X Division - History

History

The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling had become one of the features of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late '90s. 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 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.

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, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, 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 Impact Wrestling, TNA authority figure Eric Bischoff announced that X Division would have a weight limit of 225 lb (102 kg). However, when Hulk Hogan became the new on screen GM in March 2012, the weight limit was quietly repealed, as heavier wrestlers like Samoa Joe and eventual champion Rob Van Dam began competing for the title. Although it was de-emphasized throughout 2007 and throughout 2009, the X Division is generally regarded as one of the key attractions of TNA.

A 2005 three-way match between Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles was given the rare rating of 5 stars by the Wrestling Observer.

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