Csonka’s EVOLVE 116 Preview

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview EVOLVE 116. It’s funny, for the past 18 months, I find myself discussing the next stage of EVOLVE, how the company will change following the latest departures and who will be the next Hero, Sabre, Riddle, or Lee. But things weren’t picking up this time like the company had hoped, so at EVOLVE 114, the script got flipped big time as the stars of NXT invaded, taking the WWE/EVOLVE relationship to another level. NXT talents will now appear on iPPV and have won championships, the game has changed, and EVOLVE will never be the same again. 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. EVOLVE 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. It’s a great opportunity for NXT 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. It’s a fascinating time, lets see how it shakes out. 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.”

Due to scheduling, all picks were made before I had the chance to see EVOLVE 115.

Jason Kincaid vs. Josh Briggs: Kincaid is a strange cat, not just because he’s a wacky guy, but I mean in his positioning in the company. He’s a guy that constantly puts on solid to good performances, but also completely lacks any direction. Meanwhile, Briggs started off hot when he debuted, racking up victories until he stalled a bit and the rise seemingly stopped. Kincaid is a solid guy to have around and steps up when asked, but Briggs feels like future star for the company and likely champion down the line. Briggs should get back on track with a dominating win here. WINNER: Josh Briggs

Kassius Ohno vs. Shane Strickland: Kassius Ohno makes his return to EVOLVE, and faces off with former champion Shane Strickland. This one is a bit harder to call than most as Ohno winning feels like a guarantee, considering he’s likely losing the night before at 115. Also, Strickland needs a rebound win following losing the title. If Strickland loses here, I think that says a lot about his future with the promotion, especially after the abrupt end to his title run. Strickland has had a great run since his return to EVOLVE, putting in a ton of great performances, and I expect Ohno to step up here and deliver a great match with Strickland. This one feels like a complete toss up, but I’ll go with Strickland winning to get back on track. WINNER: Shane Strickland

Mustafa Ali vs. Darby Allin: Mustafa Ali has been one of the very best and most consistent performers for WWE 205 Live, the guy just regularly kills it and is a complete joy to watch. Knowing what he does on a weekly basis and the fact that he’ll have more freedom here, I expect a great performance here from him. Allin has been a consistently good and fun performer, and has had some great matches this year for EVOLVE, and I expect him to step up as he consistently steps up his game against high-level performers. The one thing about the WWE relationship with EVOLVE is that it makes picking winners harder, because on the surface, Ali normally wins, but Allin is a guy that EVOLVE is pushing big time and needs a win here badly. This has the potential to be great, and while it’s a hard call, I think Allin picks up the needed and huge win here. WINNER: Darby Allin

WWN Championship Match – Elimination Match: Champion JD Drake defends vs. Austin Theory with Priscilla Kelly vs. Harlem Bravado: Drake finally climbed to the top, quite literally, winning a ladder match at EVOLVE 114 to become the new champion following the injury to Joey Janela. Theory is a former WWN Champion and star the company is banking on, while Bravado is back in the mix as a singles. With Drake just winning the title, I feel that it would be silly to take the title off of him so soon. Due to Janela’s absence, and the fact that they have been pushing Drake so hard, they should run with him for now, allowing him to pick up a hard-fought first defense and to eventually set up the feud with former partner Anthony Henry. WINNER: Champion JD Drake

EVOLVE Championship Match: Champion Fabian Aichner defends vs. Anthony Henry: If all goes to plan, Fabian Aichner retains at 115 by defeating Ohno and comes into this with a lot of momentum. While I can understand fans not being a fan of Aichner’s title win, I really like the guy and think he’s an underutilized talent who I am thrilled to see get a shot here in EVOLVE. Henry is a guy they have invested into and want to mold him into one of their regulars that can climb to the top. But while Henry works hard and puts in good performances, this doesn’t feel like his time to shine. I really think that EVOLVE 115 & 116 will be about solidifying the champions crowned at EVOLVE 114, and that Aichner retains. But fuck if I know, they could keep throwing shit at the wall, changing things up and pull another title change here. New EVOLVE is wildly unpredictable. WINNER: Champion Fabian Aichner

EVOLVE Tag Title Match: Champions The Street Profits vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff: They originally had the Street Profits in some interesting singles matches, but with Kassius Ohno added to the weekend events, the cards changed and now the Street Profits as new tag team champions will defend against AR Fox and one his impressive students, Leon Ruff. Fox has been great since being back as a regular, but I was skeptical about the Skulk. At first all I could think was “oh great, a bunch of Fox’s students arriving and dancing around like idiots for all of his matches.” And that’s all they were for the longest time, and then they got some shots to wrestle, and started to impress, and the most impressive has been young Leon Ruff. He and Fox should make for a dynamic and tremendously fun tag team here. At EVOLVE 114, The Street Profits made their EVOLVE debut, and put an end to the 400 day tag title run of Doom Patrol. The Street Profits were very good at EVOLVE 114; putting in the best performance I’ve ever seen them have to date. I expect more of the same against Fox & Ruff here, and feel they’ll be in for a while, so I don’t feel a title change here. WINNERS: Champions The Street Profits

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”