Is The X Division Ailing Or Was The Bar Raised Too High?

[ABMorales787]

Lately people have been complaining about the X Division and the way its being booked. Saying they aren't giving them enough time or depth. I've been asking myself why is that a problem? In most PPV's they have the best match of the night, and it tends to be the same on iMPACT!. People complain over the lack of air time, but why? Isn't the X Division supposed to be about the High Flying Wrestling first and everything else second?

Since 2002 the X Division was an extension of Cruiserweight wrestling, the exception being there were no weight limits. However in 2005 the Division began to boom in a huge way with the arrival of Samoa Joe. Along with him were AJ Styles and Chris Daniels. Those 3 had big feuds with the company. They can basically be compared to the Triple H/Cena/Orton triangle from not too long ago (Except the matches were always good). They had what has been considered some of TNA's greatest matches along with some of its most compelling stories. They were basically the focal point of the company, making the X Division title seem more valueable than the NWA title.


Fast Forward to 2009 and the X Division does not feature AJ. Joe and Daniels compete on sporadic periods for the division. It features new stars who showcase their atheletism first before anything else. They are great for openeing a card and have great matches. What's the problem? Too many people in the matches? That happens in occation, but not always. Or is there no depth to this division? Why does it need depth? The idea is to show off some high risk, not a story. Did the Joe/AJ/Daniels triangle futher the company and pushed the bar to levels beyond reproduction?

 

[tna_fan_man]

i have hopes for the x division title, but sadly acrobat title are never taken seriously. examples: light heavy wight title, cruiser wight title, TV championship. all have failed the reason i think the title will last is because of the people who have held the title.

the x division title has been held by world champions past present & future so in some sense the title is taken seriously by tna. but then tna does stupid things with it like not airing it at a ppv or the red x match.

I'm sorry but I'm just not entertained but a bunch of acrobats chasing after a big plastic X just for a shot at the title.

 

[Encyclopedia of Wrestling]

The Bar can't be raised when you got the not so amazing red who has no charisma no drive no moves and no business as champ...give the belt to a guy like Kendrick and watch that title mean something again...it needs to not be just an exstention of the Cruiserweight division and be more about talent..Mr.....Anderson would be another guy who could bring that belt back to being more than a second rate title...Daniels would make it shine again...that division has alot of guys who can go but the problem is no one wants to see a match with 7 guys that fight for a title that really means nothing anymore...I love the x-division but its failing fast..with Red as Champ he can't cut a promo thats why they brought in Don West as his moto mouth but fans were slitting their wrist listing to that shit...kill suicide bring back Kaz do anything as long as the not so Amazing Red is Champ hell id take Val Venus Sean Morley as champ..and I hate that bald headed douche bag

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I think it is ailing in a way. I have always loved the X division, honestly the X division was THE REASON why I started watching TNA in the first place.

With that said the X division has one major problem with it, most people in the X division have zero in ring psychology. All X division matches are the same, high spot after high spot after high spot into the end of the match, really that's all the X division is about. Because of this X division matches often seem very fake, remember, even though wrestling is pre-determined you still have to suspend the belief of the audience to where they actually buy the match at some point, and by that the audience has to believe the match and its really hard to do that when in an ultimate X match an opponent is literally 2 feet away from the X (or belt) and for some inexplicable reason decides to jump off the X onto the opponent when the opponent is defeated, or a guy sitting at the top of the steel asylum (again 2 feet from victory) and just waits for a high spot to present itself instead of doing the logical thing and take the victory.

Daniels, Joe and Styles put on a match that showed great in ring skill, great high spots, but most of all great ring psychology. I just don't buy it. That's why Michaels vs. Taker was by far match of the year, not because they did so many great spots, but because it told a story, had great psychology, great action, and it was very believable.

The X division as a whole (save a couple of guys really) has to learn the art of storytelling, its not all about high spots and flippy moves, that stuff only gets you so far (about as far as the opening match on a PPV).

 

[axl626]

Seriously, who thought giving the belt too Red was a good idea? And then keeping it on him? They have so much talent and the give it to him? Give it to Homicide or Kendrick or any number of people. Hell, let one of the MCMG win it and then have the two feud over it. Anything but Red.

 

[ABMorales787]

The Bar can't be raised when you got the not so amazing red who has no charisma no drive no moves and no business as champ...give the belt to a guy like Kendrick and watch that title mean something again...it needs to not be just an exstention of the Cruiserweight division and be more about talent..Mr.....Anderson would be another guy who could bring that belt back to being more than a second rate title...Daniels would make it shine again...that division has alot of guys who can go but the problem is no one wants to see a match with 7 guys that fight for a title that really means nothing anymore...I love the x-division but its failing fast..with Red as Champ he can't cut a promo thats why they brought in Don West as his moto mouth but fans were slitting their wrist listing to that shit...kill suicide bring back Kaz do anything as long as the not so Amazing Red is Champ hell id take Val Venus Sean Morley as champ..and I hate that bald headed douche bag

You're exactly what I'm reffering to. The X Division has always been about the wrestling. It ensures there will be an entertaining match on the card 9 out of 10 times. Its been that way since its inception. Its not meant to push talent. You really need to go back to the learning tree and remember that Pro Wrestling isn't all about stories, feud and flamboyant characters.

 

[Greenlight13]

I think people expect too much of it. AJ and Joe were always going to end up main event heavyweights but were capable of wrestling that X-Division style, and Daniels was too good to remain there. They got lucky to have those three all competing actively together and it's not something that'll come around again. People are disappointed because Jay Lethal is no AJ Styles and that's really not fair on Jay Lethal and the other X-Division wrestlers.

As you said, the X-Division matches tend to be the best on the card, even now, and they are reinventing in the ring on a weekly basis. The difference is it's now more of an exhibition league than a sub-division of the company. There's very few heels, no storylines, no feuds, it's just purely about the wrestling and from that standpoint they're still good, because as I said, they always get huge crowd pops and this is awesome chants. But there's less attention brought to the division because there's less character to them.

 

[AndyUK]

It was great but that had everything to do with the workers involved at the time. Styles, Joe and to a lesser extent Daniels (who will probably move back down there) have become major players in the company now and guys of their talent don't come in overnight. I still find it very entertaining and the guys in the division still put on great matches.

 

[Rated R SuperFan]

Ok where do I start , The bar was never raised to high for the X Division plain andsimple , what the Division needs is to get a mix back in it not just "Spot monkeys" doing all kinds of crazy high flying spots (Amazing Red) they need a mix of Wrestlers (Doug Williams , Brian Kendrick , Sean Morely) "Spot Monkeys" (Red , Chris Sabin , Alex Shelley) and through in a few heavyweights ( Rob Terry , Brutus Magnus , Eric Young) to spice up the division . I am very passionate about the X Division it is what TNA was built on and I have never missed a TNA show in the 7 plus years it has been around . would think that TNA may or maynot get back to the X Division title meaning just as much (if not more) as the World Heavyweight Title . I don't think that time / depth / storyline have anything to do with "Great X Division action" I think the wrestlers make "Great X Division matches" happen not the time limit of there matches or the storyline behind the matches . Look back to the birth of the X Division look back at that whole show the X Diviision title match was the best on the card . Look back at the 3 way match with Daniels , Styles and Joe that match wasn't just the best match on the PPV it was voted Match Of The Year . So the X Division isn't "ailing" the bar wasn't raised "too high" ... The X Division is the BEST Division NOT only in TNA but in all of Pro wrestling That's my opinion I welcome yours Peace and Love to all

 

[VencomHardcore]

ROB TERRY - X DIVISION. Never. He has the in ring skills of Lacey Von Erich ! He can't sell, doesn't cut a promo so how is anyone going to believe he can be a contender.

Doug Williams , Kaz and Kendrick brings a better mix to the division because of thier unique styles. You could put the belt on the Pope to make it legitimate and have him fued with Wolfe.

But Morley...NO. He wasn't top talent 12 years ago in WWE and isn't top talent now. He needs a new gimmick, move set and look to be believeable.

The X Division needs more time. If TNA learns how not to have 80 minutes of commercials and skits per show then we could have a real division. [ Yeah I did the math ]

FYI - 47 Minutes of Programming per 60 minutes of TV Time = 94 minutes of Product

TNA averages between 16 - 28 minutes of Product.

Leaving 66 - 78 minutes for Skits, Extra Commercials.

THIS IS TIME THE X DIVISION CAN HAVE FOR A GREAT PUSH AND STORYLINE.

 

[tna_fan_man]

I really like the x division title but they need to let anyone compete for the title. Lets face it acrobats & high flyers were that interesting they would be at the same level as world title status BUT they're not.

taka michinoku (sorry about spelling) when he was light heavy wight champ in wwe his first title run lasted almost a year either because of a lack of competition or Vince lost interest in him & the title.

spot monkey titles just never last as history shows but the x division needs to let more guys compete for the title

 

[JJYanks121]

The X Division may have died somewhere in December of 2009. That is when Hogan and Bischoff signed with TNA. The face of the company changed at that moment and their goal was to become WCW 2.0, except that it seems they have forgotten one of the few things that were watchable when booking got lousy in WCW.

While there were some pretty awful matches in WCW, the Cruiserweight matches at the bottom of the card were always entertaining. It was those matches that separated WCW from WWE in those early years and, case and point, the division started getting jaded as the ratings went down. I'm not saying cruiserweights=ratings, but it does offer the wrestling purist something, and at its core, wrestling is a variety show so the hope is to offer something for everybody.

As for TNA, my guess is that after the 1/4 show (Hogoff's first), they looked at that awful red cage and instead of blaming that stupid looking thing and the fact that all the spots were obvious, they saw the segment as a disaster and thus, decided to focus their shows on "proven draws". Keep in mind, we're talking about men that callled guys like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, even Rey Misterio "vanilla midgets" that could never draw. They may be missing the boat before it even leaves the dock in this case. The X-Division matches have been a consistent for TNA and is perhaps one of the main reason this regional promotion made it to TV over other ones. To strip it down and recreate WCW is basically assinine at this point.

I'm not a "wrestling purist" in that I do enjoy a wrestling show for the stories, promos, and entertainment value, but I do enjoy a good match when I see it. The X-Division needs a spot on every telecast TNA does. The fact that it was not on TV last week was a disgrace and it told me exactly what direction Hogoff wants to go in, and it's a direction I don't agree with and one I think is destined to fail just like WCW did. It's such a small favor, but just find a place on every broadcast to have an X-division match and develop some stories out of it. There might be some people on board with the storyline driven product Hogoff is trying to present, but remember variety and don't drive away those who enjoy the spot boys, the X-division.

 

[TLC]

I believe that they did raise the bar too high for anybody to live up to it. AJ/Joe/Daniels made the X Division superb. They made the belt mean so fucking much and people care about it that it was only a matter of time before they left and the Division went down hill. They haven't got anyone the caliber of these three superstars in the Division any more. At the start of the year it really didn't mean anything. They had a tournament at the start of the year which I thought may have got the title more prestigious especially when Shelley won in a great match with Sabin but then he lost it to Suicide who was a pretty crap champion. He was just part of multi man matches which may have been fun to watch it just wasn't that interesting any other time. Then Homocide won it which may have brought the quality up until TNA started using their superstars as jobbers and gave the Belt to Joe for no apparent reason.

I believe that it has started to go back up though over the past couple of months and I belive the quality of it has gone up since Red has been champion as he hasn't been just about multi man matches and has had one on one matches which is a good thing. It has gone downhill the past few weeks as the fucking champion hasn't been on the show which is stupid but still I enjoy seeing the matches on PPV.

So in conclusion to your questions I don't really see a problem with it except that the championship doesn't get mentioned. Multi man matches can be a problem just only if they are shown at every PPV. If its a couple of times a year then great but every month is too much and just makes the Division look like it doesn't have anything better than putting six guys into a match to fill a slot in a PPV.

 

[Pedro08]

I really don't have a problem with Red being the X-division champ. However, the problem is they have really done nothing with the title or division since he won it, much like the Global Championship.

Red wins the title, fine. He's really weak at promos, fine, they give him Don West as his promoter, which I think is a good idea. Then they gave him nothing. A short feud with Homicide, where Homicide took Don West's driver's license to ensure a match, and then nothing.

All they have done since then is throw Red in multi-man spot-fest matches. Russo has given us no reason to care about Red or the X-division title.

Give the fans a storyline to become invested in and it will add meaning to the spot-fest matches.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

[QUOTE="The Kill Joy" Robert Morales;1755158]You're exactly what I'm reffering to. The X Division has always been about the wrestling. It ensures there will be an entertaining match on the card 9 out of 10 times. Its been that way since its inception. Its not meant to push talent. You really need to go back to the learning tree and remember that Pro Wrestling isn't all about stories, feud and flamboyant characters.[/QUOTE]

Just throwing matches together without build up or any sort of development of any character is going to hurt no matter what you do in pro wrestling. It's been that way for decades, literally. A perfect example is the Genesis ppv. An X Division title match is put on the card despite the fact that Amazing Red had barely been seen on TNA television in close to two months. Now, how do you expect anyone to care about what Amazing Red is up to when they haven't laid eyes on him? How can one be expected to care about the situation with the X Division title if it's continually kept off of television and out of sight of the vast majority of your viewing audience? Just throwing together a match that's little more than a spotfest with no psychology or build up for any of the wrestlers involved is a perfect example of instant gratification and why so many TNA matches are so forgettable. Some seem to be incredible when you're watching them but ten minutes after they're over, you can hardly remember anything that happened.

As to the topic itself, the X Division is ailing. If you watched TNA iMPACT! over the course of the past 12 months, it's obvious that TNA hasn't put nearly as much time or emphasis on the X Division as they have in years past. For most of 2009, there was one lackluster X Division feud after another and one forgettable championship run after another. Several wrestlers were given the title last year only to be made to look like weak, impotent champions. Personally, I feel that if a title doesn't help to elevate the career of a wrestler that's held it, then much of the reason for giving said wrestler a title run in the first place is rendered moot.

There are also the times that TNA just flat out hasn't used the X Division champ on television for any real purpose. Amazing Red has held the title for several months now and most of that time has resulted in few appearances on TNA television. For the most part, Amazing Red still works dark matches even though he's carrying the original championship of TNA.

 

[mister_b1LL]

It's only really now that I've started to regularly watch TNA so the whole dealie with AJ/Joe/Daniels doesn't really affect me. I don't believe that the X-Division is either being lackluster or flawless, but nonetheless, it needs to be showcased every week. Matchwise, an X-Division match can be quite possibly the most entertaining part of the entire show. And while a main event can be lackluster, people can at least say that their high point was the X-Division match.

Hogan needs to take note of this. Without the X-Division match on the card, the rest of the show pretty much depends on the main event. You can't have an AJ/Angle type match every week, there will be bad ones, a lot in fact. Even if you have an X-Division match just for the sake of having one, it can still be entertaining and can get fans riled up for the rest of the show.

As of right now, I don't really care about who's champion, I just want my weekly fill of high spots.

And to that guy that said that Rob Terry has worse in ring skills than Lacey Von Erich, Rob Terry does suck in the ring, but nobody...and I MEAN NOBODY is worse than LVE!!!

 

[acstylez]

High-flyers. Thats what the X division needs. When I first started watching TNA I watched Juventud and two other wrestlers preform a great match. Then Later for the first time I watched Sabu and Aj Styles. All great high-flyers and all what got me watching TNA (mainly other then "RAVEN"). Then along came Jeff Hardy, Matt Bently, Sonjay Dutt and others. So why not sign more exiting wrestlers that people wanna see instead of what TNA officials want. Mabey add some Luchas like Sarita or Tayler Wilde.

 

[wrestleman]

i personaly love the x division but i dont like red being champ next the way thier being presented like lethal consequences lethal get a new gimmic like somebody gets hurt they blame it on him then he says something like im lethal. Conequences young athletic strong hungry him and a j or joe hell hogan repeat rock hogan at the next bound for glory all will be tramendes matches next put better talent in the x division or bring up otther people

 

[Harrison101]

I do think it is somewhat ailing now. As mentioned before, you had AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels pushing at the top of the X Division. Now they've moved on all being Main Eventers (Some more than others), they haven't really properly replaced those 3 in that Division since they've moved on.

I mean yes, Amazing Red is headling the division, but what competition does he really have? Brian Kendrick, The Guns, Lethal, Creed, Kiyoshi, Homicide...None of them seems to have the potential to be future main eventers. Hopefully, we'll see TNA push some more of their young talent pool, if this rumoured Destination (All X-Division) X PPV goes ahead.

 

[The Son of Maximillion]

tna needs push the x division and knockout division more since the high flying style has been introduced in wrestling the smaller guys have had to take the backseat same with the knockouts and if tna doesnt push the x divison more just give them the more storylines more time to develop thereselves if tna does this they can capitalize on the now defunct crusier weight divison and the x division is ailing only thing dixie has to do is look on youtube and scout wrestlers like joey ryan chris hero superdragon and others that's what made the x divison in the first place

 

[NSL]

I think the division is most definitely ailing. I blame it on the lack of a huge X Division roster.

For the first 4-5 years, there were roughly 20 people vying for the belt, and you had actualy storylines to follow. Now, there's a division of about 6, outside of the 2 tag teams, and there hasn't been a storyline in ages. Even Homicide going for the belt took a backseat to Homicide unmasking Suicide.

The belt is not far from being saved though. Williams is a good wrestler, and has a much different style than anyone else in the division, so hopefully it will make everyone bring their "A" game from now on.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The problem is definitely that the X Division is ailing because there are not enough good people in it. Red's amazing in the ring (pun not intended) but needs to be able to work the mic. Then other than him you have a bunch of jobbers and other guys who are not entertaining. One could argue that the bar was raised too high when Joe/Styles/Daniels were feuding, but things were different then because with those guys you could tell they were the future of the company. Does ANYBODY in the X Division seem like a future world champion? Not to me. That's why the problem is an ailing X Division, not the bar being raised too high.

 

[krispix]

The X-Division is indeed ailing. While I love the fast-paced entertainment, TNA simply has not made the effort to develop stories within the division to make fans care. I almost forgot there was an X-Division champ because Amazing Red was rarely featured, and it looked like no one was vying for the belt. There simply aren't enough X-Division wrestlers.

I watched some of the "Best of the X-Division Vol. 1" DVD and Chris Sabin is the freakin man. With Shelley injured, a tag feud with Generation Me might have to be postponed, giving Sabin time to work with the X-Division more exclusively. And maybe with Doug Williams as champ, the X-Division Title will regain some attention and credibility.

 

[EStreet]

Here is my take on the X-Division and I'm going to relate it to past cruiserweights...

Yes the bar was set extremely high when TNA started when the trio of Styles/Joe/Daniels were regulars in the Division. However, as the case with all wrestlers, there must be progression up the ladder. Think back to cruiserweights of the past: Mysterio, Jericho, the late Eddie Guerrero, even the Hardy's and Edge/Christian broke in as guys pulling off huge spots (original TLC's come to mind). However, these guys after some time had to advance themselves to move into top spots and higher up on the card. As was mentioned, for some reason cruiserweights/lightweight titles never have been main-event mainstays, they were belts for up-and-comers. So guys like Styles/Joe/Daniels who were asked to take on bigger roles in TNA had to bulk up and leave the X-Divison, as did the past great cruiserweights. Mysterio went from the amazing high flyer to heavyweight champion, same with Jericho and Eddie and Jeff and Edge.

In TNA now we are seeing a new crop of X-Division guys: Red, Generation Me, MCMG...in time I would expect some of these guys to eventually bulk up and become higher-card wrestlers. and the cycle will repeat itself. I don't think its fair to say the Division is ailging, just changing and because these arent household names (even in TNA) we are expecting so much. Give it time, I think the new regime enjoys using these matches as attention grabbers (they led off with it on 1/4 even though it didnt go as well as expected) and they used it as lead-in to Main Event this past week for the great JJ/Anderson bout.

 

[JulesWagner]

The X Division may have died somewhere in December of 2009. That is when Hogan and Bischoff signed with TNA. The face of the company changed at that moment and their goal was to become WCW 2.0, except that it seems they have forgotten one of the few things that were watchable when booking got lousy in WCW.

I'm sorry my friend but the X-Division died way before there were even rumors of Hogan coming to TNA. They just let it go, I guess. In the kayfabe world of wrestling, it is all a matter of presentation and bookings. I'm willing to go out there and say most people enjoy cruiserweights and the X! But have the company book the X-Division champion to have his ass handed to him by a 300-pound brickwall freak and, of course, every X-Division fan is going to feel like his champion is a piece of crap! PRESENTATION, PEOPLE! WWE did it best by having Mysterio go over the Big Show, which is ridiculous to say the least, speed and athleticism can only take you so far (and power and body mass are going to negate your very purpose in a second). I was so pissed at Mysterio pinning the Big Show with a Splash (a SPLASH!!!!!!!!) but then again it's not up to me to dictate Kayfabe but up to those who supposedly know what they're doing.

I believe lighter wrestlers have received enough votes of confidence from us fans that the wrestling overlords should be at the very least trying to give them a better spot instead of desperately trying to convince us that bigger is better! Which it isn't, trust me,