Destination X is upon us and comes to us live this Sunday from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. Early promotional material for the event hinted at an all X Division pay-per-view, but that has since changed. The division will get an opportunity to shine, though, as three of the nine scheduled matches feature X Division, including a tag team Ultimate X match.
- AJ Styles vs. Abyss (TNA World Championship)
- Generation Me vs. the Motorcity Machine Guns (Ultimate X #1 Contender Tag Team Championship)
- Rob Terry vs. Brutus Magnus (TNA Global Championship)
- Doug Williams vs. Shannon Moore (X Division Championship)
- Matt Morgan & Hernandez vs. Beer Money (TNA Tag Team Championship)
- Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
- Tara vs. Daffney (TNA Knockouts Championship)
- Eric Young & Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall & Sean Waltman (Chance at TNA contract)
- Kazarian vs. Daniels vs. Amazing Red vs. Brian Kendrick (Ladder Match #1 Contender X Division Championship)
AJ Styles vs. Abyss (TNA World Championship)
The cowardly Abyss has newfound courage after receiving Hulk Hogan’s Hall of Fame ring. This has also gotten him in the main event picture as he will battle AJ Styles for the TNA World Championship. Unfortunately, this is taking away from the real “money” feud in my mind, Styles vs. Dinero, which, one assumes, will take place next month at Lockdown.
I have a hard time seeing this match go any way but in favor of Styles, so TNA wasted a main event in my mind. Not every pay-per-view needs a match where the TNA World Championship is defended and this may have been better suited as a tag team match between Styles and someone like Desmond Wolfe against Abyss & Dinero.
Dinero, by the way, isn’t even on this card which pretty much kills any momentum he may have had going into Lockdown. In the end, Styles will win with or without the help of Ric Flair and go on to defend the title against Dinero in April.
Starman’s Prediction: AJ Styles to retain the championship.
Generation Me vs. the Motorcity Machine Guns (Ultimate X #1 Contender Tag Team Championship)
Since arriving to TNA, Generation Me has been in a rivalry against the Motorcity Machine Guns. The two teams are strikingly similar and are a lot of fun to watch and they could bring the house down with their Ultimate X match. A shot at the TNA Tag Team Champions is up for grabs in this match, which gives the match a little something extra.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it still amazes me that the Motorcity Machine Guns has yet to hold the tag team gold. It always seems that the team is in some sort of doghouse or another, but I would say that they are more than deserving of a chance at the titles. With that said, I have to pick against them and take Generation Me to win the match. I have pretty much lost all hope in the Guns, even though they are still one of my favorite teams.
This match also has my early prediction of match of the night.
Starman’s Prediction: Generation Me to win Ultimate X.
Rob Terry vs. Brutus Magnus (TNA Global Championship)
Rob Terry defeated Eric Young at a house show in Whales to become the new TNA Global Champion. Shortly afterwards, Terry had some issues with his buddies in the British Invasion after Brutus Magnus called him a disgrace. Since then, Terry has made quick work out of his other former teammate in Doug Williams. I expect Terry to do the same to Magnus in this little-hyped match.
Starman’s Prediction: Rob Terry to retain the TNA Global Championship.
Doug Williams vs. Shannon Moore (X Division Championship)
Kaz was in line to get a shot at the X Division Title at Destination X but Eric Bischoff pulled the trigger and had his match take place on Impact. Doug Williams retained the title in a 3-way match against Kaz and Daniels but Bischoff then announced that Williams would be facing Shannon Moore at Destination X instead.
What Shannon Moore did exactly to deserve a shot at the X Division Title is unknown as he has yet to wrestle since coming back to TNA. Even so, Doug Williams doesn’t seem to fit the usual X Division mold as Moore does, so I fully expect Moore to win the title to crown a new X Division Champion in his first match back.
Starman’s Prediction: Shannon Moore to win the X Division Championship.
Matt Morgan & Hernandez vs. Beer Money (TNA Tag Team Championship)
Hernandez and Matt Morgan have been at odds as of late after having to face each other in the 8 Card Stud Tournament last month at Against All Odds. After listening to Beer Money run their mouths about how underused they are, Hernandez took it upon himself to put the titles on the line, which didn’t sit well with Morgan.
I’d be impressed if the team of Morgan & Hernandez makes it past Sunday as their dissention has been pretty obvious. I am all for it, too, since they both would make better singles wrestlers at this point in time. Beer Money should easily walk away with the titles in this match and go on to face the winner of the Ultimate X match at Lockdown.
Starman’s Prediction: Beer Money to win the TNA Tag Team Championship.
Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
Mr. Anderson stepped over the line last month at Against All Odds after leaving Kurt Angle in a puddle of his own blood from carving his forehead with Angle’s necklace. Angle went on to explain the significance of the necklace, which was given to him by an American soldier, and gathered the troops to assist in extracting their revenge. This past Monday, though, Anderson once again used it to carve up Angle’s head.
Anderson won the first meeting between these two at Against All Odds and left Angle in a pool of his own blood once more this past week. Both of which leads me to believe that Angle will even the score this time around and win this match. The feud between the two will far from over, however, and will at least continue on through Lockdown.
Starman’s Prediction: Kurt Angle to even the score.
Tara vs. Daffney (TNA Knockouts Championship)
Daffney has upped her game in the past month and has been a refreshing new face in the Knockouts title scene. She has set her sights on the champion, Tara, and brutally attacked her during a non-title match, which caused Daffney to be disqualified. A title match was then made between these two to settle their differences.
Unfortunately for both of them, Tara hasn’t been doing much as of late and the division is probably at its lowest point since its inception. This match just seemed to be thrown on the card with little mention of it whatsoever. Even so, this should be a decent match as both are good workers in the ring.
I’d love to see Daffney come out with the title to give the division a fresh start, but I have to go with Tara winning this match. I expect this rivalry to also go into Lockdown.
Starman’s Prediction: Tara to retain the Knockouts Championship.
Eric Young & Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall & Sean Waltman (Chance at TNA contract)
For months now, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman have been breaking into the Impact Zone and doing what they want, even though they are not contracted talent on the roster. That hasn’t stopped them from getting a match on pay-per-view, however, as they are wrestling for TNA contracts. If they lose, though, they cannot show their faces around TNA again.
This match has swerve written all over it to the point that if a swerve doesn’t happen, then I’d truly be shocked. The only question that remains is who is who swerves who? Could TNA go the unexpected route and allow EY to swerve Nash in helping the Band get TNA contracts, or will Nash pull the wool over the young man’s eyes and join up with his old pals?
I am going to go out on a limb and pick Young to swerve Nash as that seems more up creative’s alley. Either way, Hall and Waltman will walk out as members of the TNA roster.
Starman’s Prediction: Scott Hall & Sean Waltman to earn TNA contracts.
Kazarian vs. Daniels vs. Amazing Red vs. Brian Kendrick (Ladder Match #1 Contender X Division Championship)
Here is what’s odd about this match. Your standard run of the mill ladder match has a lot in common with an Ultimate X match. With Ultimate X being usually designated as an X Division style match, why isn’t the match to decide a new contender to the X Division Title being contested under Ultimate X rules instead of a tag team match?
I’m not complaining as I’m looking forward to both matches, it just seems odd that this match isn’t an Ultimate X match, or just having this as a 4-way match without the ladder gimmick. I’m getting a little off topic now, so I’ll try to reel it back in.
This match was pretty much tossed together at the last minute and any one of these wrestlers has the potential to walk away with shot at the X Division Title in my mind. Which one is it though? It’s hard to say since I predicted Shannon Moore to win the title and it doesn’t seem he is clearly defined as a heel or a face so I cannot predict a good heel/face matchup based on that.
Instead, I’ll just pick a name at random for my prediction… Daniels.
Starman’s Prediction: Daniels to win a shot at the X Division Championship.
There is Destination X in a nutshell. Take my predictions with a grain of salt. My track record isn’t usually very good, and my ego is really bruised after seeing my NCAA Tournamet bracket.
Anyways, it is good to see the vast number of title defenses and other meaningful matches on the card. Some of the matches are thrown together or are filler, but nothing really steps out to me as being a huge waste of time, aside from maybe the match that involves Hall & Waltman.
At any rate, Destination X has the potential to set up Lockdown nicely and could feature a few really great matches. I feel there is a lot of upside to this pay-per-view and could be one to tune in to, unless money is tight and would be better used towards going to the exorbitant fees for WrestleMania.
