This show features a U.S. vs Europe theme.
Evolve Tag Team Titles: Johnny Gargano and Drew Galloway (champions) vs Tracy Williams and Drew Gulak
Gargano and Williams trade holds to begin and Williams starts working the arm and gets some roll-ups. Gargano works in some roll-ups and Williams backs off from a superkick attempt. Galloway and Gulak tag in and trade holds until Galloway hits a spinebuster. Gargano tags in and grabs a front facelock. Williams tags in and gives Gargano a backbreaker followed by an assisted belly-to-back suplex. Williams applies an abdominal stretch with Gargano fighting out with elbows. Williams hits a leg-sweep and then stretches out Gargano. Gulak tags in, drops some knees and then splashes Gargano. Gulak applies a rear chinlock. Gargano does an O’Connor Roll and then tags in Galloway who hits Wiliams with a yakuza kick and an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Galloway splashes Williams in the corner and hits a flying clothesline off the top rope. Gulak slaps Galloway from the apron and they brawl on the floor with Galloway dropping Gulak neck-first on the guardrail. Galloway returns to the apron and Williams snaps his arm on the top rope and throws him into the ringpost. Williams and Gulak double-team Galloway on the floor and works his arm. Williams returns to the ring first and Galloway beats the count but Williams and Gulak stomp him down in the corner. Gulak chokes Galloway on the second rope and then stretches his arm while Williams dropkicks him in the elbow. Williams stomps on Galloway’s arm and snaps it in the ropes. Gulak tags in and kicks Galloway in the corner and then stretches his arm. Galloway punches and chops his way out and gives Gulak a powerbomb. Gargano tags in and dropkicks Williams off the apron and then works Gulak with kicks, knees and a clothesline. Gargano hits Gulak with a Superman spear. Gargano takes Gulak to the top rope but Williams tags in and Gulak throws Gargano into a Williams clothesline. Gargano fights off Williams Gulak and tags in Galloway who forearms Williams. Gulak hits Galloway with a clothesline off the top rope and Gargano superkicks Gulak leaving all four men down. Williams gets up and tries a piledriver on Galloway who grabs him and hits an air raid crash. Gulak tags in and Galloway throws him into the ring. Gulak throws strikes but Galloway gives him a boot in the face. Gulak and Williams are both in apply ankle locks but Gargano and Galloway reverse into crossfaces. Neither is on the legal man so they switch and Gargano has Gulak in the Gargano Escape. Wiliams and Gulak escape and Gulak and Gargano trade strikes from their knees. All four men are in and Gulak dropkicks Galloway and then clotheslines Gargano. Galloway superkicks Williams and then misses a tope suicida on Gulak and hits Galloway. Williams blocks Gargano’s Superman spear and hits a high-angle double-arm DDT that is basically a brainbuster. Williams then grabs a facelock causing Gargano to tap out. Gulak and Williams of Catchpoint are the new Evolve Tag Team Champions after a really fun opener.
Galloway takes the mic and says it was a hell of match that Gulak and Williams deserved to win. Galloway asks them to save their celebration as he has something to get off his chest. He talks about winning the Evolve title in his first match after leaving WWE. He says that Evolve has the best wrestlers in the world and he talks about losing the Evolve Title and getting suspended for three months. He says that in that time NXT started showing up on his show and people were appearing in NXT and Evolve and WWE was stepping on his glory. He says that Gargano doesn’t understand how that made him feel and he kicks Gargano low and says that is how everyone made him feel. He puts Gargano in the Gargano Escape and Ethan Page makes the save. Galloway then kicks Page low and gives him a super-shock DDT. Galloway says he is what is best for business, he is this business and that he is going to go to Scotland.
Fred Yehi vs Chris Hero
Yehi gets out of a wristlock for a roll-up early and then gets Hero’s back. Yehi slaps Hero and starts hitting him with shoulder-blocks. They trade chops and Yehi misses a discus punch. Hero hits the mat and Yehi stomps his hand and then his Achilles heel. Yehi headbutts him then stomps on him again. Hero chops back, whips him into the corner where Yehi flips to the apron and Hero knocks him to the floor with a yakuza kick. Hero hits an elbow and a boot to the face on the floor. Hero knocks Yehi into the crowd with a chop. They return to the ring where Hero takes Yehi to the mat and hits him with a senton and a knee to the face. Yehi chops Hero but takes an elbow to the face. Hero elbows Yehi in the face and hits a big boot. Hero stomps Yehi in the corner. Yehi fights back with chops and then a dropkick to the knee. Hero downs him with an elbow and does a knee-drop to the face. They trade chops again and Yehi hits a vertical suplex. Yehi throws strikes and takes Hero to the mat and gives him a sneton. Yehi floats over a Hero suplex attempt and hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Hero hits a dropkick and then does a cyclone kill kick. Hero hits a running elbow in the corner but Yehi hits him with a float-over exploder suplex. Yehi hits an elbow in the corner but takes a yakuza kick. Yehi hits a german suplex and a backdrop driver. They trade elbow-strikes and Yehi takes down Hero and stomps on his arm. Hero grabs his foot and hits a knee-strike to the face. Hero gives Yehi a piledriver for a near-fall. Yehi blocks a neckbreaker attempt with a backslide. Yehi headbutts Hero on the ropes and hits a rolling elbow. Hero hits back with elbow-strikes including one to the back of the head. Hero hits a ripchord rolling elbow and gets the pinfall.
Anthony Neese with So Cal Val and Andrea vs Sami Callihan
Neese hits a charging Callihan with a kick and then hits running moonsault to the floor. Callihan hits a tope suicida right away and then Neese hits one as well. Callihan hits another tope suicida and they trade chops on the floor. Callihan hits a bicycle kick and ends up taking a superkick. Neese rolls him inside and misses a 450 splash. Callihan hits a Death Valley Driver and goes to the rope where Neese hits an uppercut and a top rope hurracanrana. Callihan hits him with a knee-strike and they trade kicks. Neese catches Callihan in a Gotch lift and gives him a buckle bomb. They trade strikes and Neese pumphandles Callihan onto his shoulder but Callihan reverses into a cuerno killer attempt. Neese rolls him up and hits a double-stomp. Neese gives Callihan a deadlift German suplex and hits a big knee-strike in the corner. Callihan hits a big boot and catches Neese in a cuerno killer. Callihan applies an armbar and Neese submits to give Callihan the victory. So Cal Val takes the mic and says Neese disappointed her and the Premiere Athlete Brand. She notes that she is wanting to impress officials for the WWE Global Cruiserweight Series. She says that she still holds his and Caleb Konley’s contracts. She mentions his match with Ethan Page later tonight and Neese tells her he is going to take care of business.
Darby Allin vs Ethan Page
Lenny Leonard talks on commentary about Allin winning a spot on the show at the seminar on Thursday and says that Allin is a protégé of Buddy Wayne. Allin and Page lock up and Page hits a right hand to the face. Allin hits a flying headscissors and misses a quebrada. Page backdrops him and he lands face-first. Page hiptosses Allin into the corner and then gives him a fall-away slam. Allin rolls to the floor but Page rolls him in and hits the RK-Ego. Page hits a package piledriver and gets the pin for a quick victory. Page takes the mic and says he is going to beat the living crap out of Anthony Neese in a no-rules anything-goes match at Mercury Rising. Page says he wants Drew Galloway one-on-one at Evolve 60.
USA vs Europe: TJP with Stokely Hathaway vs Tommy End
They circle each other with strike attempts starting out. TJP takes End to the mat and End tries for a triangle. End avoids a stomp, misses a spin-kick and hits a knee-strike. End hits TJP with knees in the corners and hits a seated dropkick. They trade elbows and End misses a double stomp. End goes to the turnbuckles and TJP grapevines his leg in the ropes and knocks him to the floor. TJP hits a vertical suplex and then hits a belly-to-back suplex. TJP grabs a toe-hold but End counters into a cross armbreaker attempt. TJP gets out and gets a leglock/facelock combination. They trade uppercuts. TJP gets a roll-up and grabs a knee-bar. End fiths back with kicks but TJP transitions into an STF and then a roll-up. TJP hits a back-kick and whips End whose leg buckles. TJP chargesEnd but gets kicked to the mat and End hits him with double-knees. TJP gets End with another knee-bar. End hits kick, elbows and a knee-strike. TJP hits a head-kick but End fights back with kicks and knees and gets TJP in an armbar. TJP goes back to the knee-bar and bridges into a pin. End hits a double-stomp and a brainbuster for a near-fall. End misses a double-stomp from the top rope and TJP hits a basement dropkicks and a missile dropkick. End grabs TJP in a wheelbarrow and hits a jumping knee-strike to get the pinfall win. Europe is up 1-0
USA vs Europe: Matt Riddle vs Zack Sabre Jr.
They shake hands to start and then lock up. Riddle gets a waistlock but Sabre wrestles his way out. Sabre gets a leg-lock and gets Riddle in a surfboard and stretches him all over the place but Riddle gets to the ropes. They battle back-and-forth in the best test of strength sequence I’ve seen in a long time. Sabre grabs a top wrist-lock and Riddle bridges back and grabs a cross armbreaker. Sabre grabs a headscissors but Riddle counters into a Muta-lock. Sabre grabs Riddle’s arm and twists him into a crazy bow-and-arrow. Riddle counters into an ankle lock. They get to their feet and Riddle knees Sabre in the gut in the corner. Riddle gives Sabre a delayed vertical suplex. Sabre kicks a charging Riddle in the face and hits him with uppercuts. Sabre blocks a kick and gets Riddle in a bridging roll-up. Riddle stops a soccer kick and gets Sabre in a leg-trap suplex. Sabre floats over in a back suplex attempt and traps Riddle in an octopus hold. Riddle gets out and applies an ankle lock. Riddle gives Sabre a belly-to-back suplex and then gives him a delayed German suplex. Sabre blocks a Germn suplex attempt and catches him a body-scissors and a kimura. Riddle gets out and hits a Death Valley Bomb. Riddle kicks Sabre in the back and they trade slaps. Sabre hits a seated Riddle with a soccer kick. Sabre goes for an ankle lock but Riddle counters with a bro-mission and Sabre taps out to give Riddle the upset win. This match was awesome, perfect technical wrestling from both guys. This ties the USA vs Europe series at 1-1.
USA vs Europe: Evolve Champion Timothy Thatcher vs. Marty Scurrill (non-title)
Thatcher has a brace on his arm from his elbow being worked on by Riddle the night before. They do some chain-wrestling to start. Scurrill grabs a wristlock but Thatcher gets out to grab the leg and Scurrill gets the ropes. The go after each other’s arms and Thatcher grabs a wristlock. Scurrill gets out and pokes Thatcher in the eyes. Thatcher goes for the arm but Scurrill rolls him up and hits a forearm. Scurrill goes for a wristlock but gets whipped to the ropes and chases Thatcher who gives him an uppercut. Scurrill throws Thatcher to the outside and tries a superkick from the apron but Thatcher grabs him an ankle lock. Scurrill gets out and hits the superkick from the apron. Scurrill rolls Thatcher inside and goes for the chicken wing but Thatcher avoids it. Scurrill hits an uppercut and a dropkick and double-stomps Thatcher’s knees. Scurill slaps him in the face and Thatcher gives him a belly-to-belly suplex. Thatcher gives him a butterfly suplex and floats over into a Fujiwara armbar. Scurrill hits upkicks but Thatcher grabs him in an ankle lock. Scurrill rolls through and does an O’Connor Roll and goes for the chicken wing but Thatcher does a drop toehold back into an ankle lock. Thatcher applies an armbar and Scurrill gets the ropes. Thatcher goes for a waislock suplex but Scurill blocks it and slaps him in the face a couple times. Scurrill hits a knee-strike and a superkick to the elbow. Scurrill grabs a wristlock and snaps Thatcher’s finger. Thatcher fights back with a headbutt. Scurrill is on the mat and Thatcher tries to grab him in a waislock but can’t lift him. Thatcher then manages to grab a gutwrench but Scurrill gets out and applies a chicken wing on Thatcher’s injured elbow. Thatcher taps out and Europe is up 2-1. This was another great technical match with heel shenanigans by Scuriil. Sami Callihan’s music hits and he says on the speaker that he taunts Thatcher in advance of their match later in the night on the WWN Supershow: Mercury Rising. (See my WWN Supershow review)
USA vs Europe: Ricochet vs Will Ospreay
Ricochet grabs a wristlock and Ospreay does multiple nip-ups to get out. Ospreay downs him with a shoulder-block but Ricochet dances around him and hits a headscissors. Ospreay does a flying headscissors but Ricochet lands on his feet and they come to a stalemate. Ricochet stomps on Ospreay’s foot and punches him. Ospreay hits an armdrag, a flying headscissors and a dropkick. Ospreay kicks away at Richocet in the corner and then hits a chop and an uppercut. Ospreay goes for a vertical suplex but Ricochet floats over. Ospreay grabs a headlock and Ricoche gives him a ripchord side Russian legsweep. Ricochet kicks Ospreay in the head and chops him in the corner. Ricochet snapmares Ospreay and hits a step-up back-kick. Ricochet ties up Ospreay in a submission and then places him in a seated abdominal stretch. Ricochet does a crucifix for a pin attempt. They get to their feet but Richochet drives him face-first to the mat. Ricochet hits a spinebuster and then goes for the People’s Moonsault but Ospreay gets out of the way and tries one of his own. Ricochet kicks him away, hits another spinebuster and then is successful in hitting the People’s Moonsault. Ricochet kicks Ospreay in the chest but Ospreay stirkes back and hits a chinbreaker. Ospreay throws punches but Ricochet punches back. Ospreay hits a handspring kick. Ospreay drives Ricochet’s face into the turnbuckle and kicks him in the face. Ospreay hits a leaping forearm and hits a standing corkscrew moonsault. Ospreay goes for a suplex that Ricochet blocks but Ospreay hits an enzuiguri. Ricochet hits a diamond cutter and a standing shooting star press. Ospreay blocks the Benadryller and hadnsprings into headsissors. Ricochet goes to the turnbuckles and hits a back heel-kick. Ricochet hits a reverse hurracanrana but then Ospreay lands on his feet and does one as well. They get to their feet and trade strikes and chops. They both hit high-kicks at the same time. They go to the apron. Ricochet hits an enzuiguri. Ospreay hits a high-kick and Ricochet hits a bicycle kick. They go back and forth with kicks until Ricochet hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Ricochet hits a 450 splash off the top rope. Ricochet goes for the Benadryller but Ospreay blocks it and hits an enzuiguri. Ospreay hits a fall-away ace crusher from the turnbuckle, a standing shooting star press and a phoenix splash. Yes, I just typed that. Ospreay hits a bicycle kick and a Regal-plex. Ricochet goes up top but Ospreay avoids the 450, hits a Spanish Fly and then hits the Essex Destroyer. Ospreay goes up top but Ricochet avoids the phoenix splash, hits two superkicks, a northern lights suplex and a brainbuster. Ricochet then hits what I guess I would call a reverse suplex buster for a two-count (sorry if there is already a name for it). Ricochet does a shooting star press from the top rope but Ospreay gets his knees up. Ospreay hits kicks and does a handspring but Ricochet catches him and hits the Benadriller and pins him to end another great match. This ties the USA vs Europe series at 2-2. Zack Sabre Jr. hits the ring with Marty Scurrill and Tommy End and teases a tie-breaker six-man match. Matt Riddle and TJP come out and Sabre calls for another American. Chris Hero comes out but turns on Ricochet, Riddle and TJP. Hero is with his partner Tommy End and tells the crowd he already had a match tonight and said he guesses he and Sabre will need to have another tie-breaker later tonight and that Sabre has never beaten the greatest of all time. Ricochet and Riddle fight back but get taken down by End. Kota Ibushi then comes out and shakes hands with Ricochet. He offers a handshake to Will Ospreay who walks away.
This was a great show. I really liked that there was such great technical wrestling that was different from the big tag team opener and different again from the crazy high-flying main event. Most people focused on the big Ospreay vs Ricochet main event with this show but it really was a solid overall production.
