Csonka’s EVOLVE 109 Review

Csonka’s EVOLVE 108 Review

– Anthony Henry defeated Jon Davis @ 6:58 via pin [***¼]
– AR Fox defeated Saieve Al Sabah @ 7:11 via pin [**½]
– AR Fox & The Skulk defeated The End @ 5:12 via pin [**]
– JD Drake defeated Dom Garrini @ 6:59 via pin [***]
– Josh Briggs defeated Jaka @ 8:15 via pin [***¼]
– No Holds Barred Match: Chris Dickinson defeated Tracy Williams @ 14:55 via pin [****]
– Non-Title Match: Matt Riddle defeated FIP World Heavyweight Champion Austin Theory @ 11:20 via referee stoppage [****]
– WWN Championship Match: Champion Joey Janela defeated Darby Allin @ 17:55 via pin [****½]

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– My EVOLVE 108 review is at this link.

Anthony Henry vs. Jon Davis: Davis easily overpowers Henry to begin, tossing him around the ring with ease. Henry fires back with knee strikes, and gets a victory roll into an arm bar. Davis powers out, and makes the ropes. He then cuts off Henry with chops, just lighting up Henry. He then takes Henry down and largely pummels him. Henry fires back with forearm strikes but Davis hits a jab and drops him. Henry fires back up and lays in a series of kicks and heads up top. Davis cuts him off and hits the dead lift super jackhammer for 2. Henry now attacks the knee of Davis with dragon screws. The enziguri and tornado DDT follow for 2. Henry now heads up top and rolls through on the double stomp and then hits a RANA for 2. Henry counters three seconds around the world into a cradle for the win. Anthony Henry defeated Jon Davis @ 6:58 via pin [***¼] This was a good back and forth opener, keeping a brisk pace, and really nice work from both. I actually wish the had a bit more time because they were working so well together, but I appreciate the good and brisk opening match.

– Davis is a sore loser and lays out Henry post match.

– Strickland monologues about his title win last night. He’s not dressed to compete says he’s a smart champion and is taking the night off so that he can return at 100%. He’ll face Sabah some other time, because Sabah isn’t on his level right now. AR Fox and crew are here. Strickland is not pleased. Fox says that Strickland has a lot of excuses but that he’s the hardest working man in the business and he will face Sabah.

AR Fox vs. Saieve Al Sabah: Sabah attacks with strikes, and follows with a corkscrew elbow drop for 2. He follows with corner attacks and rolls to the floor. Fox cuts him off and hits a DDT and double stomp. The running splash gets 2. Fox follows with the twister suplex for 2. Fox now grounds things, and follows with a series of neck breakers. Sabah battles back, and the small package gets 2. Fox now gets a small package for 2. Sabah follows with a powerslam, and Fox makes the ropes. They work to the apron and Sabah superkicks him onto the Skulk. They carry Fox around the ring and Sabah gets caught in the ropes trying a corkscrew tope; that was bad. Back in and Sabah hits lighting spiral for 2. Sabah takes Fox up top, follows him up and Fox knocks him to the mat and the swanton eats knees. Fox now hits a powerbomb and running kick. Lo mein pain finishes it. AR Fox defeated Saieve Al Sabah @ 7:11 via pin [**½] This was a solid match, Sabah works hard and shows potential, but is a really unrefined overall worker.

The End arrives and they attack. We get the big brawl around ringside as Parrow chokeslams Fox. The Skulk battles back as Parrow backdrops Fox over the post and onto the pile on the floor. Parrow heads up top, the Skulk attack and powerbomb him.

AR Fox & The Skulk vs. The End: This is a match now. The End takes control and it breaks down as little Leon Ruff tries to attack Parrow, but gets powerbombed to the floor onto the pile. The End takes the heat on Ruff, triple teaming him and picking up near falls. Drennen hits a running knee strike and DDT. Atlantis makes the save and gets cut off by Odinson, who hits a full nelson slam. Fox flies in with an ace crusher, and Parrow takes him out. Ruff flies in with meteora, it breaks down and Fox runs Parrow into Odinson. The Skul run wild on Drennen, Fox hit an over the post dive, and Ruff follows with a dive. Fox hits a 450 and pins Drennen. AR Fox & The Skulk defeated The End @ 5:12 via pin [**] This was ok, not much of an actual match, but the crowd enjoyed it. The spots were fun but there was a fair amount of sloppiness. I actually think it would have been better off as just the brawl and then do the actual match on another show.

JD Drake vs. Dom Garrini w/Stokely Hathaway: Drake attacks at the bell and runs wild. Garrini cuts him off with a Saito suplex and follows with kicks and strikes. The double stomp follows for 2. Garrini starts working for an arm bar, and transitions into a kimura. He now locks on a guillotine, but Drake escapes and hits a shining wizard. Drake follows with a leg lariat of the ropes for 2. The running elbow and enziguri follows, but Garrini cuts him off with knee strikes. Drake now hits an XPLODER and cannonball for 2. Drake heads up top, but the Vader bomb is countered by Garrini into a triangle. Drake powers up and powerbombs out. Garrini looks for a choke, countered, but he gets a guillotine. Drake makes the ropes. Garrini lays in strikes, hits a jumping knee and Drake counters the choke into the drill bit for the win. JD Drake defeated Dom Garrini @ 6:59 via pin [***] Much like the opener, a good back and forth match with no messing around and a great pace. This was fun and there was no messing around.

– Stokely runs down Garrini for losing post match, and say if he can’t do the job, he’ll get someone who can. He brings out Dickinson & Jaka.

Jaka w/Stokely Hathaway vs. Josh Briggs: Stokely wants revenge on Briggs for not joining catch Point. It doesn’t go well early as Briggs runs wild and kicks Jaka’s ass until he misses a big boot and Jaka takes him to he floor with a superkick. Jaka follows him out and lays in chops and then pummels him with strikes and kicks. Back in and Jaka grounds the action, hits a RANA and locks on an arm bar. Briggs stomps his way out, but Jaka cuts him off with head butts and locks on an arm bar. Briggs makes the ropes and fires back with chops and strikes. Briggs follows with a running clothesline and follows with a corner elbow and running kick. The side slam follows for 2. Briggs looks for the choke breaker, but Jaka cuts him off with kicks and a German for 2. They now work up top, Jaka knocks him to the mat and hits the high cross and locks on the arm bar again. Briggs fights to his feet and powers Jaka into a powerbomb for 2. Jaka fights off the choke breaker, and lays in strikes and kicks. Briggs cuts him off into a back breaker and the choke breaker for the win. Josh Briggs defeated Jaka @ 8:15 via pin [***¼] This was another good match with good work from both and a really good pace that kept the crowd involved.

– Catch Point jumps Briggs post match and Williams makes the save as we head into our next match.

No Holds Barred Match: Chris Dickinson w/Stokely Hathaway vs. Tracy Williams: Dickinson and Williams immediately brawl to the floor. This was the building where Williams brought Dickinson & Jaka into Catch Point. They brawl back into the ring, working some back and forth brawling until Dickinson hits a suplex. Dickinson grabs a trashcan and Williams charges and dropkicks it into his face. Williams brings in the trashcan and then lays in knee strikes on Dickinson. He sets up the trashcan, but Dickinson cuts him off. Williams fights back, dropkicks Dickinson into he can and then suplexes him onto it and covers for 2. Williams heads up top, Dickinson tosses the trashcan into his face, and then uses it to beat on Williams. Dickinson puts the trashcan over Williams’ head and lays in kicks. Dickinson puts it back on Williams and more kicks follow. Dickinson now gets a big sheet of plywood and brings it in. He lays the board over the ropes like a platform, but Williams cuts him off with trashcan shots. Dickinson ends that with a low blow, and lays Williams on the board and follows him up. Dickinson piledrive him onto it but it doesn’t break and generally looked bad. Dickinson pazzuzu bombs Williams onto the board in the corner and it doesn’t break again; that sucks. Stokely gets another board and makes a bridge between the ring and barricade. Williams fights back and hits a desperation lariat. Stokely distracts him allowing Dickinson to fight back and take Williams to the apron by the board. Williams low blows him and piledrives Dickinson through the board and to the floor. Back in and Williams covers for 2 as Stokely grabs Williams leg. Williams chases but Stokely pulls out a screw driver. This distracts him long enough for Dickinson to attack, but Williams gets the crossface and Dickinson is trapped center ring, Dickinson fights and Stokely stabs Williams with the screwdriver. Dickinson now gets the crossface and Stokely joins in and stabs Williams again with the screw diver and Williams has to tap. Chris Dickinson defeated Tracy Williams @ 14:55 via pin [****] This was a great match and a tremendous use of the stipulation to build to the career vs. career match. The loss doesn’t hurt Williams as it took two men, and also sets the odds against him in the upcoming 2 on 1 match against Dickinson and Stokely. They had a hot crowd, it played into the overall angel extremely well, and was just really enjoyable.

– Josh Briggs made the save post match as Stokely & Dickinson beat down Williams.

FIP World Heavyweight Champion Austin Theory vs. Matt Riddle: Commentary confirms that Riddle lost the tip of his left pinky finger in last night’s match. Riddle attacks with knee strikes and rapid-fire chops, the running forearms follow and then an XPLODER connects. The senton follows for 2. Riddle hits a gut wrench suplex, and Theory bails to the floor. Riddle follows and they brawl. Riddle follows with kicks and then chops. Theory moves and Riddle chops the post with the injured hand, allowing Theory to attack and take control. Back in and Theory hits the dropkick and covers for 2. Theory follows with a standing moonsault and covers for 2. He goes back to attacking the hand, and then lays the boots to Riddle in the corner. Theory stays focused on the hand, maintaining the heat on Riddle. They work into counters, Riddle hits an up kick and fisherman’s buster for 2. Riddle lays in a series of boy kicks, and hits bro to sleep and the German for 2. Theory counters the PK, and now hits 3 second around the world for 2. Theory talks shit to Riddle, but Riddle fires up with chops, but Theory hits the blockbuster for 2. Theory follows with a buckle bomb and 2k1 neck breaker for 2. They trade strikes and knees, and Riddle connects with the tombstone for 2. Riddle hits a ripcord done and powerbomb and another knee strike. Riddle just starts fucking up Theory with repeated knee strikes and we get a referee stoppage. Matt Riddle defeated FIP World Heavyweight Champion Austin Theory @ 11:20 via referee stoppage [****] This was a great match with Riddle working it like any other main event style match he would work and not like a guy on the way out. Theory stepped up and showed some of what WWN sees in him as a future star. He’s still young and incomplete as a performer, but the potential is there.

WWN Championship Match: Champion Joey Janela w/Penelope Ford vs. Darby Allin: They shake hand, but Allin surprises Janela with a cradle for a really good early near fall. Janela cuts of Allin, grounds the action and Janela cradles him for 2. They lock up, work to the ropes, and they break. They work into some back and forth, Allin with a lucha arm drag and looks for the guillotine, and then transitions to an arm bar; Janela makes the ropes. Janela cuts off Allin and knocks him to the floor. The suicide dive follows. Allin fights back, heads into the ring, and he hits a suicide dive. Back in and Allin up top and the coffin drop is countered into a German by Janela. They trade strikes, Janela takes control until Allin gets a cradle and cross body for 2. Allin finally hits the coffin drop and that gets 2. To the floor they go and Janela slams Allin to the barricade. Janela pulls up the floor pads and suplexes Allin to the exposed floor. Janela heads up top and hits an insane senton to the floor, wiping out Allin. That boy ain’t right. Austin Theory arrives and posts Janela, rolling him into the ring. Allin then flies to the floor and takes out Theory. Back in and Allin eats a superkick for 2. The package piledriver follows but Allin is alive, that’s the move that beat Allin in his EVOLVE debut against Ethan Page! Allin crawls to his feet and goes John Wooo. The elbow attacks follow, and now hits a stunner and Janela rolls to the floor. Allin up top and Janela cuts him off and spikes him with an air raid crash on the apron. Janela follows with an apron DVD and Allin is dead. Back in and somehow Allin kicks out at 2. The crowd tries to rally Allin, so Janela lays in ground and pound. Allin pulls a desperation arm bar, cranks back, but Janela makes the ropes. Allin follows with strikes and a code red for 2. Back to the arm bar for Allin, he really cranks back, but Janela makes the ropes using his teeth ala Ishii. Allin lays in strikes, they trade and Janela takes him up top. Janela follows him up and Allin fights, but Janela hits the super brainbuster, and covers but Allin somehow kicks out. Janela murders him with the double stomp and finally puts him away. Champion Joey Janela defeated Darby Allin @ 17:55 via pin [****½] This was an absolutely excellent main event, and like I said yesterday, while Allin is an amazing underdog character, he’ also blossomed into a great complete wrestler and showed it once again here. Janela has been a complete breath of fresh air to EVOLVE, bringing a superstar vibe and a completely different character to the promotion. This was just a flat out, excellent main event, it felt big time and important, with the crowd fully invested and into Allin’s possible title win, trying to rally him throughout and buying into everything. Janela is not only carrying himself like a star but is delivering in the ring for EVOLVE. They have something special with Allin here, and when he finally wins the big one, the EVOLVE faithful are going to lose their shit. The peaks and valleys in terms of drama here were absolutely great. With Allin’s loss here and Riddle winning earlier in the show, I see Allin beating Riddle at EVOLVE 110.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

EVOLVE 108 was a great show, and EVOLVE 109 was even better. The company continues to move forward despite losing talent, finding new talent to use, and showcasing them properly. The show had a very strong undercard, and the top three matches were all great and delivered in different styles. The Dickinson/Stokely vs. Williams feud has been great, Riddle is delivering on the way out, Theory stepped up, Janela is a total fucking rock star and, Allin is really something special. This was a great show but if cherry picking, catch the final three matches.