By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA executive Eric Bischoff critiqued TNA's historical presentation of the X Division during an interview on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show this week. He also noted the mistakes he made with Cruiserweights in WCW that he feels have been made in TNA.

"One of the things that confused/frustrated me when I first got here was the X Division," Bischoff said when asked about the Destination X PPV earlier this month.

"One of the things I first talked a lot about in creative meetings was 'What is the X Division? Can someone please define it to me?' I never really got a straight answer."

Bischoff contrasted it with WCW, where the Cruiserweights were part of a weight division and were clearly-defined as having their own style. He said the X Division, to him, comes across like a loosely-defined, theoretical style of wrestling. "If we're going to have an X Division, let's have an X Division," he said.

"One of the things we have realized in the last couple of weeks (in TNA) is that everyone knows that the X Division - or Cruiserweight division - that style of wrestling works really well, but it's incumbent on us, as producers, if we want to showcase that style of wrestling, grow it, and give it its own identity, it's up to us to clearly define it in a way that fans can understand it and explain it, and then have the discipline to stick with it," Bischoff said.

"Just like the Cruiserweight division in WCW, it worked so well for such a long period of time when the Cruiserweight division was its own division in WCW," he said.

"And the mistake I made, which I think is being made here, is not disciplining myself to keep the Cruiserweights within the Cruiserweight division. Once we started mixing and matching them in storylines outside of the Cruiserweight division, all of a sudden, it quit meaning anything. If we're going to have an X Division, let's have an X Division and not mix and match wrestlers out of the X Division."

Link: Bischoff's comments on the X Division are the start of his regular "Hot Seat" segment on the MNM radio show starting at the 41:00 mark. Download the episode here - mondaynightmayhem.com.

Caldwell's Analysis: I think Bischoff is right on here. When there was consideration of scrapping the X Division earlier this year, the main benefit would have been starting over with the wrestlers who are lumped into an undefined "X Division category." TNA could then establish the foundation of the new division, promote it to the audience, and create clearly-defined storylines, feuds, grudges, and match-ups that viewers could invest in and tells a story inside the ring. This would replace the current current X Division model that will never make a difference in TNA - loosely-defined alliances and feuds, a lack of discernible characters, and monkey-bars-style matches.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

TV RATINGS: TNA Impact & ROH TV viewership - Week 19 on Dest. America - Impact surges post-BFG, ROH draws big audience

TV WRESTLING VIEWERSHIP - Week of Sept. 28: Full Break Down of last week's Pro Wrestling TV with DVR viewing

TNA NEWS: TNA announces TV tapings on January U.K. Tour