The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

seen in

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...

(formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tagline is that "It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits!"

History

The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling had become one of the features of

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

and

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

in the late 1990s. Rather than emphasizing the fact that most wrestlers who perform this style are under 220 lb (100 kg) by calling it a cruiserweight division, TNA decided to emphasize the high-risk nature of the

stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery sp ...

like moves that the wrestlers performed only in TNA where no restraints were placed on them. As such, according to Bob Ryder in ''The History of TNA: Year 1'', they named the division after the

X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...

. Until 2011, there was no upper weight limit on the X Division or its title, though in practice, most of the wrestlers in this division were cruiserweights, with

Sonny Siaki Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion. Early life When Siaki was t ...

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...

, and Abyss being notable exceptions. To further emphasize this point, the slogan ''"It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits"'' was used to describe the division. On the August 11, 2011, edition of ''

'', TNA authority figure Eric Bischoff announced that X Division would have a weight limit of . However, when

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

became the new on screen GM in March 2012, the weight limit was quietly repealed, as heavier wrestlers like former champion

and eventual champion

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

were able to compete for the title. On the March 21, 2013, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', new rules were implemented for the X Division: # A 230 lb. weight limit # All matches will be

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

es # In championship matches, whoever gets pinned or is made to submit would be ineligible for the next championship match, while the one who does not will be a challenger for the next X Division match. On the April 18, 2013, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', a new feature called the X Cam was introduced, giving viewers a first-person look at every X Division match. On the August 22, 2013, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', it was announced that the triple threat match rule had been revoked and that X Division matches may also be contested under one on one matches again. On October 20, 2013, at Bound for Glory, 280 lb. Samoa Joe took part in a five-man

Ultimate X The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match forma ...

match for the X Division Championship. This indicated that the 230 lb. weight limit was also quietly revoked.

Reception

The X Division was generally regarded as one of the key attractions of TNA. Due to TNA focusing more on the heavyweight and main event picture, the X Division has been placed on the back-burner in recent memory. A 2005

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

between

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kn ...

and A.J. Styles was given the rare rating of 5 stars by the

Wrestling Observer The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

. One of the most intense feuds in the X Division was between A.J. Styles,

, and Samoa Joe. The feud started when Joe won the 2005 Super X Cup, becoming one of the best wrestlers in the division. Both Daniels and Styles disliked Joe, despite having had a feud of their own.

Tournaments

TNA maintains three different styles of tournament referred to as "X Cup" tournaments. The Super X Cup tournament is a standard single-elimination tournament featuring one-on-one matches. The Americas X Cup tournament was a team-format points-based tournament featuring two teams of four wrestlers each, with each team representing a respective country that most or all of the wrestlers are from. Members of the team competed in a variety of matches, including singles matches and tag team matches, which accrued points for their side. The World X Cup tournament was an expansion on the Americas X Cup, in which four teams of four wrestlers competed. In the World X Cup, TNA always hosts a home team for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, with other countries such as

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

being represented by either TNA-contracted wrestlers or wrestlers from a promotion that TNA has a partnership agreement with. X Division wrestlers are generally the only TNA wrestlers that compete in the TNA X Cup Tournaments. The first such tournament was the TNA 2003 Super X Cup Tournament, which was won by Chris Sabin.

TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2009)

The tournament was the result of a match for the

TNA X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...

Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to December ...

between Eric Young and Sheik Abdul Bashir ending in a controversial fashion, with Young winning the championship thanks to the referee's help. Management Director

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

stripped Young of the belt and announced the tournament to crown the new champion. The tournament final took place at

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

TNA X Division Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2011)

On the January 27, 2011, edition of ''Impact!,'' TNA started a tournament to determine a new number one contender for the

, held by Kazarian. The tournament consisted of three three–way semifinal matches, taking place on the January 27, February 3 and February 10 editions of ''Impact!'', with the finals, another three-way match, taking place at Against All Odds on February 13. The finals ended with a double countout, after Jeremy and Max Buck failed to make it to the event due to travel issues.

X Division Showcase

On the June 16, 2011, edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', TNA started a twelve-man tournament for a contract in the promotion's X Division. The finals of the tournament would take place on July 10 at Destination X. First round *

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...

defeated Jimmy Rave and

Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop A ...

(''Impact Wrestling'', June 16, 2011) *

Zema Ion Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is a American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Paris began his career in 200 ...

defeated Dakota Darsow and Federico Palacios (''Impact Wrestling'', June 23, 2011) *

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American professional wrestler of Italian and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major League Wrestli ...

defeated

Jimmy Yang James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor of Korean and German descent. He is also best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the WWE, World Wrestling Fed ...

and Matt Bentley (''Impact Wrestling'', June 30, 2011) * Jack Evans defeated

Jesse Sorensen Jessy Ryan Sorensen (born March 1, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, who is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He began his career in 2008, but he gained national exposition when he participated in the X Divisio ...

and Tony Nese (''Impact Wrestling'', July 7, 2011) Finals *Austin Aries defeated Jack Evans, Low Ki and Zema Ion (Destination X, July 10, 2011)

TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2012)

On the June 28, 2012, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', TNA announced a tournament for the

, which would take place at Destination X, where

would vacate the title for a shot at the

TNA World Heavyweight Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...

. The tournament was preceded by four qualifying matches featuring wrestlers from the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

. TNA contracted wrestlers Douglas Williams,

and

were given automatic spots in the first round of the tournament. The eighth and final spot in the tournament would be filled by the winner of a four-way between the losers of the qualifying matches. At Destination X the eight wrestlers will face each other in four singles matches, with the winners advancing to an Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship.

TNA X Division Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2013)

On the January 3, 2013, edition of ''Impact!'' TNA started a tournament to determine a new number one contender for the

, held by

. The tournament consisted of two singles semifinal matches, taking place on the January 3 and January 10 editions of ''Impact!'', with the finals taking place at

on January 13.

TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2013)

On the Destination X edition of ''Impact!'' TNA started a tournament to determine a new TNA X Division Champion, since the title was vacated after

Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor. After being trained by Scot ...

traded it in for a shot at the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. The tournament consisted of three three–way semifinal matches, taking place on the July 18 edition of ''Impact!'', with the finals, another three-way match, taking place on July 25, 2013.

TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2014)

On the Destination X edition of ''Impact!'' TNA started a tournament to determine a new TNA X Division Champion, since the title was vacated after

traded it in for a shot at the

. The tournament consisted of three three–way semifinal matches, taking place on the July 31 edition of ''Impact!'', with the finals, another three-way match, taking place on August 7, 2014.

TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2015)

On the Destination X 2015 edition of ''Impact!'' TNA started a tournament to determine a new TNA X Division Champion, since the title was vacated after

Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. ...

traded it in for a shot at the

. The tournament consisted of three three–way semifinal matches, taking place on the June 10th edition of ''Impact!'', with the finals, another three-way match, taking place on June 27, 2015.

Impact X Division Championship Tournament (2021)

On the September 23 episode of ''Impact!'', Impact started a tournament to determine the new Impact X Division Champion, since the title was vacated after

Josh Alexander Joshua Lemay (born May 29, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs under the ring name Josh Alexander. He is a two-time Impact World Champion, with his second reign being the longest reig ...

invoked Option C to challenge for the Impact World Championship. The tournament consist of three three–way semi-final matches, with the finals, another three-way match, will taking place at Bound for Glory.

Impact X Division Championship Tournament (2022)

On October 20, 2022, after

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...

vacated the Impact X Division Championship for a shot at the Impact World Championship it was announced that there will be an eight-man tournament to determine who will be the new Impact X Division Champion on November 18, 2022, at Impact Pay-per-view Over Drive.

Ultimate X Match

The Ultimate X match is the signature gimmick match of the X Division. It is similar to a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

except that two cables attached to truss towers adjacent to the ring posts cross above the center of the ring and the item of value is hung at the intersection of the cables. The winner is the competitor who can retrieve the item of value from the cables. It was originally created in August 2003 and pitted

Michael Shane Michael Shane (May 4, 1927 — February 22, 1994)) was an American lawyer and actor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Glenville High School. While earning his undergraduate and law degrees at Ohio State University, he performed as a stan ...

, and

. Since then, twenty-four Ultimate X matches have taken place, some for the X Division championship, some for the

TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

, and some with a giant red X suspended above the ring symbolizing something such as number one contender status, and even the X Division title itself.

References

{{Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling Professional wrestling genres