After the match, Babatunde Aiyegbusi made the save when DMC and Spandex attacked Watts and Summers. Babatunde laid DMC and Spandex out.
– Brandi Lauren defeated Lacey Lane
– Kona Reeves defeated Colby Corino
– Adrian Jaoude vs. Anthony Henry ended in a non finish and they had a pull-apart brawl.
– Shane Thorne defeated Curt Stallion
– Leon Ruff defeated AR Fox and Adrian Alanis in a triple threat match
– Eric Bugenhagen did an air guitar performance. He was interrupted by Eddie Kingston, with Angelo Dawkins making the save to start their match
– Angelo Dawkins defeated Eddie Kingston in a falls count anywhere match
– EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory defeated Raul Mendoza to retain his title
After retaining, Theory cut a promo about having wins against Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong. He challenged Adam Cole to a non-title match next month.
– WWN Champion JD Drake defeated Shane Strickland to retain his title
Eddie Kingston and Colby Corino attacked Drake after, but the show ended with Anthony Henry making the save.
Friday night’s show in Melrose, Massachusetts drew a bigger crowd than the last time EVOLVE was in the same building. I’d say it was at about 90 percent capacity.
The show was fast-paced and easy to watch, but it lacked anything truly outstanding. The crowd was pretty hot and lively for most of the matches, and reacted to certain guys as if they were big stars.
The big attraction was Velveteen Dream, who wrestled Orange Cassidy in the main event. Ricochet was originally announced for the show, but it was changed once Ricochet debuted on the main roster. Dream replaced him in the main event, but Ricochet was still there and available for meet and greets.
– Curt Stallion defeated Colby Corino
Basic, quick match. They did some mat wrestling early before exchanging strikes. Stallion is super pale, so the welts he gets show up really well. Stallion won with a back senton in kind of an awkward finish.
Corino’s group, The Unwanted (led by Eddie Kingston), beat down Stallion after the match and then called out The Street Profits.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins came out and cut a good promo on the group and agreed to put the EVOLVE Tag Team titles on the line later in the show against Kingston & Joe Gacy. The Street Profits were really over.
– Josh Briggs defeated Darby Allin
Good match, but they didn’t go long. Allin was pretty popular and worked well as the smaller babyface taking on the big heel. Briggs beat him down until Allin made a comeback. Briggs cut him off and hit the M5 (chokeslam into a backbreaker) for the pinfall.
– Adrian Jaoude defeated Rory Gulak
This was basically a squash match for Jaoude, who is an NXT wrestler. They are pushing him as a big-time guy who uses his BJJ to win matches. He beat Gulak in under five minutes with a leg lock.
– AR Fox & Leon Ruff defeated WWN Champion JD Drake & Anthony Henry
They had the best match of the night and probably went the longest as well. The heels beat on Ruff forever and it really worked — because the crowd went crazy when Fox got the hot tag.
There were a lot of dives and big moves when Fox got in and things broke down. Drake went for a moonsault and missed, which got over huge. Fox eventually won with a 450.
– EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory defeated John Silver to retain his title
They didn’t have a ton of time considering this was for the EVOLVE Championship. Theory is really good and has improved a lot since he was last in Melrose working against Matt Riddle last summer.
Theory beat Silver in about 10 minutes with Ataxia, which is his pumpslam into a flatliner finisher.
– Shane Strickland defeated Harlem Bravado
This was weird. Strickland is part of The Unwanted, who were the biggest heels on the show, but he worked this match as the babyface and Bravado was the heel.
The match was sloppy at the start but got a little better. Strickland won with an armbar.
– Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy defeated The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) to win the EVOLVE Tag Team titles
Kingston & Gacy won the titles after Strickland interfered. The match was mostly them beating on Ford until he made the hot tag to Dawkins.
Ford hit a tope con hilo over the post onto everybody. Strickland interfered and Ford chased him out of the ringside area and outside the building. In the ring, Kingston hit a spinning backfist and pinned Dawkins to win the titles. It was funny because it was pouring rain outside and when Ford came back to ringside right as Dawkins was being pinned, he was completely soaked.
The Street Profits were really over and felt like big stars.
– NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream defeated Orange Cassidy
This was a bizarre main event. The match was nothing special, but it was entertaining in its own way. Dream was really over with the crowd, but Cassidy was legitimately just as popular working his lazy, carefree gimmick.
There was a lot of stalling and posing before the match started, with Dream doing his histrionics and Cassidy no selling them and working his gimmick against Dream.
The match was mostly Dream working over Cassidy and Cassidy selling. Dream won with the Purple Rainmaker after about 8-10 minutes, but the crowd really enjoyed it.
– Harlem Bravado defeated Joe Bailey with Angel’s Wings.
– It was announced that EVOLVE will return to New York with a show in Brooklyn on January 18 and a show in Queens on January 19. Johnny Gargano will return for one weekend only.
– BSHP KNG defeated Joe Gacy with a Swanton Bomb.
– Josh Briggs defeated Leon Ruff (w/ AR Fox, Ayla Fox, and The Skulk) with two consecutive chokeslam/Lumbar Check combinations.
– AR Fox (w/ Ayla Fox and The Skulk) defeated Curt Stallion with the Foxcatcher.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Darby Allin with a discus forearm to the back of the neck/head area.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. WWN Champion JD Drake & Anthony Henry ended in a no contest
Eddie Kingston interfered and attacked both teams for the finish. Ford then called out Kingston and challenged him to a match on January 19.
– Austin Theory defeated Fabian Aichner and Roderick Strong in a triple threat match to win the EVOLVE Championship
Theory pinned Aichner (who was the champion coming into the match) after hitting Ataxia.
Theory grabbed a mic after the match, fired Priscilla Kelly as his manager, and declared that EVOLVE is Theory. Darby Allin walked out and brawled with Theory until Theory ran to the back.
After becoming champions at EVOLVE 114, NXT’s Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) and Fabian Aichner had their first title defenses this weekend.
The Street Profits retained their EVOLVE Tag Team titles against JD Drake & Anthony Henry at EVOLVE 115 in Livonia, Michigan on Friday. They also retained against AR Fox & Leon Ruff at EVOLVE 116 in Oak Lawn, Illinois on Saturday.
Aichner defended the EVOLVE Championship for the first time in Livonia, defeating fellow NXT wrestler Kassius Ohno.
Another WWE wrestler was also in action at the events, with Mustafa Ali defeating DJZ in Livonia and Darby Allin in Oak Lawn.
Here are the full results:
EVOLVE 115 —
– Barrett Brown defeated BSHP KNG
– Mike Fierro defeated Juntai
– Harlem Bravado defeated Leon Ruff, Adrian Alanis, and Jason Kincaid in a four-way match
Bravado stole the win by hitting his Straight Cash Homie finisher on Ruff.
AR Fox and The Skulk (Fox’s students) came out after, Fox said he was proud of Ruff and Alanis, and they were then interrupted by Austin Theory and Priscilla Kelly.
Kelly said that Theory is Fox’s most successful student. Theory said he should be The Skulk’s role model and coach and that Fox feeds off the careers of his students.
– Austin Theory defeated AR Fox
Theory stole the quick win with a roll-up after Kelly knocked down Ayla Fox on the outside and Fox was checking on her.
As Theory and Kelly were heading to the back, Fox asked for one more match. Fox said it would be an unsanctioned fight. If Theory wins, Theory gets The Skulk and Fox’s wrestling school. If Fox wins, Theory has to show them respect. Theory accepted the challenge.
– Mustafa Ali defeated DJZ
Ali countered the ZDT into a sunset flip to get the win. DJZ got a WWE Cruiserweight title belt from a fan after the match, handed it to Ali, and Ali held it ahead of his match against Buddy Murphy at Survivor Series.
– Josh Briggs defeated Cody Vance
Briggs, who dealt with flight issues to get to the show, won quickly with the M5 (chokeslam into double knees). Briggs then attacked Vance and gave him another M5.
– SHINE Champion Allysin Kay defeated Shotzi Blackheart to retain her title
Kay retained with a discus lariat. She helped Blackheart up after the match but then pushed her.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated WWN Champion JD Drake & Anthony Henry to retain their titles
Drake and Henry attacked The Street Profits as they were trying to get in the ring, but The Street Profits ended up retaining with their spinebuster/frog splash combo.
Ford got the pin on Drake and seemed to set up a future WWN Championship match against him as they got in a face off after the match.
– EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner defeated Kassius Ohno to retain his title
Aichner survived Ohno’s strikes and hit a sit-out powerbomb to retain after struggling to get Ohno up.
Anthony Henry came out, clapped for Ohno and Aichner, and called the match amazing. Henry said he’s sick and tired of being unappreciated and guys like Aichner coming in and taking spots. Ohno tried to talk to Henry, but Henry said he wants Aichner to go back to where he came from. Henry insulted Ohno and shoved him.
Ohno went to leave but got back into the ring to show Aichner respect.
– AR Fox defeated Austin Theory in an unsanctioned match
Ayla Fox brawled to the back with Priscilla Kelly near the end and AR Fox hit the Foxcatcher on Theory to retain control of his wrestling school and The Skulk.
EVOLVE 116 —
– Jake Lander defeated Joey O’Riley in a Zero1 USA World Junior Heavyweight Championship number one contender’s match
– Adrian Alanis defeated Barrett Brown
– Josh Briggs defeated Jason Kincaid
Kincaid had Briggs on the top turnbuckle, but Briggs hit the M5 from the top rope for the victory.
– Freelance Wrestling Champion Isaias Velazquez defeated GPA to retain his title
Velazquez is the champion of the local Freelance Wrestling indie promotion and retained with a superkick and DDT.
– EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner defeated Anthony Henry by DQ
This was a non-title match. Henry thought he got the win with a double stomp, but Aichner got his foot on the ropes during the count. Henry argued with the referee and shoved him down for the disqualification.
JD Drake, Henry’s tag team partner, came out to talk sense into Henry and get him away from the referee.
Austin Theory and Priscilla Kelly made their way down, staring at Aichner as he left. Theory said he’s embarrassed Drake is WWN Champion because Drake doesn’t look like him.
Drake called Theory an entitled millennial and called out Theory’s lack of experience. Drake said he’s been busting his ass in the ring almost as long as Theory has been alive. Drake talked about all he’s sacrificed for the business to pave the way for people like Theory.
Drake told Harlem Bravado to come out for their triple threat WWN title match.
– WWN Champion JD Drake defeated Harlem Bravado and Austin Theory in a triple threat match to retain his title
After Theory had prevented him from getting the win earlier, Drake pinned Bravado by hitting his Drill Bit slam for the second time and a moonsault from the top rope. Drake and Theory teased fighting after the match before Theory left.
– Matt Knicks defeated Cyrus Satin, BSHP KNG, and Mike Fierro in a four-way match
Knicks stole the win by hitting Satin with a Michinoku driver after giving Fierro a superkick.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Shane Strickland
Ohno missed a moonsault off the top near the finish but got the better of a striking exchange by hitting the high-tension elbow for the win.
Anthony Henry came out after and said he’s frustrated. He said he’s been in the business for 15 years and new guys keep taking his opportunity. Henry called Ohno one of the greatest wrestlers he’s ever seen and said he wants to wrestle him.
Henry asked Ohno to accept his apology, but Ohno said he hasn’t heard one yet. Henry said he’s very sorry for what he did to Ohno, Aichner, and the referee from his match earlier. He again asked Ohno for a match.
Ohno said he accepted Henry’s apology, that he’d talk to some people, and that maybe they’d see each other in the ring sooner rather than later.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated AR Fox & Leon Ruff to retain their titles
The Street Profits retained with their spinebuster/frog splash combo on Ruff after Dawkins ducked and Ruff accidentally took out Fox and The Skulk with a dive to the outside.
Ford cut a promo praising Fox, Ruff, and The Skulk and talked about returning home to Chicago. The Street Profits then partied in the ring with their opponents and The Skulk.
– Mustafa Ali defeated Darby Allin
This was also a homecoming for Ali. Allin refused to stay down despite the punishment he was taking from Ali. Allin got a couple of two counts, Ali countered into the Koji Clutch, and Allin lost after passing out in the move.
Ali cut a post-match promo saying he respects Allin because Allin has heart. Ali said he’s going to win the Cruiserweight Championship from Murphy at Survivor Series and wants to come back to EVOLVE in Chicago and give Allin a shot at the title.
Ali said Allin is on a long and difficult road, but if he stays on the path — he’ll get to where he wants to be. Allin was still disappointed over the loss and left the ring.
After thanking everyone for coming to the show, Ali pointed out that his wife and daughter were in the crowd, brought his daughter into the ring, and talked about what can happen if you work hard.
With several NXT wrestlers appearing on the show, EVOLVE 114 took place in Ybor City, Florida on Sunday night.
– Chance Auren & Omar Amir defeated Mat Rogers & Zenshi in a pre-show match
– Lenny Leonard and Ron Niemim who were the broadcast team at the event, appeared in the ring and welcomed us to the show.
EVOLVE Champion Shane Strickland made his way to the ring since he was scheduled for a title defense but didn’t have a challenger — which brought out NXT’s Fabian Aichner to set up a title match for later in the show.
– Darby Allin defeated Josh Briggs to advance to the main event ladder match for the WWN Championship
Great match here with the much larger Briggs giving the seemingly indestructible Allin everything he had — but it wasn’t enough.
– Priscilla Kelly defeated Jessie Elaban
This was a matchup of Mae Young Classic participants, with NXT’s Elaban making an appearance. Kelly was just too much for the energetic rookie.
– Adrian Jaoude (w/ Cezar Bononi) defeated Joe Gacy
There was more NXT representation on the show with Jaoude and Bononi. Jaoude showed off his Brazilian kickboxing style with movement and striking.
– Leon Ruff (w/ Ayla Fox) defeated Barrett Brown
Impressive showing by both men in a wild one. The crowd in Ybor loved Leon and chanted him on with loud “Ruff Ruff” chants throughout.
– The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka) to win the EVOLVE Tag Team Championship
This was far from an NXT match with some brutal strikes by Dickinson and Jaka on both Dawkins and Ford throughout. Ford even hit a piledriver towards the end of the match before the Profits took this one. The fans erupted and were surprised by the title change.
Dawkins and Ford cut a promo after the match saying they would remain champs and defend the titles in all the cities currently scheduled for EVOLVE shows coming up.
– Dante Marquis Carter vs. Mikey Spandex ended in a no contest
NXT’s Dan Matha destroyed them. Matha took the mic, ran down everyone, and challenged anyone in the back if they wanted to face a real man. He was answered by The Skulk, who offered him a spot in their scramble match.
– Adrian Alanis won the Skulk Scramble match against Liam Gray, Shawn Dean, and Dan Matha
This was a one fall to a finish match where only two wrestlers could be in the ring at a time. Matha abandoned the match as AR Fox had made his way to ringside.
– Fabian Aichner defeated Shane Strickland to win the EVOLVE Championship
This match built great and the crowd was shocked at the title change. Strickland had gone for the arm throughout and Aichner kept countering to escape. Strickland hit a Swerve Stomp from the top for a major near fall, but Aichner hit a series of moves and a huge sit-out powerbomb to become the new EVOLVE Champion.
– JD Drake defeated Darby Allin, Anthony Henry, Harlem Bravado, AR Fox (w/ Ayla Fox), and Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) in a ladder match to win the vacant WWN Championship
This was an absolutely vicious ladder match. There was brawling all over the venue, slams on the ladders, and nonstop mayhem all over the place. Drake and his tag partner Henry worked together early on out of respect. But the further the match went, the more they wanted to win and began fighting each other.
Allin was taken out in the middle of the match and then returned near the finish. They all tried to make their way up the ladder, but Drake was the furthest up and took the championship down in front of everyone. The crowd celebrated with the new champion.
Headlined by Adam Cole defending the NXT North American Championship against WALTER in a match that didn’t air on the iPPV broadcast, EVOLVE 107 took place in Melrose, Massachusetts on Sunday night.
– Josh Briggs defeated Dominic Garrini (w/ Stokely Hathaway)
Briggs countered a guillotine and hit his chokeslam onto the knees for the impressive win. Hathaway offered Briggs a Catch Point contract after the match, which Briggs took before storming off.
– Adrian Alanis (w/ AR Fox and The Skulk) defeated BSHP Kng
The fire alarm went off as The Skulk were making their way to the ring, which caused a “Burn it Down” chant before it finally stopped. The crowd erupted when the noise stopped. Once Kng made his way to the ring, he yelled that he pulled the alarm to get a rise out of everyone.
Alanis was able to avoid a swanton and scored the win with a roll-up.
These two have had issues for months now and finally settled it in the ring. The fire alarm went off again during the match, prompting the crowd to chant “Use Your Magic” to Jarek.
Allin hit a pair of Coffin Drops for the victory.
– Anthony Henry defeated Timothy Thatcher
Incredibly physical match here with Henry targeting the leg of the larger man. Thatcher was all over Henry but was caught in an ankle lock on his already damaged leg and forced to tap out.
WALTER was checking on his tag partner after the match, and Thatcher took a cheap shot at Henry before leaving.
– FIP Champion Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) defeated DJZ and Joey Janela (w/ Penelope Ford) to retain his title
This was scheduled as a one-on-one match before Janela made his way to the ring and said he wanted a chance to win two titles from Theory this weekend, referencing how he won the WWN Championship from him in Brooklyn on Saturday.
The crowd loved the action. DJZ attempted to pin both men at once with an impressive combination. Janela hit the super brainbuster that had defeated Theory on Saturday on DJZ, but Theory stole the pin for himself to retain the FIP title.
– Saieve Al Sabah defeated Jaka, Bad Bones, and Jon Davis in a four-way freestyle match
This was the EVOLVE debut of Al Sabah, who’s been elevated from ACW to FIP and now the flagship of the WWN promotions. Davis imposed his will early with his power before Al Sabah showed what he was capable of with a snap suplex with a kip up and a corkscrew dive to the outside to get the crowd going. All four men showed their strengths in this one.
– Chris Dickinson (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Tracy Williams by DQ in a Catch Point rules match
Punches were illegal — and Williams punched Dickinson right away for the disqualification. Williams got his hands on Hathaway but wasn’t able to punish him before the rest of Catch Point joined in.
Briggs made the save for Williams, who still has a lot to settle.with his former crew.
– EVOLVE Champion Matthew Riddle defeated AR Fox (w/ The Skulk) to retain his title
Great match here between the first-ever EVOLVE Champion (Fox) and the current top guy in the promotion (Riddle). Fox went barefoot and was wearing shorts for this match to be competitive with the MMA style of Riddle and it didn’t slow him down one bit.
Fox countered a Bro to Sleep into a cutter and transitioned to a submission. Later, Fox hit a flurry of huge moves, including The Fox Catcher that had never been kicked out of before. Riddle was able to survive the onslaught and roll to the outside before regrouping to mount his own flurry of offense, including a powerbomb and multiple successive knee strikes before a mount and referee stoppage.
Before Riddle could celebrate, Austin Theory attacked him and proclaimed himself as the champion in EVOLVE. Fox’s students The Skulk helped run him off before celebrating with Riddle themselves to close the show.
Dark match main event —
– NXT North American Champion Adam Cole defeated WALTER to retain his title
This was for the live crowd only — and they were very hot for it. Cole avoided WALTER’s chops and worked over his hand to further prevent the chops, though they still came later. Cole was able to retain his title after a barrage of moves and kicks.
Following the match, the two shook hands and Cole celebrated with the crowd to send everyone home happy.
EVOLVE’s two-show weekend began in Brooklyn, New York last night.
– Josh Briggs defeated Bad Bones
The EVOLVE newcomer Briggs and the German star Bad Bones had a physical big-man match. Briggs won with the chokebreaker.
– Jon Davis defeated Jarek 1:20 (w/ Candy Cartwright)
Davis, who was making a surprise return to EVOLVE, proclaimed he was here for a fight and proceeded to impose his will on the illusionist Jarek. Davis put him away after a powerbomb, German suplex, and lariat combination.
– Adrian Alanis & Liam Grey defeated Leon Ruff & Tommy Maserati (w/ AR Fox and fellow members of The Skulk)
The crowd erupted for the action between these two sets of Fox’s students. Alanis scored the pin for his team and they all celebrated before Fox called out DJZ for their match.
– AR Fox (w/ The Skulk) defeated DJZ
The fans appreciated both men in this athletic spectacle. Ayla Fox distracted DJZ at ringside by wearing his LED mask, which allowed Fox to take the advantage. The Fox Catcher finished it off.
– Darby Allin defeated WALTER
This was another in the long line of breakthrough performances by Allin, who showed incredible heart by taking a mauling from WALTER but never giving up. There were huge chops and strikes throughout by WALTER. Allin tried to use his speed and high flying but always got cut off by WALTER’s power.
Allin was able to roll back through a clutch choke hold to score the three count, sending the crowd into a frenzy for a moment before WALTER kicked Allin with a cheap shot and stormed off. Allin was helped to the back as he held up three fingers as if he couldn’t believe what he had just done.
– Bryan Idol (w/ Natalya Markova) defeated Mike Verna
The crowd was firmly behind Verna in this one, but Idol picked up the win to their dismay.
– Jaka, Chris Dickinson & Dominic Garrini (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Anthony Henry, Timothy Thatcher & Tracy Williams
A wild six-man brawl with some incredible technical wrestling involved as well. This was the prelude for the Williams vs. Dickinson “Catch Point rules” match tomorrow at EVOLVE 107 in Melrose, Massachusetts.
After the match, Thatcher wasn’t happy with Henry and let him have it before storming off.
– Joey Janela (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) to win the WWN Championship
The Brooklyn fans were on fire for this matchup. There was wild action all over the place and the managers each got involved. Theory overpowered Janela, but he kept fighting and hit a super brainbuster off the ropes for a major victory.
The crowd erupted for the title change, with Janela winning it on his EVOLVE debut.
– EVOLVE Champion Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland ended in a no contest
Strickland attacked Riddle before the bell for the early advantage. Riddle fought back with his powerbomb and knee strike until Strickland cut him off to take back the advantage. Riddle charged the corner, but Strickland evading it caused the referee to be incapacitated by Riddle.
The two then brawled to the back and through the curtain — where the rest of the locker room joined in the fight. Strickland wiped out a pack of wrestlers before Riddle yanked him by the hair back into the ring to choke him out.
WWN personnel tried to pull Riddle off Strickland and seemingly end this match. Riddle then said that wasn’t the finish he wanted, but it was a great night and it was because of the fans in Brooklyn. He thanked them to end the show.
– Orlando Christopher & N8 Mattson defeated The End (Parrow & Drennan) w/ Odinson by DQ
The winning team were two local Michigan area veterans who were getting an opportunity on the main card tonight. Parrow and Drennan dominated throughout, but the referee caught Drennan using a baton/club and called for the bell.
The End contributed their assault until Tracy Williams evened the odds, leading to the next match.
– Tracy Williams defeated Odinson (w/ The End)
Odinson dominated with power moves early on, but Williams wouldn’t stay down and used a crossface for the submission victory. Dominic Garrini, Chris Dickinson, and Jaka of Catch Point then jumped him as Stokely Hathaway let Williams know that they weren’t through.
James Drake and Anthony Henry, who would face Dickinson and Jaka later in the show, made the save.
– A match that was about to happen was broken up by Bryan Idol (the former Earl Cooter), who issued a challenge to Fred Yehi for FIP this coming Friday in Ybor City, Florida.
– AR Fox (w/ The Skulk) defeated Myron Reed
Great showing by both men. They both proved that they’re capable of doing things in the ring that not many are. Reed cleared the ring post on a dive to take out The Skulk at ringside. Fox did an incredible cutter into a dragon sleeper combo and ended up winning with the Fox Catcher. Reed looks like he belongs with the EVOLVE regulars.
– Josh Briggs won a fray match
This was a multi-man elimination match that featured wrestlers from WildKat Wrestling, along with Snoop Strikes and Garrini.
Garrini was the final person eliminated. It was a major showcase for Briggs, who won with a chokeslam into a double knees backbreaker.
– DJZ defeated Zachary Wentz
They had a back-and-forth match where the up-and-coming Wentz held his own with DJZ. DJZ hit a great looking DDT for the win.
– Shane Strickland defeated Darby Allin
Before the match, Strickland said he broke the unbreakable last night when he took out the arm of Matt Riddle — and tonight he’ll break Allin’s arm as well. The storyline is that all of this is because the “WWN family” wouldn’t sign Strickland three years ago and he made himself a big enough star on his own to come back and destroy them.
Allin out-wrestled Strickland early on with roll throughs and reversals. As he said he would, Strickland targeted the arm and even lodged it in the top of the ring post box before delivering a stomp. Allin kept fighting and even scored a near fall with a Code Red, but Strickland wrenched the arm and snapped it back before applying a key lock.
– WWN and FIP Champion Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) defeated Trey Miguel in a non-title match
Miguel used some flashy offense here, including a flip dive to the outside on Theory, a meteora from the top, and some impressive speed off the ropes. But Theory was just too much for Miguel and put him away with a pumphandle slam.
AR Fox, who trained Theory, and The Skulk made their way to the ring as Fox hasn’t been happy with Theory’s actions or representation as champion. Ayla Fox also got into it with Kelly before they were pulled apart.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka defeated Anthony Henry & James Drake to retain their titles
The crowd loved this match and were solidly behind Henry and Drake. There were incredible near falls late, including a huge moonsault by the big man Drake, but the champions were able to hit the Death Trap for the victory.
The audience gave a standing ovation for Henry and Drake as they left.
– Before the main event announcements could happen, Theory took the mic to challenge AR Fox for August 12th in the same venue.
– EVOLVE Champion Matt Riddle defeated Keith Lee to retain his title
They had an incredible match, possibly their best together — and this was with Riddle having his arm wrapped up and selling the damage Strickland did the previous night. There were no rope breaks as part of the rules for the match and they did everything you’d expect from these two: chops, strikes, tombstones by both, a Spirit Bomb by Lee, and it took a vicious running knee strike to the back of the head for Riddle to win.
Riddle called out Strickland after the match. Strickland circled the ring with a chair before teasing a fight, but he backed off and implied that he’ll fight when the title is on the line. Riddle then took the mic to say “that sucked” before turning his attention back to Lee, who had been seated at ringside after their battle.
Riddle thanked and celebrated Lee with the crowd while insisting we don’t know where he may end up, but the crowd loudly chanted “NXT.” Riddle then said, from the bottom of his heart, he loves Lee before leaving the ring to him.
Lee thanked everyone for supporting him and asked for everyone to continue supporting EVOLVE even if he’s not there. The crowd was great for all of this and it felt like a true graduation.
The first show in EVOLVE’s weekend doubleheader took place in Summit, Illinois last night. They’ll be in the Detroit area tonight with Keith Lee vs. Matt Riddle in what’s being billed as the final war between them.
– AR Fox defeated Zachary Wentz
Great showing by both men in front of a hot crowd, ending when Fox won with the Fox Catcher. After the match, one of Fox’s students, Tommy Maserati, issued an open challenge.
– Josh Briggs defeated Tommy Maserati
Briggs is a standout for Beyond Wrestling who was making his EVOLVE debut. He destroyed Maserati fast.
– Tracy Williams defeated Dominic Garrini (w/ Stokely Hathaway) in a “Catchpoint rules” match
No closed fists, three rope breaks, and a 20 count on the outside were the rules for this. Garrini had the advantage throughout, but Williams wouldn’t quit and was able to lock in a submission for the victory.
Chris Dickinson and Jaka helped Hathaway escape unharmed following the match.
– -Matt Knicks, Chris Castro & Isaias Velazquez defeated J.Spade, Bu Ku Dao & Johnny Flex in a Freelance Wrestling vs. WildKat Wrestling showcase match
They had a wild six-man that was won by the Freelance crew.
– Anthony Henry defeated Stevie Fierce
These two have a long standing rivalry in the local Freelance Wrestling promotion. Henry, who is usually a fan favorite in EVOLVE, was booed throughout. He picked up the victory after a hard-fought match.
– WWN Champion Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) defeated DJZ to retain his title
Two of AR Fox’s students were in the ring for a match before Theory and Kelly destroyed them both and said they run the show, calling out DJZ.
DJZ was able to hit a super rana from the top for a near fall, but the distractions of Kelly were too much as she hit a low blow that allowed Theory to get the victory.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka defeated The End in an anything goes match to retain their titles
They had a wild brawl that went all over the place, using barricades and chairs in and out of the ring. Even with the three-on-two advantage, Odinson, Parrow, and Drennan weren’t able to stop Dickinson and Jaka.
– Darby Allin defeated Myron Reed, Snoop Strikes, and Trey Miguel in a four-way match
Incredible action by all involved. Allin opened the match with a Coffin Drop on the other three. Reed also got amazing long distance on a dive over the ring post on Miguel. The fast-paced action was finally cut off by Allin, who applied his Last Supper pinning maneuver to score the win. The crowd loved all involved and gave a standing ovation.
Candy Cartwright then tried to tell Allin that Jarek was coming, but Allin would have none of it and made his way to the back.
– Keith Lee defeated James Drake
An athletic hoss fight with these two doing things that men their size should not be able to do. They did rope running, dropkicks, and ranas until it finally broke down into a slugfest, hitting huge chops and forearms before a great blockbuster by Drake for a near fall.
Lee hit the Ground Zero to win and the crowd showed respect to both.
– EVOLVE Champion Matthew Riddle defeated Shane Strickland by DQ in a non-title match
Strickland attacked Riddle’s left arm from bell to bell. Riddle would get in flurries of offense, including a trio of sentons, his powerbomb/knee strike combo, and even a one-armed German suplex, but Strickland would always cut him off by attacking the arm.
The disqualification came when Strickland applied the key lock and Riddle was in the ropes. The referee called for the break and Strickland, who was upset that this was not a championship match where there would be no rope breaks, wrenched on the hold even tighter to force the referee to call it off.
Strickland attacked Riddle’s arm by placing it in a folded chair and delivering a Swerve Stomp off the top before declaring himself the new most dangerous man in EVOLVE.
EVOLVE 94 aired live from LaBoom in Queens, New York last night, with a big last man standing main event between Matt Riddle and Keith Lee. Here are the results from the show:
Dominic Garrini (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Rayo
Hathaway announced before the match that Rayo was being given an opportunity to face his new bodyguard, Mr. Garrini. Garrini attacked Rayo instantly and tapped him out fast with a Kimura.
Chris Dickinson (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Jason Kincaid
Dickinson won this one with a huge Pazuzu Bomb and a stacked-up pin to finally put down Kincaid — who had showed a lot of fight.
After the match, “THE END” was shown in the background on the video screens and unrecognized music started playing as Parrow, Odinson, and Drennan (who have all been a part of various WWN promotions in the past) showed up and laid out anyone they could get their hands on. EVOLVE had been teasing “THE END” leading up to the show.
Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) defeated Brandon Watts
Watts is a newcomer to EVOLVE and looked impressive in defeat. Theory won it with a TKO to Kelly’s delight at ringside.
The End were back after the match, but Theory was smart enough to shove Watts towards them while escaping with Kelly. The trio destroyed Watts and left him laid out.
Darby Allin defeated Jarek 1:20
Allin got a superstar reaction at LaBoom. He’s grown so much this year and the people who’ve seen his journey are strongly behind him. Jarek 1:20 has received some attention for being the magician who made his way to the WWN tryouts during WrestleMania season and impressed there.
This was a big opportunity for Jarek 1:20 to go up against someone at the level of Allin. There was some really good action in this one, and it took Allin’s “Last Supper” Gibson Leglock to use leverage and score the pin.
The End were seen and heard after, with the crowd going crazy and telling Allin to get out of there. Of course, Allin’s character is that he never stops fighting. He went for a coffin drop off the top to the outside, but The End regrouped and destroyed him all over ringside before turning their attention to crew members as well.
Tracy Williams (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Fred Yehi
There was excellent technical wrestling and striking here between the two former Catch Point teammates. They countered each other’s counters, Yehi hit some stomps, Williams did a turnbuckle DDT and held on into a brainbuster, and both did various submission attempts.
The finish saw the referee get preoccupied with Hathaway, which distracted Yehi. Yehi was able to get a hold of Hathaway on the apron before Garrini got between them. The distraction was just enough for Williams to lay Yehi out from behind and lock in a choke submission for the tap.
Jaka then took the mic and called out The End for attacking everyone, but Zack Sabre Jr.’s music played instead
Jaka (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. in a non-title match
Jaka took the fight to Sabre right away and never let up. Sabre went for submissions, but Jaka’s power and tenacity was just too much in the end. A big wheel kick and powerbomb scored a huge win for Jaka.
Priscilla Kelly made her way to ringside alone after as she had her eyes set on Sabre. She went into the ring only to gently brush down his chest and walk away.
Keith Lee defeated Matt Riddle in a last man standing match to win the WWN Championship
This had a big match feel before the two main eventers made their way to the ring. The crowd absolutely loves both Riddle and Lee, with the reaction for them being 50/50 throughout. In a turn of events, Lee was rolling through German suplex attempts by Riddle, which is usually a Riddle staple.
They hit each other and used each other’s signature moves against them. Lee hit a Go to Sleep, Riddle hit a sit-out powerbomb, and they used huge chops that made sickening noises. The finish took a Ground Zero from Lee (his version of a spinning powerslam) off the ropes, which left both men down for the nine count. Lee was able to make it to his feet and Riddle stayed down for 10.
That was a spectacle of a match and there was a big reaction for the title change at LaBoom. Lee will make his first appearance as champion tonight as EVOLVE is back on iPPV.
The first EVOLVE show of this weekend took place in Summit, Illinois this afternoon. Here are the results:
– Keith Lee defeated Donovan Dijak
This was one of the most unique “Hoss Fight” matches in a long time. They worked a high-risk style. The match included a reverse rana, a dive into the crowd, and kip ups. These men are so athletic for their size. Lee hoisted Dijak to the second rope and delivered a Spirit Bomb to win this battle.
– Fred Yehi defeated Jason Kincaid
Yehi has some of the most explosive offense in wrestling and has the ability to overpower larger men. Kincaid wasn’t able to escape the Koji Clutch and was forced to submit.
– Lio Rush defeated Austin Theory
Theory held the advantage early before Rush could run wild. A tope to the outside by Rush had the place on their feet. Rush got great height on a frog splash to pick up the win.
Priscilla Kelly made her way to the ring after the match to tell Theory that she sees something in him and he belongs with her.
– Tracy Williams (w/ Catch Point and Stokely Hathaway) defeated Jeff Cobb
Cobb’s power was on display here, but Williams avoided the Tour of the Islands at all costs and countered into a roll-up to score the pin.
– EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Jaka & Chris Dickinson defeated Matt Knicks & Isaias Velazquez to retain their titles
The crowd loved the challengers from Freelance Wrestling in their hometown here. They put on a quality showing, but Catch Point was just too much for them. A huge series of powerbombs and suplexes led to Catch Point hitting their finish and retaining.
– EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Ethan Page to retain his title
This was a battle. Sabre locked in a dragon sleeper to wear down Page, and it took four penalty kicks to finally put away All Ego.
Darby Allin (with his arm in a sling) made his way to the ring after the match to say he wants to become EVOLVE Champion someday.
– WWN Champion Matthew Riddle defeated Kyle O’Reilly to retain his title
There was physical striking all through this match. They did kicks to the chest, strong style forearms, chokes, and holds. Riddle hit a jumping tombstone and locked in the Bromission for the victory.
EVOLVE closed out its two-show weekend in New York with EVOLVE 83 taking place in Brooklyn on Sunday night. Here are the results:
– Ethan Page defeated Austin Theory with the Spinning Dwayne.
Page hit his finisher out of nowhere to get the pin, but this was a decisive victory for him. He only came out with one Gatekeeper (Blaster McMassive) after the other one (Flex Rumblecrunch) was written off on Saturday and posted that he’s leaving pro wrestling due to injuries taking their toll.
Theory has aided Darby Allin in his feud against Page, including getting involved in their last man standing match at EVOLVE 82. Allin is out of action for a while after a shovel shot fractured his elbow in that match. Priscilla Kelly once again came out to ringside here, though her intentions weren’t made any more clear.
– Stokely Hathaway and Tracy Williams made their way to the ring for a special announcement. Williams said that Catch Point always spends more time talking and bickering than fighting, and that management wasn’t his strong suit. Hathaway then announced that, as of today, he will be representing Catch Point.
That brought out Fred Yehi, Chris Dickinson, and Jaka. Yehi said this wasn’t what he signed up for and quit the stable, while Dickinson and Jaka agreed to stay on. Dickinson mentioned that he was still with the group as long as it remained about competition. Williams said that it was as the two agreed to face off.
– Tracy Williams defeated Chris Dickinson by making him submit to the crossface.
Dickinson had the advantage following a striking sequence near the finish. He connected with an enzuigiri and went for a springboard until Williams caught him in a crossface and submitted him. They did the Catch Point handshake after it was over, while Jaka called out ACH for the next match.
– Jaka defeated ACH after hitting a tiger bomb.
ACH taking the loss here was surprising, though it was probably the right call. It wouldn’t have made much sense for both Jaka and Dickinson to lose after winning the EVOLVE tag titles on Saturday. They had a good back and forth match as neither was able to stay on top for long. ACH seemed to be going for a brainbuster, but Jaka was able to get out of it and hit the tiger bomb for the win.
– Keith Lee defeated David Starr with a powerslam.
While these two definitely have a better match in them, this connected with the crowd as much as anything else on the show and was really good. Lee controlled most of the match and got a needed win. Starr did well the few times he was on offense, with the crowd giving him a good ovation and chanting “Please come back.”
– Kyle O’Reilly defeated Fred Yehi by submission as he locked in an armbar.
They were clearly trying to have a great match and mostly delivered. It may have come off even better with a crowd that was more responsive. They predictably utilized a lot of striking and mat wrestling, with Yehi being presented as nearly equal to O’Reilly. He evaded O’Reilly’s armbar attempts until getting hit with a brainbuster and being unable to fight it off any longer.
– EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Lio Rush to retain his title after trapping Rush in a pin.
Rush was able to wrestle with Sabre early until the champion took over. Rush was finally able to make a comeback and get some momentum towards the end. He got a big near fall off of a standing Spanish fly and a frog splash, then mostly stayed on offense until Sabre trapped him in a pin to retain in a really good match.
Page and the remaining Gatekeeper walked out to the stage after the match was over. Page mentioned Sabre ending the other Gatekeeper’s career at EVOLVE 82. He said that he could have brought him out with a sling, but fired him instead. A new Gatekeeper then debuted and tried to attack Sabre. Both Gatekeepers ended up laying out Sabre as Page said that he was going to take his title next month.
– WWN Champion Matt Riddle defeated Drew Galloway in an I Quit match to retain his title after Galloway gave up while Riddle had the Bromission applied.
The stipulation predictably didn’t help here. Riddle took a lot of damage, including a short piledriver, three Future Shock DDTs in succession, and a Future Shock DDT on a chair but wouldn’t give up. Galloway grabbed a rope from under the ring, tied Riddle’s arms behind his back in the ring ropes, and started punching him.
Riddle refused to give up, with Galloway turning his attention to the referee to continue the storyline that he believed there was a conspiracy against him. Riddle kicked Galloway and the referee untied him. Galloway later got a sledgehammer from under the ring and low blowed Riddle when he tried to stop him from using it. Galloway again turned his attention to the referee, then Riddle locked in the Bromission to win.
Williams, Dickinson, Jaka, and Hathaway had watched most of the match from the stage. They entered the ring when it was over to ask if Riddle was with them. He laughed at Hathaway and said that he wasn’t before being attacked from behind by Galloway. Hathaway told Riddle that he was getting what he deserved as the members of Catch Point left. Galloway once again got the sledgehammer, but Keith Lee made the save.
Hathaway was in Lee’s face when Lee pushed him into a Bro to Sleep from Riddle. Lee and Riddle fist-bumped to end the show after Lee placed the WWN title on Riddle’s shoulder to make it known that he had his sights set on the championship.
– WWN Champion Matt Riddle defeated Timothy Thatcher (w/ Stokely Hathaway) to retain his title
The crowd was taunting “Trashy Tim” much more than usual tonight. Ground work and holds by Thatcher kept the explosive Riddle controlled early on. After some ground work of his own, Riddle was able to score a victory over the former EVOLVE Champion with the Bromission to the dismay of Hathaway.
– ACH defeated Austin Theory
This was an Impressive showing by the teenager Austin Theory against ACH, who is consistently at a top level. ACH won with a brainbuster.
– Drew Galloway vs. EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. did not officially happen
Galloway was worried that referee DA Brewer would cost him this match like Galloway claimed happened the last time he was in La Boom, so he destroyed Brewer with a headbutt. Sabre ran out to confront Galloway and the fight was on until Ethan Page and The Gatekeepers got involved.
Page was holding Sabre as Galloway made his way to the back to retrieve a sledgehammer, which Galloway wanted to use on the EVOLVE Championship. Keith Lee made the save by plowing through both Gatekeepers and running off Galloway. Page and one Gatekeeper escaped, yet Sabre was able to catch the other one and proceeded to attack his arm with a vicious hold.
– Kyle O’Reilly defeated Keith Lee
The people love Keith Lee in EVOLVE, which set the tone for this match. The referee stopped this at one point due to a low blow on Lee, but the big man asked for the match to be restarted. After the two battled some more, O’Reilly hit a brainbuster and scored the pinfall victory. The crowd was not happy with Lee losing here.
– Chris Dickinson & Jaka defeated Tracy Williams & Fred Yehi to win the EVOLVE Tag Team Championship
Both teams were representing Catch Point and had an excellent match. It took everything Jaka and Dickinson had to put away the former champions. At one point Jaka cleared the guard rail and ended up in the front row on a dive. A huge release powerbomb by Dickinson finished it off and we had new champions.
The two teams shook hands in a show of respect before Larry Dallas appeared to stir the pot, insinuating that Williams was negotiating with Stokely Hathaway to represent Catch Point. Fred Yehi had enough, and snapped and destroyed Dallas with a series of German suplexes. Dallas stayed down in the ring so long that the ring crew rolled him up in the canvas they were changing to prepare for our last man standing main event and simply carried him away.
– Ethan Page defeated Darby Allin in a last man standing match
They had a brutal last man standing match. They fought all over ringside, including Allin doing a stage dive. There were chairs, a shovel, a body bag, and thumbtacks all used in this one.
A Gatekeeper, Austin Theory, and Priscilla Kelly were all caught in the crossfire during the match. Page was busted open and it only made him more vicious. Allin took an incredible amount of punishment, including a package piledriver, a powerbomb while trapped inside a thumbtack-filled body bag, a shovel shot, and multiple chair shots before Page was declared the winner.
