This will be the second year in a row Rob Van Dam finds himself on the receiving end of a improperly built match. Last year he had the tested and proven Christopher Daniels; fans knew they could at least expect a solid wrestling contest, although the “feud” itself was barely deserving of the term. The X-Division Championship, at the very least, gives RVD an excuse for being in matches. Joey Ryan is a young, up-and-coming heel. He may not technically “deserve” a title match at this point in his very short career with Impact Wrestling, but the X-Division roster is so thin, Van Dam is going to wind up fighting Jeff Hardy’s personal demons in Ultimate X matches, if they don’t get some new blood in the picture.
TNA may not have figured out how to use Van Dam in the past year, and the X-Division has taken a noticeable step backwards (having already stepped off a cliff, that’s almost impressive) with the loss of Austin Aries. But if it’s any consolation, the Joey Ryan character seems to be getting appropriate time and importance on TNA’s weekly product. It’s a shame that he brings the story to the match, rather the the Champion himself – seriously, Van Dam is too solid a talent to be wasting like this – but it’s not the worst TNA could be doing with an X-Division title match.
My Prediction: RVD retains the belt. Matt Morgan will find himself involved at some point during, or following the match. The DQ interference makes the most sense in this case, although I wouldn’t personally utilize the move on Pay-Per-View. Just don’t be surprised if TNA does.
