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Climbing The Mountain In Search Of X Division Gold

Posted: Apr 17th 2014 By: Michael Hunt

When the concept of an X Division Title was introduced, the tag line was "it's not about weight limits, it's about NO limits". And while most of the successful champions have been of a lighter weight, there have been some larger individuals who have been X Division Champion. People such as Cold Blooded Chris, Shane Morbid, Jake McCoy and Super Skunk Ape, Jr. all had good runs as ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion. Se7en's run as champion with that title is the longest documented title reign in Oklahoma.

Even the current Oklahoma X Divsion Champion, Ignition, is not one of the smaller wrestlers on the ComPro roster. Nor does he employ a traditional X Division style. But for 8 of the past twelve months, he has been successful against other more traditional X Division wrestlers, proving that there is no single formula for gaining wins in that division.

One of the most impressive feats from Ignition occurred when he won the title for a second time in a 4-Corners Pole match on March 1st. It was a Match of the Year contender, but even more surprising because of the last minute inclusion of someone who certainly is a non-traditional X Division competitor: OWA Tag Team Champion Terry Montana. And Montana was certainly dominant in terms of power and size. He could almost reach the belt simply by standing on the turnbuckles instead of having to climb the pole to reach it. The other competitors, Paul Puertorico and then-champion Michael Wolf, also had great moments in the match, but none left the impression that Montana did when that match was over. Even though he did not have his hand raised in victory, Montana made it clear that he wanted some singles gold after years as a tag team competitor with various partners.

Ignition was well aware of the threat Montana posed to him, so it was surely not a pleasant surprise to find that he was scheduled to defend against Montana in a 1-on-1 match on April 5. And the crowd reaction left no question who the favourite in this match was. Ignition knew his title was in jeopardy, so desperation came into play. Towards the end of the match, the champion grabbed the bell hammer from the timekeeper's table, but referee Steve Shotzman caught him and took it away. While Shotzman returned the hammer to the table, Ignition grabbed his championship belt and hit Montana so hard in the back of the head that it opened a nasty wound. Ignition then got the easy win on the injured competitor.

But victory wasn't the end for Ignition. After the match, ring announcer C. M. Burnham told Ignition there was a surprise for him. Since the 4-Way Pole Match was such a success, ComPro commissioner Mike Iles planned on replicating the success. But this time, it wouldn't be a Pole Match....it would be a LADDER Match! Ignition would once again have to defend against 3 other competitors. And Terry Montana would be one of those. The other two have yet to be named, but the thought of only having a 25% chance of walking away as champion did not sit well with Ignition.

Montana loves to climb things. He's climbed mountains. He's climbed poles. Now, the opportunity is there for him to climb a ladder for a championship, proving there really is no limit to his success in the X Division.