Csonka’s EVOLVE 114: NXT Invades Review

Csonka’s EVOLVE 114: NXT Invades Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– The Precipice defeated Mat Rogers and Zenshi @ 6:50 via pin [**]
– Winner Qualifies for WWN Championship Match: Darby Allin defeated Josh Briggs @ 10:20 via pin [***]
– Pricilla Kelly defeated Jessie Elaban @ 9:55 via pin [**]
– Adrian Jaoude defeated Joe Gacy @ 5:40 via pin [*½]
– Leon Ruff defeated Barrett Brown @ 10:30 via pin [***¼]
– Evolve Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits defeated Champions Doom Patrol @ 14:50 via pin [***¾]
– Adrian Alanis defeated Liam Gray, Shawn Dean, & Dan Matha @ 6:00 via pin [**]
– EVOLVE Title Match: Fabian Aichner defeated Champion Shane Strickland @ 21:30 via pin [****]
– WWN Title Ladder Match: JD Drake defeated Anthony Henry, AR Fox, Austin Theory, Harlem Bravado, & Darby Allin @ 32:55 [****¼]

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Mat Rogers and Zenshi vs. The Precipice (Chance Auren and Omar Amir): Rogers into begin. The announcers aren’t identifying guys well, but Rogers controls early on. Zenshi tags in and he hits a senton for 2. He’s cut off, but trips up Auren and hits a senton atomico for 2. He follows with chops, but Auren hits a code breaker and covers for 2. Amir tags in and lays in strikes on Zenshi, and the Michinoku diver follows for 2. The Precipice work quick tags, double teaming Zenshi and covering for 2. They pummel Zenshi, grounding the action. More double teams follow, Zenshi fights them off and hits an enziguri before tagging in Rogers. He runs wild and hits a side slam for 2. Zenshi tags in and hits a top rope splash for 2. Rogers is dumped, Zenshi hits a RANA and PELE. He’s cut off, the Precipice’s manager gets involved and they finish Zenshi with a spinebuster and STO. The Precipice defeated Mat Rogers and Zenshi @ 6:50 via pin [**] This was an ok, but disjointed and far from smooth match.

– Shane Strickland arrives and talks about all of the faces that have been through EVOLVE and left, all because of him. Strickland says he made some promises and he kept it and that RVOLVE as to do a talent imitative because there is no one left. NXT’s Fabian Aichner arrives and they brawl and Strickland says tonight is Aichner’s chance since he has an open contract tonight, but promises to send Aichner back to the Performance Center with a broken arm.

Darby Allin vs. Josh Briggs: Briggs overpowers and plays around with Allin to begin. Allin picks up the pace, goes crazy fists and follows with a lucha arm drag. They work to the floor and Allin gets posted. Allin rolled back in and follows with a suicide dive. They work back in and Allin misses a charge, and Briggs buckle bombs him and lays in strikes. Briggs then whips him to the floor. He crawls back in and Briggs just starts to maul him. Briggs lays in clubbing strikes, and controlling with ease. Briggs then drops him with a big right. Allin manages to fire back, but flies into a side back breaker for 2. Allin then counters a catatonic into a crucifix bomb for 2. The high cross follows for 2. Briggs to the floor and catches the coffin drop and posts Allin; Briggs then chokeslams him onto the bar. Back in and Briggs covers for 2. The crowd tries to rally Allin, Briggs heads up top but Allin crotches him and sets him in the tree of WHOA but Briggs fights back and slams Allin to the mat before missing a moonsault. Allin hits strikes and a code red for 2. Allin fires away with strikes, chop blocks, and a stunner. Briggs counters the coffin drop and hit go to hell for 2. Allin is down, grabbing at his shoulder. Briggs drags him up top but Allin sort of counters the powerbomb into a RANA (Briggs didn’t fully rotate over and landed badly) and the last supper finishes it. Darby Allin defeated Josh Briggs @ 10:20 via pin [***] This was a good match as they played into the size dynamic well, but it really felt as if something was missing; it was far from their best work.

Pricilla Kelly vs. Jessie: Our next NXT guest is Jessie. They lock up and Kelly works Jessie to the ropes. They separate, lock back up and Kelly is bullying her around. Jessie now looks to work the arm, but Kelly counters out. They trade counters, and Jessie grounds things and gets a cradle for 2. She grounds the action, and then trips up Kelly. Kelly cuts her off and slams her down by the hair. Kelly now works her over in the ropes, and follows with strikes. The dropkick follows for 2. Kelly maintains control, ripping at the hair, but Jessie fights back but is quickly cut off with a PK for 2. They trade strikes, but Kelly hits a superkick, but Jessie rebounds with a dropkick. She follows with shoulder tackles, forearms and kicks and then covers for 2. Kelly avoids a charge, but Jessie hits the TKO for 2. They trade strikes but Kelly hits the Russian leg sweet and transitions into a submission for the win. Pricilla Kelly defeated Jessie Elaban @ 9:55 via pin [**] The best way to describe this would be slow an clunky. It wasn’t bad, but just lacked any sense of energy and felt longer than it was.

Adrian Jaoude w/Cezar Bononi vs. Joe Gacy: They circle and Gacy backs off Jaoude. Jaoude grounds things, looking for a heel hook, but Gacy makes the ropes. Jaoude grounds things again, easily outwrestling Gacy. They work to the ropes and Gacy attacks with strikes. Jaoude takes him down, lays in ground and pound, and starts working for submissions. Jaoude lays in body strikes, slaps, and Gacy fights to his feet and Jaoude slams him back down. The knee bar follows, Gacy kicks his way out and hits a lethal injection. Jaoude counters the powerbomb, lays in kicks and that’s that. Adrian Jaoude defeated Joe Gacy @ 5:40 via pin [*½] This was bland, boring, and lethargic; not a good outing for either man.

Leon Ruff vs. Barrett Brown: Ruff is over huge. They lock up and work into counters, Ruff with a slick escape and trip before playing to the crowd. They work into lucha passes, and into a double down. Ruff hits a pop up RANA and dropkick. He follows with strikes, but Brown cuts him off with a big right. He follows with kicks and a basement dropkick for 2. The running knee strike connects for Brown and Ruff powders. Brown looks for a dive but Ruff cuts him off. Ruff now hits a suicide dive. Brown trips him up and heads up top. He follows with a swanton to a standing Ruff on the floor. Back in and Brown covers for 2. Brown follows with a slam, and a suplex to the buckles and that gets 2. Brown now lays in strikes, but Ruff fires back and hits a RANA. He follows with flying forearms and a lariat. The enziguri and neck breaker connect and that gets 2. Brown scores with a back fist and inverted Michinoku driver for 2. He follows with running forearms, Ruff avoids the dropkick and follows with a cannonball in the corner. Brown powders, so Ruff follows with a moonsault to the floor. Back in and Ruff gets a cradle, but Brown counters into a backslide for 2. They trade near falls, and Ruff finally cradles him for the win. Leon Ruff defeated Barrett Brown @ 10:30 via pin [***¼] This was a good and fun back and forth match, with Brown looking good here and Ruff continuing to impress. Ruff is still young in his career, but has really impressed in 2018, the kid’s going to be really great.

Champions Chris Dickinson and Jaka versus The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford): Dawkins and Dickinson grapple to the mat immediately as Dickinson looks for a heel hook. They work to he corner, Jaka tags in and works over Dawkins with strikes and chops. Ford tags himself in and double teams follow and Ford takes control. Jaka counters back, starting to work the arm as Dickinson attacks and makes sure Jaka maintains control. Ford fights back with dropkicks and arm drags, but Jaka fires away with chops until Dawkins tags in and the Profits hit dropkicks, but Dickinson and Jaka cut off Ford and attack the knee. Dickinson lays in chops and follows with a death lock until Ford makes the ropes. Jaka tags back in and continues to ground Ford. Ford fights out with strikes, but Jaka takes Dawkins to the floor. The champions follow with double teams on Ford, and Dickinson hits the fisherman’s suplex for 2. Jaka follows with chops, a corner splash and a dragon screw. Dickinson tags back in and continues to assault the knee of Ford. Dickinson then does the deal with a falcon arrow for 2. Ford fires back with elbows, Jaka tags in and Ford dumps him and dives for the hot tag. Dawkins runs wild on Dickinson, spear to Jaka, the fall away pump handle slam gets 2. Ford back in and Jaka fights them off, hits the running knee strike and Jaka wipes out Dawkins on the floor. Dickinson attacks the leg of Ford, and hits a powerbomb for 2. Ford it’s a desperation superkick and piledriver for a great near fall as Jaka makes the save. Jaka drags Dickinson to the corner and tags himself in. He takes out the knee and the champions look for death trap, but Dawkins makes the save, dumps Dickinson and hits the TKO. Frog splash by Ford and we have new champions! The Street Profits defeated Champions Doom Patrol @ 14:50 via pin [***¾] This was a very good match, simple and to the point. Just good tag team wrestling, a good heat segment, good comeback and a fire filled closing stretch. This was the best Street Profits match I have ever seen as they really made the most of the opportunity and delivered here, while Doom Patrol delivered again. Dickinson & Jaka are a great team, but with EVOLVE being a singles territory, they have no real teams to work with and the division is dead. One early benefit of the new NXT relationship is that we can freshen up the division. Give me Doom Patrol vs. Lorcan & Burch.

Dante Marquis Carter vs. Mikey Spandex: They work for a short bit until NXT’s Dan Matha arrives and destroys them. Matha says he keeps hearing about this Evolve place and that his is where all of the up and comers come from. This is his day off and he is here tonight; if there are any men who are masculine enough to do something about it, so we get a four-way match with members of the Skulk…

Liam Gray vs. Adrian Alanis vs. Shawn Dean vs. Dan Matha: Matha powders, so the Skulk starts off and despite being friends, are more than happy to do battle. The crowd loves them as they work a fun opening stretch. Matha in and he attacks Alanis. He works some crisp side headlocks to end the fun. He then starts hitting shoulder tackles and works more headlocks while talking trash. In theory Matha is heeling here, killing the fun, but it’s completely killed any flow the match had. He finally starts tossing guys around and doing some solidly fun big man things. AR Fox arrives and attacks, and he and the Skulk run wild on Matha. Matha takes a walk and the Skulk dances. Fox leaves and the rest fight, Gray hits a frog splash on Alanis. Dean then catches him with a back breaker, allowing Alanis to hit a code breaker for the win. Adrian Alanis defeated Liam Gray, Shawn Dean, & Dan Matha @ 6:00 via pin [**] This was more angle than a match, but what we got was ok.

Champion Shane Strickland vs. Fabian Aichner: Strickland plays keep away to begin, basically running from Aichner. They finally lock up, working to the ropes and Strickland backs off. Aichner overpowers him, teases a right and then slaps Strickland. Aichner grounds the action, and follows with a shoulder tackle for 2. He grounds the action again, Strickland escapes but Aichner follows with a dropkick for 2. Back to the ground they go, Strickland fights to his feet and follows with knee strikes. He follows with kicks and rights. Aichner now hits a high cross and knee strike, and then a belly to back suplex. Strickland hides behind the ref and then attacks the arm and then slams it off the post. It’s all Strickland now as he lays in kicks and a basement dropkick for 2. Strickland follows with running knee strikes and a Saito suplex for 2. He now works a modified arm bar, scissoring the arm and grounding Aichner. Strickland works into a rings of Saturn variation, Aichner fights but Strickland maintains focus on the arm. He works into another arm bar, Aichner fights out but Strickland works a standing bow and arrow. Aichner makes the ropes, but Strickland follows with rights. Aichner fires back with chops, and a backdrop. They trade strikes, Aichner hits a clothesline and back breaker. The enziguri follows and then the missile dropkick gets 2. Strickland looks for a springboard, but leaps into a Finlay roll and then a moonsault for 2 by Aichner. Strickland lays in strikes, Aichner counters the cutter but Strickland gets it the second time and that gets 2. Strickland fires up with kicks, but Aichner rolls into a buckle bomb and a flurry of strikes. Strickland hits a desperation double stomp but Aichner counters back into a brain buster for 2. They trade strikes, lighting each other up and Strickland takes out the knee. The RANA follows and Strickland covers for 2. Strickland heads up top and Aichner pops up and hits a superplex and catatonic for a great near fall. Aichner fires up but Strickland attacks the arm, but Aichner hits the Finlay roll, and Strickland then dumps him to the floor. Strickland follows with kicks and drapes Aichner over the bar and hits the double stomp. Back in and Strickland up top and hits the double stomp again but Aichner kicks out! Strickland looks for the arm break spot, but Aichner fights and lays in rights and pummels Strickland. Strickland back to the arm. Strickland up top, Aichner pops up with him and Strickland attacks the arm and hits a sunset bomb. Aichner counters the cutter into a suplex and follows with the spinning powerbomb and we have a new champion! Fabian Aichner defeated Champion Shane Strickland @ 21:30 via pin [****] This was a really great back and forth match, with Strickland playing the cocky and overconfident champion before eventually falling to the motivated Aichner. Aichner is a guy that I really like but there just hasn’t been room for him on NXT TV, but he knocked it out of the park here. With the loss and new WWE involvement, I wonder what it means for Strickland & EVOLVE going forward.

Anthony Henry vs. AR Fox vs. Austin Theory vs. Harlem Bravado vs. JD Drake vs. Darby Allin: They start off brawling, ladders are slowly slid in and Drake looks to climb but Bravado cuts him off and tosses the ladders to the floor. We have brawling everywhere, as they work deep into the crowd. We get chair shots, trashcan shots and guys diving off the bar onto each other. They battle by the gimmick tables (save the merch boys) and then Theory gets slid across the bar like in a movie. Fox starts hitting lucha shit off the bar and former partners Drake and Henry are in the ring and double team Bravado, Theory and then Fox. They fight over a ladder, and Bravado flies in and takes them out. He then powerbombs Allin onto a ladder, which was on top of Drake and Henry. Bravado now gets a fresh ladder, looks to climb, but Theory cuts him off. Fox takes him out, and they brawl. Theory works him over with a ladder, but Fox fights back and dropkicks the ladder into Theory & Bravado. Bravado gets sent into a ladder, Fox gets a chair and lays it on Theory, and Theory tosses it into his face. Fox escapes into the crowd and follows with a senton onto Theory. He lays Theory on the apron and lays chairs on him and hits a flying leg drop from out of the crowd. Henry & Drake double team Fox and apron bomb him. They now work over Theory, but Henry accidentally hits Drake. Bravado attacks, and teases a dive and poses. He dumps Theory and follows with a tope onto the pile. Fox then hits a top rope senton onto the pile. Drake now moonsaults off the stage onto the pile. Drake now looks to climb, but Bravado stops him. Theory in and dropkicks the ladder into both. Theory climbs, Ayla & Kelly get involved and brawl. Ayla superkicks a chair into Kelly’s face and Henry now climbs. Fox cuts him off and Drake joins in and Fox hits cutters on both. Fox climbs but Bravado flies in and they colossally blow a cutter spot. Fox climbs again, Theory stops that and low blows Fox. He climbs and Bravado cuts him off. He makes a ladder bridge, climbs, Theory stops that and Henry flies in and double stomps Bravado on the ladder bridge. He climbs now, but Drake cuts him off and climbs but Henry stops him and they brawl. Henry now lays in kicks, but Drake fires up and hits a spinning back fist. The cannonball misses and Henry hits a dead lift German, Drake pops up and lays him out with the boot of doom. Drake climbs, Henry follows and knocks Drake off and hits the curb stomp. Henry climbs, but Bravado cuts him off, lays out Fox and lays in chair shots to Drake. He and Henry brawl on the ladder, but get toppled over and crotched. Darby Allin is back and hits a coffin drop from the balcony and through a table onto Bravado. Theory now climbs, but Fox stops him and they brawl. Theory sets up a chair and takes Fox up top. Fox escapes and hits lo mein pain onto the chair and ladder. Fox climbs, Theory grabs his foot and tries to stop him. Fox kicks him away, but Theory pulls him off and hits attaxia. Drake takes them out and climbs, and Allin is back and climbs. They trade strikes, Drake lights him up but Allin hits a cutter off of the ladder. Allin climbs, but Henry kills him with chair shots and just pummels him. he climbs, Allin grabs his foot and tries to stop him. Henry has the chair, but Theory kicks it into his face and climbs. Drake stops him and powerbombs him and hits the drill bit. Drake climbs, the other try to stop him but are too late and Drake wins. JD Drake defeated Anthony Henry, AR Fox, Austin Theory, Harlem Bravado, & Darby Allin @ 32:55 [****¼] This was a great match to close out EVOLVE 114, There were some great stories throughout, Allin being insane and almost willing to die in order to finally become a champion, former partners Drake & Henry working together until they finally had to go to war, and then the long-running student vs. teacher feud between Theory and Fox. Add in some absolutely brutal and insane spots and this delivered.

Some stuff to unpack…

This show ran during Sunday’s WWE Evolution PPV, and Evolution was the theme of the night. EVOLVE has had to continually change and evolve as talent comes in and eventually leaves for NJPW, WWE, or other places; the loss of Joey Janela due to injury was also a big blow to the promotion. It’s hurt and stifled the overall growth of the product and this is a move that has been a long time coming and something I speculated on in the past, especially with Gabe working for WWE. WWE has unofficially been a feeder for WWE, allowing talent out of contracts to sign, so the writing was on the wall, especially following the announcement that the WWE talent matches would be airing on iPPV going forward. I don’t hate the idea of EVOLVE being WWE’s official AA club so to speak, but it certainly changes things going forward. EVOLVE will never be the same again, but for now, it will still exist.

FOR NXT TALENT: It’s a great opportunity to get more work and especially to work with new talent. You can only improve so much working the same guys over and over again on the coconut loop. Also, it will give people like the Profits & Aichner experience working as a champion, something they just won’t get in NXT right now.

FOR EVOLVE: It keeps them alive for now, and in theory, can help with ticket sale and hopefully WWN subscriptions. They were already on the WWE radar, but it also gives more talent a chance to impress WWE brass if their goal is to move onto WWE. But make no mistake, EVOLVE isn’t an indie as we knew it, they are an official WWE feeder system, and it’s a relationship of convenience for both companies. WWE gets their guys more work and experience, EVOLVE stays alive, and Gabe becomes a defacto top talent scout. It’s a fascinating time to be a fan, but one has to wonder how long EVOLVE stays as a stand-alone product, and if it eventually transitions to the WWE Network.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.7

The final score: review Average

The 411

EVOLVE 114 was certainly a newsworthy show, and while the NXT/WWE invasion will be the big topic of discussion, as it should be But EVOLVE delivered a pretty good show with two must-see matches. I don’t know what the future holds for EVOLVE, but it will be at the very least interesting.