Impact Wrestling: Jake Crist and Ethan Page Advance to Ultimate X

Impact Wrestling aired its first series of Ultimate X qualifying matches tonight, which saw Jake Crist and Ethan Page emerge as the tournament’s first two entrants.

Since former Impact Wrestling X Division Champion Brian Cage has cashed in his Option C to challenge World Champion Johnny Impact at Homecoming, Impact began its qualifying matches for the Ultimate X tournament this evening to find Cage’s successor.

Jake Crist became the first Ultimate X qualifier, after Crist won a match against Willie Mack, a match that I’m not really sure he was favored to win in.

Don Callis made it a point to call Crist one of the most underrated performers on the Impact roster, which would be typical for Callis’s heel-spectrum commentary, but based off Crist’s performance tonight, Callis may actually have a valid point.

Mack’s performance in the match was at his typical unreal caliber, of course. I’ll always take an opportunity to put over Mack’s agility and power, and I’m a bit disappointed Mack won’t be going to Ultimate X.

Ethan Page qualified next in his win over his (maybe former) sensei Matt Sydal. Page of course debuted with Impact around the time of Slammiversary as a sort of protege to Sydal.

So far, I’m really liking how Impact has used these qualifier to put over the “underdogs”, so to speak. I’m sure 95% of us watching at home would have counted on at least either Willie Mack or Matt Sydal to win, more than likely even both.

It makes me, personally, look forward to Ultimate X even more knowing that it really has the potential to open up an entirely new playing field when considering the X Division Championship scene.

Impact will be holding two more qualifying matches for Ultimate X in the weeks to come, which participants still yet to be determined as of this writing.