• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

X Division Gold the Second Time Around

Posted: Apr 17th 2007 By: CMBurnham

It was Friday the 13th last week and that traditionally means bad luck. Given the world of pro wrestling, where someone is pretty much guaranteed to lose in a match, that bad luck aspect might feel a little daunting as the wrestlers prepared for their matched that night. And the luck seemed to run out for the longest reigning current champion in Oklahoma that night in Tahlequah. Or did it?

Justin Lee defeated Gary Gram on May 13, 2006 to win the NWA Universal X Division Title and since that time, he's put the title up against all comers, both at NWA-U shows and at ComPro shows. His series of matches against Mason Hunter were classics and he's recently been faced with challenges from opponents such as the Canadian Red Devil and Romero Contreras. In between title matches, he's been assisting Brent Albright in his ongoing feud with Hate, Inc. Maybe all the distractions just meant it was a matter of time, but Justin's luck seemed to run out when he entered into a Triple Threat Match against the aforementioned Devil and Shane Morbid. Morbid, a former SRPW X Division Champion, knew Justin quite well as the two were competitors in Justin's backyard federation, ICF. Shane now carries on the tradition of ICF along with Cast-Iron Cothern and Boss Campbell, but that wasn't what was on the mind of "the Devestator" Friday night. Instead, it was the opportunity to gain some gold outside of SRPW. And the plan came true for Shane.

The 3 men entered the ring each knowing that this was a chance for them to shine. As with most X Division matches, there were plenty of high-flying moves, even from Shane, who is not built like a typical X Division competitor. After a move which saw all 3 men collide on the mat after coming off the top rope, Justin capitalised and pinned the Devil, eliminating him. That left just Morbid and Justin to battle for the belt and, in what many might consider an upset, Shane came out victorious, albeit not without controversy as Justin's foot was on the rope when the pin was made. But referee Tommy 3 Count didn't see that and, with only a handful of matches in NWA-U, Shane Morbid was the new X Division Champion.

He didn't have a lot of time to relish in that victory as Justin was irate and demanded that he get a title rematch the next night in Wagoner. At first, Shane was reluctant to grant the shot, but confidence got the better of him and he agreed to put the belt up for grabs.

The next night, Justin entered the arena without the familiar feeling of gold around his waist, but the crowd was solidly behind him and he was determined not to let his fans down. In a hard-fought battle, Morbid wanted to prove that his victory wasn't a fluke and Lee wanted to regain what was most precious to him. Only one man could get his wish and this night, the luck was with Justin as he pinned Morbid to become the first 2-time NWA Universal X Division Champion.

While Justin was only without the belt for 1 day, it did his title reign at 11 months, the longest of any current champion in Oklahoma. That honour now belongs to Dexter Hardaway, who won the AACW Mid-American Light Heavyweight Title on June 10, 2006. Hardaway is also the current SWCW Sooner Xtreme Champion and made his return to NWA-U in Wagoner to compete in the Sooner Stampede for the vacant NWA Oklahoma Title. Dexter has to be considered a strong contender for the X Division belt, which he was the first to hold. With people like Hardaway, Morbid, the Devil and others chomping to put their mark on that title, Justin will have to work extra hard to make sure his second reign isn't abruptly cut short.