WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Destination X 2012 Review

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Destination X 2012. How did this PPV turn out? Let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Rubix vs Mason Andrews vs Dakota Darsow vs Lars Only; X Division Tournament

We open up with a tournament match. I like how TNA announced a tournament for the X title, but didn't really explain who was in it or show a bracket. Makes me think the creative staff just made it up along the way. Why? Because it's TNA. Despite the lack of explanation for this tournament, it's pretty easy to follow. I guess the losers got a second chance to qualify for the Ultimate X match, which was another thing TNA didn't really explain. Since they don't give you one, I'll do it for you……..A wizard did it. This match was okay, but I wouldn't call it amazing. The finish comes when Mason hits a spinout cutter on Lars for the victory. With the victory, Mason would have to go up against Kid Kash immediately. The crowd was also very big on Rubix for some reason. I guess they love uncharismatic wrestlers wearing red. Then again, I love the jiggies on his mask. 

Winner via pinfall: Mason Andrews

Match #2: Mason Andrews vs Kid Kash; X Division Tournament

From here on out, the X Division guys would have to win a qualifier match to get into the Ultimate X match. Yeah, it was very well explained by Tenay and Borash, but now I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point. Tazz wasn't working commentary tonight for some reason. I guess working next to Tenay finally drove him off the wall. I think that would happen to anybody. If you aren't big on the X Division tournament, you are probably gonna hate the first half of this PPV. Then again, the PPV is titled Destination X, so you should already know what you were getting with this. Kash shows his originality by doing a Jack in the Box middle finger. What's next? Gonna spit on him? Yeah, Kash is full of hi-jinx. The match was interesting. The finish comes when Mason gets a rollup victory on Kash. Mason will now move on to the Ultimate X match to compete for the X Division Championship. 

Winner via pinfall: Mason Andrews (Didn't I just write this?)

Samoa Joe cut a promo backstage. I guess we can now call him the Samoan Teleprompter Machine. Seriously, look at his eyes while cutting this promo? He never looks away and is so uninterested in what he has to say. We also got some random tweets from some TNA fans. I don't know about you, but I wonder if they block out certain tweets. You just know you will have that one guy who comes in and trashes something because they don't know how to change the channel. In fact, it would've been something else if they showed it. TrollNA: I hate you TNA, so shut the f*** up!!!………#irreverence. Oh, people are really gonna hate me after tonight. 

Match #3: Kenny King vs Douglas Williams; X Division Tournament 

So, did Douglas want to do some last-minute stretches before getting into this match? Seriously, what's with that leg stretch in the beginning of the match. It was weird……and strange…..and some other adjective. The finish comes when Kenny hits the spinout slam for the victory. This was an okay match and…..well, so far these matches have only been okay. They aren't bad matches, but they also don't really stick out in my opinion. I know the IWC is going to disagree with me when I say that, but I'm looking for something a little more. I look at these early matches and I feet that something's missing. I'm not sure what it is, but it's missing. LET'S FIND IT!!!

Winner via pinfall: Kenny King

Match #4: Rashard Cameron vs Sonjay Dutt; X Division Tournament

What I wish TNA would've done is space out the tournament matches to the other matches. I felt they went too overboard in focusing on the tournament and not everything else going on in this company. Then again, TNA was kinda restricted since this is a night for the X Division. I personally felt that out of the X Division tournament matches, this was the best one. I like the character traits that Rashard shows off. I like how Rashard and referee, Earl Hebner, argued throughout this match. If I had to guess, I would think Rashard was taunting Earl with the likelihood that he was gonna steal Madison Rayne from him. That old man has to fight for his unlikely woman. The finish comes when Sonjay hits the moonsault double stomp for the victory. Even though Rashard lost, I would like to see him get a contract with TNA. I think he would be a breath of fresh air for the X Division. 

Winner via pinfall: Sonjay Dutt

Match #5: Zema Ion vs Flip Cassanova; X Division Tournament

Oh Jesse Sorenson. I feel bad for your injury, but damn do you cut a bland promo. I thought the adults from a Peanuts cartoon were talking for a moment there. He did vow to get revenge on Zema for his injury. Why? Because we need foreshadowing for future events that may never happen…..or will they? 

I need to find a new sound clip. Anyway, Zema wins this match with pretty cool finisher for the victory. So, the final four is set for the Ultimate X match to determine the World Cup winner *smack*, eh, I mean the X Division Champion. What made me say that?

Winner via pinfall: Zema Ion

Match #6: Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe; BFG Series match

What is this? The BFG Series in this X Division PPV? 

To be honest, I'm glad to see this match. I kinda needed a break from all that X Division stuff. Before the match, Kurt hugs his kids at ringside. Who the hell is watching these kids? Best Father ever? Anyway, I really enjoyed this match. Most of the action so far was passable, but this is where I started to pay attention. But what sometimes comes with a good match is a pretty silly ending. The finish comes when Joe has the Coquina Clutch on Kurt. I always thought it was called the Cocaine Clutch, but we need to move on. Kurt stops moving, so the ref motions for the bell. Joe wins the match via submission, but Kurt isn't happy about the outcome once he regains himself. I get what they were trying to do with the ending, but it was kinda silly. They wanted Joe to take the lead in the BFG Series AND make Kurt not look weak, but it just looks dumb. Oh well, I guess it isn't the worst thing they planned. With the victory, Joe has a 1 point lead over James Storm. I like that they did this since it opens the door on who can win. Storm is still the favorite, but we need more suspense in the series. Then again, the BFG Series might've gotten a lot more interesting after tonight……FORESHADOWING?

Winner via submission: Samoa Joe

Match #7: AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels; Last Man Standing match

Part of me wonders why this isn't a BFG Series match? They are both competing for the prize, right? I know you can make the argument that their hatred goes beyond a world title match, but it seems kinda stupid to put together two guys to fight each other in the BFG Series and not use it. Anyway, this was a great match. It was pretty brutal and I thought it was a great LMS match. I like how Kaz shows up to help out Daniels, but does nothing afterwords. What, did he forget his intentions? Or maybe it was the lack of blood flow? Oh, time for that familiar TNA chant….

DING!!!

The finish comes when Styles hits the Styles Clash on Daniels through a table to keep Daniels down. This was a really good match. I advise checking it out. I guess the main issue I have with this match is the aftermath. I don't see anything being resolved with this storyline. Last I checked, they are still rolling with this Claire Lynch character and she's still pregnant. Even if Daniels had won, nothing would change. Then again, I kinda figured that would happen since this is a storyline that's going to keep getting more blown over than an episode of Jerry Springer. 

Winner: AJ Styles

Match #8: Ultimate X Match; winner is the new X Division Champion

Competing in this match is Zema, Kenny, Sonjay, and Mason.  What I found pointless was Sonjay being taken away, offscreen, but only to return and almost win the title. It just seemed pointless to offscreen him and it add up to nothing. I have to think either kayfabe was broken, or the creative staff wrote an idea and got distracted by a housefly. The finish comes when Sonjay and Zema fight from the top of the structure. Zema pulls out the hairspray and Sonjay sells the attack in the worst way possible (Come on, even you have to admit it was bad acting). Zema finally pulls down the title and we have a new X Division Champion. Did TNA think of a worse location for Zema to do his victory interview? The fans behind him are completely obnoxious and unoriginal. Fruity Pebble? Transition? Are those the best chants you have to counter with? Well, it didn't take long for the Impact Zone to remind me why I'm not a fan of their chants. Now, I can see some people bringing up the argument that the tournament matches on Impact the last two weeks were pointless since they decided to crown Zema. Well, I don't see it that way. It was an opportunity to show new and hungry talent that COULD help out this division. I think a few of these guys have potential to perform well in this division. I like to think of this as an open audition to find new talents/rivalries. I don't have a problem with Zema getting the championship. I know a lot of people don't like him, but I think the guy has a good look, plays a decent character, and is interesting enough to be the X Division champion. Plus, I find him more entertaining than Sonjay…..

Winner and NEW X Division Champion: Zema Ion

Match #9: Robert Roode vs Austin Aries; TNA World Championship

Well, what can I say about this match? It was simply amazing. Bobby and Austin told a great story in this match. You got that cocky attitude that both guys feature, but you also get that separation with the size difference. It was personally my favorite match out of the night. This is a strong contender for Match of the Year. I thought it was THAT good. The finish comes when after a ton of close calls, A Double hits the Brainbuster for the clean victory. That's right, we have a new world champion in Austin Aries. The show ends when A Double celebrating his victory as the confetti rains down. I wonder if Aries got that amazing Canadian confetti that Bobby was bragging about?  We've established that Canada has the good s*** in the confetti department. So, I can definitely say that I didn't see Austin winning tonight's match. I did say, after the recent Impact, the likelihood of A Double winning increased, but I still didn't think it would happen. It really says something that A Double got to win the big one. I think Aries needed this victory for a couple of reasons. As Bobby mentioned, it would make the X Division look bad if Aries came up with an idea and fails on his first outing. This helps the X Division since it will show that these guys can mix it up with the big dogs and they can take the main championship. This will also help out Aries since it shows that TNA wants to make him an important character on this show. Now, with that said, I'm not sure if Aries will be a long-term champion. Something tells me that Aries will end up losing the title at the next PPV to Bobby. Mainly because I don't really see Aries going into Bound for Glory as champion. Then again, the "A 8 8 A" poker hand that showed up last week. Are the Aces connected to Aries? Well, it's certainly possible after tonight. It might not be a long world title reign, but I think Aries fans and Aries himself should enjoy this as much as possible. I hope this is the start of multiple world title reigns by Aries. This also makes the BFG Series more interesting. I'm pretty satisfied with this result, but I'm aware that it probably won't be a long-term plan. 

Winner via pinfall and NEW TNA World Champion: Austin Aries

Overall Impression:

I'll admit that the first half of the PPV didn't quite sell me. I know this will work for a lot of the internet wrestling fans, but I look for more than a bunch of flips and high-flyers when watching wrestling. A lot of the first half of the PPV was exactly that, but this PPV really took off in the second half of the card. Joe and Angle put on a fun match, while Styles and Daniels delivered a hell of a LMS match. Plus, I really enjoyed watching this main event. It was probably one of the better main events I've seen out of TNA in quite some time. TNA really went forth and put together a really good PPV tonight. I didn't love everything about it, but it was entertaining from top to bottom and featured some really decent wrestling matches. And for the time being, they are showing signs of thinking outside of the box by taking a chance on Aries. And by doing this, they have opened up a bunch of possibilities for new and interesting storylines. THAT in my book is why I think of this was a successful PPV. Having great matches is one thing, but making interesting storylines is generally more important. Of course, plans can always change, but after tonight, I have to look at the positives for this company. If I have to give this PPV a score on a scale of 1-10 and 5 being average, I would give TNA Destination X 2012 a 7 out of 10. I know some will argue that the score should be higher, but this is a great score for a great PPV. Plus, I didn't love the early matches, but the last few matches definitely make up for the somewhat slow start. It should be noted that anything above a 7 are PPVs I regard as watchers or stuff you will definitely enjoy. It's PPVs like this that shows TNA has the ability to work some good stuff. Now, they haven't quite got a handle on everything (Claire Lynch), but they are starting to learn from some of their mistakes and figure out how to make this show work. Well, let's just hope they don't f*** this up and they can continue to deliver shows like tonight. Hey, I have to at least think that. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. If you're feeling bored or adventurous, check out some of my other articles. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show. See you next time. 

WrestlingNerd's Official Score for TNA Destination X 2012 Review: 7 out of 10