NXT’s Velveteen Dream will be wrestling outside of a WWE ring at a couple of shows in September.
EVOLVE Wrestling, one of the promotions that WWE has a close working relationship with, announced today that Dream will be in action at EVOLVE 112 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland on September 7 and EVOLVE 113 at La Boom in Queens, New York on September 8. WWE revealed that Dream will be facing Austin Theory in Joppa and taking on Darby Allin in Queens.
Adam Cole also wrestled for EVOLVE in June, defeating WALTER in an NXT North American Championship match. Cole vs. WALTER didn’t air live on the iPPV broadcast but was taped for potential future use.
The show in Joppa will be a homecoming for Dream, who started his career in Maryland Championship Wrestling.
Dream defeated EC3 at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV earlier this month. He then faced Johnny Gargano at the most recent set of NXT television tapings, with that match set to air next Wednesday.
With his time as an independent wrestler soon coming to an end, Matt Riddle lost the EVOLVE Championship at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Shane Strickland defeated Riddle in a hardcore rules match at EVOLVE 108 to win the title. The story of the match was that Riddle refused to give up despite Strickland working over his left arm and repeatedly hiting double stomps, including one that was off a ladder and through a table while Riddle was hung on the ladder. Strickland eventually won with his JML Driver finisher.
This was the third time Riddle and Strickland have faced off in EVOLVE this year, with their previous matches ending in a no contest and a disqualification.
WWN confirmed last month that Riddle would be on all of EVOLVE’s August shows and that he would be adding more dates if he was still champion after that. The company has EVOLVE 109 in Melrose, Massachusetts today, EVOLVE 110 in Cicero, Illinois on August 11, and EVOLVE 111 in Livonia, Michigan on August 12.
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.
Adam Cole has an opponent for his NXT North American Championship defense at EVOLVE 107.
After announcing last week that Cole would be appearing at their June 24th show in Melrose, Massachusetts, EVOLVE revealed today that WALTER will be challenging for his title. This will be the first time the North American Championship has been defended outside of WWE and the first time Cole and WALTER have faced each other.
“This is a landmark announcement for EVOLVE,” Gabe Sapolsky wrote. “WWE has been growing this relationship with EVOLVE for a few years. We are ecstatic that the next step is this historic match on June 24th. This is all about giving the fans in the Boston area something special. Our deepest thanks to Mr. Levesque for making this happen.”
Whether Cole vs. WALTER will be airing on the iPPV broadcast for EVOLVE 107 or not is to be determined. Matt Riddle vs. DJZ, Chris Dickinson vs. Tracy Williams, and Darby Allin vs. Jarek 1:20 are set for the show, with Austin Theory, Jaka, AR Fox, Timothy Thatcher, Anthony Henry, Josh Briggs, and Bad Bones also advertised.
Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT North American Championship outside of WWE later this month.
WWE announced today that Cole will be putting his title on the line at EVOLVE 107 in Melrose, Massachusetts on June 24th. Cole’s opponent will be revealed this coming Monday.
Whether Cole’s match will be airing on the iPPV broadcast or not is to be determined. He previously wrestled for EVOLVE four times during the promotion’s first year.
With Steffanie Newell (the former Nixon Newell) challenging for Jinny’s PROGRESS Women’s Championship this weekend, Cole’s match will be the second time an NXT roster member has wrestled for a WWE-friendly promotion this month.
Austin Theory defending his WWN Championship against an opponent that has yet to be announced, Matt Riddle vs. DJZ, WALTER vs. AR Fox, Tracy Williams vs. Chris Dickinson, Darby Allin vs. Jarek 1:20, and Jaka vs. Bad Bones vs. Josh Briggs are the other matches that have been confirmed for EVOLVE 107.
Cole became the first-ever NXT North American Championship when he defeated Ricochet, EC3, Velveteen Dream, Killian Dain, and Lars Sullivan in a ladder match at TakeOver: New Orleans in April.
– 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.
Zack Sabre Jr. has signed a new deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Last night on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Sabre is heading to NJPW full time after recently signing a new contract. He has been with the promotion for the last year, but has gotten a big push in the past few months, defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the New Japan Cup and then challenging Kazuchika Okada at one of New Japan’s biggest spring events, Sakura Genesis.
Sabre lost the EVOLVE Championship to Matt Riddle in New Orleans on April 5. In a video posted to the EVOLVE Twitter account, Sabre said he was stepping away from the promotion for now but was sure he’d be back one day. Last night, he lost the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship to Tomohiro Ishii. Sabre had held both titles for well over a year before losing them this weekend.
Meltzer said that this doesn’t necessarily mean that Sabre will no longer be doing independent dates going forward, but his focus for now will be New Japan.
Here are results from this afternoon’s EVOLVE 103 event in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The show started with the announcement that Travis Banks and Darby Allin are injured and would be replaced by Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams, respectively. Jarek 1:20 came out and said that since he injured Allin on Thursday at EVOLVE 102 that he should get the spot. Lenny Leonard said no, so Jarek vowed to injure more people.
– FIP champion Austin Theory defeated Keith Lee for the WWN championship in a title vs. title match
Good match up here with Lee overpowering Theory yet still being thrown around by Theory himself. Impressive strength by Theory being able to spin Lee in the three seconds around the world slam and his TKO. A late ref bump allowed Theory to hit a low blow and his finish to become the new WWN Champion and earn a spot at WWE Axxess tomorrow defending the title.
– Timothy Thatcher defeated Dominic Garrini (w/Stokely Hathaway)
Vicious sprint here that was won by Thatcher decisively after a butterfly suplex.
– AR Fox defeated Jason Kincaid, Chris Brookes, and DJZ in a four way bout
Jarek 1:20 ran out during DJZ’s entrance and attacked Kincaid, but Kincaid ran him off. Action all over the place with dives and creative multi person moves. Fox landed the fox catcher (450 splash) for the victory.
– Chris Dickinson defeated Mark Haskins
A gritty battle that had a lot of time, quality mat wrestling and brawling between these two vets. Dickinson targeted the leg and after a few submission attempts was able to force the tap with an Indian death lock.
– WALTER defeated Tracy Williams
The most physical match of the day, chops, and strikes by the huge hands of WALTER were taken by the valiant Williams. Tracy caught Walter a few times with big moves but it just wasn’t enough. WALTER wrapped Hot Sauce in a clutch for the submission
– Munenori Sawa defeated Jaka
Incredible hand speed by Sawa with his strikes despite all the time off he’s had in recent years. Jaka kept attacking and kept Sawa fighting out of submission attempts. It broke down in to a slug fest late with Sawa delivering hard punches to the skull of The Savage. Sawa was able to lock in the octopus hold and force the submission.
Post match attack by The End results in Catch Point getting back on the same page as Tracy Williams saved Stokely Hathaway and helped run off The End with Dickinson and Jaka
– EVOLVE Champion Matthew Riddle defeated Daisuke Sekimoto to retain the title
An absolute war here between these two men. Before the match Riddle declared that all EVOLVE title matches would be held with no rope breaks, which have been his specialty lately. This hoss fight had everything you would expect with chop exchanges, power moves and submission escapes thanks the the ropes. Sekimoto was winning the strike exchanges late so Riddle hit a flurry of knees and hammer fists which caused the ref stoppage to retain his title.
Sekimoto got a standing ovation from the crowd to close out the show.
Here are tonight’s EVOLVE 102 results from New Orleans.
– DJZ defeated Austin Theory
DJZ pinned Theory after a roll into a jumping DDT. Post match, Theory told the crowd that EVOLVE is his stepping stone to WWE and also challenged Keith Lee for an FIP championship vs. WWN championship match
– Will Ospreay defeated AR Fox
Absolutely incredible athletic match here between two of the best. Ospreay was all KT taped up and had cup therapy circles on his upper back, Oscutter for the impressive victory
– The End (Parrow and Odinson w/ Drennan) defeated The Workhorsemen (James Drake and Anthony Henry), Dominic Garrini & Tracy Williams and EVOLVE tag team champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka (w/ Stokely Hathaway)
A wild match here where the only way the tag titles would change hands is if the champions took the fall. Catch Point imploded when Williams wouldn’t allow Garrini to lay down for the champions after Hathaway directed him to. The End defeated The Workhorsemen with the Hell on Earth to finish off this one.
– WWN Champion Keith Lee defeated Darby Allin in a non-title match
Lee absolutely demolished Allin, but he would not give up or stay down. Huge powerbomb and the Ground Zero finally scored the pin. Post match, Lee accepted the challenge of Theory for tomorrow. Darby was then attacked by Jarek 120 to send a message.
Physical match with everyone showing their strength and fighting spirit. The big men WALTER and Sekimoto traded everything they have in the center of the ring and rope running, Sawa used his incredible hand and foot speed to work over Thatcher before they had a slugfest of their own. The finish saw WALTER holding back Sekimoto while Thatcher choked out Sawa.
Post match the crowd gave a standing ovation as all four men showed each other respect for the battle they went through.
Stokely Hathaway then made his way from behind the curtain to offer Thatcher a chance to bow out of the tag team championship match tomorrow, Darby Allin then took the mic and offered to fight WALTER right now, he was destroyed and left laying as Ringkampf left.
– Matthew Riddle defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win the EVOLVE Championship
Well paced match early on with Sabre having a counter for everything in Riddle’s playbook, a technical masterpiece by Zack before the strikes and power moves came in to play. Riddle hit various knee strikes and his Gotch Style Brostone for near falls before locking in the Bromission to become the new EVOLVE champion.
Sabre Jr. handed him the title in a show of respect as the crowd showed their appreciation for the match and the show. The two fist bumped to close out the show.
Ospreay will be on the April 5th EVOLVE show and the April 6th WWN Supershow. Gabe Sapolsky told Sports Illustrated that on the latter show, he’s 90 percent sure that he’s putting Ospreay against Matt Riddle. Ospreay and Riddle had their first singles match against each other for PROGRESS Wrestling last year.
Ospreay, voted Best Flyer in the 2016 Observer awards, has worked for EVOLVE in the past and both ROH and EVOLVE attempted to sign him at the end of last year. He signed a one-year deal exclusive for the United States market with ROH which has just expired.
He’s a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and is in a key match at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 show on January 4th, a four-way for the title with Marty Scurll, Hiromu Takahashi, and KUSHIDA.
WWN is bringing in an outside name for a few of their WrestleMania week shows.
After Gabe Sapolsky hyped him up as someone he’s been trying to book for years, it was announced today that Daisuke Sekimoto will be wrestling at EVOLVE shows on April 5th and 6th and the WWN Supershow on the 6th in Louisiana. Sekimoto will be in action exclusively at those events, which will take place at the Pontchartrain Center.
Sekimoto, who received votes for Most Outstanding Wrestler in the 2016 Observer awards and in years past, wrestles for Big Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as AJPW and other promotions. His matches for WWN will be the first time he’s appeared stateside in several years. No opponents for him have been announced yet.
EVOLVE will be going against a Revolution Pro Wrestling show on April 6th, with Hiroshi Tanahashi previously confirmed for RevPro. Tanahashi (along with Kenny Omega) is also scheduled for ROH’s Supercard of Honor XII on April 7th in New Orleans.
EVOLVE was in East Haven, Connecticut last night for their second iPPV of the weekend. Here’s a rundown of the show:
Shane Mercer defeated Mikey Webb
Both newcomers put in impressive performances, then Mercer put Webb away with a slam off the ropes. After the match, the stable known as “The End” (Parrow, Drennan, and Odinson) that debuted on Saturday showed up and destroyed Mercer and Webb. The crowd reacted big to that.
Jarek 1:20 defeated Brandon Watts
This was a match with two more wrestlers who are new to EVOLVE, though both were in matches on Saturday night. Jarek 1:20 was able to put Watts away with a vertical suplex into a DDT for the finish.
Dominic Garrini (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated Cyrus Satin
Garrini won by submission in a quick match.
Austin Theory (w/ Priscilla Kelly) defeated Jason Kincaid
Kincaid had this won with a submission after a flying stomp off the ring post, but Kelly raked his eyes and allowed Theory an opportunity to hit a TKO for the win. Kincaid, who has been trying to save Theory from Kelly, tried to plead with him after the match but was laid out again.
WWN Champion Keith Lee defeated Darby Allin in a non-title match
Lee destroyed Allin, but he wouldn’t quit and kept fighting back. Lee would throw him over and over and hit a huge double palm strike to Allin’s chest at one point. Allin countered a powerbomb into a Code Red for a near fall, but Lee finished the match with a powerbomb anyway.
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka defeated The Gym Nasty Boys and The Ugly Ducklings in an elimination tag match to retain their titles
This was supposed to be a number one contender’s match, but the champions were in a fighting mood after wanting a piece of The End.
Jaka put White Mike of the Gym Nasties away with a powerbomb in the first fall, then Dickinson and Jaka put the Ducklings away with a double team Doomsday Device chokeslam. This was a wild match, with Dickinson and Jaka wrestling with anger as they wanted to get their hands on The End.
PAPW Champion Richard Holliday defeated RJ Rude to retain his title
PAPW were the host promoters for the show, and their title was defended in their home venue on the main card. Holliday retained with the Market Crash.
Fred Yehi defeated Matt Riddle
They had a great match. Yehi was all business, doing stomps on the bare feet of Riddle and hitting suplexes and using counters throughout. Riddle couldn’t put Yehi away and ended up losing to Yehi’s Koji Clutch.
EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tracy Williams (w/ Stokely Hathaway and Dominic Garrini) to retain his title
This was a technical match, with both doing groundwork and countering everything. Sabre was able to escape from the crossface late before it finally broke down into a slugfest. After a strike battle, ZSJ used a bridging pin to retain his title.
Post-match, The End came out and destroyed Williams and Garrini. The locker room emptied and we had absolute mayhem. The crowd was going wild as Catch Point went at it with The End. Darby Allin made his way to a basketball hoop and did a coffin drop off the backboard onto a pile.
Everyone brawled until we were left with Jason Kincaid in the ring to say this is just the beginning. He closed the show by thanking everyone for being there.
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.
