The X-Division Championship was one of the most valuable TNA ideas in the early years to help the company get established. Jeff Jarrett came up with the name when watching the X-Games and felt it could be an evolved version of the Cruiserweight division. The concept worked as a hit from the start as many top stars made their name competing for the title.
TNA tried to be selective with which names won the X-Division Championship in the early years. Some of the names would go on to become top tier TNA icons while others barely lasted beyond their title reigns. Find out which talents played the biggest role in starting something special. The first ten wrestlers to hold the X-Division Championship will be ranked based on their title reigns.
10 Syxx-Pac
The name value of Syxx-Pac aka X-Pac was the strongest of any of the first ten X-Division Champions, but he was not ideal for that role. WWE fans expected great performances of X-Pac due to his history of great matches in his prime.
Things changed by the time he joined TNA after his WWE release. Syxx-Pac was no longer performing at the highest level when he won the title in lackluster fashion. TNA regretted putting the title on him and used him inconsistently for the rest of his run.
9 Low Ki
The in-ring talent of Low Ki made him a strong part of the X-Division by having incredible matches unlike anything in WWE at the time. Low Ki’s first title reign in the early years only lasted about two weeks during the era of weekly PPVs.
TNA didn’t trust Low Ki as much as some of the other names in the X-Division at the time. Low Ki deserves credit for the early matches helping the division take off, but he didn’t have the best of title reigns in 2002.
8 Sonny Siaki
One of the few wrestlers to completely miss the mark when getting pushed in the X-Division was Sonny Siaki. TNA management viewed Siaki as a future star based on his great look and athleticism at a time when they needed new stars.
Sonny played a heel involved in Vince Russo’s Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction when winning the X-Division Championship. The title reign featured some solid matches, but he didn’t stand out as someone to build around. TNA cut bait with Siaki shortly after dropping the title and his career fell off.
7 Amazing Red
TNA fans loved the in-ring work of Amazing Red when helping show the style that would take the X-Division to new heights. Red delivered moves that were never seen before as someone who took pride in innovation.
The X-Division Championship was won by Red in 2003 and held it for a few weeks. Red deserves more credit when looking back at TNA’s early years and his impact on the X-Division. The future returns would see Red thrive with the belt on a few more occasions.
6 Michael Shane
Michael Shane was one of the most underrated wrestlers on the TNA roster in the early days. Many people in the industry expected Shane to become a huge star following his training with his real cousin and wrestling icon Shawn Michaels.
The matches of Shane delivered both when teaming with Frankie Kazarian and when in singles action. Shane won the X-Division Championship and held the title for about five months. TNA didn’t find the long-term success of Shane who left the company afterwards, but he did well with the title reign.
5 Frankie Kazarian
The tag team run of Michael Shane and Frankie Kazarian helped set them both up for singles runs on their own in the X-Division. Kazarian was one of the best all-around rising young stars when winning the X-Division Championship.
The fan base loved Kazarian’s matches and were clearly in awe of his title defenses. WWE eventually signed Kazarian to end his TNA time, but he regretted the move instantly. Kazarian returned to TNA with the fans still holding a bond with him and making him a fixture in the X-Division.
4 Kid Kash
The ECW success of Kid Kash gave him some name value when TNA used him in the early years. Kash was a constant in TNA over the first few years moving back and forth between teaming with Lance Hoyt and having his own singles run.
The X-Division was the place where Kash shined the most in his TNA career. Kash’s work ethic always provided strong matches and he helped some of the less experienced talents have good matches with him. TNA put the X-Division Championship on Kash in 2003 for almost three months.
3 Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn was one of the few veterans to instantly fit in with TNA during the early years of the company’s start. The in-ring work of Lynn always delivered and helped create the identity of the X-Division.
Various matches with the younger talents showed that Lynn could still keep up with the new stars and added some importance to the X-Division matches. Lynn was the third X-Division Champion in company history and held it twice in the first six reigns.
2 Chris Sabin
Few wrestling fans knew of Chris Sabin when he made his debut in TNA during the first chapter of the company. Sabin instantly proved his skill set by having great matches in the X-Division from the start to get established.
TNA trusted Sabin fast enough to put the X-Division Champion in 2003. Sabin had stellar matches and built his name during his first title reign to last over three months. The career of Sabin would see him setting the records for most X-Division title reigns and total days as champion.
1 AJ Styles
TNA made the perfect choice when choosing AJ Styles to become the first-ever X-Division Champion. The first title match for the vacant title came when Styles defeated Jerry Lynn, Psicosis and Low Ki in an instant classic that made the division relevant from the start.
Styles proved that he was a special talent and would become one of the faces of TNA to help the growth. The X-Division style was perfected by AJ having must-watch matches. TNA earned new fans who fell in love with Styles as the X-Division Champion.