Csonka’s EVOLVE 112 Preview

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview EVOLVE 112. EVOLVE is coming off of another strong weekend with 110 being a good show & 111 being a show of the year contender. EVOLVE is again moving into the next stage of their existence, with Matt Riddle finishing up and officially heading to WWE, and Stokely Hathaway losing a loser leaves EVOLVE match. Who will step up in the wake of Riddle, Zack Sabre Jr, Fred Yehi, and Keith Lee all gone? Can the promotion keep the momentum from the last shows and keep delivering with the new roster of talent stepping up? On a lesser note, Saieve Al Sabah requested and received his release; no big loss in my opinion as he was going to be too much of a long-term project and there are tons of other names to use. Today, I will give my predictions, and break down the show match by match. Feel free to make your picks in the comment section. Thanks for reading! It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are “have a take, be respectful, and don’t be a dick.”

Tracy Williams vs. Jon Davis: Tracy Williams may have lost at EVOLVE 110, but he picked up the win at EVOLVE 111, defeating Stokely Hathaway and sending him out of the company. Not only that, Williams earned himself a title shot, which he will cash in at EVOLVE 113. Davis is coming off of a losing effort in a triple threat at 110 and a no contest at 111. His big rematch and final clash with Josh Briggs has been delayed due to the reshuffling of the card this weekend. With all due respect to Davis, he’s a veteran hoss brought in as a body and to put people over. With Williams challenging the next night for the EVOLVE title, he SHOULD win here. WINNER: Tracy Williams

JD Drake vs. Harlem Bravado: At EVOLVE 111 & 111, JD Drake went 0-2, but in those two matches had a great effort against WALTER and an excellent match against Matt Riddle. Drake had been doing well so far in his singles career, and while he went 0-2 on the weekend, he put in two tremendous performances that showed that he could hang with anyone, and won over the crowds both nights; he’s a made man in EVOLVE. But while he’s a made man, wins and losses still matter in EVOLVE, and he really needs one here. He’ll be facing the returning Harlem Bravado in what could be an interesting match. I’m curious to see what Bravado brings to the table as a singles performer, and not only if Drake can pick up the big win, but also continue to impress while doing so. Drake should take this one. WINNER: JD Drake

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry: At EVOLVE 110 & 111, Darby Allin went 2-1, which included a huge win over the departing Matt Riddle. Allin continues to evolve, continues to improve, and has crowd support; he’s a star for EVOLVE, Anthony Henry went 1-1 at EVOLVE 110 & 111, putting strong performances as he tries to find his place in the singles ranks. On paper, this is a good match with two hungry guys looking to solidify themselves in the upper tier of the EVOLVE singles ranks and has the potential to be great judging on their recent performances. I wouldn’t be shocked at Henry winning, as Gabe likes to keep us guessing, but this absolutely feels like a match Darby Allin should and needs to win to continue his momentum and rise up the ranks. WINNER: Darby Allin

Priscilla Kelly vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Dementia D’Rose vs. Aja Perera: This is a SHINE showcase match, which I like them being used since there is a SHINE show prior to this, and it mixes up the card. But they have been a mixed bag in the past in terms of quality as well as crowd involvement. Priscilla Kelly is the star here and the pushed EVOLVE act, and really should come away with the win here. WINNER: Priscilla Kelly

Jaka vs. Leon Ruff of The Skulk: Jaka went 1-1 at EVOLVE 110 & 111, and is a treat in singles action. Leon Ruff of The Skulk is replacing Trey Miguel here as he’s off the weekend shows. This will serve as set up for the next night’s tag title match, and since I think that Dickinson is losing to Briggs, I think the tag champs split their matches and Jaka takes this one. WINNER: Jaka

Chris Dickinson vs. Josh Briggs: Chris Dickinson went 0-2 at EVOLVE 110 & 111, and also lost the services of Stokely Hathaway, changing the face of EVOLVE & Catch Point moving forward. Josh Briggs has been extremely impressive during his short time with the company and was even recruited by Catch Point, which he turned down. That is what brings us to this match today. Josh Briggs is in a role and feels like a singles star in the making, but he went 0-1-1 at EVOLVE 110 & 111, failing to pick up a win over the weekend for the first time since his debut. I like Chris Dickinson, he’s a consistent performer, but he’s a not a singles star, in my opinion, Briggs has the goods, is constantly improving, and should take this one as he continues his climb to the main event scene. WINNER: Josh Briggs

WWN Championship Match: Champion Joey Janela with Penelope Ford vs. AR Fox with The Skulk: Joey Janela’s arrival in EVOLVE came at just the ring time. With all of the recent departures, the company needed stars, and Janela& Strickland were great additions. Janela is just a rock star, but besides being a tremendous self-promoter and character. The guy can go and has delivered since his first night with EVOLVE. But Janela is coming off of an 0-2 weekend during 110 and 111, with some feeling that the champion is showing vulnerability. AR Fox went 1-1 over the same weekend, but the win came in a WWN Title match with a very special stipulation. Janela’s title was on the line, but in order for him to lose the championship, he had to be pinned or submitted. AR Fox won that match but did so in a violent rage to get revenge on his former student turned complete asshole/2003 WWE create-a-wrester Austin Theory. But that win was good enough to give Fox a shot here and to continue the strongly built three-way feud between Janela, Fox, & Theory. I love the nature of the feud and how all three men have been involved, as it has come off effortlessly and has been very enjoyable. It feels too early to end Janela’s reign to me and there is a lot of story left to tell so he retains in what could be a hell of a wild match. WINNER: Joey Janela

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”