The participants are set for tonight’s fatal five-way number one contender’s match on 205 Live.
WWE has announced that Curt Stallion, August Grey, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Tony Nese, and Ariya Daivari will face off in tonight’s fatal five-way match. The winner will get a future shot at Santos Escobar’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship, though WWE hasn’t announced when the title match will be taking place.
In the main event of last week’s 205 Live, Nese & Daivari defeated Grey & Stallion after Daivari used his chain as a weapon and struck Grey. Mansoor defeated Adonis on 205 Live last week.
Stallion and Grey (Anthony Greene) are former EVOLVE wrestlers who were announced as new WWE signees last month.
Tonight’s number one contender’s match is in celebration of this week’s 205 Live being the 205th episode of the show. The match was announced via a video that aired on 205 Live last week. Escobar cut a promo saying that he’s defeated everyone that has come his way so far and that will never change — but he welcomes the challenge. Escobar said he worked with NXT general manager William Regal to give multiple cruiserweights the chance of getting a shot at his title. Escobar warned the winner to watch their back at all times.
Escobar retained his title against Jake Atlas on this Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
Ashantee Adonis extended for a handshake following the opening bell; Mansoor swatted away the hand of Adonis. Adonis tried to verbally convince Mansoor that he was trustworthy, but instead was taken to the mat. Mansoor took control of Adonis’s arm, but Adonis overpowered his opponent. After tossing Mansoor to the mat, Adonis tried again at convincing Mansoor of his character, but Mansoor answered with another takedown attempt.
The two struggled for some time before a flapjack turned things around for Adonis. He tried to follow up further, but was interrupted on the top rope by Mansoor. Mansoor took his newfound match control to the outside of the ring. After some general outside offense, Mansoor rolled Adonis back into the ring and tried for a pin.
Mansoor used a front facelock to maintain control as Adonis tried to gain some footing. Adonis teased a pass out finish before landing a short-arm clothesline to end the prolonged facelock. Adonis connected with a few strikes and a dropkick before climbing back to the top rope. A high crossbody left Adonis with a near fall.
Both men tried for quick pins to end the match. Mansoor tried for sliced bread before, and Adonis slipped free. Mansoor lifted Adonis into position and landed his finishing one-handed electric chair driver to win the match.
The handshake Adonis wanted in the opening moments he received following the closing bell.
Brian Kendrick’s influence on both these men was the center point of its story. Both Adonis and Mansoor have been taken in under him, or so the story goes. Regardless this match was inoffensive.
Cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar announced a five-way match for next week’s 205 Live; the winner will go on to challenge him for the belt. The five competitors look to be Sunil Singh, Samir Singh, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, August Grey, Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese, The Brian Kendrick, Curt Stallion, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Chase Parker, and Matt Martel.
Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese defeated Curt Stallion and August Grey
Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari took quick control of August Grey as the match started. Curt Stallion stealthily tagged himself in and reset the match. Stallion took control of a tapped up arm attached to Daivari. Both Stallion and Grey then took turns torturing the arm with a variety of moves.
Daivari forced Stallion into his corner, which allowed Nese to get involved. Daivari leveled Stallion with a clothesline and began trading tags with Nese, each time furthering their lead. A failed suplex from Nese allowed a hot tag into Grey. Grey connected with moves on both Daivari and Nese before the numbers game proved to be too much. With Daivari maintaining the attention of Grey, Nese landed a running hotshot. Nese landed a moonsault and tagged Daivari back into the match.
Daivari and Nese traded tags. Grey struggled and struggled for a tag as he was slowly picked apart by both his opponents. Finally, a desperation suplex from Grey onto Nese allowed for a hot tag into Stallion. Stallion landed a massive kick on the now legal Daivari, which he followed with a DDT. Grey tagged in and landed a move of his own that Nese had to break up.
Grey soon found himself under attack from both Daivari and Nese. Grey overcame the numbers and sent Daivari to the outside. From nowhere, Stallion connected with a suicide dive on the prone Daivari. At the same time, Nese gained control of the happenings inside the ring and landed a reverse piledriver on Grey. Stallion broke up the pin. Daivari grabbed Stallion and threw him into the ring steps.
Back inside the ring, Grey was looking to get an upset. Nese sent Grey into the ropes where Daivari hit him with a golden chain. Nese rolled Grey up and stole the win.
At times, this match was by the numbers. But it also was a densely packed expression of athletics. The finish, however, was lame.
A collar-and-elbow tie-up started the match and set the pace in the opening moments. Curt Stallion gained control of the match with a side headlock; Ariya Daivari pulled the hair of Stallion to stifle his offensive gains. Stallion resisted Daivari with passion and speed, but Daivari’s relative veteran status left him continually in the driver’s seat.
A moment of separation allowed Stallion to connect with a spree of offense. A spinning forearm yielded Stallion a near fall. Daivari rolled to the outside, and Stallion followed. Tony Nese, who was commentating the match, gained Stallion’s attention, which allowed Daivari to blindside Stallion. Back inside the ring, Daivari took Stallion to the mat. As Stallion showed hopes of regaining momentum, Daivari had an answer.
After smashing the face of Stallion into the announce table, Daivari locked in a camel clutch inside the ring. Daivari dropped the grip momentarily; Stallion landed a low blow to a prone Daivari, which prompted a burst of Stallion offense. Daivari regained control by sending Stallion crashing into the ropes during a dive attempt.
Daivari rolled outside of the ring to gain his composure. Stallion landed a dive on Daivari. Nese again gained the attention of Stallion, but this time a Stallion headbutt left Nese laying. Daivari tried to capitalize on Nese’s distraction, only for Stallion to duck the hammerlock lariat attempt. Amidst the chaos, Stallion rolled Daivari up and pinned him.
This was a simplistic showing, but not a bad one. Stallion is showing more and more promise each week.
Chase Parker and Matt Martel (Ever-Rise) defeated The Brian Kendrick and Mansoor
Matt Martel squared off against Mansoor following the opening bell. Martel, with verbal aid from Chase Parker, took control of Mansoor. Parker tagged in and was immediately cut off. Brian Kendrick and Mansoor traded tags as they worked to gain a foothold. Parker earned a sneaky tag, which allowed Martel to blindside Mansoor with a clothesline, putting them back in control.
Martel whipped Mansoor across the ring, causing him to crumble, but as soon as Parker tagged back in, Ever-Rise’s power slipped. Kendrick, now legal, landed some forearms before trading tags with Mansoor once more. Martel had to pull Parker out of harm’s way to stop the other team’s momentum. Martel tagged back into the match and again gained control for his team.
While double-teaming Kendrick, a miscommunication sent Martel crashing into Parker. Kendrick, after two tries, secured the hot tag. Mansoor unloaded on both Parker and Martel, but both proved to be too much. Kendrick entered the fray to reset the in-ring action to its natural state. Mansoor hit sliced bread on Parker and secured the pinfall victory.
This match was fun. The work was clean, and the homage to Kendrick in the finish was neat.
All in all, the show was entertaining, especially considering its limited ambition.
WWE has officially announced its latest group of signees.
The newest group of WWE Performance Center recruits was revealed today and mostly consists of former members of the EVOLVE Wrestling roster, with Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, Anthony Greene, Leon Ruff, Joe Gacy, Josh Briggs, and referee Jake Clemons signing with WWE and joining the Performance Center.
It was confirmed this July that WWE had purchased EVOLVE Wrestling. Some past content from EVOLVE started to be uploaded to the WWE Network in August.
Jacob Kasper, a former All-American collegiate wrestler at Duke University, has also signed with WWE and is part of this class of Performance Center recruits. Kasper was recruited by Gerald Brisco. After being furloughed in April’s roster cuts, Brisco was released by WWE last month.
WWE’s full announcement regarding the new recruits is available below:
A new class of recruits has reported for training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. The group can count among their ranks independent wrestling standouts and an NCAA All-American wrestler.
Brandi Pawelek, known on the independents as Brandi Lauren, is an exciting competitor who has stepped in the ring for promotions like EVOLVE and SHINE.
Camron Rogers is a 6-foot-1 Texan who competes under the name Curt Stallion. Rogers broke out in 2019 in EVOLVE Wrestling, where he battled the likes of SmackDown Superstar Matt Riddle and NXT Superstars Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis and Mansoor.
Anthony Greene is a flamboyant Massachusetts native and standout grappler from EVOLVE Wrestling. The 26-year-old stood toe-to-toe with NXT Tag Team Champion Tyler Breeze in EVOLVE, as well as many of his fellow recruits from this class.
Dartanyon Ruffin, better known as Leon Ruff, is a former EVOLVE Tag Team Champion. The energetic 24-year-old has competed on Raw, SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live in recent months, going up against the likes of Sheamus, Aleister Black, Tommaso Ciampa and Legado del Fantasma.
Joseph Ruby is a 6-foot, 249-pound powerhouse from New Jersey. Competing as Joe Gacy, he’s a former three-time Combat Zone Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and EVOLVE Tag Team Champion.
Joshua Bruns is an imposing figure, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 268 pounds. As Josh Briggs, he’s been the EVOLVE Champion and battled the likes of NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER, Matt Riddle, John Morrison and Raw Tag Team Champion Angelo Dawkins.
Jacob Kasper is a 25-year-old amateur wrestling standout from Lexington, Ohio. Kasper wrestled at Duke University, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 2018 ACC heavyweight championship. He also placed in the 2016 Olympic trials.
Jake Clemons of Ohio is a referee who has officiated matches on Monday Night Raw, as well as for promotions like EVOLVE and AIW.
For more information on the WWE Performance Center, visit WWEPerformanceCenter.com.
PWInsider also reported today that former EVOLVE wrestler Joe Gacy has signed with WWE.
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Following WWE’s purchase of EVOLVE earlier this year, more EVOLVE wrestlers have signed with WWE.
PWInsider reported today that EVOLVE Champion Josh Briggs, Brandi Lauren, Curt Stallion, and referee Jake Clemons have signed with WWE. That’s in addition to Leon Ruff and Anthony Greene signing with the company. Ruff, who did work as an extra for WWE prior to being signed, was highlighted in a video on the WWE Performance Center’s YouTube channel last month.
Lauren has also recently appeared as an extra for WWE, including being a Raw Underground competitor and being part of Damian Priest’s celebration after winning the NXT North American Championship at TakeOver XXX.
It was officially confirmed in July that WWE had purchased EVOLVE. Content from EVOLVE and WWE-affiliated independent promotions PROGRESS Wrestling, ICW, and wXw began being added to the WWE Network this month, including the Best of Drew McIntyre in EVOLVE, the best of Keith Lee in EVOLVE, and EVOLVE 125 from 2019 being uploaded.
Left My Wallet is back again with EVOLVE competitor Curt Stallion!
Although not a sports fan, Curt talked about his time playing high school football in Texas and what that sport means in the Lone Star State. Then, he talks about his ideas for creative content to put out during this hectic time.
We also talk about what video games he’s playing, his love for Pokemon and Dragonball Z, “machismo” in pro wrestling, and his thoughts on social media.
I am trying to bring some new content during this time, so enjoy my effort to send out some good vibes and get to know some new (and not so new) faces in the wrestling industry.
During EVOLVE’s 10th anniversary weekend, our JJ Williams caught up with Curt Stallion on how his career got kicked off, some of his favorite matches, and his goals for the future
JJ Williams: Where are you from and what got you here?
Curt Stallion: I grew up in Crane, Texas. You can Google it for perspective. I was a juvenile delinquent that graduated high school at the very bottom of my class, yet was in the top 5% for academic testing scores out of the entire school district. I was bullied as a preteen for being white in a Mexican dominated community. That is, until I started to fight back.
Outside of grade school, I’ve been shot at, had guns to my head, knives at my throat, and partook in more street fights than I care to recall, more than often pitting me against more than one person. I’ve got more dead friends than most anyone I know and I’m definitely not bragging about it. I’m a firm believer in honesty and being true to oneself, regardless of circumstance.
JJ: What lured you into becoming a professional wrestler?
CS: Professional wrestling captivated me at an early age during a time when I was so conflicted about growing up and what my life would become. With assumptions of working the rest of my days away in the oil fields like everyone that came before me in Crane, Texas, my aspirations and goals seemed limited and, even worse, not my own. That’s where pro wrestling came in and changed everything. I knew my life needed professional wrestling because I’m not wired to be a robot and the oil fields were too life consuming for my tastes. Being programmed for oil production did not work on me because I knew from the time I was ten years old what I was going to dedicate my life towards. There were many speed bumps along the way, but here we are now.
JJ: When did you start training?
CS: I got a call from my friend Cristobal Salcedo one day telling me that I need to cancel my plans of going to a tech school and move back home because he found a pro wrestling school a mere thirty miles away. I legitimately packed everything and a week later, I was home and training with Old School Wrestling in Odessa. Texas, under the late great Fred Urban III and Jastin Taylor. This was in October of 2012. My first match in front of a live audience was on July 20th, 2013, in Andrews, Texas.
JJ: Who are some of your biggest influences?
CS: On screen, Goku, Han Solo, Randy Orton, Katsuyori Shibata, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. In person, ACH, Michael Elgin, Matt Riddle, Kyle O’Reilly, Silas Young, Mark and Jay Brisco, Rey Fenix and Pentagon, and even though he’s younger than me, Trevor Lee.
JJ: What are some of your favorite moments of your career thus far?
CS: My first big match and that it was against ACH, my first round trip flight being bought by ROH, being in the 2017 ROH Top Prospect Tournament as well as making it to the semifinals and getting to work at the Manhattan Center in NYC, Paul Turner taking me up to the Hammerstein Ballroom where the first ever Monday Night RAW took place was the cherry on top of that night too.
Being in the first class of the NJPW Los Angeles Dojo under Katsuyori Shibata, Rocky Romero, and Scorpio Sky in March of 2018, wrestling one on one with former ROH TV Champion Silas Young in San Antonio, Texas, at the Aztec Theatre in front of friends and family, signing with EVOLVE, wrestling live on the WWE Network for EVOLVE in the famous 2300 Arena in Philly on my 29th birthday, and wrestling Matt Riddle for EVOLVE in Boston the day after the WWE Network special.
JJ: After all of that, what are your current goals?
CS: Gain some weight, PWG, work overseas in the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, bring professional wrestling to prominence in places it doesn’t have much viewership, sign with WWE, and main event WrestleMania.
