TNA X Division Champion
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The TNA X Division Championship is a men's
professional wrestling championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling match types, professional wrestling matches, in which competitors a ...
created and promoted by
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA). It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of TNA's second then- weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is
Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
, who is in his first reign. The championship is contested in TNA's
X Division The X Division is a professional wrestling division utilized by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion and used historically in several National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. The division is intended to emphasize a fas ...
, which emphasizes fast-paced, acrobatic wrestling, traditionally featuring cruiserweight wrestlers. However, heavyweights including Samoa Joe,
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
, and Abyss have also won the championship at various times in the division's history. There have been 109 reigns among 54 wrestlers. Since 2012, the X-Division Championship has also allowed the current champion to vacate the title in exchange for a future match for the TNA World Championship, which is promoted as "Option C." This has occurred seven times in the championship's history, with three matches resulting in wins.


History


X Division

The TNA
X Division The X Division is a professional wrestling division utilized by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion and used historically in several National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. The division is intended to emphasize a fas ...
was established on June 19, 2002 at Total Nonstop Action's first weekly PPV event with a Six Man Tag Team match resulting in
Jimmy Yang James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment from 1999 to 2010, under the ri ...
, Jorge Estrada, and Sonny Siaki—collectively known as The Flying Elvises—defeating A.J. Styles, Jerry Lynn, and Low Ki. Later that day at the taping of the next weekly PPV event, TNA introduced the X Division Championship—then known as the X Championship—to showcase the division more prominently. The division is described as wrestling reinvented, as it takes traditional wrestling and mixes it with the fast-paced, high–risk style of wrestling incorporated in cruiserweight divisions and
lucha libre ''Lucha libre'' (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has develope ...
. The division was until 2011 promoted under the motto ''"It is not about weight limits, it is about no limits"'' by commentator Mike Tenay. On the August 11, 2011, edition of TNA's primary television program, ''
Impact Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busine ...
'', TNA authority figure
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
announced that from that point onwards the X Division would have a weight limit of . Following
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
becoming the new on-screen General Manager in March 2012, the weight limit was ignored on June 10, 2012, at Slammiversary when the Samoa Joe was allowed to challenge for the belt. In October 2012, the weight limit was officially repealed when
Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...
challenged for, and eventually won, the title at Bound for Glory. In March 2013, the X Division was given a new set of rules, which meant all matches were wrestled in Triple Threat format, and a new weight limit of 230 lbs. This proved to be extremely unpopular with fans, and the rules and weight limit were repealed once again in August of that year.


Specialty matches

The Total Nonstop Action X Division has multiple styles of match types used to showcase the talent within the division and to defend the TNA X Division Championship in more marketable matches. Three of the matches used in TNA are the Ultimate X match, The Steel Asylum, and the Xscape match. * The Ultimate X match was introduced in 2003. It involves multiple competitors racing to retrieve the X Division Championship or a giant red letter "X", which is suspended above the ring by two cables. The cables are attached to posts that stand behind the turnbuckles of the ring. These cables intertwine to form an "X" over the center of the ring. This match has become successful in TNA; it was featured in the 2008 DVD "TNA: Ultimate Matches", released by TNA Home Video. * The Steel Asylum made its debut in May 2008 at TNA's
Sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...
PPV event, under the name "The TerrorDome". It was used once again in October 2008 at their Bound for Glory IV PPV event, under the new and current moniker "The Steel Asylum". As of , this match has only been used to determine the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship. The layout of the match involves the ring being surrounded by a giant red steel barred cage with a domed ceiling. The only way to achieve victory is to escape the cage through a hole in the center of the ceiling. * The Xscape match is the third specialty match primarily used in TNA. It is held annually at TNA's
Lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...
PPV event in April—an all–steel cage format PPV event. The first two Xscape matches were held to determine the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship, while, since 2007, it has been contested for the X Division Championship. The contest involves four to six participants. To win this match, two or more participants—depending on how many are involved in the encounter—must be eliminated by pinfall or submission leaving only two participants. These two men then race to see who escapes the cage first to claim victory.


Creation

The championship was created and debuted before the main event at the taping of TNA's second weekly PPV event on June 19, 2002; the event aired on June 26, 2002. Later, A.J. Styles defeated Low Ki, Jerry Lynn, and
Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicisation, Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for ...
in a Four Way Double Elimination match to be crowned the inaugural champion; this match was announced as being for the NWA X Championship on the onscreen graphic while the ring announcer stated it was for the "NWA–TNA X Championship". Afterwards, the title was renamed the NWA–TNA X Division Championship and then shortened to just the TNA X Division Championship. It is the oldest currently active title in TNA.


Option C

Option C is a concept in which the current X Division Champion may voluntarily vacate the championship in exchange for a World Heavyweight Championship match. It began in June 2012 when then-champion Austin Aries said that he was not satisfied with being just the X Division Champion, which led to then-General Manager
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
offering him a match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but only if he first vacated the X Division Championship. Aries agreed to Hogan's terms, on the condition that future X Division Champions be given the same opportunity.


Cash-in matches


Championship Tournaments


TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2009)

The tournament was the result of a match for the TNA X Division Championship at Final Resolution 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 Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
stripped Young of the belt and announced the tournament to crown the new champion. The tournament final took place at Genesis.


TNA X Division Championship Tournament (2012)

On the June 28, 2012, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', TNA announced a tournament for the TNA X Division Championship, which would take place at Destination X, where Austin Aries would vacate the title for a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The tournament was preceded by four qualifying matches featuring wrestlers from the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
. TNA contracted wrestlers Douglas Williams, Kid Kash and Zema Ion 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 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 the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
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 single semifinal matches, taking place on the July 18 edition of ''Impact!'', with the finals, a 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 Austin Aries 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 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 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 single semifinal matches, taking place on the June 10th edition of ''Impact!'', with the finals, a 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 invoked Option C to challenge for the
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
. 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 vacated the Impact X Division Championship for a shot at the
Impact World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like mo ...
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.


Unifications and outside defenses

In July 2002, the X Division Champion AJ Styles defended the title against Adam Jacobs and David Young at Ring of Honor's Crowning a Champion, the first defense outside TNA. In May 2003, before the
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...
World Wrestling All-Stars World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to com ...
' (WWA) foreclosure, then NWA–TNA X Division champion
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
defeated WWA International Cruiserweight Champion Jerry Lynn, Frankie Kazarian, and
Johnny Swinger Joseph Dorgan (born July 3, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), using the ring name Johnny Swinger. Dorgan is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Ext ...
in a Four Corners championship unification match to unify the X Division Championship with the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. In Winter 2004, Petey Williams defended the title in various IWA-Mid South events. During
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
' first reign in mid-2005, he defended the X Division Championship at several
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. As of 2024, it is on an extended hiatus. It was created by pro wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...
shows. The first defense happened at All Star Weekend - Night One on April 1 against
Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983), better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is widely known for his tenure ...
, while the second occurred at All Star Weekend – Night Two on April 2 against Chris Hero; Daniels won both encounters retaining the championship. At Jason Takes PWG on May 13, Daniels fought A.J. Styles for the X Division Championship and Styles' PWG Championship to a one-hour time-limit draw. Daniels successfully defended the X Division Title two more times in PWG; once at Guitarmageddon on June 11 against El Generico, while once at The 2nd Annual PWG Bicentennial Birthday Extravaganza - Night One on July 9 against fellow TNA wrestler Chris Sabin. In September 2005 at TNA's Unbreakable PPV event, the TNA X Division Championship was defended in the main event for the first time at a monthly PPV event; then-champion
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
defended the championship against A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe. The title was once again defended in the main event of a monthly event at TNA's August 2007 Hard Justice PPV event, where
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
defeated Samoa Joe to win the TNA X Division and the
TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestlin ...
and retain the TNA World Heavyweight and IGF's version of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. This win made Angle the only in the history of TNA to hold every active championship at the same time; TNA World, X Division, and World Tag Team. On March 4, 2014, the title was defended in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
as part of Kaisen: Outbreak - a supershow event promoted by
Wrestle-1 was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion, founded in July 2013 by Keiji Mutoh following his resignation from All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). The core of the promotion's roster was formed b ...
in partnership with TNA - where the title was won by Wrestle-1 star Seiya Sanada. On March 22, Sanada defended and retained the title on a Wrestle-1 show. In January 2025, TNA and WWE signed a multi-year working partnership where TNA and NXT wrestlers will appear on each other's programming. On the February 25 episode of '' NXT'', the X Division Championship became the first championship in TNA to be defended in WWE, where
Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
successfully defended the title against NXT Heritage Cup Champion Lexis King.


Championship belt designs

Daniels y AJ en Destination X.jpg,
Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...
with the original design of the X-Division Championship belt. X Division Champion Kenny King.jpg, Kenny King with the 2nd design of the X-Division title. Tigre Uno X Division Champ.jpg, Tigre Uno with the 2015 design of the championship belt. Trevor Lee X Division Champ BFG 17.jpg, Trevor Lee with the 2017 design of the belt. Impact X Title.jpg, The 2020 design of the title.
In May 2007, the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
(NWA) ended their five-year partnership with TNA, which allowed the NWA to regain control over the NWA World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships that TNA had controlled since June 2002. TNA then introduced a new TNA X Division Championship belt on the May 16, 2007 edition of TNA's online podcast '' TNA Today''. Jeremy Borash and Management Director
Jim Cornette James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
, TNA's on-screen authority figure at the time, unveiled the new belt and awarded it to then-champion Chris Sabin. On July 19, 2013, then TNA President
Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
unveiled a new design for the championship, with blue accents to match the color scheme of the company. On June 16, 2015, TNA tweaked the belt's design by recoloring its accents from blue to green. On August 18, 2017, the X Division Championship belt was given a complete overhaul to reflect TNA's short-lived change to the Global Force Wrestling moniker. On October 26, 2017, Trevor Lee was seen in a taped segment on Impact! with the title belt re-branded for Impact Wrestling. In 2018, Impact Wrestling redesigned the belt, putting a big red "X" on the center plate (a nod to the original belt), and made blue the dominant color. In 2020, red became the dominant color. With the company's return to the TNA name in 2024, a new belt was introduced On January 19, 2025 at Genesis, reigning champion
Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
debuted a new belt for his defense against Ace Austin. The plates are the same but are gold on a burnt orange leather strap, with the words " The System" and Moose's logo on the belt snaps printed in red. He has since used this design for the rest of his reign.


Reigns

The inaugural champion was A.J. Styles, who won the championship by defeating Low Ki, Jerry Lynn, and Psicosis in a Four Way Double Elimination match on June 19, 2002 at TNA's second weekly PPV event. At 301 days, Austin Aries' first reign holds the record for longest in the title's history. At less than one day, Eric Young's only reign, Chris Sabin's sixth reign and Rockstar Spud's second reign are the shortest in the title's history.
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
holds the record for most reigns with 10.
Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated Mike Bailey on October 27, 2024 in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
during the '' Impact!'' tapings to win the title (aired November 7).


See also

*
X Division The X Division is a professional wrestling division utilized by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion and used historically in several National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. The division is intended to emphasize a fas ...


References


Notes

* * * *


External links


TNA X-Division Championship
at Cagematch.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Impact X Division Championship Cruiserweight wrestling championships Total Nonstop Action Wrestling championships X Division championships