be held at Sam's Town Live in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, marking Impact's first event held outside of its home base of Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, since March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic took effect.
Storylines
The event featured several professional wrestling matches, which involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines. Wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on Impact's weekly television program.
At Victory Road, after Christian Cage successfully retained the Impact World Championship against Ace Austin, Impact X Division Champion Josh Alexander, who earlier defended the title against Chris Sabin, approached Cage and invoked Option C. Alexander would face Cage for the Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory.
On the September 23 episode of Impact!, a third annual Call Your Shot Gauntlet match was scheduled for Bound for Glory. Rich Swann, Brian Myers, Moose, and W. Morrissey were announced as participants. On the October 14 episode of Impact!, a battle royal was held to determine the first and final entrants in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match at Bound for Glory, with the first spot of Call Your Shot Gauntlet match was given to the runner-up of the battle royal. W. Morrissey won the battle royal by last eliminating Chris Sabin, thus making Morrissey the last entrant and Sabin the first entrant in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match.
On the September 23 episode of Impact!, Impact started a tournament to determine the new Impact X Division Champion, since the title was vacated after Alexander invoked Option C to challenge for the Impact World Championship. The tournament consist of three three-way semi-final matches, with the finals, another three-way match, taking place at Bound for Glory. Trey Miguel, Steve Maclin, and El Phantasmo advanced to the final with victories over Alex Zayne and Laredo Kid, Black Taurus and Petey Williams, and Willie Mack and Rohit Raju, respectively.
At Slammiversary, Mickie James made her return to Impact, confronting Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo after her defense of the title against Thunder Rosa. She would invite Purrazzo to defend the title at NWA EmPowerrr, where she is executive producer, only for Purrazzo to give her disrespect. James kicked Purrazzo in the face as a result. Purrazzo would eventually accept James' invite, successfully defending the Knockouts Championship against Melina at NWA EmPowerrr. The next night, at NWA 73, Purrazzo attacked James after the latter's match with Kylie Rae. James would continuously call out Purrazzo in the coming weeks, saying she has yet to truly see "Hardcore Country" Mickie James. On the September 23 episode of Impact!, it was announced that James would make her in-ring return to Impact, as she challenges Purrazzo for the Knockouts Championship at Bound for Glory.