#169: Ultimate X Gauntlet Match, TNA Victory Road (7/15/2007).
This is a Royal Rumble style Gauntlet Match, which turns into an Ultimate X match once all 10 men have entered the match. The man who retrieves the X in the middle becomes the #1 contender to the X Division Championship. If youāre wondering if this match happened when Vince Russo was writing for the company, you would be correct.
Also, this isnāt the traditional high wire Ultimate X, but instead is the steel structure used in the Elevation X scaffold match. Why the change? Who knows.
Christopher Daniels is #1, and Jay Lethal, in full Randy Savage get up, is #2.
Daniels goes on the offensive first, attacking Lethal from behind. Lethal comes back with several punches to the head, followed by an elbow. Back elbow to the face, but Daniels fights back with one of his own. Here comes Puma at #3. Lethal elbows him in the head, and Puma responds with a dropkick to the head. Nice spinning back kick to the head of Lethal, and he and Daniels double team Lethal. Lethal fights back with a double clothesline to Daniels and Puma.
Here comes Eddie Kingstonās best friend Homicide at #4. High back body drop to Lethal from Homicide, followed by a Diamond Cutter. All three of these guys are triple teaming Lethal, as Sonjay Dutt comes out at #5. He dives off the top rope onto Homicide and Puma. Hurricanrana to Daniels, and a springboard moonsault to Homicide. He dives onto Daniels next, and goes to attack Puma. Puma kicks his head off, as Petey Williams comes in at #6. He goes on the attack to Homicide, Puma and Dutt. Russian Legsweep DDT to Puma and Daniels. He goes for the Canadian Destroyer to Homicide, but Puma cuts him off.
Canadian Destroyer to Puma, and he throws Puma over the top to eliminate him, but Homicide also eliminates Williams out of nowhere! Shark Boy is here at #7. Missile dropkick to Homicide, and he goes on the offensive to everyone left in the match. He bites Danielsā ass, because heās a shark. He tries to toss Daniels over the top rope, while Dutt tries to eliminate Homicide. Here comes Elix Skipper at #8. He immediately eliminates Shark Boy. Nice double arm suplex to Lethal, and then he kicks Dutt to the floor, eliminating him.
Kaz enters the match at #9. Heās a house of fire, kicking everyoneās head off, and hitting a springboard leg drop to Daniels! At #10, here comes Senshi, aka Low Ki, aka āWarrior.ā Kaz is the first to make the climb, as the Ultimate X portion of the match has begun. Senshi kicks at Kazās leg, and then latching himself to his back. Dragon Sleeper in mid air by Senshi to Kaz. Senshi is climbing one side of the structure, and Homicide pulls him down, dropping him right on Daniels.
Daniels tries to make the climb, but Kaz pulls him to the mat. Kaz, Daniels, Senshi and Lethal are all four making their way to the middle of the Ultimate X structure. Skipper and Homicide are able to pull all of them to the mat. Kick to the head by Kaz to Daniels, and Skipper responds with a kick of his own to Kaz. Big clothesline to Homicide by Senshi, and here comes Lethal with an attack, but he walks into an STO by Daniels.
Daniels is back up to the top, and he makes his way across to the X. He throws his legs up to climb across like a monkey. Lethal is up there too, and heās kicking Daniels on the back. Lethal falls down, and now Daniels is hanging upside down by his feet. Kaz leaps off the top rope and hits a Diamond Cutter to Daniels, drilling him to the mat! What an unbelievable spot! Senshi with a huge kick to the back of the head. Daniels with a Tower of Doom style suplex to Lethal, Homicide and Senshi. Kaz is back up, and heās on the very top of the structure, Elevation X style. Skipper meets him there, and they stand across from another, and they both look terrifed! They throw shots at each other, until both men are on the lower end of the structure. They kick at one another, and both men crash and burn to the mat. Daniels goes for the Angels Wings, but Lethal counters into Lethal Combination!
Skipper hits the Sudden Death to Lethal, and Kaz hits the Wave of the Future to Skipper. Kaz catches Homicide with a kick, and then follows with the Flux Capacitor off the top rope! Daniels grabs Kaz and throws him through the ropes, head first into the steel truce. He makes the climb up next, and Lethal cuts him off. Lethal climbs to the middle, and Daniels is right there with him. Skipper pulls Lethal down, and he and Senshi double team Lethal.
Daniels continues his climb to the middle of the structure, and he grabs the X to win the Gauntlet and the #1 contendership. Post match, Daniels celebrates with Senshi and Skipper ā Triple X has reunited! This was a fun little match with the usual X Division action. Nothing groundbreaking or anything, but itās still one hell of a watch almost 20 years later. Fucking hell, this was almost 20 years ago. Iām old. The Kaz Diamond Cutter spot to Daniels off the structure is the absolute highlight of this match, and itās pulled off so well. Outside of that, you have a very hot opening match that youāve likely seen a thousand times before. That doesnāt mean itās bad! Just donāt expect something youāve never seen before.