TNA Destination X 2012 Review

TNA Destination X 2012 Review

by Ethan Lewis

Just as 2011's Destination X, this was a solid pay-per-view. It featured an X Divison Title tournament which culminated in an Ultimate X match, Styles vs. Daniels in a Last Man Standing Match, Joe vs. Angle in a BFG Series Match, and the main event, Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

1)Mason Andrews vs. Rubik vs. Dakota Darsow vs. Lars Only

The whole first half of the pay-per-view is an X Division Tournament with the winners of each match earning a spot in the Ultimate X Match for the X Division Title later in the night. This was the first match of the night and the winner would earn a spot in the tournament. I had never seen any of these guys wrestle, but man they put on a show. Awesome fast paced X Division action. Each of these guys truly deserved a shot at the X Division Title. So much talent.

Match rating - 8/10

2)Mason Andrews vs. Kid Kash

As soon as Andrews won the previous match, Kid Kash ran down to the ring and the first match of the tournament began. Andrews still put on a great peformance even though he had already wrestled for 15 minutes in the previous bout. This was a great back and forth match. I really enjoyed it.

Match rating - 8/10

3)Kenny King vs. Douglas Williams

The next match in the tournament pits Kenny King against Douglas Williams. I'm a fan of both guys so I expected a great match, which is what we got. Another great match here.

Match rating - 8/10

4)Sonjay Dutt vs. Rashad Cameron

I've seen Dutt wrestle several times, but I had never seen Rashad Cameron wrestle before this match. I was impressed with Cameron, he hung right in there with Dutt and they put on a great match. It was a bit shorter than the previous three matches, but was good for what it was.

Match rating - 7.5/10

5)Zema Ion vs. Flip Cassanova

Before this match, Jesse Sorenson made his return after breaking his neck. It was a great moment. Now onto the match, it was pretty much a squash. It only went 3-4 minutes. Won't spoil who won, but this segment/match is worth watching just to see Sorenson's return promo.

Match rating - 5/10

6)Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle - Bound For Glory Series Match

Joe and Angle always put on great matches and this was no different. These two put on a solid fifteen minute match with alot of great action. This was actually my first time seeing these two face each other so I can't compare to their previous matches, but needless to say I was impressed. They have great chemistry.

Match rating - 8.5/10

7)Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles - Last Man Standing Match

These guys have a storied history. They've wrestled numerous times and have never put on a bad match against each other. This was no different. It was a solid contest with weapons such as chairs and tables used. My favorite spot was Styles hitting the Styles Clash on Daniels off the ramp through a table. It was awesome.

Match rating - 8/10

8)Mason Andrews vs. Kenny King vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Zema Ion - Ultimate X Match for X Division Title

All of these guys earned their place in this match earlier in the night and they definitely showed that they deserve it. Dutt seemingly got injured in the match and left, but soon come back in, only to be hurt again. If you watch the second disc of this DVD you will see what happened as Dutt explains that his shoulder popped out of place. Anyway, this was a really good match.

Match rating - 8/10

9)Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode - TNA World Title Match

This was the match I was most looking forward to as a long time fan of Aries. It was an awesome match. It lasted around 20 minutes or more, but it was so great that it went by really quick for me. Roode is one of the best today and his chemistry with Aries is undeniable. Amazing way to end the show.

Match rating - 9/10

DVD Bonus Features:

As you will find out, this comes as a 2 Disc Set, as do most of TNA's PPV's. It features some awesome extras such as an inside look at Aries. They talk with him about alot of stuff like the upcoming match with Roode, how he almost quit wrestling in 2011 before TNA called and much more. There's also a Before The Bell feature where they talk to Kenny King and Dakota Darsow about competing on this night and X Divison pioneers Chris Daniels & Kazarian give their thoughts on each competitor as well as various other things. Cool stuff.

Overall rating - 8/10

There wasn't a bad match on this show except maybe the short squash between Zema Ion and Flip Cassanova. The good definitely overshadows the bad. This is worth getting especially if you're an Aries fan because you get to see him finally win the TNA World Title. Other than that, you get a solid Angle/Joe match, a good Ultimate X, and several good X Division matches. I recommend to fans of Aries and the X Division.

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