TNA Destination X ‘06

1. Alex Shelley vs. Jay Lethal – 5
2. Lance Hoyt vs. Matt Bentley – 3
3. Naturals vs. Eric Young and Bobby Roode – 4
4. James Gang and “Bullet” Bob Armstrong vs. L.A.X. and Konnan – 3
5. Chris Sabin vs. Puma vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams – 6
6. Team 3D, Rhyno, and Ron “Truth” Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett, America’s Most Wanted, and Abyss – 5
7. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels – Ultimate X Match – 6
8. Christian vs. Monty Brown – 3

I was actually in Orlando, FL when this event happened. I remember at the time considering attending, but little was announced in terms of what matches the show would consist of. Watching it now, that’s evident, as you typically expect TNA to deliver upwards of 10 matches – here, you get only 8, many of which seem unnecessarily stretched to fill time. The card is largely sufficient, for a one-time viewing, but there’s not a lot of memorable or special stuff worth seeking out on this ultimately forgettable show.

Shelley and Lethal start it off right, with arguably the most pleasantly surprising match of the show. The pacing and overall performances were hard to take issue with, and this was definitely a fun and enjoyable opener. Hoyt and Bentley wasn’t offensive, but hardly engrossing. The same can be said about the subsequent tag match, which like the proceeding bout went a tad longer than anticipated and desired. The six-man match was a big mess, much akin to the one Bob Armstrong left in his adult diaper before leaving the locker room.

I rather enjoyed the International four-way match, featuring fast-paced action we’ve grown to expect from the X division. There wasn’t a ton of psychology, but lots of eye candy. Don West is babbling incoherently per usual, just like he was the first time he was caught downloading and subsequently masturbating to a random of pornstar Gauge’s tasteless videos. The eight-man tag started with sloppy brawling throughout the crowd, but ended up eventually back in the ring, where it settled into a decent little match, highlighted by the last few minutes where Killings worked his ass off. The Ultimate X was a disappointment, as we’ve seen these three guys deliver such great performances in prior matches, it’s hard to accept anything less in latter higher-profile bouts. Daniels takes an awkward spill over the ropes onto AJ on the floor at one point – watch closely as Daniels grabs a handful of Styles’ ass and jiggles it, in a moment of either comradely or blatant homoerotic tendencies. The main event was absolutely awful! I’ve been a big detractor of Christian and his title run, and this match further proves my point of it being a mistake of the highest order. This match, trudging on for what feels like eternity, is certainly not what I’d want as my premier match, should I be running TNA. Even the typically hot Orlando crowd is about as into this as Sable was into Marc Mero’s bright idea of having threesomes with random college sophomores. But, against better judgment, both Sable and us, loyal wrestling fans, were subjected to such offensive and distasteful strikes against our intelligence and pride.