Csonka Previews Evolve 56 & 57

WELCOME: Evolve returns to iPPV this weekend with Evolve 56 and 57, and you can order Evolve on iPPV or VOD at this link. Evolve is coming off of their best year thus far, as 2015 was the year that they locked in their vision for the company, and brought in some great talent while saying goodbye to others. It was a rewarding year for both the promotion, which had identity issues for a while, and for their fans that supported the product. 2016 started off well for the promotion. They played off of the momentum from 2015, and delivered a strong first weekend of shows with Evolve 53 (7.0), Evolve 54 (7.8) and Evolve 55 (8.5). This weekend the promotion presents Evolve 56 & 57, which looks to not only follow up on the momentum that they have, but to also set the stage for the events that will take place over WrestleMania weekend in Dallas. I want to discuss some of those things below…

Chris Hero is Going To Destroy Some People… And Probably Have The Best Overall Weekend

“Chris Hero Ain’t nothin to fuck with” isn’t just a fun chant or colorful phrase to market, it’s the truth. There are some fans that want to run down Hero for “washing out” of NXT and for not having the physique of an Adonis. These are clearly people that did not watch Chris Hero in 2015, because this guy was one of the most underrated performers in the business. Hero had great matches everywhere he worked, was gold every time in with Evolve, and as a freelancer made a hell of a case for some wrestler of the year love. This weekend, Hero will have the chance to do it again as he will face two competitors that have been tearing things up in Evolve. The first is 27-year old Tracy Williams, who works well beyond his years and has been a great addition to the roster and style that Evolve has moved into. Williams has been impressing, and will be facing a master of the hard-hitting, grapple/brawl style in Hero. If that wasn’t good enough, next up is the 30-year old Matt Riddle. Riddle, the former MMA fighter, has been extremely impressive since he debut. He has been booked well, protected in short matches and has been allowed to slowly grow. His Evolve 55 match with Williams was a true coming out party; Riddle managed to finally of longer (over 14-minutes), mixed in more pro wrestling, and also showed that he could sell very well. His growth as a performer has been great to watch, and he will get a chance to show that again this weekend. Chris Hero in Evolve is always a treat, but these two matches have legit chanced to steal a loaded weekend. Chris Hero is going to throw elbows and try to destroy people, and it is going to be awesome.

Will Team Tremendous Win Their Way To Dallas?

Evolve 55 saw the crowning of the first ever Evolve Tag Team Champions in Drew Galloway and Johnny Gargano, a fascinating team as one is a TNA contracted worker, and the other a freelancer that regularly works WWE’s NXT brand. But that wasn’t the only thing involving tag teams from that show, Team Tremendous won the 2nd Chance Tag Tournament, which set them up as top contenders for the tag team titles. But you will not find Team Tremendous on the listing of WrestleMania weekend events for Evolve, due to “the overload of international talent” being used. Team Tremendous had a great weekend during the January triple shot, not only having good matches, but they got over with the Evolve faithful. The good news for them is that they are booked on these weekend shows, and if they win the titles on Evolve 57, they will get added to the Dallas shows. In all honesty, Drew Galloway and Johnny Gargano winning the tag titles felt like a move to get the titles on “a super team” to get some buzz. There is nothing wrong with that, but I feel that they want to focus on a more full-time division, and with that being the case, Galloway and Gargano will be used here to elevate Team Tremendous. Evolve 58 in Dallas only has three matches at this time, so I can see Team Tremendous losing at Evolve 56 to Anthony Nese & Caleb Konley (via shenanigans) and then winning the titles at Evolve 57 setting up a rematch set for Evolve 58. If you throw some cash on that, drop Larry 10%, I have kids to support.

Can Timothy Thatcher Survive The Weekend As Champion?

Timothy Thatcher has been great as the Evolve champion, delivering a long list of great matches and also fitting the bill as far as the style they have embraced and went full bore with. But this weekend he has two big challenges ahead of him, causing doubt as to whether he will remain champion as they head into their biggest shows of the year. At Evolve 56 he faces Matt Riddle; Riddle has been so great considering his experience, and has an awesome “give no fucks” vibe that makes him both cool and punchable. It’s a great combo. Riddle as champion would work well for a place like Evolve, because he can learn on the job and matches with Gargano, Gulak, Williams again, Perkins and others will be quality and allow him to grow. But on the other hand, there is the fact of his inexperience that would make some question the move. Is he ready to be the top of the card for them? I know it’s a smaller scale and you can experiment, but not everyone can be the “guy, brother,” even on the smaller level. Riddle feels like a completely different beast, and considering his growth, if he is sticking around, this is the best time to make the change. If Thatcher keeps the title, he defends the next night against Caleb Konley. Konley has been a guy that has been around for them forever. He’s gone through bad periods (The Scene) and survived, but it has always felt to me that every time they try the big single push for him that it never connects. Konley works hard, has quality matches and is a good guy to have around, but at the same time he feels a bit tired to me. Personally I have no desire to see him as the top guy, having the top matches. With the utmost respect, Konley feels like an excellent mechanic. He’s great in tags, he is good for the singles matches on the undercard, but he feels like the wrong guy to unseat Thatcher. He may prove me wrong, and if so I will be glad to admit that I was, but I’m just being honest. If Thatcher survives Riddle, he should retain here and move onto Dallas as the top dog.

Zack Sabre Jr. Will Prove He’s Best In The World

If you didn’t know, Zack Sabre Jr. is one of the very best pro wrestlers in the world right now. He embraces the old world of sport style with a modern day spin on it. The speed and flawless execution are second to none, and he is a joy to watch every time I see him. Evolve did the best thing they could do here, they decided to keep it simple and feature the man in a best of the world series. A set of five matches that will take place during March and April, against a great lineup of opponents. The first will take place against the “WWNLive ICON,” Johnny Gargano and Evolve 56. Gargano has been an amazing mainstay talent for Evolve, carrying the brand at times, pulling it away from the DGUSA branding to make the company its own, and also being used to crown the next generation of talents in the spotlight, like Timothy Thatcher. The crowds always react well to Gargano and have loved when Zack Sabre Jr. appears, so they should be into the match. With Gargano no longer the focus on the promotion, and the fact that Zack Sabre Jr. is being highlighted here, I expect Zack Sabre Jr. to win and to do so in a great match. The next match is against “the technician,” where he will face Drew Gulak. Gulak leads the Catchpoint stable, but in MMA terms, Gulak works tremendously as the gatekeeper for Evolve. While many in MMA take the term as a negative, I feel that this is a great role for Gulak. He can help bring guys up as a mentor, he can work the undercard just as easily and believably as the main event, and if you go out there and deliver with Gulak, you’re gold going forward in both the eyes of the fan base and the company. This match should be another win for Zack Sabre Jr., but I expect Gulak to take full advantage of the spotlight and to deliver like he always does. The bottom line is that much like Hero’s matches, Zack Sabre Jr. is in a great position to steal the weekend.

My predictions for the weekend are as follows…

* Chris Hero kicks asses, takes names and proves that despite criticism of his physique, he is one of the very best in the business.
* Team Tremendous wins the Evolve Tag Team Titles.
* Timothy Thatcher retains the Evolve Title.
* Zack Sabre Jr. continues to show just how good he is.

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You can order Evolve on iPPV or VOD at this link.

EVOLVE 56 – Queens, NY – March 19th – 6pm EST
* EVOLVE Title Match: Timothy Thatcher defends vs. Matt Riddle
* Best In The World Challenge Series – The WWN Icon: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano
* Grudge Tag Team Match: Team Tremendous vs. Anthony Nese & Caleb Konley
* Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams
* Sami Callihan vs. TJ Perkins
* Drew Gulak vs. Fred Yehi
* Ethan Page vs. Mike Bailey

EVOLVE 57 – Brooklyn, NY – March 20th – 8pm EST
* EVOLVE Tag Team Title Match: Johnny Gargano & Drew Galloway defend vs. Team Tremendous of Dan Barry & Bill Carr
* EVOLVE Title Match (If Thatcher Retains At EVOLVE 56): Timothy Thatcher vs. Caleb Konley
* EVOLVE Title Match (If Riddle Wins The Championship At EVOLVE 56): Matt Riddle vs. Chris Hero
* Best In The World Challenge Series – The Technician: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak
* Sami Callihan vs. Tracy Williams
* TJ Perkins vs. Mike Bailey
* Ethan Page vs. Fred Yehi

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”