EVOLVE 36 review

EVOLVE kicked off the year with what has become an annual visit to Florida. The first of the weekend’s two shows kicked off with Joanna Rose welcoming us to the Orpheum (WWN’s preferred Florida location) and introducing “new” Open the Freedom Gate champion, Johnny Gargano. She said new even though Gargano had had the title for around a month and a half at this point. Once Gargano arrived she simply handed the microphone over and left the ring. She didn’t even bother interviewing him. I found myself wondering, not for the first time, what she’s paid for.

Gargano wanted to be the guy to kick things off for WWN in 2015 and had asked to be the first man to the ring. He said that as the champion he’s the face of WWN and as such he wanted to be the one to thank everyone in the world that had supported the group in 2014. It was basically a spot of crowd-pleasing platitudes. A nice message but dull to get through.

Gargano’s second topic was more interesting and significant for future EVOLVE shows. EVOLVE, Gragano felt, she be a company young guys go to to prove themselves and earn their way to the top in the ring. He outlined a very Sapolsky-esque sponsorship idea. Basically existing roster members will recommend outside talent to be brought into the company.

Rich Swann came out. After joking about how Gargano's previous title reign sent him loopy (because mental illness is so lol, right?) he referred back to 2010 when he, Gargano and Chuck Taylor formed Ronin because they felt they were being held down. It was a nice touch, highlighting that the sponsorship initiative is not at all out of character for Gargano. Swann said Gargano was meant to defend the Open the Freedom Gate championship against Caleb Konley but he wouldn't because of an injury to Konley’s arm. Then he brought out Shane Strickland as a guy he was endorsing and suggested Gargano wrestle him instead.

Gargano said Ronin was born out of frustration because they didn't get what they felt they were entitled to. He offered Strickland a title shot because of this. Naturally Strickland accepted.

They started out with some mat wrestling, the champion getting the better of the challenger. Strickland’s first notable move was a drop kick, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t that notable at all. Still, it was enough to send Gargano rolling to the outside where he avoided a Strickland dive. Strickland, because he’s a super cool high-flyin’ babyface, landed on his feet and returned to the ring with a frog cross body on ‘The Whole Shebang’.

Strickland tried a springboard but got super kicked by Gargano as he was on the second rope. Then he was hit with a backstabber. The champion applied a modified Haas of Pain. After a few seconds he released the hold and started twisting Strickland’s fingers about instead. After that he hauled him back to his feet and gave him some chops.

Then it was time for that staple of Johnny Gargano matches: the duelling suplexes spot. After that they traded some elbows and Strickland scored an Ace Crusher. Gargano came back with a double stomp to back of head. Strickland scored with a pop-up into a pair of knees. He used his knees again Gargano attempted a belly-to-back suplex, countering out of the move and sending the champ to the outside. Strickland attempted a moonsault off the apron. He landed on his feet when Gargano moved, but he wasn’t quick enough to avoid a super kick or a suicide dive.

Back in the ring Strickland did manage to catch Gargano's DDT, hoisting him up and hitting a twisting brainbuster for a near fall. They traded forearms before Strickland wiped out Gargano with a bicycle kick. Enziguri to Strickland. Roundhouse to Gargano. Strickland charged Gargano in corner and got hit with a knee. He responded with a super kick, a DDT and a phoenix splash for two.

The challenger returned back to the top rope but got knocked down to the apron by Gargano. He springboarded back into ring but was met by a super kick, a lawn dart and the Gargano Escape. He submitted within seconds to end a very strong opener. It was a loss but one that did Strickland a lot of good.

Champion and challenger shook hands after the match. Strickland and Swann(who had remained at ringside) left together before Moose showed up and speared Gargano. Swann returned to make the save. The Bravados appeared and called Moose off. They told Gargano they had a problem with him calling them jerks in China (which happened but was a very minor thing, as you’d expect). They said they were fighting words and they intended to make Gargano pay for them.

Trevor Lee versus a very over Biff Busick was match number two. They had a very competitive, surely designed as something to get Lee over in defeat as he withstood a battering from ‘The Manliest Man’. Lee got plenty of offence in, being given the chance to show what he could do. Busick won via submission with a rough takeover into the rear naked choke. They shook hands afteards.

The Bravado brothers, with Moose, were out next. Both Harlem and Lancelot did lots of slightly uncomfortable close talking into the camera as they wandered around the ring. Harlem reminds me a bit of Miz in his mannerisms. It's hard to argue that that's a good thing.

Their opponents were AR Fox and Uhaa Nation. There was a comedy spot early on with Lancelot trying to barge Uhaa to his feet. He was unable to do it so he did some press-ups instead. Uhaa did some too, moving to the side without missing a bit when Lancelot tried to elbow drop then clapping his hands to avoid arm swipes.

The Bravados took control when Moose distracted the referee. Lancelot threw Fox off the top rope onto the apron then punched him out on the floor. From there it was Fox's turn to be worked over. He took a double suplex and a Bandwagon elbow, a double team move that’s so underwhelming it’s good. Fox managed to connect with a desperation Ace crusher and then tag out.

Uhaa clotheslined Lancelot and hit a few German suplexes on Harlem. He avoided the brother’s assisted enziguri, resulting in the Bravados hitting one another. Uhaa hit an amazing release German suplex on Harlem before following up with a moonsault off the apron onto both brothers. ‘The Whole Foxin’ Show’ got in on the action with Low Mein Rain. Just because.

In the ring Fox hit a Swanton and Uhaa hit a frog splash on Lancelot. He kicked out and gave Uhaa a jumping knee and a release German suplex. Another impressive kick out came seconds later when Harlem survived a double team from the faces: a Gory special by Uhaa with Fox coming off the ropes, rolling across his partner and dropping down to the mat with a DDT.

A lariat and a yakuza kick floored Harlem. Uhaa whipped Fox towards Harlem as he was slumped in the corner. But instead of the predictable collision Fox leapt over the turnbuckle and took out Lancelot (and some lighting equipment) at ringside instead. Fox returned to the ring to join Uhaa in hitting a double team lung blower on Harlem. He kicked out as Lancelot made the save.

Harlem grabbed Uhaa and gave him an exploder into the corner, where he landed on an already dazed Fox. The buckle bomb-enziguri connected on Fox, then Lancelot power bombed Fox onto Uhaa in the corner. The crowd, already excitement, went crazy when Uhaa kicked out of Harlem’s pin attempt.

On his feet Uhaa gorilla pressed Lancelot to begin the Uhaa Combination but got a boot in his face from Harlem. Uhaa gave him a Death Valley driver and a moonsault. Fox followed up with a 450 splash and Uhaa finished things off with a standing shooting star press for the win. It was a cracking match. The Bravados lost but they did plenty to show that they’ve come a long way since their early days in ROH. They’ve become a reliable heel act.

After the match Fox was KOed by moose. A faceoff between ‘The Offensive Line’ and Uhaa allowed the Bravados to sneak in an attack from behind. Moose looked on vacantly as the Bravados gave moose the Gentlemen's Agreement.

Ricochet v Timothy Thatcher was up next. Thatcher was sporting his usual scarf and no kneepads. Ricochet was sporting some rather fetching pink tights. They had a good match pitting Ricochet's speed against Thatcher’s strikes. Thatcher controlled the first several minutes with mat-based offence. He worked over Ricochet’s arm, an odd choice considering Ricochet’s usual ring style. Thatcher’s tactics here can be some up with three words: stomping and stretching. That'd make a good T-shirt for him. Just saying.

Ricochet turned the tables after a Regalplex, a leaping roundhouse and his floatover northern lights suplex. Although he was trapped in the Fujiwara armbar and blasted with various other moves (there was a lovely spot where Thatcher rolled out from under a shooting star press and applied the Fujiwara) Ricochet was pretty much constantly building steam from then on, getting the win with a roundhouse kick and a successful SSP.

Afterwards Ricochet said it was a hell of a fight and the pair shook hands. Thatcher left as Ricochet cut a promo taking issue with Gargano saying he's the face of WWN. His feeling was that he is the face of WWN. He said he’d prove it the following night by winning the EVOLVE championship and becoming the first man to hold that title and the Open the Freedom Gate title (though not at the same time, obvs).

The penultimate offering was a ten minute flash match, which is exactly the same as an iron man match that lasts ten minutes but it has a name that reflects its shorter than average length. The contestants were Anthony Nese and Rich Swann, who had hazily defined issues with one another that may or may not have had something to do with Swann fancying Su Yung, Nese’ secretary (it was never made entirely clear if his feeligns for Su were genuine or a work to rile Nese).

Speaking of Su Yung she accompanied Nese to ringside along with a besuited, sling-sporting Caleb Konley. They were followed out by So Cal Val. She told Nese that his Premier Athlete Brand needed a better quality of assistance and offered her managerial services. Nese took her card. Su Yung was displeased.

Swann was alone for the match. That seemed a bit off considering that he’d sponsored Shane Strickland earlier on the show and hung out at ringside for his championship match. Not that it mattered though: Swann got a pinfall inside the first minute after an axe kick, tumbling splash and a flash (hence the name of the match) rollup.

Nese reeled from that, taking a pasting both in and out of the ring. He eventually turned the tide when he reversed a dragon sleeper into an Emerald Flowsion. He gave Swann a battering but he kept kicking out. Nese grabbed a couple of chair from ringside and hit a Conchairto on Swann's leg. That got him disqualified and put Swann two falls up but also gave Nese a distinct advantage in the closing moment. Nese's plan was to rack up wins on an injured Swann. He got one with a single leg crab but he didn’t make it much further.

Swann fired up and then withstood Nese’s offence until the close of the match. As the clock ticked down Swann went for a Lethal Injection but got caught and buckle bombed by Nese, then trapped in a single leg crab. The time limit expired within seconds, Swann holding on and earning himself a 2-1 victory. It was a good match.

The time limit gave it a different feel to most EVOLVE bouts. I wouldn’t mind seeing it used again. It would be interesting to see what Busick and Thatcher do with the gimmick, for example.

After the match Nese and Yung had words as the Bravados appeared in the ring with Moose. The Brand, outnumbered, backed off. The Bravados teased attacking Swann but were run off by Johnny Gargano. Moose took three chair shots from Gargano and got put down with an Ace crusher on the chair. 

Gargano said they should settle their issue the next night. Swann said he'd fly in Chuck Taylor (with frequent flyer miles he earned from his trip to China) for a six man match. Harlem reminded everyone that he and Lancelot had run the Young Bucks out of WWN (which is definitely true and nothing at all to do with the Bucks being a pricey hire) and said they'd do the same to a reformed Ronin. He proposed a losing team must split stip. Gargano's only response was "Ronin is back!" So, for the record, he didn’t actually agree to the splitting up stipulation.

The main event was a non-title match between Drew Galloway and Roderick Strong. It was a rematch from EVOLVE 35, where Strong jumped Galloway and heeled it up before losing their match. Before the bell Roddy said he'd behaved out of character and offered an apology. He wanted Drew to shake his hand and then have a “technical masterpiece” with him. It was classic inflammatory Roddy. Galloway didn't go for it and he was right not to: Strong charged him at the bell. Galloway dropped him with a lariat.

They had a wild, energetic brawl around the building, taking in the bar, the merch stands, and the stage, before heading out onto the street. It reminded me of the late 90s hardcore matches between guys like Road Dogg, Al Snow and Hardcore Holly. Galloway and Roddy are probably the right age to remember those. Maybe it was an intentional homage.

They headed back into the building after a minute or two and worked their way over to the bar. They chopped each other on the bar itself and glugged some drinks. Galloway spat some whiskey (I assume it was whiskey, recognising drinks isn’t really my thing) while Roddy just drank his. Frat boy gimmick, y'know?

It was around ten minutes before they were back in the vicinity of the ring. They didn't get back in though. Oh no. They had to continue their Attitude Era madness with a back drop on the apron. When they did finally enter the ring it was to have a duel with chairs. At that point the referee threw the match out. They carried on brawling though because why not?

Heather Lynn (stupidly) entered the ring to announce the decision. Roddy clutched at her and then threw her into the path of the irate Scotsman as he aimed a boot at Roddy. Lynn took it instead. And she took it like a pro (giggity). Galloway carried her backstage and then returned to the ring to attack Strong. Referees and what Lenny described as "young boys" (really, Lenny?) broke them up. Strong ran out of the building.

Galloway took a microphone and demanded Strong return to finish their fight. Roddy reappeared but only to troll him. Galloway pulled him a pussy then cut a show-closing promo to bring a good card to a close. EVOLVE started the year in exactly the right way.

***

Results summary:

Johnny Gargano defeated Shane Strickland to retain the Open the Freedom Gate championship
Biff Busick defeated Trevor Lee
AR Fox and Uhaa Nation defeated The Bravado Brothers
Ricochet defeated Timothy Thatcher
Rich Swann defeated Anthony Nese 2-1 in a ten minute flash match
Drew Galloway and Roderick Strong wrestled to a no contest

DG USA Way of the Ronin 2014 review

When writing about REVOLT! 2014 (read that here) I said that some of the matches could have had some time trimmed and that the show as a whole would have benefited from being a little shorter. Clocking in at over three hours, without the intermission, Way of the Ronin was actually longer than REVOLT! was. But it didn't feel it. A better selection of matches, a more aesthetically pleasing (though only slightly) venue, the presence of Chris Hero and Roderick Strong, and a livelier crowd (though the gang the night before had been perfectly fine) combined to make a superior show.

Tim Donst found himself in the opener for the second evening in a row. He was opposite perennial DG USA undercarder Caleb Konley. Konley won a spirited affair with the Au Face submission hold. Although he lost Donst was the more popular of the two. The fans booed the decision and chanted for Donst as he left.

Jay Freddie v Blake Edward Belakus was match two. It was another battle of the newcomers, part of the overhyped New Talent Initiative. Why overhyped? Because while it's a nice idea it didn't produce any stunning performances either on this show or at REVOLT! and none of the competitors seemed to have any buzz behind them. This was typified during the commentary for this bout when Lenny Leonard stated he didn't know much about Belakus and went on to mention that he was wearing "black tights and all black gear." Would it really have been that hard for him to speak to each newcomer to get some basics about each of them to use on commentary? You know, how long they've been wrestling, their influences, and their preferred in-ring styles? Apparently it was.

I thought the match was better than the opener. Belakus, who reminded me of comedian Joe Wilkinson, struck me as someone worth bringing back. He won after a Burning Hammer.

After the match Larry Dallas appeared. He told the two wrestlers that they belonged in Dragon Gate USA and told them the only way they'd get to the top would be joining up with him, as he had with Tim Donst and Chris Dickinson the previous evening. Jay Freddie walked off immediately. Belakus gave it a moment's thought but then followed suit. The crowd chanted "No one likes you!" as LD left.

There was more New Talent Initiative fun in match three as Yosuke Santa Maria took on Ethan Page (no relation to Adam). YSM was given flowers as he walked around the ring and an "Equal rights!" chant broke out before the bell sounded. The match they had was a comedy affair, as you'd expect. Yosuke does a better job than most of mixing humour with actual wrestling. He won with a crucifix bomb.

After that things got serious: a grudge match between Jigsaw and Fire Ant. They started out brawling into the crowd before returning to the ring to exchange dives, kicks and double stomps. Jigsaw took control with a bicycle kick and a Gory special. A double stomp on Fire Ant across the second rope got him two. ‘The Energetic Insectoid Grappler’ came back with a running knee, a bicycle kick of his own and a Burning Down the House.

Jigsaw regained control with a suplex, another double stomp and a dive to the outside. Back in the ring Jigsaw used a super kick and a brainbuster to get a two count. Fire Ant came off the second rope with a swinging DDT and a roundhouse kick, then recklessly dropped 'saw on his head with a Beach Break to gain a two count. Jigsaw performed a torture rack into a power bomb off the top rope. When that only got a two the crowd broke out in a "This is awesome!" chant.

Fire Ant dropped Jigsaw with a Beach Break on the apron, sending the wrestling puzzle piece sprawling to the concrete. Fire Ant scooped his foe up and rolled him back into the ring but got caught with a small package, giving Jigsaw the win in a fast-paced, spirited, and enjoyable effort. Afterwards he proclaimed himself the greatest wrestler in the world. That prompted a very brief CM Punk chant. I think it stopped after a couple of repeats because the fans got self-conscious. Bless 'em.

The first half's main event saw The Premier Athlete Brand take on Shane Strickland and Rich Swann. The Brand had Su Yung and Mr A with them. Swann and Strickland had Ivelisse. Presumably she was there to counter Su Yung more than Mr A. There was a lot of dancing before the match. The audience loved it. Who can blame them though? They're slick dancers are Swann and Strickland. The four men put on one of the best bouts of the weekend, a very nicely constructed tag encounter that drew the crowd in and made everyone involved look good and built to a red hot finishing sequence packed with signature moves, double teams and near falls.

It was The Premier Athlete Brand that got the win. They wiped out Swann with a top rope German suplex, then Barreta dropped Strickland with a running knee and Nese pinned him with a 450 splash.

After the match Nese talked up his plan to turn Mr A into the best big man in Dragon Gate history and Su Yung said they would be extending their brand. Swann was told he wasn't good enough for membership. His response was to sing about spending a night with Su Yung. That made her scream and Barreta and Nese flip out. Classic heel response.

The second half opened with the Bravado Brothers and two random wrestlers walking to the ring. For the second night in a row Harlem talked about his grandmother getting The Young Bucks suspended and Lance nearly getting paralysed at EVOLVE 27. Oh, and their zero tolerance policy on rule breaking.

They then brought out Moose, 'The Offensive Lineman of the Bravado Bandwagon' and had him job out the two randoms, who were identified as Earl Cooter and Xavier Fate. The fans chanted "Goldberg!" and "Feed me more!" as Moose obliterated both men in under two minutes. Strangely no mention was made of the New Talent Initiative even though none of the three were regulars.

The Gentlemen's Club, minus Orange Cassidy, hit the ring after the match and went face to face with the champions. They got jumped by the champions but made a comeback and had an even, back and forth match. The Bravados won via shenanigans. Lance distracted the referee, allowing Moose to spear Gulak. The brothers then followed up with a Gentlemen's Agreement. The match and the finish got the champions plenty of boos. The excessive outside interference team Sapolsky always seems to like to have on the books is something the Bravados would be well suited to. Stick another couple of guys with them and see what happens.

Chris Hero entered through the crowd wearing a balaclava for his EVOLVE championship match. There was no clear reason for this. Perhaps he just thought it would look and-or be cool. There were loud cheers for him. The same couldn't be said for AR Fox. His entrance was met with indifference. His in-ring announcement got a split reaction that eventually gave way to a chant for him. He had to work for his cheers in Brooklyn.

They started out with some slow technical wrestling, slipping in and out of the ring with holds applied. The holds gave when to moves when Hero booted Fox as he jumped up for a leapfrog. Not to be outdone ‘The Whole Foxin’ Show’ hit a springboard drop kick and a moonsault. Outside the ring he tried a ring post assisted shooting star press but Hero avoided it and smacked him with a boot to the face.

Back in the ring Hero slowed the pace, dropping knees on Fox and winding him with kicks. Unwindable, Fox clotheslined and drop kicked 'The Knockout Artist' in a corner and attempted a running shooting star press, but Hero lamped him with a rolling elbow for a two count. A yakuza kick moments later only scored a one count. Hero pummelled the champion with chops and kicks but couldn't keep him down.

Fox managed to mount a comeback with an enziguri, a drop kick on the apron, a pair of suicide dives and a top rope dive. That only got him a two count and a split chant back in the ring. Hero tried a rolling elbow but Fox ducked and dropped him with a springboard Ace Crusher. A Lo Mein Pain attempt was countered with a crisp big boot, and followed up with a dragon sleeper. When his power bomb attempt was blocked Hero cracked Fox in the mouth with an elbow. That stunned the champ and allowed Hero to perform a Ricola bomb (a nice nod to Hero's former tag partner Claudio 'Cesaro' Castsgnoli).

Champ and challenger traded blows, culminating in a Hero Death Blow for a convincing false finish. Fox made a comeback and dropped Hero with Lo Mein Pain. The crowd cheered loudly when the challenger kicked out. A 450 splash was avoided and turned into a cravat suplex, followed up by a yet another big boot and a second Death Blow rolling elbow. Finally Hero slapped on a modified dragon sleeper for the tap out win and the championship. That was a surprise, and one that went down very well with the New York fans. Lenny Leonard's claim that the match would be talked about for years to come was ridiculous but it was a very strong effort.

Fox handed the new champion his title after the match and the two hugged to "Yes!" chants. Trent Barreta turned up (on a gantry) and told Hero that Claudio was main eventing for WWE while he was back on the indies. Which seemed a weird putdown because Trent got released too (and it didn’t do much for the prestige of the Hero’s newly won EVOLVE championship). Trent laid into Hero's diet and conditioning and called him a failure (again, the title’s standing wasn’t helped here).

Anthony Nese and Mr A snuck into the ring and clobbered Hero. Fox came back to make the save but Caleb Konley was seconds behind him to put a stop to that. He was, it turned out, the newest member of The Premier Athlete Brand. Mr A tried hitting a top rope splash on AR Fox but, somehow, managed to botch it and ended up falling on his face instead. Nese got things back on track with a 450 on Hero. The heel squad then posed and talked smack to end a very good segment. Hero and Fox versus The Premier Athlete Brand has a number of singles matches that could be interesting.

The evening ended with ROH regular Roderick Strong challenging Johnny Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate championship. This was Strong's debut for DG USA after his EVOLVE debut in January had to be postponed due to injury. For the record he wore a Camp Strong T-short to the ring. Decade merch isn't going to be appearing in DG USA anytime soon.

As with the EVOLVE title match Strong and Gargano started off exchanging holds and doing some mat wrestling. And performing chops. They would recur throughout the match. Because Roddy loves a chop. Gargano gained control with a well-timed boot and a slingshot spear. Several minutes later Rich Swann went to ringside and encouraged the fans to surround the ring and pound on the mat in support of Roddy.

That was the signal for Strong and Gargano to kick things up a gear. Strong took control with a suplex onto the top rope with a suplex and a back breaker. Running knees and an Angle slam didn't get the win for him. A slingshot DDT by Gargano didn't end things either. Strong hit a back breaker on the apron and applied the Stronghold. Gargano came back with the Gargano Escape. 'The Whole Shebang' hit a super kick and a lawn dart, then reapplied the submission hold. Strong escaped to the ropes. A Hurts Donut got a two for Gargano. A slingshot spear from 'The Bees' Knees' was turned into a butterfly back breaker by Strong, and was immediately followed by a half Nelson back breaker. Gargano survived the rolling elbow, a gut buster and the sick kick and then applied the Gargano escape for the third time to earn a victory by submission.

The Freedom Gate champ took a microphone and called himself a one man elimination chamber. I don't know what that's supposed to mean either, beyond being a terribly forced reference to the WWE show that occurred the same evening. As he blustered about being a hero to children (even going so far as to say his title belt is a cure for cancer) Rich Swann got into the ring and snatched the mic from him. He was there to hype the New Orleans shows and the defence Gargano will make against Ricochet. He did that and ensured that the card ended with cheers and the fans went home happy.

Way of the Ronin ended up being better than REVOLT! by a significant margin. But that was the plan of course. It was always intended to be the bigger event, with Roderick Strong and Chris Hero competing on it. Had CIMA been there for his scheduled match with Trent Barreta it would have been even better, but that was beyond Dragon Gate’s control and, as I said in the REVOLT! write up, they did a good job making last minute changes that resulted in worthwhile cards.

As well as they coped here let’s hope they don’t have to pull the same trick during WrestleMania weekend. Those shows are ones that have had a significant amount of work put into them as well as shows that are being relied on to entice new viewers into the fold. DG USA needs them to be big. Hopefully the Japanese parent company will recognise this and send over some big names. If they do I think New Orleans will see some hot DG action.