TNA X-Factor #1: Lethal Consequences, Frontline, Petey Williams

The X Factor
Edition #1
By Adam Testa

Welcome to the first edition of "The X Factor," a new weekly column looking at TNA Wrestling's fast-paced, no-limits X-Division. I have been an on-and-off wrestling fan for probably about 12 years and have watched TNA for a little more than a year.

Enough about me, let's get to the column.

X-Factor

My goal for this column is to generate conversation and thoughtful debates about the status of the X-Division, where it stands now and what can be done with it in the future. We'll look at the past, the present and the future. I encourage everyone to share thoughts with me, and I will begin including your responses in future editions.

Dealing with the Lethal Consequences

When the Main Event Mafia versus Frontline angle began, it seemed as if the X-Division wrestlers may play a large role in it. A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe were at the forefront of the Frontline (and both are former X-Division Champions), but more importantly, guys like "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal, Eric Young and Petey Williams seemed to be getting large roles.

Well, soon the Frontline became centered around guys like Team 3D and Rhino, and many of the X-Division guys seemed to fall by the wayside. Then came Feast or Fired. Jay Lethal won one of the briefcases, which had people wondering if he may have been the one with the heavyweight title shot (or even the X-Division shot to bring some gold to the Frontline).

Instead, Lethal had won the Tag Team Title shot. It was announced through TNA Mobile he would be picking Consequences Creed as his partner, which seemed like a logical pick because of their Frontline relationship.

At first, the pairing seemed awkward and like they won the titles from Beer Money only to give them something to do. Then they abruptly lost the titles back only days later. I, for one, questioned what the point of it even was, but in the weeks since then, I have come to accept Lethal Consequences as a legitimate-seeming tag team.

Their match with the Motor City Machineguns on Impact this week was great, and it's highly likely we could see a developing feud between the two teams as a result of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley's behaviors lately. How great would it be to see all four men in the Ultimate X match next month duking out their distaste for one another?

At first, the somewhat random pairing of Lethal and Consequences didn't really make sense to me. TNA's tag division is pretty stable, and they didn't really need another oddball team.

But since then, I have come to accept the fact we're going to have to face the Lethal Consequences in the coming months. I wouldn't be surprised to see the title straps around these two again soon.

Lost in the Shuffle?

Earlier, I touched on the Main Event Mafia versus Frontline storyline and its original focus on the X-Division stars. While I still like the story arc, and for the most part think it's been effective, it's a shame the X-Division guys have gotten so buried in it.

If they have picked up a single win, they have been few and far between.

At first, the storyline seemed like it was a way for TNA to promote its homegrown stars (most of whom are X-Division wrestlers). However, when Team 3D and Rhino took the helm, things began to change.

Nothing against Brothers Ray and Devon or Rhino, but they're not the ones who TNA need to be pushing. They are great assets to the company, but I personally think 3D should have joined the Mafia, and Rhino should have played a supporting role to Joe, A.J., Lethal, Williams and the others. After all, wasn't it just about one year ago that Team 3D was trying to kill the X-Division? And now, all of a sudden they are on the same side in TNA's brewing war?

With the apparent falling out between Sting and Kurt Angle, it seems likely that Sting may even join the side of the Frontline soon. Let's just hope this doesn't further bury the X-Division stars who deserve the attention.

Guys like Lethal, Young and Homicide could be picking up some wins over the Mafia, even if it requires help from the teammates. Babyfaces aren't supposed to cheat to win, but since when has evening the odds been considered cheating?

Wishing Williams Well

As most people probably already know, Petey Williams has been released from TNA Wrestling. His last match will be on this Thursday's Impact, but I won't release the spoilers.

This week, we saw him lose to his one-time mentor Scott Steiner in a "Headdress on a Pole" match, meaning Petey had to drop his Steiner-esque gimmick. The match was better than expected and even saw Steiner pull off a "Frankensteiner" (just after we saw him pull the Steiner Screwdriver out of his bag at Against All Odds).

Williams' requested release is a great loss for TNA, but we can only hope he may return to televised wrestling soon. Whether he ends up in WWE or Ring of Honor (which recently got its own television deal), we wish him the best and hope to see him return soon.

Final Thoughts

Thank you to everyone for reading the first edition of "The X-Factor." I hope to be able to write weekly. Please contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. If you have any topics you'd like to see explored, feel free to suggest those as well.

Testa is a professional journalist in Illinois and a wrestling fan. Contact him at [e-mail].