EVOLVE Wrestling Debut Show McReview

What's up everyone and welcome to another McReview, here on the DOI. January 16th possibly marked a new era in independent wrestling. While many wrestling fans and critics discuss the impact of January 4th on the wrestling business, perhaps a year, two years or maybe even five years from now, we will all be talking about how on January 16th, a brand new style of wrestling was launched. There are so many "evolve" puns you can make while talking about this new company, so I'll refrain myself from doing that here.

After months of buzz, viral messages and a huge internet push, Evolve finally debuted, to a much better than expected crowd. Going into it, I believe promoter Sal Hamaoui and booker Gabe Sapolsky wanted to make sure they did something special and tried to get over several new concepts and ideas. Among the new ideas:

- The company is very MMA-influenced. Not that the matches are worked shoots or anything, but win-loss records mean something. Win-Loss records is something we also stress at WSU (You can check those records at WSUWrestling.com) and it's great to see what will be perceived to be a top indy company do the same thing. After several of the matches, the winners were stressed by ring announcer Lenny Leonard as being 1-0.

- There is generic ring music for everyone and nobody has entrance music. This idea is something different than can either work for you or work against you. The way I look at it, wrestling entrance music means something and can get you pumped for a match. As kids cupping our ears whenever "REAL AMERICAN" played or adolescents giving the middle finger whenever we heard the shattering glass on Monday nights, whenever we hear the familiar music, we creep a little bit closer to the edge of our seats. If your over and have a fanbase, you will get a big pop the second your familiar music hits.

Now on the flip-side of that, and maybe what Evolve was going for here, is that the crowd doesn't know who's coming out next. So the wrestler gets the pop once the crowd identifies him as he walks through the curtain. Is it different? Yes. Do I think this is something that is going to make or break the company? Obviously not, but I guess why not.

Also, with no music, the show wound up flowing better because you didn't waste time on exits/entrances. The second the wrestler entered the ring, it was time for the match, no theatrics with the entrances at all.

- Evolve had the most professional looking set-up I've seen at an indy show in a long time, as they used the Dragon Gate set-up. They also had a live feed from the camera to the titan-tron screen which was cool. I'm surprised Evolve didn't take advantage of the huge screen with some video promos, but I guess for a first show, it was all about the live stuff.

- Most of the undercard matches were fast paced and the focus was all on the in-ring action. A lot of time, independent promoters want long matches to get their monies worth out of their guys and sometimes it backfires because the crowd burns out. I didn't see any signs of a burnt out crowd at all. This show flowed like water. I couldn't believe that they got through 7 matches in only 80 minutes. The matches featured alot of hard hitting strikes and the flippy gymnastic stuff. There was selling, but these matches were more concise and kind of done in a tournament style, where you tried to win fast to conserve energy for later.

Evolve did a great job of keeping fans attention spans because the matches didn't get a point to drag on. From what I heard, there was only one negative chant during the whole show, during the tag team match, but the guys were able to bring the crowd back into it relatively quickly with big spots. By the time the match was over, the same idiots chanting "THIS MATCH SUCKS" five minutes earlier, were chanting at the top of their lungs "DCFC!" - Going back to the MMA influence, other ideas used from UFC were in-ring promos after almost every match, just like how Joe Rogan does them in UFC. However, there were no interviews with the losers like you sometimes see in UFC, but that is probably something Evolve can expand on in the future. Basically these were quick 1-2 minute "Looking ahead" interviews. With no entrances/elaborate exits and quick match times, these interviews added to the show rather than bogging the show down.

The show was also promoted as EVOLVE I: Richards vs Ibushi, similiar to how UFC promotes their shows.

- One thing that I personally admired, respected and amazed by is the work that went into this show by both Gabe Sapolsky and Sal Hamaoui. When casinos open up, they have soft openings to work out the kinks before the grand opening. In wrestling you don't have the luxury of a soft open. Everything has to be done right. There is another company that has ran in the same building for 6 years now, and they still don't have things right and dealt with a long trial/error period. For a first show, Evolve did everything they wanted to and really made the show feel special.

Also, what is it like to be Gabe or Sal? These two are the guys behind not only this company, but Dragon Gate USA & FIP. Booking & running one company is enough fucking work that will drive you crazy, but to be running three companies, each with a different business model & concept is just asking for gray hair and many sleepless nights.

- This was one of the first shows in a long time, where I wasn't familiar with alot of the wrestlers on the show. I know other local fans felt the same way, but to me it felt good because it was all fresh and wasn't the same old shit. How many times can you see the same guys over and over and over again? This felt like a bizarro indy show at times because it was so different and didn't have fuck finishes all over the show like other indy companies in the the same building and even in the same area, as to not single anyone out. The show really felt different. I don't think this is a roster that will reinvent the wheel or anything, but it felt like you were seeing something new.

- Business wise, I know Evolve was ecstatic about the crowd. The presale wasn't that great, so word of mouth and the internet helped to create a large walk- up. THis building has always been hard to judge crowds. I would peg it anywhere from 500-600, but if I heard it was 475 paid or 650 paid, I couldn't tell the difference and take the number given to me. The building is huge, and there is alot of open space, so it's always tough to gauge. I think the break even point was something like 350, so Evolve definitely made money their first show here, which is a bonus, as they were prepared to take a loss at the gate in exchange for building an investment and future DVD sales.

One thing about the crowd is that there were some empty seats in the front three rows, which means Evolve out-priced themselves a bit. I thought the ticket prices were too high, especially for a debut show and I guess alot of fans agreed as fans opted for GA tickets over higher priced floor seats. Evolve management have realized this too, so I think there will be a different price structure next show.

Oh yea, there were matches on the show too, here's the rundown:

EVOLVE I: Ibushi vs Richards
1/16
Rahway, NJ
Refs: Bryce and a few others that I'm not really familiar with
Ring Announcer: Lenny Leonard aka The Stephen D'Angelis of the South, as Lenny is the man down there, the way Steve has been up here for a long time
Attendance: 500-600

Kyle O'Reilly d. Bobby Fish
The first ever match in Evolve was a solid one and showed you what the show was going to be all about. Alot of emphasis on strikes and sick suplexes. O'Reilly is the student of Richards and you can see that things are coming together for him and he will be a big name on the indies within 2-3 years. O'Reilly wins the match in about 5-6 minutes that had the crowd up for the duration.

POSTMATCH: Kyle was told he made history by Lenny Leonard for winning the first ever match in Evolve. Davey Richards came out to cut off his student, by saying it was time to get ready for Ibushi. So Evolve is basically recognizing Kyle/Davey's relationship and using the Japanese young boy concept. Speaking of young boys, were there any promoters in Puerto Rico this weekend?

Chuck Taylor d. Cheech
The angle here was that Chuck Taylor had to earn a win to be an official roster member. Why Chuck and no one else has not been explained. Chuck was super over, and this crowd was super smart mark to the super smartiest markish degree. Like I said, there was no ring music and all ring announcing was done in ring after both wrestlers were in the ring. Taylor got the first "superstar" pop of the night, as when he walked out the curtain, the crowd roared. This is the last time I do this, because this report is about Evolve, but there were so many names on this show that were one&done in this building with another company, and then you see what Evolve did with them and how the crowd reacted to them that made you wonder how the fuck did they drop the ball with this guy? Well Chuck Taylor was one of those guys.

Cheeck also got a nice reaction, but that didn't prevent him from becoming a victim of the Awful waffle (a crazy piledriver variation).
Taylor talked about earning his spot in Evolve after the match. It's a simple B-storyline to follow, I just don't get why Chucky T has to earn a win but no one else does for a roster spot.

Ricochet d. Arik Cannon
Really good match here and the first match of the show that felt big-time, as both guys got an equal reaction. Really stiff match here. For a big guy, Cannon can move, as he hit some sick brainbusters. However, speed & agility outlasted brawn & bruteness, as Ricochet won the match after an impressive 630 splash from the top rope.

POSTMATCH: Chuck Taylor came otu to challenge Ricochet for the next show. That should be a crazy match. Chuck also hit some funny lines, about not being respected from Evolve management, to where some of the crowd screamed "GABE?" He also hit a line about being from the south and how they don't believe in evolution, they believe in creationism. As someone who is not a fan of the big business known as religion, I just thought that line was funny.

Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis, formerly known as Rainman & Jon Davis) d. Aeroform (Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon)
The match started off slow, with the crowd turning against the wrestlers, but by the time it was over, all four guys came out of it better than how they did entering it. The match picked up after the first rough and slow patch of the show, as I think the wrestlers saw what was going on and then kicked it into high gear. The most impressive and "OOOOH" & "AAAAHH" stuff of the match was whenever DCFC were kicking the shit out of the smaller guys. After several false finishes, DCFC wins with a neckbreaker/powerbomb double team move which looked really impressive against a smaller guy.

WSU World Champion Mercedes Martinez d. Niya
This was a squash match to establish Mercedes Martinez as the top womens wrestler around and as someone who wants competition in the future. Niya took a beating very well, and after being rifled with forearms and a huge yakuza kick, Niya fell victim to Martinez's patented fisherman's buster.

Postmatch: Martinez said she wanted competition in the future.

Brad Allen (Formerly known as Brad Attitude) d. Silas Young
I always hear these great things about silas Young, but for whatever it is, in the northeast I've never seen him have that blowaway match. These were bigger guys trying to work like cruiserweights, which seemed odd at times. I guess Brad, with WWE experience wanted to do something new rather than the same boring restholds and stomps. The crowd seemed disinterested in this match, except for whenever these guys were landing on the floor with sick thuds. Allen wins after a tiltawhirl facebuster.

POSTMATCH: Allen challenged Chris Hero in the future. Why he challenged Chris Hero with no prior beef is beyond me. I guess it goes back to the UFC stuff where in UFC sometimes you call out your opponents. However, you don't always get the matches you ask for, so maybe Allen/Hero won't happen. I mean how many guys have asked for Machida in UFC and didn't get it. It's one of the reasons Dan Henderson went to Strikeforce. I guess these open challenges play off of that.

Jimmy Jacobs d. Ken Doane (Formerly known as Kenny from the Spirit Squad aka the guy who used to bang out Mickie James)
Wow. I am familiar with Jacobs and know what he's capable of, but he got a fucking rockstar reaction the second he came out. I was not expecting that. Jacobs followed up on his hero's welcoming from the crowd with a good babyface promo, laughing about Kenny being a cheerleader.

I must've missed something when I had to take a leak, but for some reason this match was re-started. When I asked people why, no one had a clue. Kenny pinned Jimmy after the top rope legdrop and the crowd went nuts and booed the shit out of Kenny. However, as everyone expected, the surprise, Tommy Dreamer showed up. Dreamer said the match had to be re-started. So because Dreamer said it had to be, it was re-started. Well you don't see that in UFC. Jacobs then went over 20 seconds later with a body scissors submission. Flat finish.

POSTMATCH: Dreamer cut a typical babyface promo about how he isn't about the money and did this show for free. I'm sure every other indy promoter who is paying Tommy in the future was thrilled to hear that. Dreamer said something to the effect of, he might not always be on TV, but he'll always be in a ring. This is when things got interesting. Jimmy Jacobs cut a promo, teasing he was a face then went heel on Tommy, calling Tommy washed up and a hack. Tommy then responded back, but the crowd was more behind Jacobs than Dreamer. Wow. I believe it was even booked to be this way, and talk about knowing your audience to pull something like this off.

There was a cool crowd dynamic here, if Dreamer beat up Kenny, he would've got a huge pop, but they blended and did the whole shades of gray thing with Jimmy where he went from face to heel to face. Worth checking out just to hear the crowd reaction. I guess Dreamer vs Jacobs is a match we'll see down the line based on all this.

Dreamer then beats up Jacobs and gives him the mandatory DDT. "Man In the Box" by Alice in Chains played, and that took us to....

INTERMISSION

Johnny Gargano d. Chris Dickinson in the popcorn match
There was a long intermission before this match. Like I said earlier, the first half of the show was done in 80 minutes, so intermission was very long.

To make a really bad comparison, Dickinson is like Kimbo Slice. Kimbo Slice got famous for all these killer youtube fights, but when he gets in the ring with trained fighters, he's exposed and looks bad. That basically sums up Dickinson here, as he is a youtube tough guy, but his matches are blah. I was kinda looking forward to this match too, as I've heard Dickinson has improved and several of his promos online are really good & piques your interest, but this match didn't really do anything to stand out. To be fair, it was right after a 30 minute intermission too and didn't have the flow the other matches had the luxury of having.

Alot of strikes in this match. The biggest pop saw a move where Dickinson landed face first into the middle turnbuckle. Shortly there after, Gargano kind of scumbagged and made Dickinson look like a jabroni after pinning him with ease and flamboyance after a full nelson facebuster. The pin reminded me of the time Joel Maximo pinned KC Blade at the Elks Lodge, as he did it so cockily that instead of making it look like he won a hard fought match against a talented guy, it came off like he beat a nobody.

This was also my first time seeing Gargano live, and I've heard good things about him, but he didn't look great here. Dickinson needs to change his style, as he does all these crazy youtube promos then has a generic match. At least with Dickinson you can see he cares and has come a long way from his PIW days.

Muneroi Sawa d. TJ Perkins (TJP)
This was another match that got a superstar reaction when Sawa walked out. This was another match where it was my first opportunity to see these guys live.

I was shocked when Evolve put TJP against Sawa, as I figured an Omega or B-Boy type would fit in better against Sawa. TJP hada good match here. The crowd was really into this match, and this was another match where Evolve knew their crowd. Sawa wins by some funky submission. I am not familiar with Sawa, but the other 500 fans in the building certainly were. However, I do wonder sometimes if these smart marks pop at anything Oriental and start a "THIS IS AWESOME" chant at the local Chinese buffet. Yea Sawa had a good match, but is he held into a higher regard just because he's from Japan?

Team Chikara (Mike Quackenbush/Frightmare/Hallowicked) d. Akuma's Army (Gran Akuma, Brodie Lee & Icarus)
Quack got arguably one of the biggest reactions of the show. He is very well respected.

If you've read my stuff before you know how I feel on Chikara. To sum it up quick - it's not for me, but I understand why people like it. However, this is one of the few Chikara matches I've seen that didn't look like a Mortal Kombat ballet. There was more focus about in-ring wrestling than flying around like contents of a Mexican pinata. This was the complete opposite of the Dragon Gate USA matches that chikara has done.

Brodie Lee is super over and has something special. Hallowicked got the duke over Icarus.

POSTMATCH: Quack did a promo saying he was only 75%. Eh, I guess it's not a big deal, but it makes the heels look weak that they couldn't take advantage of that. Quack asked for a 4 corner trios tag for 3/13. Why does he want that? What does he get for winning that? Again, Chikara is not for me but for the people who like this stuff, I'm sure this is good news.

Davey Richards d. Kota Ibushi
The face of the company against one of Japan's hottest wrestlers main evented this show. I honestly missed some of this match, but from all accounts, this was match of the night and one of the few matches to be given significant time. Evolve was looking for a great quality show on DVD and this main event will be a huge selling point. Richards wins the first ever Evolve main event after a kimura.

POSTMATCH: Student meets teacher already (You'd think that angle would be more developed but I guess the Evolve audience doesn't need slow burn angles since they know all the behind the scenes shit anyway) as Richards challenged O'Reilly for the next show.

Richards vs O'Reilly
Hero vs Allen (Should make note that Hero was announced for 3/13 after Allen's promo, but that match specifically wasn't announced.)
Chikara cluster
Chuck Taylor vs Ricochet
Mercedes Martinez vs ???

Also, I'd expect Dreamer to be back to do something with Jacobs, based on this show.

I liked the new concept that Evolve is trying to do. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the no ring music stuff, but looking back, it did save a lot of time on this show, but I also think it hurts character development as ring music/entrance is part of the overall package. It's not a make or break thing, just different. I really liked the flow of this show and how wins mean something.

I thought Evolve hit a home run for their first night out. I guess we'll see how Evolve draws next time to see how really well this show was received. This show was the culmination of being fired from ROH for Gabe and vindication for some, and I think in the end fans got an excellent and exicting new night of wrestling. I'm interested to see where we go from here.

Overall
Worth checking out on DVD, especially since you know Sal is going to make this look pretty. I can't remember ever seeing A+ professional cameras that they were using tonight at an indy show before.

For more Evolve news, keep it here on the DOI and make sure to check out the official site at www.EVOLVEWrestling.com

DOI's Dan MacMallian was in the house taking pictures for Snapmare.com and we will have his report posted shortly as well.

Thanks for reading.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
[email protected]