Rumor: Destination X Returning To PPV?

[ABMorales787]

Yesterday, TNA released their taping schedule which will follow Lockdown and in the process shooting the story that "they failed to secure the Impact Zone" on the foot. They've announced a PPV will take place on April 27. This is not of the One Night Only variety as they will be taping one the day before and it's labelled as such on their schedule. This one is labelled as a "Live PPV" but with no name given. Rumors circulate that it may be Destination X, probably TNA's must successful B-level PPV.

It centers on the X Division and the X Division Championship's "Option C". The PPV has also been the place to spotlight rising talent into main event level as Austin Aries headlined his first PPV here and Chris Sabin headlined the televised supercard version last year.

In my eyes, not only is it the best move to make in putting this show back on PPV, but on moving when it takes place too. Last year was plagued with it's calendar placement as even though Chris Sabin won the title, no one bought that he would make it to Bound For Glory which was less than 3 months away. With the BFG Series locking every viable main event wrestler on the roster, it became too obvious that Bully Ray would get the title back on his rematch in order to secure a big money main event for the show. I would've preferred it to take place on January instead of the ever uneventful "4th Big PPV" Genesis, but it's still back on PPV.

This also may point to the probability of TNA adding a 5th PPV to their schedule or hopefully 6 (my personal magic number of PPV's). From last year's Slammiversary to Bound For Glory there was a 4 month gap and from BFG to this years Lockdown there will be a 5 month gap. As time doing televised specials has gone on, it's clear that they need more proper PPV's to better flesh out the conclusions to their storylines as it's clear TNA feels too pressured to waste their only show a week on blow-offs alone with no hook for the following week.

 

[davy g]

As much as I'd like to say it would help, it wont. There product has been in a tailspin for the better part of the 2013 year, and I loved TNA as a alternative to WWE, the impacts were harder , the wrestlers did the sickist moves, and the ladies division was off the chains, I'm a older wrestling fan and have traveled across the US and attended hundreds of wrestling events, including the last 7 wrestlemanias and will be attending this years, that being said, the best wrestling event I've attentded in recent memory was BFG 2012, that shit was incredible, now fast foreward to now there product is dismal and getting worse, Magnus as champion, get the fuck outta here, that guy is a tag champ at best, and we getting him shoved up our ass and he sucks, gone are the guys that made a diffrence and made it uniqe, and this what your left with. With mad respect to Joe, Kaz, Daniels, Aries ,Bully and Velvet, the product has gone so far downhill I doubt adding a PPV is gonna stir any magic postions, that wont happen till Dixie gets out or sells the company, and this is coming from a TNA fan

 

[ECPirate37]

I hope it is a proper Destination X pay per view. That is the only pay per via I ever purchased of theirs. It was always one of my favorite things to look forward to on the TNA calendar. I hope they have "Option C" again. It wouldn't bother me if they had Aries be the one to cash that in again.

I agree with Killjoy that 6 pay per views are the sweet spot. And is it too early for me to cross my fingers that Sonjay Dutt FINALLY wins the X title at this years event? haha

 

[Cereal Killer]

Destination-X worked in 2012 and 2013 because TNA happened to have two X-Division stars which have serious potential. This year, they could do that with Eddie Edwards or Davey Richards. Maybe even Daniels or Kazarian after a while. To make the PPV work, they need to have somebody who is ready for the third option, Option C. That's the only thing that interested me from the Destination-X PPV's last year and the year prior, and I'm sure most would say the same thing.

The placement of this PPV is perfect. Lockdown is in early March (my birthday) while Destination-X is in late April. That gives enough time for a good PPV fall out and a PPV build up. Destination-X is also a hot PPV so why remove it? Returning the 6 sided ring for that PPV only would be pretty cool like they did in 2012. It would represent the X-Division well and attract the older pre-Hogan/Bischoff fans.

The next step would be to add in a PPV in August to cut down on the 5 month gap between Slammiversary and Bound For Glory. The PPV should be Hardcore Justice. That would add a themed PPV on to the schedule as well as some intensity into the Bound For Glory Series. Last year, luckily there was the Destination-X and Hardcore Justice specials for free, as well as the signings of Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson to keep interest in the 5 month gap. An added PPV wouldn't feel like the road to BFG is dragging and it will add to the companies income, given the financial troubles they're supposedly in.

Last year they gave the 4 month PPV idea a go and hopefully picked up from the mistakes and that's fine. That's how they learn as a business. Adding in Destination-X and Hardcore Justice would make up for those mistakes.

 

[Papa Pillman]

In my eyes, not only is it the best move to make in putting this show back on PPV, but on moving when it takes place too. Last year was plagued with it's calendar placement as even though Chris Sabin won the title, no one bought that he would make it to Bound For Glory which was less than 3 months away. With the BFG Series locking every viable main event wrestler on the roster, it became too obvious that Bully Ray would get the title back on his rematch in order to secure a big money main event for the show.

I actually completely disagree with this assessment, and its mostly because of the reason you yourself listed KJ.

If TNA plans to bring back the BFG series this year, then moving Dest-X to April is a horrible decision. The thing that really made Dest-X and option C work the last two years is its calendar placement. With the BFG series starting after Slammiversary, and tying up every legitimate title challenger, without option C you have a 3-4 month period where the World Champion would just be sitting back with no challengers to his belt. If a wrestler is worthy of challenging for the title then he should be in the BFG series. If a wrestler is in the BFG series you can't give him a title shot during the time the series is happening, as that contradicts the point of the tournament. Having Dest-X occur in the space between Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, and attaching the option C scenario, gave the company a logical built-in way to create a believable contender outside of the BFG series for a World Title feud while the series is playing out with the rest of the upper carders.

I do get what you're saying about it being clear that Bully would regain the belt last year, but we also just assumed he wouldn't drop the title to Sabin in the first place, and we got a shocking feel good title change out of it. In the same vein, I think we all assumed in 2012 that Roode would retain at Dest-X, and again we got the shocking tilte change, and they even went as far as to continue to contradict the expected norms that year by keeping the title on Aries heading into BFG, when everyone thought Roode would win it back to set up a BFG headliner with Storm. Last year's lack of suspense on Bully's eventually regaining the belt wasn't a victim of calendar placement, but rather was a result of the corner that TNA had painted themselves into by basing so much of the show on the A&8's storyline. With better and more balanced creative planning, like what took place in 2012, that foregone conclusion could have been avoided.

Moving Dest-X to April only makes sense if TNA plans to do away with the BFG series in 2014. And even with all of the problems that presented themselves with last year's series I still think most fans, myself included, would prefer to see it return.

 

[Cereal Killer]

With the BFG series starting after Slammiversary, and tying up every legitimate title challenger, without option C you have a 3-4 month period where the World Champion would just be sitting back with no challengers to his belt. If a wrestler is worthy of challenging for the title then he should be in the BFG series.

I understand this but not all top TNA stars are in the Bound For Glory Series. Last year, Sting, James Storm, Chris Sabin, Crimson and Matt Morgan were not in the series. Let's just assume the last two remained signed, that would be six tops stars not in the series including Bully Ray. Sometimes jobbers are included like Robbie E and Jay Bradley anyway, and this year we have Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Gunner and EC3 added to the roster. That would give the World Champion plenty of competition at the time. It gets too much for the World Championship if you have a tournament and a cash in option. Keep it straightforward. Besides, what's wrong with Destination-X airing between the Lockdown and Slammiversary gap?

 

[Papa Pillman]

I understand this but not all top TNA stars are in the Bound For Glory Series. Last year, Sting, James Storm, Chris Sabin, Crimson and Matt Morgan were not in the series. Let's just assume the last two remained signed, that would be six tops stars not in the series including Bully Ray. Sometimes jobbers are included like Robbie E and Jay Bradley anyway, and this year we have Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Gunner and EC3 added to the roster. That would give the World Champion plenty of competition at the time. It gets too much for the World Championship if you have a tournament and a cash in option. Keep it straightforward. Besides, what's wrong with Destination-X airing between the Lockdown and Slammiversary gap?

There is nothing inherently wrong with having Destination-X between Lockdown and Slammiversary, but it takes away from what has made option C so useful the past couple years- the fact that it has created a couple of sensible world title match-ups to occupy the champ and fill the space while the BFG series is happening.

Unless you have an accepted top card contender who has a legit history with the champ who is hurt and misses the start of the BFG series but returns while its going on to occupy the the champion's time, or you add a big time legit challenger from outside the company after the series had already started who can come in and challenge the champ, then without something like Option C anyone else getting a title match makes no sense.

In kayfabe terms the company has picked the twelve men most worthy of battling in a 12 week tournament to gain a title shot on the biggest stage. Giving a title shot in the mean time to a man who wasn't even deemed worthy of being included in that twelve man field(for example someone who has only been previously built as a tag team wrestler prior to the Summer BFG build season) undermines the entire process. The point of both option C and the BFG series is to elevate worthy guys on the fringe of main event level into a spot where they can be seen as legit main eventers, (a la Roode and Storm in 2011). Just handing someone else outside of that tournament a shot for the hell of it is counterproductive to what the company is trying to accomplish.

Apart from option C, the only way I could see it making sense for anyone to challenge for the title would be if Kurt Angle was kept out of the series(which could easily happen considering his contract status could scare the company of setting up another AJ in 2013 type situation) and then he was given a shot in the months between, as Kurt being given a title opportunity would always be believable and wouldn't seem out of place. Having Angle win one more TNA title, only to subsequently drop it back to the former champ to set-up the BFG main event, could be a fitting farewell for him in the case that TNA does not expect to be able to re-sign him later in the year.

 

[Cereal Killer]

There is nothing inherently wrong with having Destination-X between Lockdown and Slammiversary, but it takes away from what has made option C so useful the past couple years- the fact that it has created a couple of sensible world title match-ups to occupy the champ and fill the space while the BFG series is happening.

Unless you have an accepted top card contender who has a legit history with the champ who is hurt and misses the start of the BFG series but returns while its going on to occupy the the champion's time, or you add a big time legit challenger from outside the company after the series had already started who can come in and challenge the champ, then without something like Option C anyone else getting a title match makes no sense.

In kayfabe terms the company has picked the twelve men most worthy of battling in a 12 week tournament to gain a title shot on the biggest stage. Giving a title shot in the mean time to a man who wasn't even deemed worthy of being included in that twelve man field(for example someone who has only been previously built as a tag team wrestler prior to the Summer BFG build season) undermines the entire process. The point of both option C and the BFG series is to elevate worthy guys on the fringe of main event level into a spot where they can be seen as legit main eventers, (a la Roode and Storm in 2011). Just handing someone else outside of that tournament a shot for the hell of it is counterproductive to what the company is trying to accomplish.

Apart from option C, the only way I could see it making sense for anyone to challenge for the title would be if Kurt Angle was kept out of the series(which could easily happen considering his contract status could scare the company of setting up another AJ in 2013 type situation) and then he was given a shot in the months between, as Kurt being given a title opportunity would always be believable and wouldn't seem out of place. Having Angle win one more TNA title, only to subsequently drop it back to the former champ to set-up the BFG main event, could be a fitting farewell for him in the case that TNA does not expect to be able to re-sign him later in the year.

No, you can't have only top stars in the tournament. In that case, Storm should have been in it last year, not Bradley. Heck, why was Chavo even in the qualifying match? You need to have some jobbers/mid-carders for a few filler matches and because you need the other top stars to fill the rest of the card. Take last years Bound For Glory for example; how much better do you think it would have been had Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries and Manik not been in the same match? They could have been in other matches or individual matches against each other (with the odd one out doing something else).

Let's take a look at last year's participants:

-A.J. Styles
-Magnus
-Austin Aries
-Bobby Roode
-Jeff Hardy
-Christopher Daniels
-Kazarian
-Samoa Joe
-Mr. Anderson
-Joseph Park
-Hernandez
-Jay Bradley

Let's just say Styles, Magnus, Park, Hernandez and Bradley were replaced by Bully Ray, Kurt Angle, James Storm, Rockstar Spud and Sam Shaw. That would leave The Wolves, EC3, Gunner and Chris Sabin left over to face the champion. Also, the company doesn't travel nor do they air live. That means they have less to pay for compared to last year. They have enough money to hire new stars which could also fill in these roles and new talent has been hinted lately. Furthermore, I don't understand why the champion can't have a few bouts with the competitors to test their strengths. Main events in B-PPV's and on TV are performed in different ways so this wouldn't really take anything away from the actual main event of Bound For Glory.