The
X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
seen originally in
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling , a privately controlled integrated-media and sports entertainment company, deals primarily in professional wrestling. It uses television, the Internet, and live events, with additional major revenue sources from product licensing and direct product sales...
and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tag line is that "It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits!" The
TNA X Division ChampionshipThe TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
has changed hands forty times since 2002, and is currently held by
Amazing RedJonathan Figueroa is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current X Division Champion, as well as working on the American Independent circuit...
.
The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling had become one of the features of
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
and
Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
in the late '90s.
The
X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
seen originally in
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling , a privately controlled integrated-media and sports entertainment company, deals primarily in professional wrestling. It uses television, the Internet, and live events, with additional major revenue sources from product licensing and direct product sales...
and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tag line is that "It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits!" The
TNA X Division ChampionshipThe TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
has changed hands forty times since 2002, and is currently held by
Amazing RedJonathan Figueroa is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current X Division Champion, as well as working on the American Independent circuit...
.
History
The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling had become one of the features of
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
and
Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
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
cruiserweightIn professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing below 220 lb , sometimes 215. The older term junior heavyweight, which was used to describe the division, is more favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles...
division, TNA decided to emphasize the high-risk nature of the moves that these wrestlers perform. As such, according to Bob Ryder in
The History of TNA: Year 1, they named the division after the
X GamesThe X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by Disney-owned US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on extreme action sports intended for Generation X and Generation Y viewers. The games started in 1995....
. There is no upper weight limit on the X Division or its title, though in practice, most of the wrestlers in this division have been cruiserweights, with
Sonny SiakiSonny Siaki is a retired American professional wrestler. Unlike many Samoans in professional wrestling, he is not part of the large Anoa'i or Fatu family.-Early life:...
,
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, and
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
, being notable exceptions. To further emphasize this point, the slogan
"It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits" is used to describe the division. 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 DanielsDaniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling wrestling as Daniels. He has also wrestled as Curry Man and Suicide...
,
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
and
A.J. StylesAllen Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles , is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
was given the rare rating of 5 stars by the Wrestling Observer.
In 2006,
Kevin NashKevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. Nash has wrestled under various ring names, but most notably by his own name, for World Championship Wrestling and wrestled by his own name and as Diesel in World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
had a well-publicized feud with the entire X Division, easily defeating several X Division stars, before defeating
Chris SabinJoshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , and also makes appearances for the Japan based Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX promotion, and in the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion...
at Slammiversary (2006). Nash also praised the X Division, saying that there was "some tremendous talent" in the division.
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
believes that the X Division has gone downhill since its peak around 2005. At that time, the division was based on
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
and
A.J. StylesAllen Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles , is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
. He also said that he would like to join the X Division, to help it create its own stars, instead of relying on ex-
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(TNA's larger competitor) wrestlers.
One of the most intense feuds in the X Division was between A.J. Styles,
Christopher DanielsDaniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling wrestling as Daniels. He has also wrestled as Curry Man and Suicide...
, 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. TNA has been in contact with Spike TV possibly airing an all X-Division TV series.
Tournaments
X Division wrestlers are the only TNA wrestlers that compete in the
TNA X Cup TournamentsThe TNA X Cup Tournaments consist of various types of X Division tournaments that feature wrestlers and/or Teams from all over the World competing in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to fight for a trophy or a group of trophies.-History:...
. The first such tournament was the
TNA 2003 Super X Cup TournamentThe NWA TNA 2003 Super X Cup Tournament was an X Division tournament that was contested in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-History:The Super X Cup Tournament was an international tournament that featured X Division wrestlers from all over the world to compete in one-on-one matches, with the winner...
, which was won by Chris Sabin. Because of the positive response for that tournament, several more have occurred since.
Roster
The current TNA X Division roster consists of:
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|
| Suicide Suicide is a fictional character and the protagonist of TNA Impact!, a video game based on the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . In December 2008, TNA introduced the Suicide character on television as a real-life wrestler.Suicide is a former TNA X Division Champion...
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HomicideNelson Rodriguez Erazo is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name, Homicide...
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Jay LethalJamar Shipman , better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
|
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| Consequences Creed |
|
KiyoshiAkira Raijin is a Japanese professional wrestler from All Japan Pro Wrestling who currently competes as Kiyoshi in North America for the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion.-Japan :...
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|
Amazing RedJonathan Figueroa is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He currently wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is the current X Division Champion, as well as working on the American Independent circuit...
|
Current X Division Champion |
Eric YoungJeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he is the current Legends Champion.-Career:...
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Alex ShelleyPatrick Martin , better known by the ring name Alex Shelley, is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he is a former TNA X Division Champion. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for Ring of Honor, as...
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| Sheik Abdul Bashir |
|
Chris SabinJoshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , and also makes appearances for the Japan based Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX promotion, and in the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion...
|
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Christopher DanielsDaniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling wrestling as Daniels. He has also wrestled as Curry Man and Suicide...
|
|
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
|
|
D'Angelo DineroElijah Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
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Shark BoyDean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy. He has been wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as an enhancement talent since 2002.-Early career:...
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See also
- Cruiserweight
In professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing below 220 lb , sometimes 215. The older term junior heavyweight, which was used to describe the division, is more favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles...
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , a privately controlled integrated-media and sports entertainment company, deals primarily in professional wrestling. It uses television, the Internet, and live events, with additional major revenue sources from product licensing and direct product sales...
- TNA X Cup Tournaments
The TNA X Cup Tournaments consist of various types of X Division tournaments that feature wrestlers and/or Teams from all over the World competing in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to fight for a trophy or a group of trophies.-History:...