TNA Destination X Review - July 12, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​DJ Z def. Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, Mandrews, Braxton Sutter and Rockstar Spud in a No. 1 Contender's Ladder Match For the X-Division Championship

Although this was a fun train wreck opener, that seems to be the only thing the X-Division is good for these days. They have the talent, but none of them have defined characters. I failed to see how this match was any different than last week's Ultimate X match other than there being ladders involved. I realize the show was named after the division, but constantly placing them in the opening slot will never do them any favors. DJ Z winning was a refreshing change of pace, but hopefully he is built up a bit more before going for the gold.


TNA World Heavyweight Champion Lashley and X-Division Champion Eddie Edwards Came Face-to-Face

Although I enjoyed their verbal exchange from last week slightly more because it came across as more natural, this was still a solid segment from Lashley and Edwards ahead of their main event championship clash. Both of them produced good mic work and the segment was kept short and sweet. Davey Richards returning was a pleasant surprise, but I would have saved it until during/after the main event just so it wouldn't send the message that interference from Richards was virtually guaranteed.

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Bram def. World Tag Team Champion Abyss

I honestly prefer this program over Decay vs. The BroMans (which has hopefully ended) just because Bram clicks better as a babyface than The BroMans do right now. The whole "crazy" aspect of it is interesting, too, as is the prospect of Rosemary potentially leaving Crazy Steve and Abyss for Bram. The match wasn't anything special, but the storyline was progressed nicely with tension being teased within Decay.


Knockouts Champion Sienna def. Gail Kim, Jade and Marti Bell in a Fatal 4-Way Match

This wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be, but it wasn't stellar, either. Every multi-woman match we've had in TNA this year has been a mess and this was no exception. They all tried to cram their signature spots in the small window of time they allotted and the match never had a consistent flow to it as a result. Not only has the booking of the division been abysmal, but it feels like we're seeing different combinations of the same four women every week.


Matt Hardy "Fired" Jeff Hardy

My biggest fear in regards to this rivalry is that TNA will have it overstay its welcome (and one can argue it already has considering it's been going since the spring), but I thought this was an effective way of furthering the feud with "Broken" Matt taking full advantage of his ability to do what he wants with Jeff (er, Brother Nero), including firing him. He plays the character perfectly and I hope he continues to thrive in the role even beyond this program with Jeff.


DJ Z def. Mike Bennett

I really liked how the attack from Bennett on DJ Z after the opener and their subsequent backstage encounter set up this match in a logical manner. We need more of that not only in TNA but in other promotions on a regular basis to make it more of an episodic television show where storylines unfold over the course of the evening. This was a nice little match while it lasted and although the X-Division guys banding together was weird following their match against each other earlier, I can see why it would make sense given all Bennett has said to discredit the division as of late. This was exactly the type of credible win DJ Z needed going into his eventual title shot, but I don't know if I would have had him be only the second person ever to beat Bennett in singles competition.


Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III Brawled

Both are babyfaces at the moment, but Galloway definitely comes across as the heel between the two, and perhaps that's the direction they're heading in. Their mic work before the brawl was fine and the brawl itself was all right. It barely scratched the surface, though, and I was confused why they were broken up in the back yet no one did anything about it when they were in the ring. I'm certainly curious to see where this leads because I genuinely have no idea.


TNA World Heavyweight Champion Lashley vs. X-Division Champion Eddie Edwards Ended in a No Contest

Lashley works best against competitors smaller than him (thus creating that David vs. Goliath vibe), so it wasn't shocking he and Edwards had great chemistry together. I was waiting for interference of some kind, but the in-ring action prior to that point was entertaining. They laid on a possible Wolves split pretty thick earlier in the evening, so I was very happy that didn't end up being the case. I assumed Moose would arrive in TNA eventually, but not this soon, so his debut was a cool way of closing the show while also setting up a Six Sides of Steel title vs. title rematch for next week.


Overall Show

Destination X is typically one of TNA's stronger shows of the year and this year's installment saw that streak continue. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was an improvement over Slammiversary. The Hardy Boyz angle, the main event and Moose's debut were among the show's top highlights and the rest of the night held up nicely. The short-lived brawl and women's match didn't light the world on fire for me, but the good outweighed the bad on this show. They definitely have me looking forward to what's next, that's for sure.