EVOLVE: The WWE AA Franchise

[John from Cincinnati]

So I guess this aired on Raw last night?

 

[Kang]

[Dolfan in NYC]

So here's the full card for the 10th Anniversary Show:

FOR THE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP - Adam Cole (bay bay, c) vs. Akira Tozawa

WINNER TAKE ALL, FOR BOTH THE WWN & EVOLVE CHAMPIONSHIPS - JD Drake (WWN) vs. Austin Theory (Evo)

FOR THE EVOLVE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP - The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston and Joe Gacy) vs. AR Fox and Leon Ruff (with Ayla and The Skulk)

Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle

GRUDGE MATCH - Arturo Ruas vs. Anthony Henry

Colby Corino vs. Babatunde

FATAL 4 WAY MATCH - Curt Stallion vs. Sean Maluta vs. Stephen Wolf vs. Harlem Bravado

Brandi Lauren vs. Shotzi Blackheart

--

I'm guessing at least one main roster guy (McIntyre?) makes an appearance, and a Gargano surprise appearance to screw with Cole to further their issues.  

[Guest Edwin]

Surprised Josh Briggs isn't on the card. I was following EVOLVE closely before he got injured and they were building him up as one of their future top stars.

[RIPPA]

20 minutes ago, Edwin said:

Surprised Josh Briggs isn't on the card. I was following EVOLVE closely before he got injured and they were building him up as one of their future top stars.

He is wrestling Anthony Greene

It is possible it isn't on the part airing on the Network and why Dolfan didn't list it (or he just missed it)

[Eivion]

This will be my first Evolve show. The only non-WWE/NXT name I'm familiar with is Blackheart. Who the people to watch out for on this one?

[maciej]

50 minutes ago, Eivion said:

This will be my first Evolve show. The only non-WWE/NXT name I'm familiar with is Blackheart. Who the people to watch out for on this one?

Pretty much everyone in the tag title match for different reasons:
- Kingston's one of the best promos of the last decade anywhere, just mountains of charisma, and can have really great matches, especially if it's a brawl. He's winding down his career. He's leading kind of a heel invasion stable here.
- Gacy's on a lot of indies out east here: can kind of be a brawler, a deathmatch guy, or a workrate guy depending on the setting
- AR Fox was the first Evolve champion and then came back a few years ago, he's a veteran flyer, and he has a really fun stable of his trainees called the Skulk, who tend to be pretty entertaining at ringside
- Leon Ruff's kind of the breakout from the Skulk so far, a little high flyer guy who's really easy to root for and makes for a very fun underdog. I imagine King and Lacy will beat the hell out of him a bit here.

Obviously the title unification match has two guys who are pretty important to Evolve:
- Drake is a big bruiser; if you like chops he's your guy, tho he'll also throw in a cannonball and a moonsault. He had a good old chest-raw-from-chops match with Kazusada Higuchi earlier this year when DDT was over, and his first matchup with Matt Riddle last year in Queens tore the house down and went a long way towards getting him over. He's been in a tag team with Anthony Henry called the Workhorsemen on and off for a while.
- Austin Theory is kind of Evolve's (heel) golden boy, also an AR Fox trainee. He's not huge, but he's strong and agile and kind of a very 2019 indie wrestler, for better and worse. He's antagonized and gotten to wrestle a lot of the big NXT guys over the past year.

And then in the 4 way, Curt Stallion's definitely the one to watch: kinda skinny long-haired southern dude who hits very hard and has very little regard for his own body. I think he's pretty great.

[JonnyLaw]

 

[NikoBaltimore]

8 hours ago, maciej said:

Pretty much everyone in the tag title match for different reasons:

- Kingston's one of the best promos of the last decade anywhere, just mountains of charisma, and can have really great matches, especially if it's a brawl. He's winding down his career. He's leading kind of a heel invasion stable here.
- Gacy's on a lot of indies out east here: can kind of be a brawler, a deathmatch guy, or a workrate guy depending on the setting
- AR Fox was the first Evolve champion and then came back a few years ago, he's a veteran flyer, and he has a really fun stable of his trainees called the Skulk, who tend to be pretty entertaining at ringside
- Leon Ruff's kind of the breakout from the Skulk so far, a little high flyer guy who's really easy to root for and makes for a very fun underdog. I imagine King and Lacy will beat the hell out of him a bit here.

Obviously the title unification match has two guys who are pretty important to Evolve:
- Drake is a big bruiser; if you like chops he's your guy, tho he'll also throw in a cannonball and a moonsault. He had a good old chest-raw-from-chops match with Kazusada Higuchi earlier this year when DDT was over, and his first matchup with Matt Riddle last year in Queens tore the house down and went a long way towards getting him over. He's been in a tag team with Anthony Henry called the Workhorsemen on and off for a while.
- Austin Theory is kind of Evolve's (heel) golden boy, also an AR Fox trainee. He's not huge, but he's strong and agile and kind of a very 2019 indie wrestler, for better and worse. He's antagonized and gotten to wrestle a lot of the big NXT guys over the past year.

And then in the 4 way, Curt Stallion's definitely the one to watch: kinda skinny long-haired southern dude who hits very hard and has very little regard for his own body. I think he's pretty great.

That's a pretty great explanation.  I've been to a couple of the Queens shows and very much agree with your take on all of them.

As much as I love Queens I'm really glad this is at the 2300 Arena.  I never had the chance to go to ECW for various reasons and post ECW there was nothing worth getting me to drive up there.  But even if they re-did a lot of things I'm still incredibly excited to finally head up there.  To me it's like something I'm crossing off of my wrestling bucket list.  Should be a fun time.

[hammerva]

So cool to see Eddie Kingston and Joe Gacy for that matter get to be on a WWE stage even if it is a Network one and done.  Depending on whether they actual do the updated subscription services

Will be interested if we get the full Anthony Greene gimmick.  The idea of the him in full retrosexual gimmick with the Platinum Honeys on a WWE show would be awesome.

[Robert S]

4 hours ago, JonnyLaw said:

 

So I assume that means that Kingston will definitely do a worked-shoot promo.

[quackhell]

20 hours ago, maciej said:

And then in the 4 way, Curt Stallion's definitely the one to watch: kinda skinny long-haired southern dude who hits very hard and has very little regard for his own body. I think he's pretty great.

Stallion is great. My only issue is Evolve using him as a face when he is so better suited as a scumbag heel and excelled in that role in AAW and other indies. Although I am way behind on shows and that may not be case now.

[RIPPA]

 

[RIPPA]

 

[Guest Edwin]

Sign King. He can cut a better promo than almost everyone currently signed on either roster, is a seasoned vet and is better overall than a lot of guys on the roster.

Also, the Anniversary on the Network started out pretty bad, but begins to pick up from the women's No DQ match.

[hammerva]

I started watching the EVOLVE show now as I got back from a local show.   Josh Briggs vs Anthony Greene seem to take 30 minutes.  If you are trying to push him like a monster that didn't work.  Also not a fan of Anthony Greene serious wrestler in a comedy look.  Greene best shit is the gimmick

I kind of understand why they are doing it with Shane Strickland signed but Sean Muluta in the Unwanted group seems dumb as hell.  The whole purpose of the group was these talented indie guys who Gabe is over looking for these NXT C level stars and kissing Triple H ass.  So they then add Sean to the group who is the very definition of an NXT C level star 

Ruas is an interesting character.  if he can figure out how to merge the pro wrestling with his style of kicks and MMA then maybe he could be a star.  I will say that kick to Henry for the win was just vicious.  

Who is this Natasha woman?  Is she an NXT trainee because she doesn't look familiar 

I would have thought that with a WWE Network show that the production values would be increased but it does have the same uber indie level as before.  The camera missed a ton of the 4 way match

Edited July 14, 2019 by hammerva

[Hector]

I thought the show was pretty good, and Henry/Ruas was better than it had any right to be.

[EricR]

I am finishing up a write up of the show. I was underwhelmed, but liked the Kingston tag, dug Ruas match, thought that Shotzi bump was insane, etc. That's enough things to make my time feel not wasted. 

https://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2019/07/evolve-131-10th-anniversary-special.html

[Swift]

I thought it was a fun show, a bit indyriffic for the first hour or so (I'd never seen most of the people on the card tonight) and picked up with the women's match. That was a ridiculous dive to take. Any word on if she injured herself? I assume so as the match wrapped up 30 seconds later.

[maciej]

The middle stretch from Ruas/Henry to Gulak/Riddle I really enjoyed, and the rest was fine enough. It is kind of a down time as far as the quality of the Evolve roster (even if you count the 1 or 2 monthly NXT guests), but they showed off what they had to offer, and I thought some people, like Henry and Ruff, really stepped it up for the occasion. The opener and two main events weren't hugely my cup of tea, but I thought they were pretty damn good versions of those matches.

[hammerva]

Yeah you can have probably put the 9th anniversary show on the Network and it would have been a much better description of what EVOLVE used to be.  I really don't know if anyone on this show got upgraded to guys that should be in NXT except the ones that are already there.   I mean the only breakout I saw was Leon Ruff and Shotzi Blackheart who probably isn't going to have a chance in NXT anyway

 

 

[Tim Evans]

I really enjoyed Shotzi vs Brandi. They actually fought like it was a street fight and that dive by shotzi was nuts. I used to see Brandi on local indie shows here and she's gotten better. She was easily the best part of the Briggs vs Green match. I just don't see what the big deal is about Briggs except for his height. Rest of the show was good. I truly hope Kingston gets signed after the year is over. He's so good on the mic and could help the green guys in NXT out alot. Like Babatunde. Gulak/Riddle and Cole/Tozawa delivered. The Heyman cameo actually surprised me.

[hammerva]

If Drew Gulak can have half the match that he had against Riddle tonight  tomorrow with Tony Nese at Extreme Rules then he should be pushed to the main roster.  he is so damn good at everything 

 

[JonnyLaw]

3 minutes ago, hammerva said:

If Drew Gulak can have half the match that he had against Riddle tonight  tomorrow with Tony Nese at Extreme Rules then he should be pushed to the main roster.  he is so damn good at everything 

 

Character-wise, Gulak is at that Kurt Angle level of being able to convincingly pull off both absurd comedy and he’s going to rip your limb off wrestling. He should be employed forever.

[hammerva]

Loved the promo build up to JD Drake vs austin Theory.  Theory with a really good douche bag heel (a better version of Tony Nese) and JD Drake cut in my opinion the best promo of the night talking about all of the sacrifices he has had.  Drake would be a champion everywhere in the territories days except the WWF   "You can't hit me harder than life has" is such a great line.  

Holy fuck that Austin theory over sell on the Stunner was so over the top Shawn Michaels would have rolled his eyes

The last time that Heyman had a mic in his hands at the 2300 Arena, he was being called a sell out and booed fiercely during WWE ECW Philly house show.  Good that he got the moment that he probably thought he would get in 2005 or 2006 

Edited July 14, 2019 by hammerva