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Csonka’s EVOLVE 112 Review

September 7, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Joey Janela GCW EVOLVE
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Csonka’s EVOLVE 112 Review  

Csonka’s EVOLVE 112 Review


– Jaka defeated Leon Ruff @ 8:15 via pin [***]
– Jason Kincaid & Façade defeated Joe Gacy & Steve Pena @ 8:30 via pin [**]
– JD Drake defeated Harlem Bravado @ 12:55 via pin [**½]
– Priscilla Kelly defeated Kiera Hogan, Dementia D’Rose, & Aja Perera @ 7:30 via pin [**½]
– Darby Allin defeated Anthony Henry @ 12:05 via pin [***¾]
– Tracy Williams defeated Jon Davis @ 13:13 via pin [**½]
– Josh Briggs defeated Chris Dickinson @ 10:40 via pin [**¾]
WWN Championship Match: Champion Joey Janela defeated AR Fox @ 20:25 via pin [**½]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– I did a column, “Where Are They Now, The Cruiserweight Classic Finals Performers” which you can check out at this link.

– You can check out my top 51 matches of AUGUST list at this link.

Jaka vs. Leon Ruff: The rest of the Skulk are out with Ruff; Jaka is out alone. This is a preview for tomorrow’s tag title match. Jaka takes control right away, laying in chops and following with a suplex. Ruff tries to fire back, but Jaka cuts him off with knee strikes. Jaka continues to attack with chops, strikes, and kicks in the corner. Ruff keeps firing back, but Jaka cuts him off with ease and maintains control. Jaka now hits a back breaker, covering for 2. Jaka grounds things, working the rings of Saturn, but Ruff counters into a cradle for 2. Jaka scores with a head kick, covering for 2. It’s all Jaka as he works over Ruff with strikes in the corner. Ruff again fires up with chops and strikes, an atomic drop, and a RANA. The enziguri follows and then a cannonball by Ruff gets 2. Jaka goes back to the strikes but Ruff counters a powerbomb into a RANA and cradle for 2. Ruff follows with a German for 2. Ruff heads up top and Dickinson arrives and attacks the Skulk. Ruff is distracted and Jaka hits the Jaka bomb for the win. Jaka defeated Leon Ruff @ 8:15 via pin [***] This was a good opener, with the build to tomorrow’s tag title match continuing and Ruff showing great babyface fire.

– Post match, the champions lay out the Skulk and Fox arrives to make the save. Theory attacks him and lays him out with attaxia. Theory now cuts a promo and says that Fox used to be his trainer, and as easy as he laid him out, he’ll do the same to Velveteen Dream tonight.

Jason Kincaid & Façade vs. Joe Gacy & Steve Pena: Gacy & Façade start things off, Kincaid tags in and he an Façade work double teams. They run wild with double teams, and Façade moonsaults into a kick by Gacy for 2. Pena tags in and he and Gacy work double teams. Gacy hits the slam and elbow drop for 2. Pena back in and he hits the butterfly suplex for 2. Gacy back in and the double teams follow. Gacy lays in rapid-fire strikes and a knee strike for 2. The crossface follows, Façade fights out and to his feet but eats kicks. Pena tags in and Façade fights off both with some sloppy kicks and tags in Kincaid. Kincaid runs wild and hits a tornado DDT. The suicide dive follows and Gacy follows with something resembling a suicide dive. Façade follows with a springboard 450 to the floor. Back in and Kincaid covers for 2. He dumps Gacy, but Pena hits a German. Gacy hits an Alabama slam and powerbomb for 2. Gacy up top and Kincaid slams him to the mat. Wholesale changes to Façade and Pena, Façade hits a Michinoku driver and that gets 2. Façade gets a butterfly lock, but Gacy makes the save and tosses Façade. Façade trips him up and to the floor. Façade up top and Pena cuts him off and follows him up. Kincaid back in, Pena cuts him off and Façade knocks him to the mat. Kincaid hits a buckle bomb and Façade comes up short on the coast to cost but Kincaid hits the double stomp for the win. Jason Kincaid & Façade defeated Joe Gacy & Steve Pena @ 8:30 via pin [**] This was ok, they had good ideas, but there were several execution issues that hurt it.

– Gacy lays out Pena post match.

JD Drake vs. Harlem Bravado: Bravado tries to make Drake agree to no chops. They lock up; Drake teases a chop and hold off. Bravado now fires away with a chop and then runs away. Back in and Drake hits a shoulder tackle and follows with chops and dumps him to the floor. Drake slips to the floor and Bravado lays in chops and slams him to the barricade. Bravado takes a lap and hits a running kick on Drake. He takes another and Drake cuts him off with chops. Drake then destroys Bravado with an uppercut. Bravado avoids a chop and Drake hits the post. Bravado then cannonballs off the top and onto Drake on the floor. Back in and Bravado lays in more chops, but Drake fires back and lights up Bravado. Bravado begs off and Drake chops him in the face and covers for 2. Bravado cuts him off and hits the blockbuster and follows with ground and pound. Bravado follows with more chops and uppercuts, and the clothesline connects for 2. Drake battles back and hits a powerslam and both men are down. Drake is up and lays in clotheslines, and the running boot gets 2. Drake now hits the leg lariat off the ropes and that gets 2. They trade chops and strikes center ring, Bravado hits a big boot and then hits a northern lights suplex for 2. He then misses the corner charge, and Drake hits the Vader bomb for 2. Drake now heads up top, Bravado cuts him off and they botch a powerbomb spot as Bravado collapsed. Drake hits the cannonball for 2. They trade again, Bravado lays in kicks, but Drake lights him up and hits the drill bit for the win. JD Drake defeated Harlem Bravado @ 12:55 via pin [**½] This was a solid match, that was largely going well. It had a good pace early on and good hard-hitting action, but then started to drag and the bad spots hurt it. This was a disappointment following such great performances from Drake.

Priscilla Kelly vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Dementia D’Rose vs. Aja Perera: Kelly and D’Rose start us off as D’Rose overpowers Kelly and then misses a leg drop. Kelly lays in strikes, but D’Rose cuts her off with her ass before Kelly dumps her. Aja in and Kelly gets a cradle for 2. Aja now hits a back elbow and senton for 2. Aja puts Kelly into the tree of WHOA and lays in superkicks. Hogan in and she and D’Rose work double teams. Hogan follows with ass attacks and dropkicks, covering for 2. The superkick follows and D’Rose back in and Kelly pulls Hogan to the floor. D’Rose follows and Aja then knocks her to the floor. Aja now wipes them all out with a suicide dive. Kelly up top and hits a cannonball onto the pile. Back in and Kelly covers Hogan for 2. D’Rose cuts her off with a uranage and Aja lays in kicks. It breaks down as Hogan & D’Rose hit dueling ass attacks. Aja hits D’Rose with a knee strike, but Kelly hits the STO on her for 2. Kelly has Hogan but D’Rose makes the save, Aja over as they work up and into the corner. Aja and D’Rose to the floor allowing Kelly to pin Hogan. Priscilla Kelly defeated Kiera Hogan, Dementia D’Rose, & Aja Perera @ 7:30 via pin [**½] They kept a good pace and it was a bit of fun, but really chaotic and uneven. This was solid overall.

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry: they lock up and work to the corner. Allin picks up the pace and hits a lucha arm drag and trip into the pin for 2. The guillotine follows; Henry escapes, and finally cuts him off. Allin to the floor and Henry follows. Allin whips him to the barricade and continues to attack. Allin then hits the suicide dive. Allin up top, Henry cuts him off, and follows him up and hits a back breaker across the buckles. To the floor they go as Henry lays in chops and whips Allin to the barricade. Henry follows with the running kick and Allin is down. Henry then slams Allin on the apron and back in, covers for 2. Allin tries to fire back, but Henry cuts him off with knee strikes and a suplex for 2. Henry grounds the action, and then follows with repeated back beakers, covering for 2. Allin fires back with rapid-fire strikes and a code red for 2. Henry hits a knee strike and gourd buster, and then hits a pop up gut buster and powerbomb for 2. Henry heads up top and Allin cuts him off and follows him up. The superplex follows for 2. Both men are down and struggling to their feet. Henry hits a knee strike and then a sunset bomb to the floor. Back in and Henry hits a brainbuster for 2. Henry heads up top, but Allin cuts him off with a shotei. Back down and Allin hits John Wooooooo and a stunner for 2. The coffin drop connects for 2, and the last supper finally finishes it. Darby Allin defeated Anthony Henry @ 12:05 via pin [***¾] This was a very good back and forth match with a tremendous sense of urgency that had been missing from the rest of the card so far.

– Stokely Hathaway arrives and takes the mic. He says he’s a man of his word, and he lost his contract. But there are other opportunities for him and declares himself the new ring announcer. Referees arrive to escort him away.

INTERMISSION

Tracy Williams vs. Jon Davis: They lock up and Davis overpowers Williams to begin and tosses him across the ring. Davis now follows with strikes, but Williams gets the hanging arm bar in the ropes. He heads up top and Davis catches the high cross, but Williams escapes and Davis dumps him and follows. Williams cuts him off and hits a knee strike from the apron. They trade strikes on the floor, Williams attacks the arm but Davis cuts him off with chops. He slams him to the barricade, but Davis then misses the charge and eats barricade. Williams starts attacking the arm again, but Davis cuts him off with a powerslam on the floor. Back in they go and Davis coves for 2. Davis follows with slams and covers for 2. Williams fires back with chops, but Davis cuts him off and hits a back elbow, covering for 2. Dais lays in chops, but Williams fires up and he lays in strikes and then gets the cobra twist. Davis escapes, hits a knee strike, but Williams hits the Saito suplex for 2. Williams lays the boots to Davis, and follows with a bulldog into an arm bar. Williams now looks for a piledriver. But Davis cuts that off, Williams counters with strikes and Davis drops him with a jab. Davis looks for a powerbomb but Williams hits a DDT into a guillotine and then transitions to a kimura. Davis fights, powers up and hits the back breaker and lariat for 2. Williams fights back to his feet, but Davis cuts him off with a shining wizard for 2. Williams counters the strikes of Davis, lays in elbows and clotheslines but Davis hits a German and big boot. He then misses the moonsault and Williams cradles him for the win. Tracy Williams defeated Jon Davis @ 13:13 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly solid match, hard hitting and the right man won. But it was really missing something to pull me in and make me care, there was just no real drama here. The crowd was never into it either.

– Davis lays out Williams post match.

Chris Dickinson vs. Josh Briggs: Dickinson runs out and attacks Briggs as he makes his entrance. This leads to a big brawl at ringside. Thy trade chair shots until Dickinson slams Briggs to the steps and then chokes him out with his shirt. Briggs fights back with a suplex on the floor. They finally head into the ring after the big brawl. Briggs gets caught n the ropes and Dickinson flies in with a splash and then lay in ground and pound. He maintains control, looks for the powerbomb but Briggs fights him off but Dickinson hits the clothesline and locks on a crab. Briggs escapes and they trade strikes. Briggs then hits the clothesline and connects with elbows. The back breaker follows for 2. Dickinson counters an F5 with a RANA and lays in kicks and a lariat for 2. They work to the apron, Dickinson lays in kicks, and Briggs fights him off until Dickinson hits an apron DVD as they spill to the floor. They fight to their feet and Briggs chokeslams Dickinson on the steps. Back in and Dickinson connects with a boot, but Briggs cuts him off with a knee strike. Dickinson manages a sleeper, but Briggs powers out. Dickinson hits the tornado DDT but Briggs hits the choke bomb onto the knees for the win. Josh Briggs defeated Chris Dickinson @ 10:40 via pin [**¾] This was an overall pretty good big man styled match, but it was really lethargic and the murky EVOLVE countout rules make little sense and hurt the match a bit and they really failed to make the crowd care despite a good effort.

WWN Championship Match: Champion Joey Janela w/Penelope Ford vs. AR Fox w/The Skulk: They lock up and Janela hits a shoulder tackle. They work into a series of counters and Janela hits a superkick. Fox cuts him off and hits a senton atomico. Janela counters back and hits a sliding kick and elbow drops. Janela follows with chops, and lays the boots to Fox. Fox fires back and trips up Janela but Janela trips him up and follows with knee strikes. He follows with rights, but Fox hits an enziguri and bulldog for 2. Fox follows with the twister for 2. Fox up top and Janela cuts him off with palm strikes and follows him up. The Blu-ray follows for 2. Janela lays in knee strikes, Fox escapes the package piledriver, but Janela hits a neck breaker for 2. Janela locks on a choke, but Fox fights to his feet and then gets planted with a DDT for 2. Janela follows with strikes, heads up top, but Fox cuts him off and Janela flies off into a cutter. The lethal injection follows by Fox. They trade strikes and kicks, but Fox hits a dropkick and rolls into a superkick and Janela covers for 2. They trade strikes, Janela hits head butts and kicks. He follows with chops, Fox fires back and lays in chops. Fox dumps Janela and follows with a tope. They work to the apron, and Fox then hits the kick flip to the floor. Back in and Fox heads up top and the swanton follows for 2. Fox is frustrated, heads back up top and the 450 eats knees and Janela covers for 2. Janela follows with a lariat and brainbuster for 2. Fox fights off the package piledriver and we get a ref bump. The Skulk attacks Janela, Ford in and they cut her off and lay the boots to Janela. Ford recovers and hits a high cross onto the pile. She takes out the Skulk by herself and hits suicide dives after clearing the ring. Belt shot by Fox and Janela kicks out at 2. Fox up top and hits the 450 and that gets 2. They work to the apron, and Janela hits a DVD to the floor. Both men are down. Back in and Janela heads up top and the double stomp gets 2. Fox now gets a small package for 2. Janela hits the superkick and package piledriver for the win. Champion Joey Janela defeated AR Fox @ 20:25 via pin [**½] This was a solid, but completely overbooked main event when it didn’t have to be. The dynamic felt completely off with Fox and the Skulk heeling it up the night before they have big time babyface matches. This could have been really good, but ultimately under delivered and came off like a disappointment and not like the usual smartly booked EVOLVE main event as it broke down into clichéd bullshit and indieriffic kick outs just to do them, especially after a strong and logical start to the match.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.0
The final score: review Average
The 411
After putting on a strong run of shows, EVOLVE 112 felt like the company ran out of steam from both an in-ring and creative aspect. There was nothing horrible here, but it didn’t feel like much clicked in terms of the in-ring action and the questionable creative. The show clocked in at under three hours, but by EVOLVE standards, felt long and as if it dragged. The show felt like a disappointment compared to the usually strong and logical EVOLVE shows we usually get; it just felt like it was missing something throughout the night. You have to question if all of the recent talent losses are finally catching up with them. You just can’t snap your fingers and replace a Lee, Riddle, or Sabre, who were consistently great throughout their runs.
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