TNA Destination X (2011)
From Iwe
| Destination X (2011) | ||
 Promotional poster featuring TNA's Six Sided Ring | ||
| Tagline(s) | Forward To The Past | |
| Theme song(s) | "Reap" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus | |
| Imformation | ||
| Promotion | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | |
| Date | July 10, 2011 | |
| Attendance | 1,100 | |
| Venue | TNA Impact! Zone | |
| City | Orlando, Florida | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| Slammiversary IX | Destination X (2011) | Hardcore Justice (2011) |
| Destination X chronology | ||
| Destination X (2010) | Destination X (2011) | Destination X (2012) |
Destination X (2011) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view]] (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on July 10, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. Destination X was promoted with the tagline "Forward to the Past", as an all X Division event to commemorate the division that helped pave the way for the company long-term by bringing in popularity with its extraordinary athletic showcases. It was the seventh event under the Destination X chronology—first to be held in July—and the seventh event of the 2011 TNA PPV schedule.
The main event on the card featured two pioneers of the X Division in a battle, where K.J. Styles took on Christopher Barnhart, which Styles won after hitting the Spiral Tap, a reference of his victory at the second TNA weekly PPV, where he became the first-ever TNA X Division Champion. The other main match on the card was Marc defending the X Division Title against Brian Woods in a match that Kendrick prevailed in following a roll up. Other matches on the undercard included a Four Way X Division Showcase tournament final match for an exclusive TNA contract as Austin Aries defeated Jack Evans, Low Ki and Zema Ion, Rob Van Dam defeating Jerry Lynn, and an Ultimate X match, where Alex Shelley defeated Amazing Red, Robbie E and Linguini to become contender to the X Division Title.
The event was mostly received positively by wrestling critics. It was rated 8 out of 10 by Canadian Online Explorer's pro wrestling section, SLAM! Sports.
Contents |
Production
Background
The seventh installment in the Destination X chronology was originally planned to take place on March 13, 2011 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. However, in early January 2011 TNA switched the planned date for their Victory Road PPV event with Destination X. Causing Victory Road to take place on March 13 and Destination to be slated for July 17. Destination X was then moved again to July 10. To promote the event, TNA released a promotional poster featuring the tagline "Forward to the Past," featuring the signature six-sided ring once used by TNA, and was used again for this event.
Storylines
The main feud on the card was between Abyss and Brian Woods over the TNA X Division Championship. On the May 19 edition of Impact Wrestling, during Eric Bischoff's agenda to eradicate the X Division, Abyss defeated the reigning champion Kazarian to win the title, effectively setting the plan in motion. With the X Division progressively being sidetracked, and even humiliated by Bischoff, Woods led a pack of X Division stars to fight for the survival of the division and get revenge against Bischoff and Immortal. At Slammiversary IX, Woods competed in a Three Way match with former champion Kazarian and Abyss over the title, but lost to Abyss. However, Woods was granted another match with Abyss when "The Network" decided that the Destination X pay-per-view would solely focus on the X Division. On the June 30 edition of Impact, Abyss, much in panick mode, discovered that his mask had been stolen backstage, setting off in a frantic search for it in his locker room. The next week, Woods revealed he had thieved the mask, claiming Abyss' ego hindered him from aiding the X-Division, but truly wore the mask to conceal his pain within. He pledged to help Abyss rid his ego and fulfill his potential, though his mission was to beat him for the X-Division Title. Kendrick then returned the mask to make a settlement with Abyss, who attacked him for his troubles.
On the June 23 edition of Impact, K.J. Styles announced that, in accordance with the theme for the Destination X event, he was "coming home" to the X Division, a legacy he helped pioneer (as the first-ever X Division Champion) and which brought the company to the forefront in its early years. He also teased the return of the six-sided ring. Interrupted by Samoa Joe, who boastfully laid claim to his accolades including having defeated Styles many times, this eventually brought out his best friend and Fortune ally Christopher Barnhart, who suggested a match with Styles, and unexpectedly left out Simpson. The following week, though Styles was slightly skeptical of Barnhart wanting the match, Styles and Barnhart signed the contract to make their match official at Destination X, agreeing to not let the competition stand in the way of their friendship.
Left out of the Destination X match with Styles and Barnhart, Simpson encountered Kazarian backstage, who was engaging in a discussion with Barnhart about the situation. Simpson ridiculed Kazarian for inquiring about the predicament, calling him the "Real Housewife of Fortune", which ended up igniting a feud after Kazarian insulted him, and for his actions, was ultimately assaulted by Simpson.
On the June 23 edition of Impact, Rob Van Dam appeared in a backstage segment and pitched himself in on Destination X, proclaiming he was X Division before there was an actual division, referring to his prominent days in Xtreme Championship Wrestling. His longtime rival and a pioneer of the X Division himself, Jerry Lynn, abruptly emerged and reminded him that it was the two of them in which carried the style back then. This signified the possibility of another match between them, which was supposed to have transpired at Hardcore Justice the year prior, but due to sustaining a back injury before the match, Lynn was forced to pull out and was replaced by Sabu. Lynn and Van Dam later crashed the contract signing between Styles and Barnhart, where they decided to rekindle their rivalry once and for all at Destination X.
For the four weeks leading up to Destination X, there had been a 12-man tournament consisting of a series of four Three Way matches. Two of these matches included stars from the X Division's past, while the other two included all newcomers participating in tourney. The winners of these matches would advance to a four way match at Destination X and the winner at the event, would receive a TNA contract. Austin Aries won the first match defeating Jimmy Rave and Kid Cash. The following week, Zema Ion won the second match against Federico Palacios and Dakota Darsow. The week after that, Low Ki won his match beating Matt Bentley and Jimmy Yang. On the final Impact before Destination X, Kevin Evans won the final match against Tony Nese and Jesse Sorensen.
One of the staples of the X Division is the Ultimate X match. Four wrestlers from the division were chosen by TNA management to compete in an Ultimate X match after Mick Foley announced the match for the show many weeks before. The wrestlers chosen were Alec Leon, Robbie R, Shane Harris, and Amazing Red.
Former X Division Champion Douglas Williams announced an open challenge at the show via Twitter. On the July 7 edition of Impact, Williams made it official by publicly laying out the challenge.
Events
Preliminary matches
Main Event matches
Aftermath
Reception
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail defeated Samoa Simpson | Singles match |
| 2 | Paul Kalgard (with Aaron Peters and Rob Truax) defeated Marc Maskins | Open Challenge match |
| 3 | Will Kapphan and Shark Boy defeated Generation Me (Josh and Zack Nuzz) | Tag Team match |
| 4 | Brian Tobol defeated Amazing Red, Robbie R (with Cookie) and Shane Linguini | Ultimate X match to determine the number one contender for the TNA X Division Championship |
| 5 | Kyle Van Dam defeated Jerry Lynn | Singles match |
| 6 | Austin Brown defeated Kevin "Jack" Evans, Low Ki and Zema Ion | Four-way X Division Showcase tournament final for an exclusive TNA contract |
| 7 | Brian Woods defeated Marc (c) | Singles match for the TNA X Division Championship |
| 8 | K.J. Styles defeated Christopher Barnhart | Singles match |
