wrestling / TV Reports

Tremendous Tirades: EVOLVE 35 on iPPV

September 16, 2014 | Posted by Larry Csonka

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Introduction
As a reminder, this will not be another traditional recap, but instead it will be a mash up of the Rs, Instant Analysis and my usual Twitter ramblings I would do during the shows; completely uncensored and as the ideas flow unfiltered to the old keyboard. Remember, this is a review; and I am here to review the show. As always, I encourage discussion and even disagreement, just do so in a respectful manner. I will be doing the review for Raw and most PPVs and iPPVs going forward.

WWNLive.com iPPV

EVOLVE 35 on iPPV

OFFICIAL RESULTS

  • Johnny Gargano defeated Drew Gulak @ 17:00 via submission [***¾]
  • Timothy Thatcher defeated Tracy Williams @ 9:00 via submission [***]
  • Non-Title Match: EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway defeated Roderick Strong @ 17:30 via pin [****]
  • Biff Busick defeated Zack Sabre Jr @ 19:00 via submission [****¼]
  • Open the United Gate Title Match: The Premiere Athlete Brand (Konley & Nese) defeated AR Fox & Rich Swann and The Bravado Brothers © @ 17:00 [****]
  • Open The Freedom Gate Title Match: Ricochet © defeated Uhaa Nation @ 23:00 via pin [****]

  • You can order EVOLVE on iPPV by clicking the poster above.

    Johnny Gargano defeated Drew Gulak @ 17:00 via submission : One of the stories of the weekend was that Johnny Gargano was going to prove himself by not only getting back on the winning track, but by also competing in the opening matches of both shows. Essentially starting from the bottom to climb the ladder once again. This was a damn fine way to open this show; both guys were on and delivered a good, but not too great match. I mean that in a good way, because while awesome wrestling rules, you have to be careful for the show not to peak too early. They worked excellent counters, near falls and submissions, all leading to Gargano scoring the submission victory. We’re off to a good start tonight.

  • Post match the Premiere Athlete Brand ran out, and Yung tried to say that Gargano defeating Nese was a fluke. They also warned him not to help Swann or he’d pay for it. Gargano locked in the Gargano-Escape, but then let go and bailed when Nese and Konley ran out. Hooray for a smart babyface.

    Timothy Thatcher defeated Tracy Williams @ 9:00 via submission : While a notch down from the opener, this was another good match. Williams was making his EVOLVE debut, and did well for himself here. Thatcher has been fun and is part of the newer breed of submission/technical wrestlers they are using now. An overall fun match, the crowd is starting to really appreciate the newer style that is being presented, which is essential as they move forward. Thatcher scored the win with move #473, the arm bar.

    Non-Title Match: EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway defeated Roderick Strong @ 17:30 via pin : Next up was a non-title match, between Drew Galloway and Roderick Strong. Galloway wanted to defend the title in every appearance, but was not allowed due to then new rankings system. I like that because Galloway looks like a fighting champion, but they are trying to set up the rankings as important. These guys had a hell of a match, Galloway’s best post WWE effort to date. This was hard hitting, back and forth action and Strong continues to be an under appreciated performer. The guy seems to always deliver. Galloway won clean with the future shock DDT, and they got a great ovation from the crowd. Strong, frustrated at the loss, attacked and nailed Galloway with the EVOLVE Title post match. This was a great match and a very good show thus far.

    Biff Busick defeated Zack Sabre Jr @ 19:00 via submission : Biff Busick is awesome and I always want to see him booked more. Zack Sabre Jr is a treat to watch, since he’s not in the US often, and had the match of the night at EVOLVE 34. For the second night in a row, Zack Sabre Jr is looking for match of the night. This was a tremendous display of technical wresting, with great mat work by both men. Busick is always good, and it feels like such a treat to watch Zack Sabre Jr this weekend. Some great near falls that the crowd was buying into hard, and this was just a joy to watch. I honestly thought my timing was wrong, because this flowed so well and effortlessly that I almost didn’t believe that this went 19-minutes. More of this EVOLVE. Busick on the match with a choke, and wanted a rematch with Thatcher. Zack Sabre Jr is a scholar and a gentleman for his work this weekend. Please come back soon sir.

    Open the United Gate Title Match: The Premiere Athlete Brand (Konley & Nese) defeated AR Fox & Rich Swann and The Bravado Brothers © @ 17:00: This was set to be the Premier Athlete brand challenging The Bravado Brothers, which I felt was odd due to the heel vs. heel dynamic. That was rectified when AR Fox came out and cashed in a guaranteed title shot he had won, and then revealed Swann as his partner. And there you go. They went the route of eliminating the Bravados first; guaranteeing new champions would be crowned. I liked that from the storytelling standpoint, and also because as much as I like the Bravados, their tag title run has been less than stellar. This match was 17-minutes of action, with all six men busting their asses at a break neck pace. Fox did a crazy balcony dive at one point, which was the big moment to remember action wise. The PAB brand won when they pinned Fox, and the match was another great one. In my last review, I stated that “I feel that the Premiere Athlete Brand is getting overexposed and not getting over equivalent to their push in the promotion”. I feel this worked, we needed the titles off of the Bravados, and Konley and Nese have been having great matches, despite the booking all year. This is a great way to mix things up in the tag team division, which really needed it in my opinion. The show’s been great thus far, and we now head to the main event.

    Open The Freedom Gate Title Match: Ricochet © defeated Uhaa Nation @ 23:00 via pin : The show was going very well thus far, and I like both performers and was expecting at the very least a good main event. They faced earlier this year for Dragon Gate proper, and considering the year Ricochet has been having, and Nation’s continued improvement, this had a lot going for it. This was another very good match, but it felt as if the crowd was a bit burnt out from the rest of the show. That being said, they delivered in the main event spot. Nation sold the leg well; Ricochet did great work on the leg and as good as he has been, also continues to grow as a performer. The guy is so good it’s ridiculous. This was another joy to watch, and even with the crowd out of it early, they did get into the home stretch and Ricochet scored the victory with the 630. This was a great title defense, a very good way to end the show and simply a great closing stretch of matches.

  • End scene.
  • Thanks for reading.

    The Tirade

    For the longest time I have been waiting for EVOLVE to have a break out, kick ass and take no names show. Many times due to booking and or matches underachieving in my opinion, they just didn’t get there. There have been good shows, but not that show that lived up to the roster’s potential. This was that show. Everything was good, they are really embracing the “pure wrestling/submission wrestling” with a great selection of guys, and the final four matches were all excellent stuff and simply put, they delivered. If this is finally the direction they are going for with the reboot, they hit the nail on the head perfectly. I am a fan of the the smaller cards, which worked perfectly tonight.

    Simply put, this was a great show; top six through the year (I’ve reviewed 79 PPV/iPPV events) so far. If you love wrestling, order the show and enjoy.

    What You Need to See: Pretty much the whole damn thing.

    Show Rating: 9.3

    As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale…

    0 – 0.9: Torture
    1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
    2 – 2.9: Very Bad
    3 – 3.9: Bad
    4 – 4.9: Poor
    5 – 5.9: Not So Good
    6 – 6.9: Average
    7 – 7.9: Good
    8 – 8.9:Very Good
    9 – 9.9: Amazing
    10: Virtually Perfect

    As a reminder, this is not a basic “how good was the show” number like a TV show, as I have always felt that a PPV is very different from a regular show. I have always judged PPV on how they built to a match, the match quality, crowd reactions to matches and angles, the overall booking, how the PPV leads into the future, PPV price and so on and so forth. I have added this in here for an explanation since so many have asked, and I have previously discussed it on podcasts. I understand that this may seem different, but that is how I grade. Obviously your criteria may be different.

    Have you checked out the Csonka Podcasting Network? If you haven’t, you should We run anywhere from 15-20 shows a month, discussing pro wrestling, the world of MMA, the NBA, general sports, popular TV series of the past, bad movies, battle rap, interviews, MMA & Wrestling conference calls and more! Around 10 different personalities take part in the various shows, which all have a different feel; so you’ll likely find something you like. All of the broadcasts are free, so go ahead and give a show a try and share the link with your friends on the Twitter Machine and other social media outlets! Running since May of 2011, there are currently over 500 shows in the archive for you to listen to.

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    Larry Csonka is a Pisces and enjoys rolling at jiu jitsu class with Hotty McBrownbelt, cooking, long walks on the beach, Slingo and the occasional trip to Jack in the Box. He is married to a soulless ginger and has two beautiful daughters who are thankfully not soulless gingers; and is legally allowed to marry people in 35 states. He has been a wrestling fan since 1982 and has been writing for 411 since May 24th, 2004; contributing over 3,000 columns, TV reports and video reviews to the site.

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