Rich Swann is headed to TNA’s next pay-per-view event, Bound for Glory, after securing his X-Division Championship qualifying win over LJ Cleary on tonight’s episode. “TNA influence”.
At the start of the tournament, Clare took the lead. Swann hit back with a quick dance break to the delight of the fans. Swann hit Cleary with three devastating blows. Telling him to sit outside the ring, Swann didn’t stop as he circled the ring and delivered two back-to-back kicks to Cleary’s face. Clary immediately got her bearings, ran back into the ring and connected with a dive right through the ropes. However, he took another nasty dropkick to the face after bouncing off the ropes, but came back with a double suplex. In the top quarter, Swann made a perfect splash for just a two count. Cleary finally got that enzuigiri that previously connected on Swann for a two count. Swann lands a perfect cool rana, only to eat a Canadian fighter that Clary calls an “Irish Farewell”. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep Swann down. After a series of strikes, Swann puts Cleary down, hits his signature Phoenix Splash, and emerges victorious.
Swann, a former X-Division champion, is fourth Fabian Eichner, KC Navarro, and Cedric Alexander (rematch clause), who will compete in a six-way match on Sunday, October 11 in Tampa, Florida to determine who will be the new X-Division Champion. the title was vacated by Leon Slater at Lockdown in August.
Slater, who won the title for the second time in his career at Lockdown, sought the “C” option, which allows any X-Division champion to vacate the title for a shot at the TNA World Championship. Slater will face world champion Nick Nemeth in the main event at Bound for Glory.