Super X Cup Tournament 2005 The 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament was a professional wrestling tournament produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotion . It was the second - ever Super X Cup tournament . The competition began on July 19 , 2005 and concluded on August 14 , 2005 at TNA ' s Sacrifice pay - per - view ( PPV ) event . Then - TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels called the contest the " Christopher Daniels Invitational . Background . TNA editor Bill Banks announced the tournament in July 2005 in his " Bank Shot " column , adding that the final would be held at TNA ' s Sacrifice PPV event on August 14 , 2005 . The 2005 tournament was the second Super X Cup held . The first was the Super X Cup Tournament 2003 , won by Chris Sabin in September 2003 . Winners of Super X Cup tournaments receive trophies and a future TNA X Division Championship match . TNA announced the final list of eight participants in July 2005 : A . J . Styles , Alex Shelley , Sabin , Michael Shane , Petey Williams , Samoa Joe , Shocker , and Sonjay Dutt . Dutt defeated Elix Skipper , Mikey Batts , and Shark Boy in a Four Way Super X Cup qualification match on July 27 , 2005 at TNA ' s No Surrender PPV event on July 17 , 2005 to enter the tournament . Tournament . The 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament featured seven matches involving numerous wrestlers from pre - existing scripted feuds and storylines . The tournament consisted of three rounds : the quarterfinals , semifinals , and finals . The quarterfinals and the semifinals took place on TNA ' s television program TNA Impact ! , while the finals were held at Sacrifice . The quarterfinals were taped on July 19 and aired on the July 22 and July 29 episodes of Impact ! . The semifinals were also taped on July 19 before airing on August 5 and August 10 episodes of Impact ! Then - TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels provided commentary for each encounter . Daniels nicknamed the competition the " Christopher Daniels Invitational " . In the first of two quarterfinal matches aired on July 22 , Samoa Joe fought Sonjay Dutt in a match lasting 9 minutes and 32 seconds . Joe won after forcing Dutt to submit with his signature Coquina Clutch submission hold . The second bout pitted A . J . Styles against Michael Shane . Before the match began , Shane announced he was changing his stage name to Matt Bentley . Styles won after America ' s Most Wanted ( Chris Harris and James Storm ) interfered . Harris distracted the referee , allowing Storm to kick Bentley in the face . The third and fourth quarterfinal bouts aired on July 29 . Alex Shelley fought Shocker in the first match of the episode , winning with a pinning combination at 5 minutes and 28 seconds . Petey Williams faced Chris Sabin in the second match . A - 1 interfered during the encounter by distracting the referee and tossing Williams a hockey stick which Williams used to hit Sabin across the stomach . He then performed his signature Canadian Destroyer maneuver , forcing Sabin ' s head into the mat and winning the match at 11 minutes and 45 seconds . Joe , Shelley , Styles , and Williams advanced to the semifinals . The first match took place on the August 5 episode of Impact ! between Joe and Shelley . Joe slammed Shelley back - first into the mat with his signature Muscle Buster maneuver and then choked him unconscious with the Coquina Clutch at 9 minutes and 4 seconds to win and advance to the finals . In the second semifinal match on August 10 , Styles defeated Williams with a small package pin at 9 minutes and 19 seconds . The tournament final between A . J . Styles and Samoa Joe took place on August 14 at Sacrifice . As Styles laid against the ring ropes at the beginning of the match , Joe ran across the ring and kicked him in the face , causing him to fly out of the ring and crash down on the floor . Joe followed by diving through the ring ropes and smashing Styles in the face with his forearm as Styles reached his feet . Joe later held Styles in an STF submission hold , which he was forced to release when Styles touched the bottom rope . Styles then gained the advantage with a dropkick and front - flip splash from the ring ropes . He held Joe on his shoulders before twisting him off into a powerbomb , or what he calls a Rack Bomb . During the move , referee Andrew Thomas was kicked in the face and knocked unconscious , allowing Daniels to interfere in the contest . Daniels attacked Styles and attempted to hit Joe with the X Division Title belt before Styles threw Daniels from the ring . Joe followed by lifting Styles up and performing his Muscle Buster maneuver , then placing Styles in his Coquina Clutch submission hold . Styles submitted to the move as the referee came to , giving the victory to Joe . The final bout lasted 15 minutes and 15 seconds . Joe ' s win gave him the Super X Cup trophy and made him the number - one contender for the TNA X Division Championship . He earned a title match against Daniels at TNA ' s Unbreakable PPV event on September 11 .