Impact X Division Championship

Inaugural and six-time champion A.J. Styles

The TNA X Division was established on June 19, 2002 at Total Nonstop Action's first weekly PPV event with a Six Man Tag Team match resulting in Jimmy Yang, Jorge Estrada, and Sonny Siaki—collectively known as The Flying Elvises—defeating A.J. Styles, Jerry Lynn, and Low Ki.[1][8] Later that day at the taping of the next weekly PPV event, TNA introduced the X Division Championship—then known as the X Championship—to showcase the division more prominently.[1][8] The division is described as wrestling reinvented, as it takes traditional wrestling and mixes it with the fast paced, high–risk style of wrestling incorporated in cruiserweight divisions and lucha libre.[8] The division was until 2011 promoted under the motto "It is not about weight limits, it is about no limits" by commentator Mike Tenay.[8][9][10][11] On the August 11, 2011, edition of TNA's primary television program, Impact Wrestling, TNA authority figure Eric Bischoff announced that from that point onwards the X Division would have a weight limit of 225 lb (102 kg).[12] Following Hulk Hogan becoming the new on-screen General Manager in March 2012, the weight limit was ignored on June 10, 2012, at Slammiversary when the 280 lb (130 kg) Samoa Joe was allowed to challenge for the belt.[13][14] In October 2012, the weight limit was officially repealed when 237 lb (108 kg) Rob Van Dam challenged for, and eventually won, the title at Bound for Glory. In March 2013, the X Division was given a new set of rules, which meant all matches were wrestled in Triple Threat format, and a new weight limit of 230 lbs. This proved to be extremely unpopular with fans, and the rules and weight limit were repealed once again in August of that year.[15][16]

A.J. Styles (yellow trunks) and Christopher Daniels (red trunks) during an Ultimate X match in 2006

The Total Nonstop Action X Division has multiple styles of match types used to showcase the talent within the division and to defend the TNA X Division Championship in more marketable matches. Three of the matches used in TNA are the Ultimate X match, The Steel Asylum, and the Xscape match.

• The Ultimate X match was introduced in 2003.[17] It involves multiple competitors racing to retrieve the X Division Championship or a giant red letter "X", which is suspended above the ring by two cables.[11][17] The cables are attached to posts that stand behind the turnbuckles of the ring.[11][17] These cables intertwine to form an "X" over the center of the ring.[11][17] This match has become successful in TNA; it was featured in the 2008 DVD "TNA: Ultimate Matches", released by TNA Home Video.[18]
• The Steel Asylum made its debut in May 2008 at TNA's Sacrifice PPV event, under the name "The TerrorDome".[19] It was used once again in October 2008 at their Bound for Glory IV PPV event, under the new and current moniker "The Steel Asylum".[20][21] As of February 2021, this match has only been used to determine the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship.[19][21] The layout of the match involves the ring being surrounded by a giant red steel barred cage with a domed ceiling.[20] The only way to achieve victory is to escape the cage through a hole in the center of the ceiling.[22]
• The Xscape match is the third specialty match primarily used in TNA. It is held annually at TNA's Lockdown PPV event in April—an all–steel cage format PPV event.[23][24][25][26][27] The first two Xscape matches were held to determine the number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship, while, since 2007, it has been contested for the X Division Championship.[23][24][25][26][27] The contest involves four to six participants. To win this match, two or more participants—depending on how many are involved in the encounter—must be eliminated by pinfall or submission leaving only two participants.[24] These two men then race to see who escapes the cage first to claim victory.[28]

The championship was created and debuted before the main event at the taping of TNA's second weekly PPV event on June 19, 2002; the event aired on June 26, 2002.[1] Later, A.J. Styles defeated Low Ki, Jerry Lynn, and Psicosis in a Four Way Double Elimination match to be crowned the inaugural champion;[29] this match was announced as being for the NWA X Championship on the onscreen graphic while the ring announcer stated it was for the "NWA–TNA X Championship".[1][30] Afterwards, the title was renamed the NWA–TNA X Division Championship and then shortened to just the TNA X Division Championship.[3] This is the oldest title in TNA.

Option C is a concept in which the current X Division Champion may voluntarily vacate the championship in exchange for a World Heavyweight Championship match at that year's Destination X event. It began in June 2012 when then-champion Austin Aries said that he was not satisfied with being just the X Division Champion, which led to then-General Manager Hulk Hogan offering him a match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but only if he first vacated the X Division Championship. Aries agreed to Hogan's terms, on the condition that the X Division Champion be given the same opportunity in future years. Aries would then relinquish the X Division Championship and defeated Bobby Roode for the World title.

The following year, Hogan asked then-champion Chris Sabin if he wanted to vacate the championship and challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which Sabin accepted, and later defeated Bully Ray to win the title. On June 24, 2014, a mere five days after regaining the X Division Championship for his fifth reign, Austin Aries invoked Option C once again, but failed to defeat then champion Lashley. On May 10, 2015, one day after regaining the title for his second reign, Rockstar Spud invoked Option C, and was defeated by then champion Kurt Angle. On the July 5, 2016 episode of Impact Wrestling, World Heavyweight Champion Lashley offered a winner take all match to X Division Champion Eddie Edwards in lieu of Edwards invoking Option C. The match ended in a no-contest after an interference from Mike Bennett and Edwards was attacked by the debuting Moose. A subsequent rematch took place, in which Lashley was victorious, becoming a double champion. In 2017, then X Division Champion Sonjay Dutt did not exercise Option C.

On the November 15, 2018 episode of Impact, Brian Cage defeated Sami Callihan to retain the X Division Championship. After the match, he announced that he would use Option C at the Impact Wrestling Homecoming event to challenge Impact World Champion Johnny Impact.[31]