Will the X Division Ever Be Like it Once Was?

[jccool420]

Most of us remember the good ole days of the X division... Sabin, Senshi, Daniels, Red, Petey, etc...

The last few Champions have been crap and they are in no way comparable to the old X Divison...

I hated Williams' run with the belt as the anti-high flyer, Lethal didn't do shit with the title and now Robbie E is the champ...? What's the point of even having an X Division? All those guys could feud over the TV title with the same effect...

I actually miss those multiman gimmick matches that used to open the PPVs...

Did Homicide leave a bad taste in managments mouth when he botched the finish to the Dome match on their Monday show?

They have guys on their roster that can carry the X style, why not use them?

I miss the open door policy that saw guys like Jason Cross and Mike Quackenbush back appearences... Why not do things like that the keep things fresh...?

I miss the X Cup...

If you have guys like Kaz, Kendrick, Red, Young, Gen Me, MCMGs, Lethal, and a few others on your roster, why not let they showcase their skills and revitalize the X division?

Sorry for the bitch fest, but damn...

It doesn't seem like there are any signs or hope for a return of the high paced, high impact style that we used to love...

Daniels being rehired rumors have died down and doesn't look like a return will happen...

Lethal was the last hope at seeing a change and they ruined it with a feud with Robbie E...

Don't get me wrong, I like Robbie E... He impressed me in the ring at FR and I like how obnoxious his character is... Great heel character, My Dude! But the titles are in the wrong place... AJ and Williams should be feuding over the X Title and Robbie should be in the TV title division... I would have rather seen AJ be X Champion again then TV champ...

Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?

 

[The Viper Orton]

I agree with everything except 1 point. Good old days= red? U havent mensioned AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, the best 2 X-division champs and you mention Red. This guy was nothing more than a X-division jobber before Don West push. (I didn't watch 2005 TNA until Unbreakable, so anything before can be correct.)

However, I missed everyone else, AJ (matches against joe and Daniels can't be repeated), Joe(yeh he's there but X-division joe was the best joe) , Daniels, Chris sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Austin Ares, Pete Williams, Kaz, Senshi (WOW triple X) even Johny Devine was decent (even though not high flyer)

Anyways, No TNA will never have the good and best X-division back for 4 main reasons

1. No new High Flying Talent: there are no new x-division material talent. I mean there where only Doug Williams and Jay lethal in the X-division and you go get a guy that only knows how to fist pump?

2. Good X-divisions created tag teams, and the best Main Evented: Chris Daniels+AJ. MCMG. Homicide had Hernandez. That left no one, and that's why they gav Alex Shelly the belt (very deserved however)

3. Other good divisions prevent that: When the upper mid card has AJ styles, The tag division sees Beer money vs MCMG, and Knockout division is as good as any "brand" let alone division, there isn't time to try and make some high flying singles matches. Its like Modern High Flying requires tag teams to make it more fun (i actually like it more MCMG better than Alex and sabin alone)

4. Bischoff and Hogan: Bischoff never gave Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio alot of X-division chances and times at the WCW days when there was no women talent, why would he give Sonjay Dutt and Jay lethal that?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

First of all, OP, lash yourself a thousand times for even mentioning Not So Amazing Red's name in a crop of "amazing" performers. Red isn't amazing. He's not even impressive. He can do a few flip moves that require the talent level of his opponent to be high (to both sell and actually perform them) — big deal. What else does he have, other than the personality of a fucking door knob and the body of a prepubescent teenage girl? What exactly is so amazing about that?

But I digress...

Yes, I do miss that X Division of old (well, parts of it), but you have to realize something — what made that X Division what it was was Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn. Of that group, Lynn and Daniels (ugh) are no longer with TNA, and both Joe and Styles graduated much higher in the card, approaching (or achieving) full-blown main event status. THAT is why the X Division took a nosedive. There were no heir apparents to the throne, and those that might have been also moved on — see Motorcity Machine Guns. The rest of the performers, impressive and talented as they may have been, simply didn't have the same star power as the aforementioned did, and because of that it needed—rather, needs—to reinvent itself.

Do I enjoy what I see from it now? Fuck no, and I haven't for months — even when guys like Homicide and Red were still there, but frankly, I just haven't given a shit about anyone in the division for what feels like more than a year now.

The biggest issue here is simply this:

The "death" of the X-Division isn't a byproduct of the Hogan/Bischoff regime. It's a byproduct of evolution in that their most prominent stars in Daniels, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe all graduated the mini mites school for spot monkeys years ago, and no real suitable heirs to the throne existed. If you're appalled at the state of the X Division as it's currently composed in TNA, take that up with the fact that so many wanted to push guys like AJ, Joe and Daniels into the spot light.

Factor in the fact that Sabin & Shelley, two of the only names IMO who might have been able to reclaim the place of AJ/Joe/Daniels went into the tag division and you have the root of all your problems right there.

What the XD needs is an infusion of new talent to kick-start the speed, impact (no pun intended) and entertaining quality that the old division once had. Guys like Robbie E and Jay Lethal(ly Boring) aren't going to cut it. Guys like Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen and lesser known Japanese stars are what are needed. New names need to be established in order to add to the enigmatic aura of the X Division. Gregory Helms would help, as would a return of Christopher Daniels who epitomizes what it meant to be an XD wrestler. Oh, and bring back Austin fucking Aeries. A-Double would be the god damn poster boy for what we all crave.

I'd also strongly consider raiding the ROH locker room again for a guy like Davey Richards who while not a natural high-flyer has a lot of moves in his arsenal that I think would help put him over in a TNA enviroment.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Yeah I think it comes down to who is in charge. From what we have witnessed, bischoff and hogan and russo combined really have an old school perspective of what a wrestling show should be like. I think they just don't get the X-Divison title and understand the heritage it has of possibly being TNA's formerly most important title, they most probably see guys like amazing red and automatically think crusierweight, this may be emphasised by how a lot of the people that they have going for the X-division title like robbie E and doug willimas are not pure breed X-divison guys.

I think they view it more as their U.S. heavyweight title, like the mid-card guys are the ones who compete for this, and they don't really grasp the high-flying aspect of it, which really kills the division seen as that was what it was all about. Someone needs to sit down and have those guys watch a tape of TNA last year so they can understand where they are going wrong, maybe then they'll figure it out.

But I'm honestly not hopeful, I mean they did watch the January 4th show this year and there was a big X title match in that, but they clearly never got the hint.

But in defence, what they done in reducing the reputation of the X-division, considerably I might add, they have added in a large part to the tag titles. I mean, a number one contenders match on PPV, that shows that they are realising what an un-furnished jewel they have in their grasp. If they get their heads on swivel, they'll be starting to put tag matches higher up the card and maybe have people like MCMG feud with top guys like fortune etc..

It would be hard to start building up the division again after all that dismantling (making things is always harder than breaking them) so it would take a long while for it to get back on it's feet, but the first place to start is by having the X-title belt defended in matches with 3 or more contenders, that is the aspect that makes those matches like 10 spots a minute kind of deals. Then they need to start working the exclusive matches back into the fray, we've seen anderson against kaz, beer money against MCMG recently in ultimate X matches, why haven't we actually seen X guys take that match on? Finally you need to start branding more of the roster as X divis potentials, especially guys that aren't being used just like red and suicide, but don't confine them, just have them as regular contenders. But working all of that in and making it look legit will take at least another year of re-building yet it can be done...... do I expect it to be done........ no not really. Like I said I don't think the writers "get" the division so they don't write well for it, they just go back to what they're used to, 1 on 1 matches with feuds, it is a shame.

But if the power is never restored to the X-division, I'm just proud we have tag matches that are massively watchable now instead, it isn't a replacement, but it's the next best thing..... btw who is WILLIE URBINA, he's registered on the roster but I've never seen him before?

 

[Post]

First of all, OP, lash yourself a thousand times for even mentioning Not So Amazing Red's name in a crop of "amazing" performers. Red isn't amazing. He's not even impressive. He can do a few flip moves that require the talent level of his opponent to be high (to both sell and actually perform them). Not only that, but he also has the personality of a fucking door knob and the body of a prepubescent teenage girl. What exactly is so amazing about that?

But I digress...

Yes, I do miss that X Division of old (well, parts of it), but you have to realize something — what made that X Division what it was was Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn. Of that group, Lynn and Daniels (ugh) are no longer with TNA, and both Joe and Styles graduated much higher in the card, approaching (or achieving) full-blown main event status. THAT is why the X Division took a nosedive. There were no heir apparents to the throne, and those that might have been also moved on — see Motorcity Machine Guns. The rest of the performers, impressive and talented as they may have been, simply didn't have the same star power as the aforementioned did, and because of that it needed—rather, needs—to reinvent itself.

Do I enjoy what I see from it now? Fuck no, and I haven't for months — even when guys like Homicide and Red were still there, but frankly, I just haven't given a shit about anyone in the division for what feels like more than a year now.

The biggest issue here is simply this:

The "death" of the X-Division isn't a byproduct of the Hogan/Bischoff regime. It's a byproduct of evolution in that their most prominent stars in Daniels, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe all graduated the mini mites school for spot monkeys years ago, and no real suitable heirs to the throne existed. If you're appalled at the state of the X Division as it's currently composed in TNA, take that up with the fact that so many wanted to push guys like AJ, Joe and Daniels into the spot light.

Factor in the fact that Sabin & Shelley, two of the only names IMO who might have been able to reclaim the place of AJ/Joe/Daniels went into the tag division and you have the root of all your problems right there.

What the XD needs is an infusion of new talent to kick-start the speed, impact (no pun intended) and entertaining quality that the old division once had. Guys like Robbie E and Jay Lethal(ly Boring) aren't going to cut it. Guys like Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen and lesser known Japanese stars are what are needed. New names need to be established in order to add to the enigmatic aura of the X Division. Gregory Helms would help, as would a return of Christopher Daniels who epitomizes what it meant to be an XD wrestler. Oh, and bring back Austin fucking Aeries. A-Double would be the god damn poster boy for what we all crave.

I'd also strongly consider raiding the ROH locker room again for a guy like Davey Richards who while not a natural high-flyer has a lot of moves in his arsenal that I think would help put him over in a TNA enviroment.

I agree.

This is a good plan to salvage the X Division and make it meaningful again. There is SO much talent in ROH that could make the X Division better. People like Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, and Austin Aries don't need silly gimmicks like Lethal and Robbie E. I don't care for Steen on the mic right now, but that is why he is w/ Steve Corino. IDR really hit the nail on the head.

This division is really what caught my attention when I first saw TNA on Fox Sports. I really miss Petey Williams. I would love to see him back in the mix of things. In the days of Team Canada, Petey's role was great. He wasn't limited to an X Division role. He was a stable leader, the X Division champ, and a threat to beat anyone at anytime.

I would like to see Daniels come back, but I don't think he wants to right now. He has seen others pushed in front of him and I think he needs a break from TNA.

 

[shattered dreams]

I would have rather seen AJ be X Champion again then TV champ...

Disagree with this statement. It is like people cannot get over the historical aspect of the belt. You are basically clamoring for TNA to make their lowest title, one associated by many with smaller competitors, their main focus. The TV title does need to replace the vaunted X-division title as the true second best. X-division might have been about "no limits" but long before Hogan and Bischoff came in that had ceased to be the case and it had become the stereotypical cruiser division. Probably with good reason I might add, that being that the belt didn't need to be the 2nd best singles title anymore.

Even more confusing to me is that you do not think MCMG-GenME counts just because it was in the tag division. I certainly saw x-division elements in the AJ-Dougie match. People have to get over the x-division new role relative to the rest of the roster and realize the style isn't dead.

The x-division has been forgettable for about two years now. The year before last the matches were a little better but entirely pointless and this year the stories are a little better but the action isn't what people relish. Sure they could make the x-division better but is it the best use of tv time and money? They could have the best heavyweight division if they had unlimited money but they don't. Bringing in a ton of guys for a division that correctly gets about one segment a night is a waste IMO. If they get some more tv time down the road then they can try and revitalize the x-division with a talent infusion. Until then they should use the guys they have to build a midcard title at the expense of having an excess of flippers. Take the style people liked and spread it around the card instead of wasting it all on the bottom rung of the ladder.

MCMG are the tag champs and were feuding with GenMe while AJ was the TV champ and everyone thinks the x-style is dead in TNA? What!?

Notes: Red may have the worst personality in the history of wrestling but I do think he is a better worker than he gets credit for being. Kevin Steen has impressed me in limited viewing. I still hold out hope for a Daniels storyline in the future where he comes back to save the x-division.

Bischoff and Hogan: Bischoff never gave Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio alot of X-division chances and times at the WCW days when there was no women talent, why would he give Sonjay Dutt and Jay lethal that?

Misterio 5 reigns for 282 days in WCW, Malenko 4 for 188, and Jericho 4 for 231 but sure you are right why would a guy like Bischoff with a noted history with such a division give the "chances" to someone who hasn't worked for TNA in almost 2 years or someone that has been in the x-division for months now.

 

[6timehitta]

I do miss the "old" X Division, and tbh half the guys in TNA could compete in this division. Ultimate X matches, Dome Matches, International Dream Matches, just good overall.The X Dision will never be the same

 

[.]

No, I don't believe TNA have the time or money to put that much effort into what is probably their least important division now. Their are several superstars who have personality and aren't just spot monkeys(Albeit that's what the X-Division was originally about.). If they tried, TNA could get former WWE stars(Not rejects!) that could strengthen the division such as Gregory Helms(Hell, this guy revived interest in WWE's lackluster cruiserweight division and once he lost the title there was no interest.), Caylen Croft(He's a good worker), Matt Hardy (Sadly he'll probably go straight to the main event which is gut wrenching to think of) and current stars such as Brian Kendrick, Shannon Moore, Kaz and Eric Young(?). TNA's X-division is alot like WWE's tag division(Probably gonna get heat for saying this) where the current champion(s) are shit and should just be comedy jobbers and there are only 2 challengers where one is boring as hell and the other has no personality whatsoever but can work fairly well.
No the X-division will not be the same as it was for a very long time but i still find it hard to believe how low it has fallen when you analyze how it changed from Slammiversary 2009 to Slammiversary 2010 but then again some could say the same thing can be said for TNA's PPV quality(IT WAZ HOGAN!!!!!?!?!?!?)

Misterio 5 reigns for 282 days in WCW, Malenko 4 for 188, and Jericho 4 for 231 but sure you are right why would a guy like Bischoff with a noted history with such a division give the "chances" to someone who hasn't worked for TNA in almost 2 years or someone that has been in the x-division for months now.

Did you ever read Chris Jericho's book? If not Jericho describes the cruiserweight division in WCW as a place no wrestler would want to be. He said it consisted of long reigns were nobody would defend the title maybe once in a blue moon. The division was dead and the only feud that was interesting in it was the one between Jericho and Malenko. Did Bschoff care to give either of these men a time in the spotlight? No. Jericho said himself that Bischoff and others didn't give cruiserweights the time of day hence why most of them stayed in that division and never went ahead. Hell Jericho is the prime example of what WCW missed.

 

[klunderbunker]

Not while Hogan and Bischoff are in charge. It's another thing that you can see just like WCW all over again: the guys in the X-Division are there because that's where they're supposed to be in the eyes of the bosses. They have no potential to move up so we'll throw them in pointless matches and have them trade the title until it means nothing at all. That's how Hogan and Bischoff thing: if you're not a big established star, you can't become a big established star. It happened before and it's happening now.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

No, I don't believe TNA have the time or money to put that much effort into what is probably their least important division now. Their are several superstars who have personality and aren't just spot monkeys(Albeit that's what the X-Division was originally about.). If they tried, TNA could get former WWE stars(Not rejects!) that could strengthen the division such as Gregory Helms(Hell, this guy revived interest in WWE's lackluster cruiserweight division and once he lost the title there was no interest.), Caylen Croft(He's a good worker), Matt Hardy (Sadly he'll probably go straight to the main event which is gut wrenching to think of) and current stars such as Brian Kendrick, Shannon Moore, Kaz and Eric Young(?). TNA's X-division is alot like WWE's tag division(Probably gonna get heat for saying this) where the current champion(s) are shit and should just be comedy jobbers and there are only 2 challengers where one is boring as hell and the other has no personality whatsoever but can work fairly well.
No the X-division will not be the same as it was for a very long time but i still find it hard to believe how low it has fallen when you analyze how it changed from Slammiversary 2009 to Slammiversary 2010 but then again some could say the same thing can be said for TNA's PPV quality(IT WAZ HOGAN!!!!!?!?!?!?)

Funny you even mention (Matt) Hardy, because that's another guy I thought of who'd actually make for a pretty decent X Division wrestler/champion, since it's all but a given he'll actually be joining the company.

There's few on this forum who hammer the concept of personality before performance like I do (I smell a signature coming...), so believe me — I'm all for revitalizing the division with guys who actually matter.

Frankly, if I've got the green light to do with it what I will, I build the division as follows tomorrow:

Red: Heel
Blue: Face​

• Desmond Wolfe
• Roderick Strong
• Naomichi Marufuji
• Austin Aeries
• Magnus

• Brian Kendrick
• Kevin Steen
• Shannon Moore
• Shane Helms
• Matt Hardy

 

[shattered dreams]

Did you ever read Chris Jericho's book? If not Jericho describes the cruiserweight division in WCW as a place no wrestler would want to be. He said it consisted of long reigns were nobody would defend the title maybe once in a blue moon. The division was dead and the only feud that was interesting in it was the one between Jericho and Malenko. Did Bschoff care to give either of these men a time in the spotlight? No. Jericho said himself that Bischoff and others didn't give cruiserweights the time of day hence why most of them stayed in that division and never went ahead. Hell Jericho is the prime example of what WCW missed.

Read what I was responding too. The quoted text was about X-DIVISION chances. Not chances in general. WCW wasn't the only place where what Jericho mentions happened and that is a big part of the reason such divisions had been scrapped in general in the US. The supposed labeling that kept guys from advancing later. Why should the light heavyweights be the prime focus anyway? Seems obvious they shouldn't be. If talent was endless then sure stack the bottom of the card but it isn't in reality. ROH 2.0 isn't going to draw better ratings because in spite of our smarky desires their just isn't a big enough audience for that stuff.

 

[jccool420]

IDR, I agree with most of what you said... But, I have to defend Red...

I have enjoyed watching him since the first time I saw him with the SATs... Their matches back then were AWESOME and were one of the things that brought me into TNA...

Now, since hems been back from injury, he has slowed his style down a bit and is not just a spot monkey... Just watch his match against Angle... It was so good and Angle had so much fun working with Red that he wanted to work a whole program with him but TNA rejected his idea for unknown reasons...

I love the guy's move set and he is one of the best high flyers in the game right now...

Anyway, I like your ideas about raiding the ROH guys... I think guys like Strong and A Double would really help out the division...

What ever happened to that deal they had with AAA? That sounded really cool...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It can happen, but it's not going to happen anytime in the near or forseeable future. I think that IDR & KB both made good points in that the X-Division needs an infusion of fresh, competitive talent but that it won't be relevant during the Hogan-Bischoff Era.

There's actually some talent on the TNA roster that would be a good fit within the ranks of the X-Division right now but they're simply not being used. Until TNA has a new creative direction, I forsee the X-Division continuing to wallow in mediocrity.

 

[swayscobain]

I miss the way the X division was too. Thats what really drew me to TNA in the first place when they had weekly ppv's. but the way they let go of williams, daniels, sonjay dutt, senshi is in wwe just shows me that Hogan and Bischoff have no interest in any stories that dont involve them.

 

[wushady]

I couldn't say it any better than IDR did. I think the X Division isn't what it use to be because some like Daniels left the company. Other guys like Joe, Styles, the MCMG, etc moved on to a higher level. It's ******ed in my opinion to blame Bischoff. When he ran WCW he brought in many cruiserweights, and that division was at it's peak when he was in charge. I'm not totally sure, but I think Russo was head booker in TNA when the X Division was at it's peak. So I don't think he deserves blame either. Hogan has said before that he's not a big fan of that type of wrestling, but again it's not his fault.

The X Division was going down hill before the Hogan Bischoff era. I think it could be great again one day. They still have some talented guys that can do that style. I hope they bring in Helms and some guys from ROH. With the reports that they are working with a limited budget these days. It may be a while before the X Division becomes great again. Having Robbie E holding the title is a bad move in my opinion.