X-Division

[slamminsammy]

As much as I like this "division", honestly I don't know what it takes to qualify. At first I taught it was weight but with Joe as the champion obviously that's not it. It's not like a hardcore division where the match is what makes the division. So what exactly does it take to qualify for this division?

[Chewey]

Jeremy Borash: "The X Division is not about weight limits, it's about no limits."

There's your answer. I'm sure it doesn't help at all. =P

[Vidtek]

It takes the ability to pull of seriuous highlight spots like running moonsaults and pulling off anime wrestling moves to make it in the X-Devision. Take a look at who's in it and you have your quailifications. And honestly only Joe is over any sort of weight limit, but he sure as heck doesn't look 280.
Big Time.

[JED-SE]

Honestly, I've seen different threads started about this topic. If you think about it, it's really not much different than the Intercontinental Title or U.S Title. It's basically a secondary belt to the NWA World Heavyweight Title. X-Division is not like the NFC North Division in Football where it's determined by something specific, in this case location. The "no limits" description is simply a marketing description to make itself sound different and seperate itself from other secondary belts. Guys like A.J., and Daniels have helped make the "no limits" description worthy of the belt.

[pikemojo]

I would say that you probably just have to be able to wrestle a fast paced match. Or better yet. They have to feel that you aren't at the level of world champ and you still can have a good match with AJ and Christopher Daniels.
Honestly though Diamond is right. It is just a secondary title. Nothing more.

[LWPD]

The concept of the 'X Division' has been part of the NWA-TNA wrestling product since it's inception:

X Division Title History

I'd say in terms of it's positives the X Division has served as a showcase for young and often physically smaller talent from the Indy circuits to exhibit their skills. This allows them to work _APART_ from the booking scenarios that feature Jeff Jarrett and the physically larger 'name' wrestlers who work the TNA Main Event style which is a cross between Southern style and what one would find in WWE. ECW stars such as Kid Kash and Jerry Lynn were the veteran 'ring generals' guiding the division in it's earliest stages. Lynn still works backstage as an agent and remains instrumental to the X Division as a finish man behind the scenes.

A comparison could be made to New Japan's Young Lions division with a focus on spotlighting young talent...although the divergent pacing and move sets may be counter productive to allowing breakout X Division wrestlers to easily adapt and crossover to the TNA Main Event style. AJ Styles is an example of someone who 'made it big' in the X Division but came to the conclusion that the creative changes and consequences inherit in 'graduating' would not be beneficial to his career. I wouldn't be surprised to see others make the choice of remaining 'X Division exclusive' should TNA continue to exist into the future.

The most glaring weakness of X Division booking has been the tendency to perpetually give the performers an inadequate amount of time to work their matches. One will notice this most especially in multi-man situations such as 'Scramble' matches and short time Six Man Tags. This tends to result in a 'spot fest' style matches where everyone tries to 'get their stuff in' as opposed to being focused on building a coherent in ring story from bell to bell. As a result it's become a common yet false stereotype that X Division wrestlers 'don't know how to work'. Watching these same wrestlers under a creative setting where they are given adequate time to wrestle reveals them as fully competent storytellers who's in ring abilities could be better used by TNA under different performance guidelines.

While I could live without watching something like Scrambles matches, 5 minute flash pacing spot fests and the Ultimate X...seeing some of the best young talent in the industry featured while being spared the position of being relegated to 'jobbing' and 'putting over the main stars' has it's upside. In particular I enjoy watching how Samoa Joe has been booked...and I'd readily admit he's one of the few wrestlers in the world today that I'd actually pay to watch given the right scenario. I'm grateful the X Division provides both him as a performer and myself as a fan such an outlet.


Like Watching Paint Dry (who finds a certain irony in the fact that many of the same fans who vociferously tout the merits of the X Division are often the most violently critical of the one man who made it's very existence possible)