10 Worst TNA Gimmick Wrestling Matches
5. Elevation X
How does it work?
An X shaped scaffold is suspended above the ring. Two combatants face off atop the structure, and the first one to push their opponent off it is declared the winner.
Why is it awful?
TNA did manage to come up with a few decent gimmick matches at one time or another. Their best idea was the Ultimate X match, an X Division contest wherein horizontal ropes were suspended above the ring in an X shape, with the X Division Title hanging down from the middle. Competitors had to climb across the ropes in order to retrieve the belt, which led to some really cool spots and interesting finishes.
How did TNA ‘evolve’ the concept? By turning the ropes into metal scaffolding, and putting Rhyno in the first match. Then they put Rhyno in the second match…
Unlike an Ultimate X match or a ladder match, where the action is augmented by the stipulation, Elevation X thoroughly stunted it. Both matches essentially involved a lot of hanging from the scaffold, a lot of stomping on fingers, and a final anti-climactic fall. You haven’t witnessed true disappointment until you’ve watched Rhyno try to gore AJ Styles on a 500cm wide surface.
This match was brought to us by Destination X 2007, a PPV which also featured the Last Rites match, a Ghetto Brawl, a Double Bullrope match, a Crossface Chickenwing match, and a two-out-of-three falls match, and was marketed with the slogan “First You Must Die… In Order to Live.” Thankfully, Elevation X died after just two appearances, but its legacy as one of the dumbest stipulation matches of all time will live on forever.