Rich Swann comes out and announces that he is not medically cleared to wrestle tonight because of his ribs. He challenges the Premiere Athlete Brand to put their tag titles on the line in April. Caleb Konley, Brian Cage, So Cal Val and Andrea attack Swann, hitting his ribs with Konley’s tag title belt. Johnny Gargano and Ethan Page make the save.
Ethan Page vs Caleb Konley
Page gives Konley a fall-away slam. They brawl outside. Page goes for a powerbomb but Konley grabs the ropes and double-stomps Page on the chest. Konley hits a running knee on the floor. They’re back inside trading strikes. Konley hits a leg-sweep and a senton. He goes for a fireman’s carry but Page hits a DDT instead. Page hits a tilt-a-whirl and a folding powerbomb. Page lawn darts Konley into the turnbuckles and hits an Ace Crusher. Konley hits a Tornado DDT followed by an elbow and a quebrada. Konley goes the O-Face submission but Page blocks it. Page hits a headkick and Konley hits an enzuiguri followed by a Michinoku Driver. Page backdrops Konley over the top rope onto Cage and then hits them both with a tope suicida. Page slams Konley inside and ducks a clothesline from Cage who hits Konley. Page rolls up Konley and gets the win. Andrea clips Cage’s knee and the Premiere Athlete Brand walks off without Cage.
Mia Yim, Kimber Lee and Cherry Bomb vs. Nikki Storm, Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez
Storm takes the mic but Andrea attacks her and takes her place in the match. All six women brawl to start. They all go to the floor and Yim hits a dive. Matthews and Cherry work the mat until Perez and Kimber tag in. All six brawl in the ring and then Andrea and the Ninjas cut off the ring and work over Kimber. Andrea puts Kimber in a torture rack but Kimber fights back with forearms. Andrea overpowers her and tags in Perez. Yim gets the hot tag and gives Matthews a big boot to the face followed by a rolling senton in the corner. Yim hits both Ninjas with a dropkick. Andrea comes in and Kimber and Cherry whip her into a missile dropkick by Yim. The Ninjas give Yim a double-team suplex. Yim schoolboys Perez and gets the pin to win the match. Storm comes back out and hits Andrea with a missile dropkick. EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway comes to the ring and says that he has a flight to Scotland. He wants to defend both titles there so he challenges DGUSA Champion Johnny Gargano to have their title vs title match now. Gargano comes out with Ethan Page.
Champion vs. Champion: Drew Galloway vs. Johnny Gargano
Lenny Leonard clarifies this is not a unification match as the winner will hold both titles. Gargano picks away at Galloway with punches early on. Galloway takes him down a shoulder block. Gargano kicks Galloway in the head and then goes to the apron and headscissors him to the outside. Galloway catches Gargano off a pescado and slams him on the apron. Gargano clotheslines him over the guardrail and then does a running dive onto Galloway in the crowd. Galloway slams Gargano into the wall. Gargano does a Tornado DDT kicking off of the stage. Gargano takes Galloway back inside and gives him a spear from the apron. Galloway clotheslines Gargano in the corner. Gargano gives Galloway a lawn dart into the second turnbuckle. Gargano tries a spear from the apron but Galloway catches him. Gargano backdrops him to the floor and goes for a dive but Galloway gives him a forearm. Gargano superkicks him and goes for a tope suicida but hits the referee when Galloway gets out of the way. They brawl at ringside. Galloway goes inside and Gargano tries a springboard DDT but Galloway catches him and does an exploder into the corner. Gargano hits an enzuiguri. Page offers Gargano a rope. Gargano takes the rope but throws it back at Page. Galloway DDT’s Gargano and a second referee comes in for a two-count. Galloway throws a dropkick but hits the referee when Gargano gets out of the way. Gargano applies a crossface and the first referee returns to the ring. Galloway reverses into a roll-up and Gargano hits a superkick. Galloway attempts a tombstone which Gargano turns into a crossface. Galloway hits a tombstone and then takes him to the top rope. Galloway attempts an emerald frosien but Gargano shifts and armdrags him. Gargano hits four superkicks. Galloway gives Gargano two double-underhook DDT’S. Gargano spits at Galloway who grabs him and hits a jumping tombstone for the pin. Galloway talks about wearing the same gear tonight he wore at Wrestlemania 26 and says that as far as he is concerned tonight was his Wrestlemania. Galloway praises Gargano and they shake hands and hug. Gargano takes the mic but Page attacks him. Page says he has been watching Gargano and has learned from him and Ronin and it is all about taking the top spot.
Biff Busick vs. Drew Gulak vs. TJ Perkins vs. Tommy End
End hits a big kick on Gulak and Busick starts throwing forearms. Perkins goes for a dive on Busick but gets cut off by End. Perkins hits a flying headscissors on Gulak twice. Perkins does a Pele kick to Gulak but takes a forearm from End. Gulak puts Perkins in a torture rack and throws him into a forearm by Busick. Gulak and Busick both bodyslam Perkins and hit a double elbow followed by a double team suplex. End hits Gulak and Busick with strikes. End catches his feet on the ropes on a slingshot into the ring and Busick gives him an uppercut. Busick gives Perkins a blockbuster and then gives End a half nelson suplex. End hits a running knee on Gulak and then does a moonsault onto Perkins and Busick on the floor. He does a double stomp off the top on Gulak. Perkins puts End in an octopus and transitions into an Indian Deathlock and puts BUsick in an abdominal stretch at the same time. Perkins holds the Indian Deathlock while Gulak kicks him down and still holds it while giving Gulak a Northern Lights Suplex. Perkins continues with suplexes and hits a codebreaker. Gulak hits Busick with a missile dropkick. Busick and Gulak pick up their opponents for powerbombs and ram them into each other. Gulak and Busick trade forearms and Busick hits a half nelson suplex. End hits a round-kick to Gulak and Busick uppercuts End to the floor. Perkins gives Gulak a rana and applies a cross armbreaker. Gulak taps out and Perkins wins the match.
PJ Black vs. AR Fox
Black gets an Indian Deathlock. Black goes to the floor and Fox hits a tope suicida followed by another tope. Black backflips to the floor to avoid another attempt but Fox jumps to the turnbuckles and hits a moonsault to the floor. Fox jumps off the guardrail and Black superkicks him. Black springboards into a dropkick and Fox springboards into a codebreaker. Fox hits an enzuiguri followed by Black hitting a sit-out powerbomb. Fox hits a springboard clothesline. Black applies a triangle choke but Fox gets to the ropes. Fox throws Black out of the ring with a headscissors. Black is on the apron and they both go for suplexes with Black dropping Fox gut-first on the top rope. Fox avoids a 450 splash by Black and then hits a dropkick. Fox goes for a rolling senton in the corner but Black avoids it and hits a quebrada. Black goes for a moonsault but Fox knocks him onto the turnbuckle and gives him a lung-blower. Fox hits a swanton. Black goes to the top rope where Fox gives him an enzuiguri and then hits a Lo Mein Pain. Fox does a 450 Splash but Black gets the knees up. Black is on the top turnbuckle and Fox goes for a Spanish Fly but Black stops him and gives him a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Black hits a springboard 450 splash and gets the pinfall for the win.
Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher
They start right into a technical wrestling clinic with Hero going after the ankle and Thatcher going after the arm. A blow-by-blow can’t do it justice. Thatcher blocks a rolling elbow attempt. Thatcher grabs a hammerlock and transitions into an ankle-lock. Thatcher gives Hero a vertical suplex. Hero applies a headscissors and Thatcher tries to bridge out of it. Thatcher gets out and applies a bow and arrow but Hero gets a rope break. Thatcher blocks another running elbow and throws uppercuts. Hero hits a boot to the face for a pin attempt. Hero continues with kicks on Thatcher and gives him knee-drops to the head. Hero hits Thatcher with elbows in the corner. Thatcher gets up but Hero dropkicks him. Hero stretches out Thatcher’s arms and drops a knee to the back of his head. Thatcher hits forearms and then takes Hero to the mat for more forearms and a kimura attempt. They go outside but Hero sneaks back in and dropkicks Thatcher through the ropes. Thatcher grabs a standing Fujiwara Armbar on the outside but takes a basement dropkick as they slide back in the ring. Hero hits a senton and a Gotch piledriver. Hero goes for another piledriver but Thatcher catches him in a German suplex. Hero hits a kick but Thatcher grabs another German. Thatcher stops another rolling elbow attempt with a headbutt and they’re both down. Thatcher charges Hero in the corner five times but takes kicks to the face each time. He catches Hero on another attempt but takes a head-kick followed by four rolling elbows. Hero attempts a pin but Thatcher rolls out and grabs a Fujiwara Armbar. Hero taps out and Thatcher gets the win. That is definitely a MOTY candidate for me. They trade slaps to the face after the match and then respectfully shake hands.
Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Ricochet & Uhaa Nation
Uhaa and Strong start and Uhaa hits a nice dropkick. Ricochet tags in and Aries and Strong work on his arm. Ricochet gets the headscissors on Aries who gets out for his dropkick. Ricochet hits a dropkick of his own and then Aries does a kneebreaker into a suplex. Strong tags in and Ricochet is outside where Aries gives him an axehandle from the top rope. Uhaa is in and gives Strong a delayed vertical suplex. Ricochet comes in for a standing moonsault. Uhaa hits a back elbow and a shoulder block. Ricochet is in and hits a seated dropkick. Ricochet stretches out Strong in a backbreaker and rams his head into the turnbuckle. Strong hits a step-up enzuiguri and Aries hits a slingshot enzuiguri and a neckbreaker. Aries hits Ricochet with a missile dropkick. Strong and Aries continue to work over Ricochet and give him a combination backbreaker and slingshot elbow. Aries puts Ricochet in a Muta Lock. Strong gives Ricochet two backbreakers and then he and Aries give him a knee-drop version of Decapitation. Ricochet fights back and gives them a neckbreaker/DDT combination. Uhaa tags in and hits aerial moves on both and a Death Valley Driver on Strong. He presses Strong but gets cut off by Aries who takes a springboard dropkick from Ricochet and then an Ace Crusher. Strong gives Uhaa a backbreaker. Strong dropkicks Ricochet in the corner and then gives him a brainbuster. Uhaa blocks a 450 attempt from Aries and suplexes Strong. Ricochet goes up top and takes an enzuiguri from Strong followed by a superplex. Strong goes for a suplex but Ricochet counters with a rana. Ricochet goes for another one but Strong blocks it and Aries hits a 450. Aries hits Uhaa with a rolling elbow and a tope suicida while Strong puts Ricochet in a Strong-Hold. Ricochet gets a jacknknife cradle and then hits the Benadryller. Ricochet goes up top and goes for a shooting star. Strong gets out of the way and hits a jumping knee-strike followed by his suplex into a backbreaker. Strong pins Ricochet for the win.
Strong takes the mic and puts over Uhaa for being a great athlete Strong then talks about Aries and says how excited he was to be able to team with him again. Strong says Aries made him the wrestler he is. He said the biggest thing he realized today is that everything has changed. He then attacks Uhaa and Strong. He says that last time he was in the ring with Drew Galloway he destroyed him. Strong says he is coming for the title and there is noone who can stop him. Timothy Thatcher then comes to the ring and nails Strong, sending him from the ring. Thatcher then says the road to the EVOLVE title goes through him. This was a great show. Some matches were only ok but Galloway vs Gargano vs Strong, Black vs Fox and the main event were all very good and Thatcher vs Hero was exceptional. I’m really impressed with the WWN product right now and can’t wait to see the title scene going forward with Galloway, Strong and Thatcher.
