X-Division: Does TNA Really Need It?

[Hard Hit Prince]

The X-Division has been one of the selling points of TNA for years, some may say that the company was built out of this division that brought a fresh and unique style of wrestling to the world, but this was in 2002 and while the cruiserweight division has been a success over the years with great moments involving top TNA stars, but the truth is that currently this division brings nothing to the table and if anything, it has been dragging due to the lack of talent for it.

It's a big step for TNA but that could at least bring some television time for different and more dynamic storylines. How many times is one going to go through the Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin? Those two are great workers, but it's not like they can make an entire division. I for one think that two hours of television weekly and three or four pay-per-views isn't exactly good time to develop a Tag Team, a Knockouts, a X-Division and a Main Event. Why not use the X-Division wrestlers to bring some depth to the tag team division? Tag Team wrestling was never really explored and a lot of things can still be done in a creative point of view and while TNA isn't really known for being fantastic, they are at least original. That particular time slot for the X-Division, or as I'll call it, the Austin Aries x Sabin feud could be used to give us a personal storyline between the two and probably make one of them go after Magnus next.

So if TNA retired the X-Division Championship and Division how big of an impact (no pun) would that bring to you as a viewer/fan and to the company in general?

 

[theshadowranger]

I think the belt should go. The x division is played out and I truly wonder if anyone actually still likes it.

People say it should be pushed because it's something that WWE doesn't have, but I rarely hear people say that they actually enjoy watching it of that they spend money to see it. Just because WWE doesn't do something, doesn't mean that TNA should.

I think the X division is more of a burden now and it should go away. It doesn't mean that you cant sometimes have those type of matches but it doesnt need a division. I think the belt should either be retired and replaced with a true secondary title or TNA should give the x division it's own show if possible so that it no longer takes up time on impact. That way the people who like it can still see it.

 

[mlp420]

Of course they don't. Most fans don't really care that much about it, and never did.

Wrestling Society X was everything some people want TNA to be. Went out of their way to be "different", had an anti-maintstream look and feel to it, had indy darlings like Matt Sydal, Jack Evans, Human Tornado, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, etc, and put the spotlight on that style of wrestling in prime time on MTV. What happened? It was off TV after a few months. It just doesn't work.

 

[three count bout]

No reason to disband the division. It's not like The X Division takes up too much time As they usually only get one segment per night. I honestly don't see a difference Between having an X Division or the television title So I would be opposed to bringing the television title back. The X Division is a big part of TNA 's past and is one of the more recognizable facets of the company. Impact wrestling needs to focus on the things it does well instead of trying to be WWE Lite. Also not sure why people Are Making it seem Like aries and sabin Have been feuding for a year. As I said earlier I would rather them focus on a smaller number of guys who have been actual feud instead of having 1 million guys with nothing to do and no real feuds. This division gives guys who are not ready for the main event or will never be in the main event something meaningful to do.

 

[thebigbadfox]

The only problem with doing away with the belt is then there is only the World title and tag team title...... You need 3 titles and having tried and done away with the tv title the roster needs something else to fight for.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

The only problem with doing away with the belt is then there is only the World title and tag team title...... You need 3 titles and having tried and done away with the tv title the roster needs something else to fight for.

What about creating storylines for them to fight for their honor or their pride or whatever? What happened to the old-school booking of a company? I don't think the X-Division is a true division and it sure as hell isn't a draw for the company. You just don't have enough time to build stars, it's like you debut a tag team and out of nowhere they have to be put in the tag team title contention because there is just not enough time on the show to push you or at least create a simple storyline around you.

Let's see it that way and we do have to compare it with WWE, because their method is a success. You debut a star, you make him go out there and squash some jobbers. But what about after that? Right after the US/IC Championship? No. They have mini-feuds, for example, Ryback had a small storyline with Jinder Mahal before going all main eventer style. It needs to have a "ladder" and four different divisions is just way too much for two hours of wrestling per week. I mean, you have the World Heavyweight Championship division, where the main eventers and the uppercards play. You have the Knockouts Division, who has been proved a draw for TNA and should be getting a lot more focus. You have the tag team division, who is consisted of three teams as of late - BroMans, Bad Influence and now The Wolves. And look at it, how can you give people good stories, good contenders and good booking when you are simply overpushing stuff? Then of course TNA needs to have stable wars to build up as many guys as possible like ECIII and Spud.

The X-Division was great for what it was back in the days, good reigns with AJ Styles, Daniels and even Samoa Joe. But now, it's just beating on what's dead because it's really bad when you just pick a guy out of the blue and put him against the title.

Other than titles you have right now the Abyss story which is lame and the Bully Ray vs. Anderson that has lost a lot, and I mean a lot of steam. They are climbing the ladders for the World Heavyweight Championship somewhere down the road and using time slots for that. There is not enough time to build a successful X-Division and I truly think that retiring the belt would be the best thing. It's a television show, being the champion is clearly fake and like in boxing or UFC, some guys just fight to have one more win and gain some steam to be able to fight against the "world" champion and television producers create some hype and story for the match, that clearly isn't about that - like the Mayweather v. Canelo being for the pride of Mexico vs. the pride of the USA.

But keep on discussing this thread because I truly think that it's a serious subject and one that TNA should really take into consideration.

 

[Kris Benwa]

What they should do is add more people to it. They used to have hella people competing in it and if they want to make it important again add more stars to it and bring back their signature match types and their normal match high spots. They've got Kenny King doing nothing, Aries, Sabin, where's Sharkboy or anybody else why don't they grab some ROH guys or indy guys to jump around the ring. That would to me be better than getting rid of it.

 

[JamJam]

I definitely think that TNA needs the X-Division. Some may argue that the X-Division is what put TNA on the map. Guys like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe paved the way for the X-Division so I can see how it's kind of hard to follow their lead. However, the X-Division was all about wrestling. That's what the fans want to see to be honest. If you compare TNA before and TNA now, it seems as though there are less matches on TNA programming now which is a shame because they have some good wrestlers on their roster.

All they need to do is just add more guys. The World Title, Tag Team Titles, X-Division Title, and Knockouts Title will benefit from some new blood to enter their division. Not only that but the way wrestlers are have changed. What I mean by that is that we're getting more athletic wrestlers who can enter the tag division since it's basically known as the high-flyer division.

Right now, TNA has guys like Kenny King, Zema Ion, Rockstar Spud, and other who can do something for the X-Division but aren't being given the opportunity to. If TNA goes back to adding more wrestling to their program and some new people on the roster, things will be better. Hopefully this new era is all about the wrestling.

 

[thebigbadfox]

What about creating storylines for them to fight for their honor or their pride or whatever? What happened to the old-school booking of a company? I don't think the X-Division is a true division and it sure as hell isn't a draw for the company. You just don't have enough time to build stars, it's like you debut a tag team and out of nowhere they have to be put in the tag team title contention because there is just not enough time on the show to push you or at least create a simple storyline around you.

Let's see it that way and we do have to compare it with WWE, because their method is a success. You debut a star, you make him go out there and squash some jobbers. But what about after that? Right after the US/IC Championship? No. They have mini-feuds, for example, Ryback had a small storyline with Jinder Mahal before going all main eventer style. It needs to have a "ladder" and four different divisions is just way too much for two hours of wrestling per week. I mean, you have the World Heavyweight Championship division, where the main eventers and the uppercards play. You have the Knockouts Division, who has been proved a draw for TNA and should be getting a lot more focus. You have the tag team division, who is consisted of three teams as of late - BroMans, Bad Influence and now The Wolves. And look at it, how can you give people good stories, good contenders and good booking when you are simply overpushing stuff? Then of course TNA needs to have stable wars to build up as many guys as possible like ECIII and Spud.

The X-Division was great for what it was back in the days, good reigns with AJ Styles, Daniels and even Samoa Joe. But now, it's just beating on what's dead because it's really bad when you just pick a guy out of the blue and put him against the title.

Other than titles you have right now the Abyss story which is lame and the Bully Ray vs. Anderson that has lost a lot, and I mean a lot of steam. They are climbing the ladders for the World Heavyweight Championship somewhere down the road and using time slots for that. There is not enough time to build a successful X-Division and I truly think that retiring the belt would be the best thing. It's a television show, being the champion is clearly fake and like in boxing or UFC, some guys just fight to have one more win and gain some steam to be able to fight against the "world" champion and television producers create some hype and story for the match, that clearly isn't about that - like the Mayweather v. Canelo being for the pride of Mexico vs. the pride of the USA.

But keep on discussing this thread because I truly think that it's a serious subject and one that TNA should really take into consideration.

I agree you need some storylines with fighting for pride..... but you need something for people to strive for.... and there are certain people that you cannot have striving for the top title.... I am not saying have 8 titles but if you do away with the x-division title then you need another title that the up and comers and the never will main eventers to fight for.

 

[NightwingZen]

I think what people need to realize is that TNA Wrestling isn't Total Nonstop Action anymore, it's IMPACT Wrestling now. Their rebranding the company now and putting it in a new direction. Simple enough, a WWE-like direction. I agree with Shadow Ranger and MLP on this one, get rid of the belt and it's division. Nothing last forever, especially in pro wrestling, just look at the Ruthless Aggression and Attitude Eras from the WWE. Cruiserweight wrestling is extinct in mainstream pro wrestling companies now, furthermore there are many cruiserweight/light heavyweight wrestlers who fight to be on top of the Heavyweight Division/Main Event. Just look at Daniel Bryan who everybody is getting behind right now, not to mention CM Punk, Austin Aries, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, A.J. Styles, and Christian. A cruiserweight division now in the 2010's of pro wrestling seems so backwards for men who have strived and worked so hard to break that stereotype. Besides, it's living off of it's past glory and I don't think TNA is seeing any market to signing them if they can't become breakout stars for the entire show.

 

[Cereal Killer]

What about creating storylines for them to fight for their honor or their pride or whatever? What happened to the old-school booking of a company? I don't think the X-Division is a true division and it sure as hell isn't a draw for the company.

What's interesting about fighting for honour and pride? They did it before because of the age of TNA. There were new stars ready to take the company from Jarrett and the other former WCW stars. That style of booking is what you would expect from a new company, especially with the younger talent. Also, it involves the older ROH style, therefore fighting for honour isn't an original idea. The X-Division? That's a TNA exclusive.

It needs to have a "ladder" and four different divisions is just way too much for two hours of wrestling per week. I mean, you have the World Heavyweight Championship division, where the main eventers and the uppercards play. You have the Knockouts Division, who has been proved a draw for TNA and should be getting a lot more focus. You have the tag team division, who is consisted of three teams as of late - BroMans, Bad Influence and now The Wolves.

They have shown that they can make the most of time. In years such as 2009, there was always a well built feud with plenty of time and effort put into it, in every single division. It's not time that's the issue, it's the booking. There's too much on the main story and non-title feuds. For the most part, the only story there is concerning a mid-card champion is the basic "challenger vs title holder." If you wanted to get rid of the X-Division with your reasons, they may as well exclude the tag-teams and Knockouts, which also have spontaneous matches and short stories.

The X-Division was great for what it was back in the days, good reigns with AJ Styles, Daniels and even Samoa Joe. But now, it's just beating on what's dead because it's really bad when you just pick a guy out of the blue and put him against the title.

That's no reason to get rid of the division. You have talent like Zema Ion, Rockstar Spud, Austin Aries and Chris Sabin in there, an innovative division and one which several can be interested in and entertained by as previous years have shown. Again, focus on the division and make the most of the wrestlers, rather than bringing back a star from out of nowhere and having them face the champion, as you said.

In summary, the problem isn't with the X-Division but with the booking. The X-Division is what put TNA on the map, what made it original and made it stand out from the other indie companies like ROH. They can still have great matches like the ones Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles did. All it requires is effort from the writers. They should focus on well developed storylines and development of the wrestlers. Also, another thing I have noticed is how the "fresh, high speed and high risk" moves have been used a lot less. That's something else that should return because it's what made those matches with Styles, Daniels and Joe stand out. The issue isn't only with this division in particular, but the other mid-card ones too.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I think it'd have more of an impact than you might think. Fact is, the X Division has been, for years, a staple of the company, and a constant source of energy to jump-start Pay-Per-Views or even specific times in their calendar year. The addition of Option C was, for all intents and purposes, a vote of confidence in it anyway, as was the fact they spent money on re-designing the title.

The XD isn't what it was, but I've said over and over that the reason for that was simply because the guys who made it what it was in the first place were never really replaced. The best attempts were through guys like Kendrick and Jay Lethal, who just didn't really command the same sense of growth as their predecessors, who were able to use the XD to really springboard up in the company, just as you're seeing done now. Option C is still in it's infancy, but both Aries and Sabin have used it to get to the absolute top of the card, so it's obvious that TNA see value there.

 

[Ubermensch]

Could the key to keeping the X Division viable be adding Hardcore matches? I will admit I am not the biggest TNA fan nor viewer. However, as far as I can see Hardcore stipulations are not a stable of the X Division.

It seems the goal is high flying wrestlers. If TNA is trying to add excitement to it's midcard. If the X Division bracket was full of Japanese Wrestlers, Luchadores, high flyers, and hardcore wrestlers, you could see very exciting TV. Because the "X Division" is ambiguous you could simply merge hardcore wrestling with light weight wrestling. One week the title could be a triple threat match, the next week it could be a backstage brawl, the PPV could be a TLC match.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Could the key to keeping the X Division viable be adding Hardcore matches? I will admit I am not the biggest TNA fan nor viewer. However, as far as I can see Hardcore stipulations are not a stable of the X Division.

It seems the goal is high flying wrestlers. If TNA is trying to add excitement to it's midcard. If the X Division bracket was full of Japanese Wrestlers, Luchadores, high flyers, and hardcore wrestlers, you could see very exciting TV. Because the "X Division" is ambiguous you could simply merge hardcore wrestling with light weight wrestling. One week the title could be a triple threat match, the next week it could be a backstage brawl, the PPV could be a TLC match.

Nope. Unnecessary additive. The key is just air time and feuds. You need a reason to care, more than just liking the wrestler or his opponent. Kenny King was really working his way into this at one point last year, when he was starting to develop a rivalry with the returning Chris Sabin, but the stupid three-way stip at the time killed the momentum there by forcing Suicide/Manik into the equation.

Ultimately, what people buy into most is the story. Give it the right air time and the right reason and the fans will buy in.

 

[Ubermensch]

You still have to have something that sets it apart. With the X Division TNA decided they wanted a unique product that was probably more gimmick/specialty matches.

You bring up a great point that the triple threat stipulation brings a big cog in storyline development. It's very difficult to manage, and build heat between 3 wrestlers. Especially going forward every month.

Again keeping in mind the goal of the X Division was fast paced, exciting matches, if you don't add some sort of stipulation that makes it unique, then it can't be separated from the other mid card title, being the TV belt. It's like when the NWA came to the WWF in 1997. You had the NWA belt, The European Championship, and the IC title. It's like saying here is our mid card belt, and here is the other one, and here is the other one.

Midcard guys have to develop themselves in the ring because they do not get the air time that main event guys do. Main event guys do not gimmick matches because they are either in the running for the heavyweight belt, have it, or have recently lost it.

I am not proposing every match have a gimmick. What I am proposing is that most of the gimmick matches be in the X Division. Week to week can be high flying, fast paced, standard matches with lightweight guys mixed with hardcore wrestlers. Every PPV title defense could have a gimmick though, be it a multiman match, TLC, or Death Match.

I think TNA would have done better to load it's X Division roster with the Luchadores leftover from WCW, Japanese Wrestlers, and Hardcore wrestlers from ECW. You would have your TV belt for more traditional matches, and the heavyweight for your established guys.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

What sets it apart is the spots and the energy. When you are watching a "traditional" X Division match or feud, you can expect a higher intensity or pace, and the likelihood, or at least the possibility of really high spots you just won't get out of the heavyweight division, or heavyweight wrestlers.

You don't need gimmicks to make the division stand out. You just need air time, high-intensity wrestlers and a desire to see it succeed.

The "every match is a three way!" thing proved that. It actually hurt the development of the wrestlers in the XD.

 

[Cereal Killer]

the guys who made it what it was in the first place were never really replaced.

When people watched Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles in their earlier years, fans knew that these men were bound to be main eventers. While Daniels hasn't ever been the World Champion, he is one of the most funniest and entertaining acts in TNA. Talent like Jay Lethal and Brian Kendrick were excellent at executing high-risk moves, however they didn't seem to have talent like these three. Take Jeff Hardy for example. He can cut a good promo but it's not considered to be on an equal level to someone like Samoa Joe. Similar to how Sabin may have talent and had been an X-Division champion, but his talent was never as good as somebody like Christopher Daniels'.

The X-Division Championship was like WWE's Intercontinental Championship. It was the ticket to the World Heavyweight Championship. Styles and Joe went on the win the big one while Daniels had several attempts to capture the gold and main evented several matches. These three men were in a triple-threat match for a mid-card championship which was actually the main event of a PPV, as well as TNA's only 5-star match rated by the one and only, Dave Meltzer.

Talent that will always stay in the mid-card is fine. Not everybody becomes the World Champion and very few men achieve that goal. However, talent which has the capability of main eventing future events is required to keep the division interesting and to build new talent which is home-grown. It worked in 2005 and it can work now. Former World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries is in the X-Division and The Wolves have arrived in the company. Make the most of that. Make World Champions. Make Superstars. If they want people to care about their mid-card, it is necessary that they focus on the talent as well as the story as I had previously stated. If they want World Champions to be the same people which were in their innovative division, they need to recruit the correct talent and give them the appropriate time on TV needed to build these stars into future main eventers and World Champions.

 

[TDFG]

I think TNA needs the X Division, but they need to do better promoting the guys in it, Kenny King, TJ Perkins, I haven't seen these guys in a while, if they're not going to be on the card, then at least show a vignette advertising them (although this is something TNA could do with the majority of the roster).

 

[ABMorales787]

Lets put it this way. It's better to have something small with potential then a scrapped concept that could've had potential. The division isn't much now, but it's far better than it was in say 2008 when besides having Sabin vs Shelley all it ever was, was a bunch of clusterfuck matches for the belt. Whether it was Ultimate X or that red bird cage match that seemed to change it's name every time it was booked or Xscape, it was always just a bunch of smaller guys fighting with no rhyme or reason.

Nowadays, it's bleak due to time constraints but we do get gems like Austin Aries' first reign or Option C or Sabin vs Aries or Rob Van Dam going for the belt but we know the potential is there and TNA still feels its valuable. So I have to say TNA does indeed need it.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I'm a big believer in trimming the unused fat in a company, and that division has been clinging to life for years now. The last time I cared was when Austin Aries held it for a crazy long time. They ruined it, at least for me, when the X-Division title became a Money in the Bank for the world title. Mid-card titles were always a stepping stone to the main event, but now it literally is. Option C is awful. The only reason I'd want to win the X-Division championship is to get rid of it for bigger and better things. You cant' build a division on that.

This is why I like UFC and its weight divisions. It's a reason I like the NJPW title structure. Titles mean things because only certain guys can go after them. The Heavyweight Championship means just as much as the Light Heavyweight Championship. But what is a midcard title in pro wrestling? It's almost liike saying "hey, you're not good enough to be the face of our company, but here, you can be the king of everyone else who isn't ready yet either."

The X-Division Championship is so much better, in theory, than a US title or the Intercontinental title, or whatever you want to call it. For a long time people like Chris Daniels, Chris Sabin, Kazarian, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and a lot of others made that title awesome by being the KING of a division of guys who were DIFFERENT. If they were to capture that again, the title would matter. But when you've got a revolving door of 2 or 3 people, max, it's meaningless. It's a joke. You can't possibly hope to do anything with that. It's a prop that adds no value to anybody who holds it.

Does TNA need it? Yeah. But not the way it is. They need something in that role. The X is a better idea than probably anything else they could come up with. Maybe a Hardcore division, because that hasn't been done in a long time. But something different.

 

[NtwrestlingMaster]

TNA doesn't need the X-Division anymore. This is a different TNA then there was in the past. The got rid of much of the division, or bumped them up to the main event or put them in a tag team. The ultimate X match might b something that could be used for non-X division matches. I would love to see it being used for a WHC match.

 

[Kool Aid Man]

Would TNA be better off making the X Division an annual tournament similar to the King of the Ring?

 

[TDFG]

Would TNA be better off making the X Division an annual tournament similar to the King of the Ring?

They had a "X-Travaganza" taping last yea & Destination X is majority X Division PPV.

The X Division has moved on from the 'spotfest' it used to be, it probably isn't exciting as it was but TNA seem to be rebuilding it.

 

[UFOcalling]

I like the X-Division Title, and I don't think it should just go away. I think it should be treated the way it should be treated, as iMPACT Wrestling's second most prestigious singles title. They tried doing that with the Legends/Global/TV Title, but it didn't catch on. The XD belt just took precedence over all incarnations of the TV belt. I believe IW/TNA scrapped the right belt/division when they did away with the TV belt. They just couldn't get the fans to care about it more than the XD title, and there is really no reason for a second midcard belt when they only do two hours of TV per week (at least in the USA, as far as I know).

You can tell IW was a bit desperate to rebrand the XD after Bischoff put a weight limit on the belt; turning it into a triple threat belt, having the "ref cam" (whatever they called it, "XD vision" or something equally as lame), etc. They even redesigned the belt, which I believe was a mistake. I liked the one with the big red X, at least more than the current manifestation (which a lot of people think looks a lot like the late-1990s IC title belt). The only gimmick(s) that really worked for the belt are the Ultimate X match (which I believe should be used sparingly, and TNA has been good about that), and Option C.

Option C is very much an old school idea. The best guy from one division facing the best guy of another, so to speak. Goldberg, as the US Champ fought Hogan (the World Champ) in WCW - and I remember Bobby Heenan saying something to that effect (champ vs champ being old-school). Title vs. Title is a pretty cool concept, and IW literally rewrote the rules for that by only doing it once a year...pretty cool, if you ask me. It makes it really mean something, instead of having only one match for a briefcase (like WWE does). I think Option C has more "realism" to it than MitB or Feast or Fired does/did. Anyone can get lucky in one match, but it takes a great wrestler to hold on to the XD title long enough to get a shot at the WHC (from a kayfabe POV, of course).

The X title should be looked at as TNA's version of WWE's IC title, at least for storyline purposes. I'm also really glad they're not trying any more gimmicks (weight limits, ref cam, three way matches, etc). The XD belt should be what it is now, a mid card belt for guys not in the WHC picture to carry. Guys good enough to hold a belt, but not currently at "the top". There is no reason to scrap the entire division, especially when the title embodies so much history and credibility.

 

[Kool Aid Man]

The X title should be looked at as TNA's version of WWE's IC title, at least for storyline purposes. I'm also really glad they're not trying any more gimmicks (weight limits, ref cam, three way matches, etc). The XD belt should be what it is now, a mid card belt for guys not in the WHC picture to carry. Guys good enough to hold a belt, but not currently at "the top". There is no reason to scrap the entire division, especially when the title embodies so much history and credibility.

I agree. I am in favor of striking the TV title, the problem is what do you do with guys like who are bigger guys and can't move around like younger and/or lighter wrestlers and aren't at the caliber to be on the main event scene.

With the TV title gone then the X Division title will by default be the Mid Card championship. However, as long as the TV title is around, the X Division will take second stage to it. The reason being, public perception will always be that the bigger wrestlers compete at a bigger level, no matter how exciting X Division matches are it will be viewed as a Cruiserweight belt with stipulations. Accordingly, TNA would be like WCW trying to pass of their Cruiserweight belt over the US title which would never happen.