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The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling world championship owned and copyrighted by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. It is currently tied with the TNA Legends Championship for the second highest ranked championship in TNA, behind the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on fast paced, high flying wrestling. It was created and debuted on June 19, 2002 at the taping of TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event, where A.J. Styles was crowned the inaugural champion.

Being a professional wrestling championship, title reigns are not won legitimately; they are instead won via a scripted ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. The TNA X Division Championship was the first championship of its kind, making way for an entirely new division in professional wrestling. There have been a total of 38 reigns among 19 different wrestlers. The title has been referred under the names of the NWA X Championship, the NWA–TNA X Championship, and the NWA–TNA X Division Championship during its history.

History

X Division

The TNA X Division was established in June 2002 after TNA began operations. TNA then created the X Division Championship to showcase the division more prominently. Throughout the beginning of the division and for multiple years, TNA commentator Mike Tenay described the division 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. TNA later began to promote the division under the tagline "It is not about weight limits, it is about no limits".

Speciality matches

The TNA 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 multiple 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 four post that stand behind four of the six turnbuckles in a TNA 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 a 2008 DVD, "TNA: Ultimate Matches", released by TNA Home Video. The Steel Asylum made its debut in May 2008 at TNA's Sacrifice 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 December 2024, 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 bared 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 PPV event in April—an all steel cage format PPV event. The contest involves between four to six participants. 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. To win this match, three or more participants must be eliminated by pinfall or submission until only two remain depending on how many are involved in the encounter. These two men then race to see who escapes the cage first to claim victory.

Creation

The championship was created and debuted at the taping of TNA's second weekly PPV event on June 19, 2002; the event aired on June 26, 2002. At the event, A.J. Styles defeated Low Ki (Brandon Silvestry), Jerry Lynn, and Psicosis (Dionicio Castellanos) 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 Jeremy Borash stated it was for the NWA–TNA X Championship. After this match, the championship was only referred to as the NWA–TNA X Division Championship.

Significant moments

In May 2003, before the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling All-Stars' foreclosure, then NWA–TNA X Division champion Chris Sabin defeated WWA International Cruiserweight Champion Jerry Lynn, Frankie Kazarian (Frank Gerdelman), and Johnny Swinger in a Four Corners Championship Unification match to unify the X Division Championship with the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship. 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, with then-champion Christopher Daniels (Daniel Covell) defending the championship against A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe. The guest ring announcer for the contest, Jeremy Borash, proclaimed the match was for "TNA X Division Championship of the World", suggesting that TNA considers the belt to be a "world championship".

In May 2007 the National Wrestling Alliance (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 on the May 16, 2007 edition of TNA's online podcast TNA Today. Jeremy Borash and TNA's primary authority figure at the time Jim Cornette unveiled the new belt and awarded it to then-champion Chris Sabin.

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 182 days, Christopher Daniels' first reign holds the record for longest in the title's history. At less than one day, Eric Young's only reign is the shortest in the title's history. Styles holds the record for most reigns, with six. As of December 2024, Suicide is the current champion in his first reign. Suicide defeated the former champion, Alex Shelley, and three other contenders—Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Consequences Creed (Austin Watson)—in an Ultimate X match on March 15 in Orlando, Florida at TNA's Destination X 2009 PPV event. Overall, there have been 38 reigns among 19 different wrestlers.

Footnotes

• 1. – This section is based on information stated during TNA Impact!, weekly PPV events, monthly PPVs event, special released DVDs, etc by wrestlers, commentators, ring announcers, etc. Written sources are not available for such comments at this time and using cite episode for such things would be difficult seeing as it is near impossible to quote someone correctly.

See also

• X Division
• Cruiserweight
• WWA International Cruiserweight Championship
• History of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Notes

1. ^ "Current Champions List at TNAWrestling.com". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Entertainment Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
2. ^ "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents: Weekly PPV 2". TNA Weekly PPV. 2002-06-26. In Demand. This match was billed as being for the NWA X Championship in the graphic and for the NWA–TNA X Championship by ring announcer, Jeremy Borash, before the contest. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
3. ^ Roelfsema, Eric. "TNA X Division Championship history". Solie.org. Retrieved 2009-04-15. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. ^ Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Wrestling: Ultimate Matches. TNA Home Video.
5. Sokol, Chris (2008-05-13). "TNA Sacrifice: Joe retains; LAX regains". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
6. ^ Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA: The Steel Asylum Returns At Bound For Glory. TNAWrestling at Youtube.com. Event occurs at 0:00 - 0:52. Retrieved 2009-04-15. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
7. Keller, Wade (2005-04-24). "Keller's TNA Lockdown PPV report 4/24: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
8. Martin, Adam (2006-04-23). "Lockdown PPV Results - 4/23/06 - Orlando, Florida (Lethal Lockdown)". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
9. Sokol, Chris (2007-04-16). "Lockdown pulled down by gimmick matches". Slam Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
10. Caldwell, James (2008-04-13). "Caldwell's TNA Lockdown PPV report 4/13: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Joe vs. Angle PPV". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
11. Sokol, Chris (2009-04-20). "TNA's lackluster Lockdown". Slam Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-06-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |co-author= ignored (help)
12. ^ TNA Wrestling. Lockdown 2007: The Xscape Match. TNAWrestling at Youtube.com. Event occurs at 0:00 - 0:52. Retrieved 2009-04-15. eliminations occur through pinfall or submission, until two men are left, with the winner, the first man to escape the cage. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
13. "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presents: TNA Unbreakable". TNA Unbreakable. 2005-09-11. In Demand. This match was billed as being for the TNA X Division Championship of the World. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
14. "NWA™/Trobich strips TNA/Cage/Team 3D of NWA™ branded Championships". National Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
15. ^ Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The 5/16 "TNA Today" - New X Title Revealed!. TNAWrestling at Youtube.com. Event occurs at 0:25 - 1:40. Retrieved 2009-06-12. Borash: All week long we are debuting the brand new TNA titles for the very first time.... Cornette: X Division Champion Chris Sabin for the official presentation of the brand new X Division Championship belt {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
16. Martin, Adam (2007-05-14). "Antonio Inoki backstage at tapings in Orlando + TNA to unveil new titles". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-06-10. Borash will also unveil the new TNA Tag Team Titles and TNA X Division Title on Wednesday and Thursday as well.
17. Martin, Adam (2007-05-16). "TNA reveals new X Division Title belt, weekend ratings + Sacrifice photos". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2009-06-10. The latest edition of "TNA Today" for Wednesday features a presentation of the new TNA X Division Title belt to champion Chris Sabin.
18. Sokol, Chris (2009-03-16). "The TNA Destination X disaster". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-04-15. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

References

• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Wrestling: Ultimate Matches. TNA Home Video.
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Wrestling: Year One. TNA Home Video.
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Wrestling: The Best of the X Division Vol. 1. TNA Home Video.
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA Wrestling: The Best of the X Division Vol. 2. TNA Home Video.

External links

• TNAWrestling.com

• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling championships
• X Division championships