On the November 15th edition of IMPACT, Sami Callihan failed in his attempt to take the X-Division Championship from Brian Cage and The Machine made his intentions clear. He had achieved everything he could in the X-Division and set his sights on a bigger prize – Johnny IMPACT and the IMPACT World Championship. That match will take place on January 6th, 2019 at Homecoming in Nashville.
But what exactly is Option C and where did it come from? Let’s take a look!
In 2012 Austin Aries was having very similar feelings to Brian Cage. Off the back of a record breaking X-Division Championship reign, Aries felt he could tackle bigger fish. In fact he wanted the biggest fish. Bobby Roode was in the middle of his own record breaking World Championship reign and “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” felt he was better than the best. Aries wanted to face Roode at that year’s Destination X event but there was one stumbling block.
Then General Manager Hulk Hogan refused to allow Aries to challenge for the World Championship while Aries was still X-Division Champion.
So Hogan gave Aries two options. Option A: Aries gives up the X-Division Championship and challenges for the World Title. Option B: Aries forgoes an opportunity at Roode in order to keep the X-Division Title. Aries is not a man who likes to be backed into a corner. He proposed Option C. Yes, he will give up the X-Division Championship and yes, he would challenge Roode but he wanted a precedent set. It shouldn’t just be an opportunity given to him but rather everybody. Every year the X-Division Champion should have the same choice to make – go for the big one or continue carry the legacy of one of the most prestigious championships in wrestling.
And so Option C was born. Aries challenged and defeated Roode for the World Championship at Destination X.
One year later Chris Sabin found himself in the exactly the same position. Would he turn over a Championship he won more times than anybody else to face Bully Ray? Would he take the gamble of putting everything on the line and potentially coming away with nothing? Sabin backed himself and, like Aries, came out on top. At Destination X 2013 he captured the World Championship.
Everybody else hasn’t been so lucky. Austin Aries tried to make lightning strike twice in 2014 but was defeated by Lashley. Rockstar Spud stepped up to face the Olympic Gold Medalist in 2015 but Kurt Angle reigned supreme.
Rather than exercise Option C, Bobby Lashley made Eddie Edwards a different offer in 2016. Winner takes all. One man would walk away with both the World and X-Division Championships and one would walk away with nothing. Edwards accepted and was defeated. Lashley held all the gold. Destination X came and went in 2017 as Sonjay Dutt – who had worked his whole career to capture X-Division gold – opted not to invoke Option C.
And that brings us to Cage. Option C has been exercised in the traditional sense four times – twice successfully and twice unsuccessfully (the odds tilt further toward unsuccessful if you include Eddie Edwards in 2016). History and statistics however mean nothing to the individual. The weight of history means nothing to The Machine. All Brian Cage ever needs is an opportunity – and he’ll get it on January 6th at Homecoming.
The post The X-Division Golden Ticket – What is Option C? appeared first on IMPACT Wrestling.