Golden VI: The History of the X Division Championship

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Golden series!

This edition marks the half way mark in the series. Six down, six to go.

This week, I will give a history lesson on the X Division Championship.

There has been 50 reigns shared between 23 wrestlers.

Next week, I will give the history of the United States Championship.

Missed previous editions of Golden? Check them all out below:

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/593044-golden-the-history-of-the-tna-knockouts-championship

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/622809-golden-ii-the-history-of-the-tna-knockout-tag-team-championships

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625081-golden-iii-the-history-of-the-wwe-divas-championship

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625896-golden-iv-the-history-of-the-tna-legendsglobaltv-championship

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/627233-golden-v-the-history-of-the-wwe-tag-team-championships

1.) AJ Styles

The first-ever X Division champion is "Mr. TNA" himself, AJ Styles.

Styles won the belt on June 19, 2002, in a four-way double-elimination match involving Psicosis, Low Ki and Jerry Lynn.

Styles would have the belt for 49 days.

2.) Low Ki

Low Ki would defeat AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn in a three-way title match on Aug. 7, 2002.

Low Ki would hold the title for 14 days.

3.) Jerry Lynn

Jerry Lynn would defeat Low Ki and AJ Styles in a three-way ladder match to become the third X Division champion in history.

Lynn's reign would end due to injury. He had a 49-day reign before vacating the belt.

4.) Syxx-Pac

Syxx-Pac defeated Kid Kash, Tony Mamaluke, The S.A.T., Ace Steel and AJ Styles in a ladder match to win the vacant title.

Pac would hold the title for 14 days.

5.) AJ Styles

AJ Styles would defeat Pac on Oct. 23, 2002 and win his second X Division Championship.

AJ would have a 14-day reign.

6.) Jerry Lynn

Lynn beat Styles on Nov. 6, 2002 to win his second X Division Championship.

Lynn would hold the title for 35 days.

7.) Sonny Siaki

Sonny Siaki won the X Division Championship on Dec. 11, 2002. 

Siaki had a 63-day reign.

8.) Kid Kash

Kash defeated Siaki on Feb. 12, 2003.

Kash had a 77-day title reign.

9.) Amazing Red

Amazing Red defeated Kid Kash on April 30, 2003, to win his first X Division Championship.

Red had a 14-day title reign.

10.) Chris Sabin

Chris Sabin won a three-way match involving himself, Amazing Red and Jerry Lynn on May 14, 2003.

Sabin's first reign would last 98 days.

11.) Michael Shane

Michael Shane beat Sabin for the belt on Aug. 20, 2003.

It was a three way Ultimate X Match: Chris Sabin vs. Michael Shane vs. Frankie Kazarian.

Shane had the belt for 140 days.

12.) Chris Sabin

Sabin won an Ultimate X Match involving Michael Shane, Christopher Daniels and Low Ki on Jan. 7, 2004.

Sabin held the title for 84 days. The belt was vacated due to Sabin getting injured.

13.) Kazarian

On March 31, 2004, Kazarian defeated Amazing Red in the finals of an X Division Championship tournament.

Kazarian would have a 70-day title reign.

14.) AJ Styles

AJ beat Kaz on June 9, 2004, to win his third X Division Championship.

AJ would hold the gold for 49 days.

15.) Kazarian and Michael Shane

Pictured: Michael Shane (left), Johnny Devine (middle), Kazarian (right).

Shane and Kaz, members of Raven's Flock, were declared co-champions after they pulled the belt down in an Ultimate X Match at the same time.

They only had the title for 14 days.

16.) Petey Williams

Petey Williams defeated Amazing Red in the finals of a 22-man gauntlet match.

Petey would have the belt for 158 days.

17.) AJ Styles

AJ Styles would win an Ultimate X also involving Chris Sabin.

He won the title on Jan. 16, 2005, in Orlando Florida at TNA's first-ever Final Resolution pay-per-view event.

Styles had a 56-day title reign. 

18.) Christopher Daniels

Daniels won a four-way Ultimate X match at Destination X, against AJ Styles, Elix Skipper and Ron Killings.

Daniels held the belt for 182 days.

19.) AJ Styles

(Pictured: Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin and AJ Styles)

AJ won his fifth X Division Championship in a three-way match also involving Daniels and Samoa Joe.

The date was Sept. 11, 2005 at TNA Unbreakable.

AJ, Daniels and Joe put on a five-star match and the most memorable and greatest match in TNA history. 

AJ had a 91-day title reign.

20.) Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe would defeat Styles on Dec. 11, 2005 at Turning Point in a singles match.

Joe held the gold for 91 days.

21.) Daniels

March 12, 2006: Destination X

Ultimate X: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels

Daniels won the match and had a 29-day title reign.

22.) Samoa Joe

The X Division Championship would change hands on iMPACT for the first time ever on April 10, 2006.

Samoa Joe defeated Daniels in a singles match.

Joe's title reign was 70 days.

23.) Senshi

On the June 22, 2006 edition of iMPACT, Senshi won a three-way match also involving Sonjay Dutt.

Senshi would hold the gold for 125 days.

24.) Chris Sabin

Sabin defeated Senshi at Bound For Glory 2006.

This would be Sabin's third time as X Division Champion. 

He held the title for two days.

25.) AJ Styles

This is AJ's sixth and final reign as X Division Champion. 

It would come on October 24, 2006.

His final reign lasted 13 days.

26.) Daniels

This would be Daniels' third and final reign.

He defeated AJ Styles and Chris Sabin in a three-way on Nov. 6, 2006.

His reign lasted 69 days.

27.) Chris Sabin

Sabin would defeat Daniels and Jerry Lynn in a three-way at Final Resolution 2007.

He held the title for 153 days.

28.) Jay Lethal

Lethal would beat Sabin at Slammiversary 2007.

This is Lethal's first reign of six.

His reign lasted two days.

29.) Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe defeated Lethal on iMPACT to win his third X Division Championship.

Joe was feuding with Angle for all the gold in TNA at the time.

Joe had a 54-day reign.

30.) Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle won every male competitor's title in TNA on Aug. 12, 2007, at Hard Justice.

Angle held the X Division title for 28 days.

31.) Jay Lethal

Possibly the biggest win of Lethal's career came against Kurt Angle at No Surrender 2007.

Lethals' second reign as champion lasted 134 days.

32.) Johnny Devine

Devine defeated Lethal on the Jan. 24, 2008, edition of iMPACT!

Devine held the belt for 20 days.

33.) Jay Lethal

Lethal won his third X Division Championship on Feb. 10, 2008, at Against All Odds.

It was a six-man tag team street fight match featuring Jay Lethal and the Motorcity Machineguns vs. Team 3D and Johnny Devine.

The Guns were taken out early and Lethal still picked up the win, thus becoming "The X Division Savior."

Lethal had a 65-day title reign.

34.) Petey Williams

"Maple Leaf Muscle," "Little Petey Pump," Petey Williams would beat Lethal for the X Division title.

Williams cashed in his Feast or Fired case on Lethal back in April of 2008.

Williams had a 152-day title reign.

35.) Sheik Abdul Bashir

The Anti-American, Sheik Abdul Bashir won the X Division belt in a three-way also involving Petey Williams and Consequences Creed at No Surrender 2008.

Bashir held the title for 84 days.

36.) Eric Young

EY would defeat Bashir at Final Resolution 2008 but be stripped of the title the same night due to a controversial finish.

This was Young's first and only time as X Division Champion.

Eric Young held the title for 0 days. The title was vacated.

37.) Alex Shelley

Shelley beat partner Chris Sabin in the finals of an X Division Championship Tournament to become the new champion. The tournament concluded at Genesis 2009.

Shelley held the belt for 63 days.

38.) Suicide

Suicide won a five-man Ultimate X match at Destination X. The match involved both members of Lethal Consequences and Motorcity Machineguns.

Suicide had a 102-day reign as champion.

39.) Homicide

On the July 16 edition of iMPACT, Homicide cashed in a feast or fired case on Suicide to win the X Division title.

Homicide held the gold for 52 days.

40.) Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe won his fourth and final X Division Championship on Aug. 16, 2009; at Hard Justice.

Joe held the title for 50 days.

41.) Amazing Red

Amazing Red beat Samoa Joe for the belt on the Oct. 6 edition of iMPACT!

Red held the title for 106 days.

42.) Douglas Williams

Williams cashed in Rob Terry's feast or fired X Division case on Red to win the belt in late January 2010.

Williams had a reign of 89 days.

He was forced to vacate the belt due to travel restrictions in the aftermath of the Icelandic volcanic eruptions.

43.) Kazarian

Kazarian won a three-way at Lockdown between Homicide and Shannon Moore.

Kazarian held the belt for 28 days.

44.) Douglas Williams

Williams defeated Kazarian in a singles match at Sacrifice 2010.

Williams second reign would be his best reign and last for 113 days.

45.) Jay Lethal

Lethal defeated Williams on the September 16, 2010 edition of iMPACT.

This would be Lethal's fourth title reign.

He held the title for 18 days.

46.) Amazing Red

Amazing Red won his third X Division Championship at a live event in New York City.

Sadly, his reign would last only two days.

47.) Jay Lethal

Lethal won his title back at a live event in Rahway, New Jersey.

His reign would last 43 days.

48.) Robbie E

*Fist pumps*

"Oh! Oh! Oh!"

Jersey's own, Robbie E won the X Division title at Turning Point on Nov. 7, 2010 (my birthday). He was able to fist pump his way to victory past Jay Lethal and win his first-ever TNA Championship.

Robbie would hold the gold for 30 days.

49.) Jay Lethal

Jay Lethal won his sixth X Division Championship, with help from Christy Hemme, on the December 16, 2010 edition of iMPACT.

Lethal had a short reign of 33 days.

50.) Kazarian

Kazarian defeated Lethal at TNA's first pay-per-view of 2011, Genesis.

This is Kazarian's fourth reign as X Division Champion and it is going 72 days and still counting.

List of Combined Reigns

Longest Reign: Christopher Daniels, 182 days

Shortest Reign: Eric Young, less than 24 hours

Most Reigns:AJ Styles and Jay Lethal (6)

There have been 50 reigns shared between 23 different champions.

 

List of Combined Reigns

 

1.) Chris Sabin (4): 338 days

2.) Petey Williams (2): 310 days

3.) Jay Lethal (6): 295 days

4.) Christopher Daniels (3): 279 days

5.) AJ Styles (6): 273 days

6.) Samoa Joe (4): 265 days

7.) Douglas Williams (2): 202 days

8.) Kazarian (4): 184 and continuing

9.) Michael Shane (2): 154 days

10.) Low Ki/Senshi (2): 139 days

11.) Amazing Red (3): 122 days

12.) Suicide (1): 102 days

13.) Jerry Lynn (2): 84 days

14.) Sheik Abdul Bashir (1): 84 days

15.) Kid Kash (1): 77 days

16.) Sonny Siaki (1): 63 days

17.) Alex Shelley (1): 63 days

18.) Homicide (1): 52 days

19.) Robbie E (1): 30 days

20.) Kurt Angle (1): 28 days

21.) Johnny Devine (1): 20 days

22.) Syxx-Pac (1): 14 days

23.) Eric Young (1): Less than 24 hours.