Ultimate X For the X Division Title:
Chris Sabin defeats Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries vs. Manik to win X-Division Title
Best Case Scenario: A really exciting, athletic match in which each man shows off what makes him a unique talent. It comes down to Chris Sabin and Jeff Hardy shimmying along the ropes towards the belt, at which point Sabin thumbs Hardy’s eye and snatches the title, leading to his whole heel turn angle actually making sense.
Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a “really exciting, athletic match,” but I got the finish mostly right. Sabin winning makes the most sense, as a lot of time on Impact has been devoted to his heel turn over the last two months, and (for better or worse) he’s not “above” the title like Aries, Joe, and Hardy. Could this match have been more exciting? Yeah, definitely, but at least they came away with the title on the right wrestler.
After this match, it’s worth asking if we’ve seen the last of Ultimate X. Both Aries and Hardy buried the concept as dangerous and unrelated to pro wrestling in recent promos, and given that TNA presented those interviews, it’s safe to say they don’t see a lot of value in the gimmick. In the early days of TNA, wrestlers were willing to take crazy bumps for Ultimate X because (1) we still weren’t far removed from TLC and (2) they believed they could create buzz for themselves as wrestlers and TNA as a company. Now, wrestlers are obviously more disciplined and, to speak plainly, have less faith that anything they do in TNA will get them over as a big star.
Match Rating: +0.2
