WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

TNA Destination X Review - July 12, 2016

7/12/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
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.

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.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact