Views From The Turnbuckle: Betting Odds For The BFG Series
With the recent story of a user on a gambling site perhaps having inside information on the results to WWE ppvs somehow getting legs and mainstream media attention, it got me thinking about betting odds for wrestling. Now, in my opinion, betting on a fixed sport is ridiculous, it would be like betting on the end of an action movie, but I liked the idea of placing odds on the outcomes, so here are my odds for the Bound For Glory Series for each contestant, ranked from worst-to-best.
Joseph Park: 1,000-1 (Currently 12th with -10 points and 4 matches wrestled)
Lawyer/turned wrestler Joseph Park has been a pseudo-performer for TNA, even picking up some impressive victories over guys like Joey Ryan and D'lo Brown. That being said, Park has gotten off to a disastrous start in the BFG Series and any idea of him winning the tournament is preposterous. Park has more or less been a joke in TNA, which begs to ask the question: What was the point of putting him in the tournament in the first place?
Jay Bradley: 500-1 (Currently tied for 9th with 0 points and 4 matches wrestled)
The Gutcheck winner has been unimpressive in his 4 matches, all defeats and shows no signs of climbing up the leaderboard. Basically, TNA threw the Gutcheck guy that they felt had the most potential and put in him a position to wrestle some established guys in matches with something on the line. Like an expansion team, Bradley should hope for a strong finish and to gain some momentum going into next year.
Kazarian: 100-1 (Currently tied for 9th with 0 points and 5 matches wrestled)
Like Bradley, Kaz has been rather uninspiring during his time in the tournament, and looks to be stuck in the mid-card of TNA. Kaz is a good hand and has decent charisma, but will forever be overshadowed by his more talented (but older) partner, Christopher Daniels. In TNA though, there is always the chance that they get behind a random veteran, just like Chris Sabin, and push them to the top of the heap.
Hernandez: 100-1 (Currently 8th with 7 points and 5 matches wrestled)
Hernandez is a guy that TNA has seemed high on for a little while now. The man has a good look, and he always gets significant air time. You can't ever ignore the Latino aspect as well, as he is the only Latino in the series and remember, BFG will being taking place in Southern California this October. Despite those strong indicators, I think that TNA is leaning towards a match between Chavo and Hernandez at BFG, so that is why his odds are so bad.
Bobby Roode: 50-1 (Currently tied for 9th with 0 points and 5 matches wrestled)
At this time last year, Roode was on top of TNA. He had just finished his run as the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion in history, and it seemed like the sky was the limit for the Canuck. Since, it has been a rough 365 for Roode, as he was paired in a tag team with Austin Aries, which was recently dropped and now he is in wrestling purgatory. His slow start doesn't rule him out ( remember, he only needs to finish in the top 4 to reach the knockout stage) but prospects do not look good for Roode.
Christopher Daniels: 30-1 (Currently tied for 4th with 21 points and 4 matches wrestled)
The aging but still supremely talented Daniels has turned heads recently as a fresh heel-presence in TNA. If Chris Sabin were to hold on to the World Title till BFG, Daniels would be an ideal candidate to face the champ. Some fans has been clamoring for one last "victory lap" for the beloved veteran. Still, Daniels is well over 40 and might not have a ton of time left on his career, so a title run might be a little bit too far out of his reach.
Magnus: 25-1 (Currently 1st with 49 points and 5 matches wrestled)
Despite Magnus' incredible start to the BFG Series, he has quite a few things working against him. One being that the man who normally gets out to the huge lead rarely wins the BFG Series. The second would be his young age, I know TNA is high on the kid, but do they really believe in him enough to crown him as champion or to have him main event their biggest show of the year? My best bet would be that Magnus becomes one of the guys that gets injured and has to drop out of the tournament. The fact that his Main Event Mafia faction is at odds with Aces & 8s already sets up the injury angle.
Austin Aries: 25-1 (Currently 7th with 14 points and 5 matches wrestled)
Like his former tag team partner Bobby Roode, Aries' significant momentum built last year as TNA World Heavyweight Champion has been put on the back burner by TNA booking. Aries is still very over with the crowd, and a tease of him facing then-champion Bully Ray a few weeks ago got fans excited for a potential Aries World Title reign. However, the way he has been booked indicates that TNA is looking elsewhere. His overwhelming popularity nonetheless, could force TNA's hand.
Jeff Hardy: 15-1 (Currently 6th with 17 points and 5 matches wrestled)
TNA REALLY likes Jeff Hardy. Throughout his time in the company, TNA has consistently reiterated that they want Hardy to be the man to represent their company at the highest level. He won the series and the championship last year, but TNA may look to that well once again, even if it would be in back-to-back years. I say this because I believe that TNA still thinks that Jeff Hardy is their most marketable performer, and that might very well be true. Although I'm not a big Hardy fan, he still possess a lot of favor with the crowd, and television numbers were higher earlier this year when he was the world champ.
AJ Styles: 10-1 (Currently 3rd with 22 points and 6 matches wrestled)
Like Magnus, AJ seems like an obvious pick to win the BFG Series, but he doesn't have everything going for him. Most fans saw him as 1997 Sting reincarnate, someone that will hunt down Bully Ray and vanquish him while also taking the title from him at BFG. Despite that, AJ has slowly been drifting away from feuding with Bully, as it seems more and more evident that Aces & 8s and the Main Event Mafia will be facing off at BFG. AJ's lack of affiliation with the Mafia might sink his chances, unless of course, Bully Ray isn't the champion by BFG. Another negative indication is that frankly, TNA has shown us over the years that they do not trust AJ Styles to be THE guy for their company, as he has been booked into relative oblivion. One of the first moves that were made when Hogan, Eric Bischoff and others appeared in TNA was to get the title off of AJ. At this point, who knows what they will do with AJ, but despite overwhelming predictions indicating that AJ will win the BFG Series, I think two other contestants have better odds.
Samoa Joe: 5-1 (Currently 2nd with 26 points and 6 matches wrestled)
Despite the fact that like AJ, Joe has been booked into oblivion over the past few years, Joe still has a great chance at winning this thing. There are really two options for TNA to go with between the MEM and Aces & 8s. The first option would be that Bully Ray regains the title and faces a Mafia member at BFG. Joe would be the best guy from the Mafia to represent the faction. Similar to Aries, Joe has a special connection with the TNA fanbase, and he has proven in the past that he can be a viable world champion. His trademark intensity would be a great representation of the MEM's intensity for destroying Bully Ray. Joe is in a comfortable position in the BFG Series, but unlike Magnus, he is not in too comfortable of a spot.
Ken Anderson: 3-1 (Currently tied for 4th with 22 points and 6 matches wrestled)
Last paragraph I stated that there were two options for TNA to go with concerning the MEM/Aces feud. The first was that the MEM and Aces would clash for the world title. The second would be for the MEM to crack Aces & 8s before BFG, turning Ken Anderson against Bully Ray and setting up a match for the World Title at BFG between the two. Over the past few weeks, TNA has got out of the way to show how close Bully and Anderson have become, a sure sign that a split is coming. Anderson also fits the bill for what TNA wants as their champion, a former WWE star that they feel can add more marketability to TNA and increase ratings. Anderson winning the BFG Series basically hinges on Aces & 8s falling apart, but since the faction has been around for so long and delivered miniscule numbers, I think the time might be right for the dissolution of the group.