Csonka’s EVOLVE 75 Review 12.11.16

Csonka’s EVOLVE 75 Review 12.11.16

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Jeff Cobb defeated Fred Yehi @ 9:45 via pin [***]
– Jaka & Chris Dickinson defeated Darby Allin & Peter Kaasa @ 9:52 via pin [***]
– Ethan Page defeated Dick Togo @ 13:00 via pin [***¼]
– Chris Hero defeated DUSTIN @ 13:02 via pin [***½]
– Matt Riddle defeated Ricochet @ 9:30 via submission [****]
– Tracy Williams defeated Drew Gulak @ 36:55 via submission [***]

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Fred Yehi vs. Jeff Cobb: Yehi, of course, declares that Cobb is in big trouble. Cobb looks to use his size advantage as they grapple. Likely a mistake for Yehi, as Cobb is a former Olympian. Yehi does surprisingly well as they did some amateur style wrestling. Yehi worked a single leg takedown, controlling the bigger man on the mat for a while. Yehi then works a hanging guillotine, but Cobb shakes him off and hits a dropkick. Cobb then rag dolls Yehi for a bit, which is what he does best; Cobb then follows with a standing moonsault, misses a second and Yehi stomps away at him, and follows with the basement dropkick. Yehi jumps on Cobb’s back, working a sleeper. Cobb escapes and they do a double down. Cobb catches the high cross, Yehi slips out and hits a pair of German suplexes. Cobb hits the gut wrench suplex. Cobb fights off the octopus, hits a head butt and then the tour of the islands. Jeff Cobb defeated Fred Yehi @ 9:45 via pin [***] Good back and forth match, Yehi looked good even in defeat. Cobb picks up another victory, gaining momentum as he looks for an Evolve title shot

– Drew Gulak arrives to declare that Catchpoint is a failure. Yehi says there is no shame losing to an athlete like Cobb; he still had two titles and will just work harder to get better. Gulak is focused on becoming the first ever WWNLive champion. Gulak vows to defeat Williams tonight to prove Catchpoint is dead. Williams says if he wins tonight, Gulak can’t enter the WWNLive tournament; Gulak says if he wins, no one from Catchpoint (Williams. Yehi & Riddle) can enter the tournament. Gulak slaps Williams after he accepts.

Darby Allin & Peter Kaasa vs. Jaka & Chris Dickinson: If Chris Dickinson and Jaka win, they receive contracts. Dickinson and Jaka attacked before the bell, Kaasa cleared the ring, hit a dive and almost gave himself a concussion. Allin in, he and Jaka work back and forth. Kaasa back in, Jaka fought back leading to he and Dickinson taking the heat on Allin. Dickinson hits the falcon Arrow (HE DID THE DEAL). They bullied Allin around, which was the smart plan as Allin gets great sympathy. Allin fired up and almost demanded Dickinson and Jaka keep attacking, so they did and kept beating the hell out of him. Allin eventually cut Dickinson off, got the sunset flip and tag to Kaasa and he ran wild on a great hot tag. Kaasa then hits the standing corkscrew moonsault for 3. Double team superplex on Kaasa follows, he managed to send Jaka to the floor, hits the RANA and then Allin gets killed with a German as Jaka sent Kaasa to the floor. Doomsday chokeslam on Allin, Dickinson and Jaka win contracts. Jaka & Chris Dickinson defeated Darby Allin & Peter Kaasa @ 9:52 via pin [***] Jaka & Chris Dickinson arrived pissed off, with a goal to prove everyone wrong and accomplished their goal. It was a simple story, Evolve also needs more tag teams and they will fit the bill well. The match was good, with Allin’s reckless nature costing his team when Kaasa had things in hand.

– Larry Dallas arrived to interview them. Dickinson told him off and said tonight was just the start.

Dick Togo vs. Ethan Page: Page mocked Togo for being short, so Togo started to kick his ass because he’s Dick Togo. Page fought back, hit the jackhammer and got a near fall. Slingshot senton by Togo as he made his comeback, but Page quickly cut him off and took the heat. Page worked rights; Togo shot him the bird and took his head off with a lariat. Togo then hit a crucifix and then transitioned into the crossface. Page escaped, but Togo then countered the package piledriver, sending Page to the floor and then hitting the tornado DDT on the floor. Page counters the senton try. RKEGO cut off by the Togo cutter for the near fall. They battled up top; Togo sent Page to the mat and hit the leaping DDT off the ropes. Togo hits the pedigree, but misses the top rope senton. RKEGO by Page connects, but Togo kicks out at 2. Togo escapes Page’s pedigree try, hits the dropkick and then a superkick but Page hits the spinning Dwayne for the win. Ethan Page defeated Dick Togo @ 13:00 via pin [***¼] Page needed that win to get him back on track. He also looked extra motivated after the flat Evolve 74 match with Cody.

– Page runs down Togo, and tells the Gatekeeper to kick his ass. Togo makes his comeback, hit the senton and stands tall.

Chris Hero vs. DUSTIN: Hero and DUSTIN lost the evolve tag team titles when they had communication issues, Hero was subbing for the injured Galloway that night. DUSTIN attacked as Hero made his entrance. Hero then countered a moonsault by DUSTIN into a cravat and then into the swinging neck breaker. He’s rather good. DUSTIN then sent Hero to the floor, they brawled for a bit and DUSTIN picked up the intensity nicely as he worked the heat. DUSTIN smartly grounded Hero, not allowing him to be a bully or use his striking. Hero eventually got to his feet and tried to cave in DUSTIN’s face with a big right and then repeated kicks. Hero fully engaged ass kicking mode, hit the dump suplex and covered for the near fall. DUSTIN fought back with chops, knees and then soul food to send Hero to the floor, where he then hit the big plancha. DUSTIN hit the victory roll for 2; they teased the ref bump, allowing DUSTIN to low blow Hero for the near fall. DUSTIN struggled as he tried the awful waffle, they traded kicks and Hero hit the rolling elbow and stuff piledriver, followed by the Gotch piledriver. Chris Hero defeated DUSTIN @ 13:02 via pin [***½] DUSTIN really needed a victory here, as he has been floundering. If Hero really is WWE bound, I feel you had to put DUSTIN over here in a big a way as possible.

Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle: Thy both tried to attack at the bell, sharing a similar plan of action. Ricochet controlled early, looked to hit the people’s moonsault, but got caught in a triangle choke by Riddle. Riddle then worked repeated gut wrench suplexes. Tossing Ricochet around and helping him remains the king of flight. Riddle looked for the springboard knee strike, but ate a dropkick. Ricochet started to use his speed to avoid the striking game of Riddle. Riddle fought off the Regalplex, but Ricochet countered the bro to sleep and fired back with a series of kicks including a 360 enziguri. They both fired up and exchanged rapid-fire strikes; Ricochet hits the northern lights into the dead lift suplex for the near fall. Ricochet hits the shooting star press from the top for the near fall. Riddle countered the bennadryller, Riddle then hit the bro to sleep and a jumping tombstone for the near fall. Riddle then locked in the bro mission, and Ricochet tapped. Matt Riddle defeated Ricochet @ 9:30 via submission [****] This was tremendous, and very similar to Ricochet vs. Gresham from Beyond earlier today in how they worked the clash of styles very well. Ricochet does another clean job via submission, he feels very selfless, and only concerned with having a great match and allowing the other guy to get his shit over during the match as well so it means something later on.

Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams: CATCHPOINT EXPLODES! (If Williams wins, Gulak can’t enter the WWNLive title tournament; if Gulak wins, no one from Catchpoint (Williams. Yehi & Riddle) can enter the tournament). They worked a very deliberate opening stretch, mixing in strikes with grappling. They also did a good job of constantly going for covers, putting over the important of their spots in the WWNLive tournament. Once the opening stretch was done and Gulak had enough of that shit, Gulak flipped the switch and got aggressive. He’s at his best when he does this, but sometimes takes too long to get there. They did a great brawl segment, where it really looked as if they were kicking the shit out of each other. Williams then trapped Gulak’s leg in the barricade, attacked and essentially tried to cripple his former mentor. Back in the ring, Williams again attacked the knee but Gulak fought back and sent him to the floor. Gulak followed with a limping suicide dive. Back in and they traded strikes center ring, great intensity by both guy, giving this a real fight feel Yehi & Riddle are now at ringside, they try to cheer Williams on as Gulak connects with the superplex for a near fall. Gulak worked a version of the scorpion cross lock, Williams survived but Gulak worked the Indian death lock. Dickinson and Jaka are on the stage, likely setting up the next tag title program. Gulak is now focused on the leg of Williams, as he slams him repeatedly into the ropes. Both are slowing, as is the pacing overall as Williams hits the doctor bomb for a near fall. Williams works a series of forearms and clotheslines, but was running way too much; especially considering the work put in on his legs by Gulak. Gulak worked for a knee bar. Williams then hit the big high cross, sending Gulak to the barricade. They teased the count out, Williams rolls Gulak back in and lock in the figure four. Gulak tried to roll the hold, but they rolled into the ropes. They fought to the apron; suplex by Gulak on the apron follows and then another count out tease. Williams beat the count but Gulak hit the powerbomb and Boston crab. Williams survived but Gulak got the dragon sleeper, but Williams again escaped. They battled up top; Williams hit the DDT to the buckle, a brainbuster and the crossface. Gulak escaped and they just kept going. Go home. Are you too good for your home? Gulak took out the knee to stop a Williams superplex attempt, Gulak got the dragon sleeper again, center ring, but Williams escaped and transitioned into the cross face. Gulak fought, and had to tap. Tracy Williams defeated Drew Gulak @ 36:55 via submission [***] I appreciated the vibe they were going for (the grudge match with big stakes) and that they were trying to give Williams an epic and definitive victory here, but it simply went too long. This felt like an excellent 20-minute match that went almost 17-minutes too long, and severely lost steam down the stretch. It was good, but not great.

– Post match, Gulak told Williams that he was right in regards to Catchpoint not being done or a failure. Gulak says Catchpoint is a success because of Williams, Yehi and Riddle. Gulak put over Williams and shook his hand. Dickinson and Jaka hit the ring, and told Gulak that they wanted in. Gulak let it up to Williams, who offered them the handshake, so it appears Dickinson and Jaka are in. Gulak said his time here is done, but someone in the ring will win the WWNLive title.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Evolve 75 was a good show, with strong wrestling, the official exit of Gulak, Catchpoint surviving and the official additions of Jaka & Chris Dickinson to the promotion in important roles and Jeff Cobb emerging as a title contender. With Gulak (officially done) and Hero (reportedly done) two big spots have opened up in the promotion. Evolve has done a good job over the years of restocking the shelves, it’s just up to the talent to take the chances given to them.