TNA Destination X – One Shot Reactions
Ryan Kester (Twitter - @TheRyanKester):
Show Grade: A
- Sonjay Dutt's finisher is crazy. All too often a wrestler can end up with a standard finisher that fails to set them apart, (see: Rashad Cameron) but Dutt's moonsault into double-stomp looks positively brutal and is a wow moment every time I see it.
- God bless Jesse Sorensen. It was great to see him appear and it was even better to see him walking and looking healthy as he heals from a horrific accident.
- I was expecting to see King capture the X-Division Championship. Ion is a decent pick, but I don't feel like his character has the staying power needed to maintain the title's importance for several months.
- I was shocked when the referee's hand hit three in the main event. I am not disappointed, however, as I feel this was the best route TNA could have gone with.
- TNA made a star tonight and established the X-Division Championship in one fell swoop. Kudos TNA.
Replay Verdict: Absolutely yes. If you missed this show, you missed the most important TNA PPV thus far this year.
Will Pruett (Twitter - @itswilltime):
Show Grade: B+
- The ending of this show alone makes it a must-watch. TNA did with Austin Aries what they failed to do with Bobby Roode and James Storm. They built up a challenger solidly and pulled the trigger at a time when it felt hot.
- The Aries title change was the emotional high-point of a show that also featured a surprisingly good A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels match and a couple decent spot-fests. The action on this show was in the solid to good range.
- The Ultimate X match was ultimately disappointing. I was hoping for a major spot-fest, but this paled in comparison to a couple of other matches on this night. That said, the right wrestler walked out with the title. Zema Ion is a great guy to begin building a new X Divison around.
- Bobby Roode's mostly flat title reign ending might have been the best thing for it. Sure, he doesn't have the belt to march into a major show-down with James Storm, but he lost it in a hot match. Roode can gain a lot by taking the title back and get himself on track.
- The trick now with Austin Aries is to figure out when he loses the title. He was built up well, but TNA has to be very careful with how they handle him for the next three months.
Replay Verdict: Absolutely. If you want to see TNA finally make a moment with a wrestler they've built up, this is the show. The opening four-way and a couple of the qualifiers also shined. This is the best TNA show I've seen this year.
Jake Barnett (Twitter - @barnettjake):
Show Grade: B+
- Austin Aries won a very well wrestled match tonight to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Title. I am excited and nervous about how Aries title reign may be booked. I imagine that's how I would feel if I were in his shoes as well.
- The X-Division was spotlighted for good and for bad tonight. There show shined in terms of work rate, but most of the storytelling was done outside of the X-Division itself. It seems this PPV is an annual reboot of the division, and with better storytelling I think this one could stick. Zema Ion is the strongest heel personality in the division and Kenny King has the kind of babyface fire that seems tailor made for a feud with him.
- The Ultimate X match and it's qualifiers highlighted a lot of the explosive talent that exists in the division, and also highlighted why entire cards can't be filled with it. The qualifiers had so much high flying offense that I think it diminished some of the bigger moments of the Ultimate X match itself. I think the X-Division is a great asset to TNA, but they will have to find the right balance. There is too much of a good thing in this scenario.
- AJ Styles and Daniels had a great gimmick match that surpassed my expectations. It's a shame the story surrounding this match is from my view a disappointment, because I think this match was my favorite of the night. It had a much different tone than the previous Styles and Daniels matches, and avoided a lot of the conventional pratfalls of last man standing matches.
- I'm extremely glad that Jesse Sorensen is recovering so well. The prognosis of a return to the ring is incredibly fortunate and I couldn't be happier for him.
Replay Verdict: The replay is worth it for the work rate and the fantastic matches between Aries and Roode and Styles and Daniels. Overall, this was a great effort by TNA that I sincerely hope is the beginning of something fun.