wrestling / TV Reports

Csonka’s EVOLVE 86 iPPV Review 6.24.17

June 24, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Zack Sabre Jr NJPW PWG EVOLVE PROGRESS ROH Image Credit: NJPW
7
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Csonka’s EVOLVE 86 iPPV Review 6.24.17  

Csonka’s EVOLVE 86 iPPV Review 6.24.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Timothy Thatcher defeated Austin Theory @ 10:25 via submission [**¾]
– ACH defeated Chris Dickinson @ 14:23 via pin [***]
– Former Gatekeeper Thomas Sharpe defeated The Dirty Mystery Gatekeeper @ 2:00 via pin [NR]
– Fred Yehi defeated Jaka @ 16:17 via pin [**½]
– Tracy Williams defeated Jason Kincaid @ 13:55 via submission [***½]
– Keith Lee defeated Ethan Page @ 10:46 via pin [***]
Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match: Zack Sabre Jr defeated Matt Riddle @ 12:30 via submission [***¾]


– Lenny Leonard is on commentary.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Austin Theory: Stokley Hathaway, Tracy Williams, Jaka & Chris Dickinson are out with Thatcher. Thatcher immediately grounds Theory, looking to work his grappling game. Thatcher looks to work the leg to ground the much quicker Theory. Theory battles back to his feet as Pricilla Kelly creeps around the ring; Thatcher again grounds Theory, working submissions and then cradling Theory for 2. Theory starts to pick up the pace, hits a clothesline and double stomp. The suplex follows, and that gets 2. Thatcher cuts off Theory, hitting a gut wrench suplex and covering for 2. Thatcher again takes things to the ground, working strikes and then looking to work the arm with a kimura. Thatcher transitions to the arm bar, but Theory gets the ropes. Thatcher connects with uppercuts, sending Theory to the floor. Theory to the apron, rolls back in and hits the dropkick for 2. Theory then hits a superkick and then misses the standing moonsault, Thatcher applies the sleeper and Thatcher then takes the back, lays in strikes and locks in the ankle lock. Thatcher transitions into a single leg lion tamer, but Theory fights out. Thatcher follows with knee strikes, back to the sleeper, but Theory escapes and hits the enziguri. Forearms by Theory follow, pump kick by Theory and Thatcher slaps him and hits an enziguri. The butterfly suplex follows, and he takes the back and applies the rear naked choke, Theory fades and is out. Timothy Thatcher defeated Austin Theory @ 10:25 via submission [**¾] While not the most exciting outing, it was a pretty good match to get Thatcher back on track (in that regard it served its purpose well), with a good lay out and smart work, but I really feel that they need to move along with Theory, because he can only put in so many good performances in a losing effort before fans start to lose interest. Right now he’s just a guy on the roster.

– Hathaway puts over Thatcher, and says that the EVOLVE title will come to the dream team.

ACH vs. Chris Dickinson: Jaka, Williams and Hathaway are at ringside. Dickinson looks to overpower ACH to begin. They work to the ropes, and the ref finally breaks them up. Dickinson offers the handshake, but ACH refuses. ACH looks to work the arm, but Dickinson quickly counters and they collide center ring. ACH picks up the pace, but can’t take Dickinson down. ACH then bag tags Dickinson, but ACH takes too long celebrating, allowing Dickinson to hit a superkick and he then beats him down. Dickinson takes control, working the arm and hits a belly to back suplex, covering for 2. Dickinson lays the boots to ACH, kicks him in the chest and then covers for 2. Dickinson works a modified camel clutch, but ACH makes the ropes. Forearms follow by ACH, Dickinson quickly cuts him off with a kick and yells at him. ACH finally sweeps the leg and hits a basemen dropkick. ACH with the trip and double stomp, hits another dropkick and Dickinson rolls to the floor. ACH then hits two suicide dives and follows with the PK from the apron. ACH rolls him back in, follows and hits the corner clothesline and snap German for 2. ACH is slow to follow up, having back issues from the earlier kicks by Dickinson; Dickinson hits the snap slam, covering for 2. Dickinson hits corner clotheslines, mounted rights follow. ACH shoves him away; they work up top but ACH sent to the mat. Back down, German by ACH and a lariat follows for 2. ACH then looks to fire up, hits another lariat but Dickinson pops u and hits the Michinoku driver for a near fall. Dickinson looks for the Pazzuzu bomb but ACH escapes and hits the lariat and brainbuster; ACH up top and the 450 finishes Dickinson. ACH defeated Chris Dickinson @ 14:23 via pin [***] Good back and forth match, it took a bit to really get going, and may have been better with some time cut off. Overall it was a good and fun match.

– Gatekeeper McMassive arrives and says he’s done some horrible things, and has busted his ass for Ethan Page, and all for nothing. The only reason he took the job was to get a shot in EVOLVE. As of right now, he is no longer anyone’s gatekeeper; Thomas Sharpe is here. If Page has a problem, come and give him his best shot. Page arrives and doesn’t give a shit. He doesn’t care about him or anyone else; he is here to ruin everything everyone loves. So tonight he will end Keith Lee. The mystery man (dirty gatekeeper) that debuted on the last shows arrives and beats down Sharpe. They brawl and spill to the floor, with the dirty gatekeeper slamming Sharpe to the apron. Back in the ring and the dirty gatekeeper runs into a big boot, and Sharpe hits the boosman slam and pins him. Ok, so this was a match. Thomas Sharpe defeated The Dirty Mystery Gatekeeper @ 2:00 via pin [NR] That was a segment, but I look forward to Thomas Sharpe getting a chance in EVOLVE.

Jaka vs. Fred Yehi: Jaka tells Yehi that HE’S in big trouble, likely a mistake. They brawl at the bell, working chops and head butts. They light each other up, but Yehi cuts off Jaka with a back elbow and then hits stomps and a dropkick for 2. They then slap the piss out of each other; Yehi stomps away on Jaka, follows with a suplex and covers for 2. Yehi looks to float over, but Jaka charges and almost runs up Yehi’s ass in a really bad looking spot.

Yehi pulls Jaka to his feet, but Jaka fires back with slaps and a basement dropkick for 2. Yehi the works rapid-fire kicks, and plants Jaka with a German suplex. Yehi goes for repeated covers, looks for another German, but Jaka powers out. They looked to work a counter spot, but both fall on their ass. Jaka then gets up and hits a German. Jaka then slaps Yehi around; they trade strikes and Jaka superkicks Yehi to the floor. Jaka then follows with a plancha. Back in and Yehi fights off a German, but Jaka hits an XPLODER, covering for 2. Jaka follows with strikes in the corner, lays the boots to Yehi and follows with the corner kick for 2. Yehi then hits the German, Jaka pops back up but Yehi clips the knee, hits a dropkick and another to the grounded Jaka. They trade chops, Yehi then hits the fisherman’s buster for 2. Yehi follows with corner forearms, but Jaka cuts him off and then hits a head butt. Yehi with another German, Jaka is rocked and Yehi hits a rolling forearm for 2. Jaka fights off the full nelson, slips into a sloppy cradle for 2. Yehi gets the full nelson now, Jaka fights and misses a high kick, Yehi with the snapdragon suplex gets 2. They again trade strikes, big kick by Jaka but Yehi counters the chokeslam into the RANA; he locks in the koji clutch and Jaka taps. Fred Yehi defeated Jaka @ 16:17 via pin [**½] I thought that they captured the right tine for the match, with Jaka looking to punish Yehi for leaving Catch Point. But the two big botches early on really hurt things, and it felt as if they were trying to make up for it the rest of the match. Also, they worked into a fun series of near falls and big impact stuff down the stretch, but just couldn’t get the crowd to really invest in the action. That made it feel really long and lethargic down the stretch. They are both capable of much better, this came off as disappointing to me.

Tracy Williams vs. Jason Kincaid: It’s all Williams early, easily grounding and out grappling Kincaid. Kincaid keeps fighting to his feet, but Williams is a step ahead and cuts him off with strikes. Kincaid finally puts some offense together, and then gets a lucha arm rag off the ropes and sends Williams to the apron. Kincaid hits a springboard forearm to send Williams to the floor. He follows him out, and runs up the steps and hits a 619 as Williams tries to get back into the ring. Kincaid looks for the tornado DDT, but Williams suplexes him to the buckles and hits a second rope missile dropkick. Williams back in control, hitting the knee drop and covering for 2. Williams avoids the spin kick, hits an elbow drop and covers for 2. He then transitions into the sleeper. Williams hits a cradled Saito suplex and then hits a senton off the top covering for 2. Williams now works a Japanese strangle hold, Kincaid escapes and works into a cradle for 2. Williams then lays in strikes, Kincaid is resilient and keeps trying to fight back. Kincaid escapes a powerslam, hits a double stomp and then a blockbuster. Kincaid then follows with a springboard into a stunner for the near fall. Kincaid fires up with slaps and even trash talks Williams. They work up top and Williams hits the DDT to the buckles, and then applies the crossface but Kincaid fights to his feet and hits a clothesline. Williams cuts of the slingshot attempt, hitting a brain buster for a good near fall. Kincaid hits a chin breaker, charges Williams and then finally hits the tornado DDT and ten transitions into a slingshot falcon arrow (HE DI THE DEAL) and then looks for the compassionate release. Williams escapes, hits the TKO and covers for 2. Kincaid then hot shots Williams, misses the double stomp and Williams locks in the crossface and Kincaid taps. Tracy Williams defeated Jason Kincaid @ 13:55 via submission [***½] Post match, Kincaid was pissed, but calmed himself and raised Williams’ hand in victory. This was a very good match, with Kincaid putting in a great showing but coming up short once again. That boy is gong to snap soon and it should be glorious. Williams picks up the win and keeps momentum as the head man in Catch Point who is primed for big matches with Sabre Jr and Riddle down the line. This was a really fun contrast in styles and very good match overall.

Keith Lee vs. Ethan Page: Page mocks Lee, so Lee just beats the shit out of him and then hits the POUNCE. Page avoids the corner charge, works knees and strikes and then hits the draping back breaker on Lee. Page then works him over in the corner. Lee fires back with big strikes, dropping Page. Lee heads to the corner, climbs but Page cuts him off and tries the iconoclasm but Lee stops that. Page then hits a superkick to Lee, and hits the iconoclasm and covers for 2. Page continues to work over Lee with strikes in the corner, doing some focus on the lower back, Page then misses a corner charge and that allows Lee to mount the comeback, hitting a northern lariat. Lee covers for a near fall. Lee sits Page up top, but Page fights Lee off and hits a RANA and running boot for the near fall. Page sets and looks for the RKEGO, but Lee blocks it and then cuts off the spinning Dwayne, hits the powerbomb but Page kicks out at 2. Lee now sets up Page and heads up top. Page up and cuts off Lee, and hits the powerbomb out of the corner for a good near fall. The RKEGO follows for 2. Page looks to finish Lee, but Lee hits the DVD into a jackhammer for the win. Keith Lee defeated Ethan Page @ 10:46 via pin [***] Good match here, with the right man winning. Page did a good job of playing the smart villain, using everything in his back of shortcuts to get any and all advantages on the bigger and stronger Lee. This had a smart layout that played out well.

– Tomorrow, Ethan Page faces former Gatekeeper Thomas Sharpe.

– Keith Lee hangs around to do the main event ring announcing. “I’m still sweating, I’m big, forgive me.” “Riddle may be the king of bros, but he needs to stop wearing corn rows. He’s also the soon to be former WWN Champion once I beat his ass.”

Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match: WWN Champion Matt Riddle vs. EVOLVE Champion Zack Sabre Jr.: We start off with a lot of slick grappling and ground based offense from both. After some even back and forth grappling, Sabre looks to work the arm but Riddle quickly shuts that down, hitting a trio of gut wrench suplexes. The running senton connects, with Riddle covering for 2. Riddle looks for another senton, but Sabre captures him into an arm bar. They transition into a grappling scramble, and Sabre hits the European clutch for a near fall. Riddle starts to work the strikes, but Sabre catches the leg and takes Riddle down, hitting the PK and then hits a dragon suplex, covering for 2. Riddle fires up with strikes, Sabre looks for the guillotine, but Riddle counters out and hits two fisherman busters, which got him a near fall. Sabre again gets the European clutch for 2. Riddle then snatches him up and hits bro to sleep and then a bridging German for 2. Riddle follows with corner forearm strikes, but then runs into an uppercut and PK from Sabre; Sabre again looks for the arm bar, but Riddle stacks him up and then hits a powerbomb for 1! Sabre then works the octopus hold, but Riddle counters into the jumping tombstone, and lays in elbows before looking for the bro mission. Sabre floats out and ties up Riddle in a head scissors and heel hook, landing elbow strikes and Riddle taps! Zack Sabre Jr defeated Matt Riddle @ 12:30 via submission [***¾] This was a very good main event, they teased a long match with the slow grappling filled beginning, and they flipped the switch into a sprint, hitting everything they had in order to prove who the better man was. This was easily the best thing on the show.

– Stokley is out and tells Sabre his days are numbered. Darby Allin is here and says that he needs to win the title. Sabre tells them to piss off and leaves.

– Tracy Williams arrives to beat down Riddle. He takes him to the floor and slams him to the barricades, Allin is still in the ring in a cast and sling but decides to hit a coffin drop to take out Williams and Hathaway. Williams drags Hathaway to the back as Riddle shows Allin respect for the save.

– Also set for tomorrow…

* WWN Championship Match: Matt Riddle defends vs. Keith Lee
* EVOLVE Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. defends vs. EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Jaka
* Chris Dickinson vs. Fred Yehi
* Trent Baretta vs. Austin Theory
* ACH vs. Tracy Williams
* Timothy Thatcher with Stokely Hathaway vs. Jason Kincaid
* Ethan Page vs. Gatekeeper Thomas Sharpe

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

 photo fe36ffd0-0da4-4e3b-a2d3-b026b341dd87_zps41ef5d61.jpg
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
EVOLVE 86 was a good show, and while there was nothing I’d classify as must see or completely blow away, they did a great job of setting the stage for tomorrow’s show and beyond.
legend