TNA Wrestling: How Destination X Lived Up to the Hype

When I first started watching Destination X on PPV, I was worried my hopes would be squashed by the performance in the ring.

Having seen other PPV events and wanting so bad for the show to prove to me that Impact Wrestling was moving in the right direction, the start was compelling and then lost a little luster in the middle, only to save itself in the end.

I was worried that TNA had gone down that road again of using WCW as a model and did not deliver. I was also worried the "AJ Styles/Daniels" match would not live up to its billing as it had been promoted all night through the PPV.

It lived up to it and more.

Yes, TNA and Impact have many things to be thankful for. And when all was said and done, here are things that TNA can build on leading into the "Midsummer Night's Massacre" program on Thursday night.

Brian Kendrick Beats Abyss

It was a little bizarre, but Kendrick is the new TNA X-Division Champion.

The match was good and the idea of Kendrick knocking out Eric Bischoff was fabulous. We shall see what happens to him Thursday night when he faces Immortal, Bischoff, et al.

The celebration of Kendrick winning from the guys in the back was a little much, but it was well-deserved nonetheless.

Kendrick can be a Jericho-type wrestler with the right story and the right marketing.

Kazarian/Samoa Joe Have Another Rivalry Ahead of Them

The opening match of the night did not disappoint.

Kazarian beats Samoa Joe.

The back and forth tug-of-war was great to see and the athleticism of the two got the show off on the right footing.

I have to wonder, though, what happens to Samoa Joe now that he has lost two matches in the Bound for Glory Series and has not lost his last two PPV events?

Does this also mean there is a new character for Joe or does he continue on this mid-level status?

Austin Aries Wins the X-Division Contract

This may have been the best match of the night.

Aires beats Low Ki to take the title. On a night where any one of the four competitors, including Jack Evans and Zima Ion were on their game, it was Aries who proved to be the one who took him the prize.

It will be interesting to see if TNA somehow gets all three of the losers from the match involved in the X-Division. All four are deserving of a shot at the division that now looks stronger than it has been in years.

Jerry Lynn Beats Up RVD and Still Loses

This match was not what I expected. But in the end, it was great theater.

Jerry Lynn proved to be more the aggressor in the match and that played to his disadvantage when RVD won.

When the two men battled evenly in the opening of the match, I felt this was going to be more of human chess. But Lynn proved that he wanted to win at any cost and revamped a rivalry that will get more play in the coming weeks.

RVD looked like a battered warrior with cuts to his face and head and blood coming from his mouth, but as the man who proved that he was X-Division long before there was an X-Division, he took home the victory.

Shelley Becomes Top Contender for X-Division Title

Alex Shelley beat three men and Cookie to win the right to be the No.1 contender for the X-Division title.

As the seasoned veteran, Shelley proved that experience was key to this win. But what made the win more important was the return of Chris Sabin to the Impact Zone.

A battle between Shelley and Hendrick will be AWESOME.

AJ Styles Beats Daniels, Leaves Door Open for Subplot

AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels wrestled the way wrestling should be done.

It was an instant classic.

But when Daniels cut a promo stating he came back to TNA felt like he was mixed in the crowd, I thought this would become another one of those Morrison/R-Truth deals where Daniels did not get the respect he deserved so he turned on his best friend.

And all through the match it was teased that way.

But in the end, Daniels lost to his best friend, thought about walking away, and then did the right thing and shook his hand.

But, the look of Daniels being consoled by Styles could make for interesting drama Thursday night.

It may be that Daniels isn't feeling the love from Fortune.