Back when I was most into professional wrestling, EVOLVE was just starting out as a promotion. I do remember watching some DGUSA DVDs but I feel like at the time that EVOLVE was starting I was beginning to fade from the pro wrestling scene. I haven't ever watched a full EVOLVE event so this will be my first and I'm not sure I've even seen any matches from EVOLVE either outside of the EVOLVE 35 Drew Galloway vs. Roderick Strong match which is currently up for free still on the official YouTube channel. I know EVOLVE is going to be different, so I am going into this with high hopes, so I'm just going to get right into it and see how it goes for me.
The ring announcer takes us right into our first match and I like that there is no opening in ring talking nonsense-- right to the action.
Match One: Martin Stone vs. Biff Busick
Martin Stone comes out to a child singing "London Bridges" but then it turns into some form of hardcore metal. Creepy. I saw Martin Stone on the Full Impact Pro event "Ascension". This is my first time seeing Biff Busick though and he is over with the plans. Rob Naylor checks in on commentary and says that Martin Stone was trained by William Regal so I'm surprised he isn't in NXT for some reason. Trevin Adams checks in on commentary as well. Is it odd that this is my first time watching EVOLVE but I can already tell the commentators apart and know their names? Can't say that since Lucha Underground, haha. Martin Stone was part of a six man tag when I saw him on "Ascension" so it is nice to see him in singles action. Stone is strong and technical, like William Regal, and he has some good near falls. As Busick is trying to mount a comeback, he gets a punch to the face by Martin Stone and as Rob Naylor claims he's knocked out Busick seemingly comes back with a choke hold out of nowhere to get Stone to tap. I feel like this match was fairly one sided, with Martin Stone doing all the work and Biff Busick just getting a quick move in at the end to win. I am not yet impressed by Biff Busick to say the least, but Martin Stone is on my radar now. Busick calls out Chris Hero after the match and he doesn't refer to an upcoming EVOLVE event but rather just says "San Jose", so what it will be at a Target or something? He's just going to jump in him the dressing rooms? Anyway, if someone can bring out the good in anyone it would be Chris Hero so perhaps that will be my chance to see what Biff Busick can really do.
Match Two: Team Tremendous vs. Earl Cooter / Jody Kristofferson (w/ Larry Dallas)
Team Tremendous is out first and of course I know them from CZW and that trainwreck known as House of Hardcore VIII. Earl Cooter and Jody Kristofferson were both on the Full Impact Pro "Ascension" iPPV only they were opponents. Both commentators say they met in China, but if we have two guys who were opponents not that long ago (and fought to a double count out because they were so much at odds) facing a solid tag team we know who's winning, right? Trevin Adams mentioned that Larry Dallas has managed tag teams to gold in both Dragon Gate USA and Full Impact Pro and yet "Ascension" is ignored. Bill Carr hits some heavy chops on Earl Cooter as the crowd chants "One More Time". Team Tremendous worked over Earl Cooter as he plays the victim waiting for the hot tag from Kristofferson. Kristofferson ended up tagging himself in as Cooter ran the ropes. Trevin Adams once again talks of how Earl Cooter has singles fights as well as being part of a tag team, but no mention of their "Ascension" match yet again. Naylor calls Cooter "goofy" and it's better than how he's portrayed in Full Impact Pro. With Dan Barry in trouble, Earl Cooter prevents him from making the tag, but eventually he does get the tag and Bill Carr goes to work on Earl Cooter. Carr had a three count with a Boss Man Slam variation (Thanks, Naylor) but it was broken up by Kristofferson. Everyone freaks out as Bill Carr hits a head scissors. Dan Barry flies to the outside and Bill Carr follows him. This is my third time seeing Team Tremendous (two CZW iPPVs and that awful HoH8) and so if you've seen them before you now what Bill Carr is capable of in that ring. I wonder if the shock of it will wear thin eventually but I don't think so because it's just as impressive the fourth time around as it was the first. Team Tremendous is quickly becoming one of my favorite tag teams and unlike the Young Bucks I actually can see the appeal of Team Tremendous. Kristofferson ends up missing a clothesline on Barry and he hits Earl Cooter instead. A double team top rope move sort of like the old Legion of Doom finisher has Team Tremendous win. Naylor calls it the electric chair into sliced bread number two and that seems about right. They need a name for that finisher though if there isn't one already. Good showing by Team Tremendous and it would have only been made better by the commentators acknowledging the fact that Kristofferson and Cooter were opponents at Full Impact Pro "Ascension" not that long ago.
Match Three: Matt Cage vs. AR Fox
This is the EVOLVE debut of Matt Cage. I've heard so much about AR Fox, but this is my first time actually seeing him in the ring. I actually started watching the promotion AAW from their first episode (review forthcoming) and Matt Cage is a part of that so he does seem familiar to me for that reason. AR Fox is from Ansonia, Connecticut and no one wants to claim being from Connecticut, c'mon, man. Well, right away Matt Cage flies to the outside and shows why his nickname is money. AR Fox tries for one of his own in another sequence but ends up getting dumped on the ring apron for his efforts. With Matt Cage on the top rope, AR Fox hits a dropkick on him, sending Matt Cage to the outside. AR Fox goes flying over the ring post and near the entrance way onto Matt Cage. That was quite a distance to go and you also have to clear that post just right so props to AR Fox on that one. Top rope leg drop on the ring apron by AR Fox as the commentators begin to say that Matt Cage is endorsed by Uhaa Nation. Yes, I need to watch more Dragon Gate soon. A sequence of chain wrestling in the ring leads to a corkscrew suplex by AR Fox who goes up top for a swanton bomb and two count only. Apparently, AR Fox vs. PJ Black has been booked for an upcoming EVOLVE show. Fox vs. Wolf? Naylor says that no one has been such a daredevil in the ring as AR Fox since the prime of Sabu. That could be argued. AR Fox has some near falls and seems to be having trouble putting Matt Cage away. I have to continue to call him "Matt Cage" because just saying "Cage" reminds me of "Brian Cage" and I don't want to go there. Matt Cage locks the Tazmission onto AR Fox. Rob Naylor says he hasn't seen that move in years but I feel like I saw it somewhere not that long ago (in Japan). Still, I assume Taz sheds a tear somewhere out there. Dueling chants for both men. AR Fox goes up and over the top rope only to be caught face first into the knees of Matt Cage. It's good for a two count. Matt Cage hits a few punches to the face and it looks like he has AR Fox done but Fox gets into the ropes to break the three count. AR Fox lights Matt Cage up with kicks, hits something Rob Naylor calls "Lo Mein Pain" which looks pretty and then following a 450 splash AR Fox gets the pin and win. This match was just non-stop action. It was full throttle the whole way, you know, they were set in a gear that they just stayed in the whole time. I am equally impressed by both men but am certainly looking forward to seeing AR Fox vs. PJ Black and just any match AR Fox wants to be a part of in the future. Wow. How was that only the third match so far? How can it possibly be topped??
Match Four: Drew Gulak vs. Chris Hero
This is perhaps the match on this card I wanted to see most. I love the new Drew Gulak I've seen in CZW and to give you some perspective when I was most into professional wrestling some odd years ago I purchased via eBay a DVD set of Chris Hero matches from Germany. So Chris Hero and I do have some history, yes, but I won't get into that here and will just say that it is all good history. Gulak cuts a pre-match promo about how wrestling has lost its integrity and wrestlers are more concerned with style over substance. This is true to an extent, as too many wrestlers are showoffs. Chris Hero is out next and he is the obvious crowd favorite. With his entrance, Hero is kind of just proving the point that Gulak just made. Did anybody else get that? Drew Gulak is introduced in ring as merely "Gulak", which is cool. Chris Hero is introduced as "The Knock Out Artist" and I've never really said anything about it before but does it bother anyone else that Chris Hero was Kassius Ohno in NXT, with the initials "KO" on his gear, and now Kevin Steen has taken over the "KO" with Kevin Owens? I'm moving on. Rob Naylor also says this was the match he was most looking forward to so I am not alone. I wondered how that last match between AR Fox and Matt Cage could be topped and now I've found an answer because these two should deliver. Chris Hero looks to be in great shape and the two men start with strong holds within the center of the ring. It's like an MMA contest only not quite as boring. There is a definite Japan influence and it's nice to see Gulak in such control as he has just been so wild and seemingly wreckless in his attacks in CZW. Knowing that Gulak can brawl and also hang with Chris Hero on the mat makes Gulak a very dangerous man. Trevin Adams, I believe it was, called this "the definition of catch as catch can" wrestling. After a near fall, the two reset in the middle of the ring on their feet. Gulak grabs a leg and takes him down. This almost turns into a submission but Chris Hero gets out of the ring for a breather. Chris Hero shakes hands with Drew Gulak only to light him up with a flurry or strikes and knees. Gulak fires back and then somehow ends up on Hero's back. Both men are dumped to the outside and Hero hits that big roaring elbow on Gulak. Chris Hero gets back into the ring and Gulak barely avoids being counted out. Drew Gulak kicks out of a pin attempt at one and then Hero locks on a crossface type move. Adams says Hero had him in a good spot but they were right in the corner and it was easy for Gulak to get to the ropes. Now Gulak goes outside to rest but Chris Hero comes out after him. The two men trade blows outside the ring and this has gone from an amateur classic into a fist fighting brawl. At an eight count Chris Hero throws Gulak back into the ring. Chants for Gulak. Gulak works over the knee of Chris Hero and after a submission attempt the two trade blows in the middle of the ring. Gulak puts an ankle lock on Gulak and when Hero rolls through the ref is slow to get to the two count. Another roll through and this time Gulak keeps the ankle lock on. Chris Hero gets to the ropes to break the hold but the damage has been done. After coming back into the ring, Gulak is hit with a roaring elbow but Chris Hero barely manages a two count. Neither man seems able to put the other away. Dueling chants of "Let's Go Hero" and "Let's Go Gulak". I am also divided on who I want to win this match. Some strong hits by Hero but Gulak gets a two count with a backslide. This once again breaks down into a slapfest in the middle of the ring. Hero hits a big elbow and can't pin Gulak with a folding press though. This is hard hitting at its best now and neither of these men are staying down. Chris Hero hits a tombstone piledriver on Gulak for the three count and the way that Gulak's head bounced off the mat on that move-- like a pogo stick-- was just ugly. I don't care if Gulak only wants the wins, this match made him a winner in every way. Post match, Chris Hero gets on the mic and calls Gulak a "tough son of a bitch". Chris Hero says there are two types of people: "Chris Hero and those coming for Chris Hero". Hero calls out Busick and Busick gets into the ring. Hero went to check on Gulak but shoved him into Busick but Busick gets the better of Hero still as Hero has to escape through the crowd. Now Trevin Adams says that it's Biff Busick vs. Chris Hero at EVOLVE 40 in San Jose which, sadly, means they won't be fighting at some random location as I thought earlier (like a Target)
Match Five: Caleb Konley (w/ Anthony Nese) vs. PJ Black
If you've ever seen PJ Black compete in NXT as Justin Gabriel, you know he is one of those former WWE superstars who can actually go in the ring. This is the EVOLVE debut of Black and it's my first time seeing Caleb Konley in the ring. Black is in his La Parka tights, much like he wore in his final days in WWE and, yes, on the sorry excuse for a wrestling show known as House of Hardcore 8. AR Fox comes in on commentary because he has an upcoming match with PJ Black. AR Fox says he doesn't know what a darewolf is and I have to agree with him. Naylor agrees as well. Lots of back and forth by Konley and Black until they do that thing where they both stand up opposite in the ring and everyone claps. It is good to see PJ Black working against someone who isn't also a former WWE superstar. Outside the ring, Konley walks up the ring post for a tornado DDT onto Black. Wow, I haven't seen that one before. AR Fox says "I don't know a lot about comic books..." and I immediately stop listening to him. Konley has a near fall in the ring as Rob Naylor wants to know if they are correct in saying that AR Fox is like Wolverine. AR Fox does not have adamantium in place of his bones I assume, nor claws and all that so I will say... no. With Konley on the outside, Black hits a poor looking suicide dive as it looked more like Konley caught him with a spear. Black then tried a dropkick through the ropes but barely caught Konley with his foot. A sloppy sequence by PJ Black. Back in the ring now, the two begin trading chops. AR Fox explains why wrestlers- including him- wear gloves. If you want to know watch the show or tweet to AR Fox and ask him yourself. It's not that thrilling of an answer. A "Let's Go Konley" chant. Konley misses a moonsault but Black connects with one of his own from the top rope. Konley catches Black with a rolling palm strike as he is on the top rope. Konley ends up taking Black down with a head scissors but Black rolls through for a two count. According to Trevin Adams, AR Fox is facing PJ Black at a WWN Super Show so not the same event as Busick-Hero then. Konley is really impressing me here, as AR Fox drops the first f-bomb of the night on commentary. Classy. Both men are back on the top rope and Black drops Konley over the top rope and into the ring neck first. PJ Black then comes from the apron into the ring with a springboard 450 onto Konley for the pin and win. This match might not have been able to outdo the previous two but it was still the best match I've ever seen PJ Black have. Post match, Anthony Nese gets on the mic and says he's the King of the 450. Nese says he's fired up and says to bring Davey Richards out right now.
Match Six: Anthony Nese (w/ Caleb Konley) vs. Davey Richards
So I was impressed by Nese on that House of Hardcore 8 show, but of course I know Davey Richards from back when I used to watch wrestling the most. Can someone tell me why he's Anthony Nese now and Tony Nese in House of Hardcore though? Davey Richards doesn't have those red claw marks on his chest, so thankfully that was just body paint and not an awful tattoo. For the record, I'm not a fan of the American Wolves because I really don't like Eddie Edwards but I am a fan of Davey Richards as a singles wrestler. Apparently, Caleb Konley and Anthony Nese are the Open the United Gate Tag Team Champions, which are the tag team championships of DGUSA. After both these men show what they can do for a bit, Davey Richards begins working over Nese with submission manuevers. There is a lot of good back and forth action here and I'm not typing a lot as I watch it because I'm just watching it. Davey begins fighting back as these two men seem exhausted and if you happen to watch this match and have only seen Davey Richards before this as a member of the American Wolves in TNA then odds are pretty good you wouldn't like the American Wolves either because he is just leaving it all in the ring right here. Kurt Angle vs. Davey Richards given thirty minutes or so in TNA would be where their money is at. Anthony Nese is also really impressing me in this match. Nese hits an acecrusher for two. There really is no old school equal to Davey Richards, as I'm trying to think of him as being the modern version of a Bret Hart or Ric Flair, but really, Davey Richards is just in a category all his own. The two trade blows in the middle of the ring and this is just breaking down now. Wow. Dueling chants of "Let's Go Tony" and "Davey Richards". Nese looked to be in an arm bar by Richards but picked him up and dropped him into the corner. Wow. How Nese has this much power still in the match is amazing. Nese misses a top rope move and Richards hits a running kick on the seated Nese. Top rope double foot stomp and Richards can only get two. Davey Richards wraps the leg of Anthony Nese around his leg and Nese has no choice but to tap. This match showcased the best parts of Davey Richards, but even in his losing efforts it also helped to make Anthony Nese look like a star. If you're not familiar with what Davey Richards can do outside of TNA, then watch this. If you are familiar with Davey Richards outside of TNA then watch this one for Anthony Nese. If you are familiar with both of these men then I probably don't have to tell you this.
A brief intermission is called for as they set up the cage for the main event. Richards-Nese definitely kicked it up a match so this match is going to have a lot to live up to in the main event slot here. A video package is shown, highlighting the history between these two men. It is worth noting that there are no titles on the line here as this one has become so personal.
Match Seven: Roderick Strong vs. Drew Galloway
Roderick Strong's music makes me think it's going to be "Panama" but it never is. Strong gets on the mic and says that he wasn't on that terrible House of Hardcore 8 show, so maybe the only wrestling I should watch from the USA is what he's on. Okay, not really, but the mic is cutting in and out and this has just been a problem for EVOLVE all night. Roderick Strong is trying to tell a story but it sounds like he's driving through a tunnel in 2001. Strong says he's a "bad motherfucker" but then says he's leaving because the cage is an "unsafe work environment". This brings out Drew Galloway and he goes right to work on Strong outside of the ring. Yes, the match has not started yet and they're already brawling outside of the ring. For the record, Drew Galloway fought Kenny King in jeans on a taped show that aired for Impact Wrestling just two days before this. They're finally locked inside the cage and Strong goes for a top rope move right away but is caught with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Galloway. Strong takes control though and begins working over Galloway. This is the first steel cage match in the history of EVOLVE, just to show you how far this feud has gone since EVOLVE 35. Both men are walking on the top rope while holding the cage and there is a "Please Don't Die" chant. Both men end up crotched on the ropes and Adams reminds us on commentary there must be a winner via pinfall or submission they won't be given the ten count. Strong begins just smashing Galloway into the cage now. Dueling "Let's Go Roddy" and "Let's Go Drew" chants as Strong dumps Galloway into the steel cage. Galloway is taking a beating. Strong starts climbing but Galloway takes him off the cage with a legsweep and both men are down now. Galloway begins his comeback with a flurry of punches to Strong. Galloway pulled Strong out of the corner with his legs hanging over his shoulders and Galloway planted Strong face first into the mat. That was just one of those power moves you've never seen before but know they wouldn't allow in WWE. Near falls by Galloway now. Both men climb the cage again, but I'm pretty sure they can't escape to win so I'm not sure why. A superplex by Roderick Strong takes them back into the middle of the ring. Strong can only get a two count though. Adams says that is the largest superplex we will see all year from Roderick Strong but I like to think we have more to look forward to than that. An Olympic slam into a backbreaker is good for another two count by Roderick Strong. Galloway is staging a comeback once again. Roderick Strong hits a powerbomb for a two count and even though both men are running low on energy Strong just cannot put Galloway down. Both men climb to the top corner and Galloway is crotched. He goes down into the tree of woe but then sits up and hits a huge belly to belly release suplex on Strong sending him across the ring. The crowd chants "That Was Awesome" and it was. Strong comes off the ropes and is caught by Galloway who powerbombs him straight into the cage. Ouch. Galloway hits a piledriver on Strong for a two count only. Two running knees and a forearm by Strong but Galloway still kicks out at two. The ref checks on Galloway, who is not knocked out but is bloody. Strong hits some hard knees on Galloway and begins a series of dropkicks that crush Galloway between the ropes and cage. It looks like the wall of the cage might break they're so strong. Galloway is stuck in between the ropes and cage and as the ref checks on him he calls for the match to end. Roderick Strong wins via ref stoppage and that was amazing. Strong pulls Galloway back in the ring and locks on a Texas Cloverleaf before PJ Black comes in to save his former WWE superstar friend. I often think Justin Gabriel was in 3MB anyway. PJ Black asks for the title belt and a fan can clearly be heard yelling for Galloway to watch out because he was going to hit him with it. The mic is still cutting out on PJ Black as he is trying to tell his life story about them being in WWE together. Galloway says the title is no longer the most important thing to him anymore and if Black wants a match he can have it because he'll defend the title against anyone at any time. Galloway said he wasn't sure if he'd disappear from wrestling forever after WWE because he was in 3MB and someone can very clearly be heard yelling "Fuck 3MB!". Galloway does the whole thank you speech and the mic doesn't cut out too badly. Galloway recaps his feud with Roderick Strong and says that it's not over. So much for the cage idea, huh? That was a hell of a match but did Drew Galloway really just piss all over it by saying it wasn't the end of the feud? And people complained when The Authority came back and they said it diminished Dolph Ziggler winning at Survivor Series. Drew Galloway seemingly killed this whole match in one post match promo. He also talks about there being one, which may or may not be in reference to uniting the Full Impact Pro title but I'm not sure. Galloway lists off his Wrestlemania weekend matches pretty well for someone who was just knocked out. He has Uhaa Nation first, then Justin Gabriel (Drew Galloway might get sued now) and he says he wants to unify the EVOLVE and Dragon Gate Championships against Johnny Gargano, which makes sense because DGUSA is on hiatus.
This iPPV just delivered on all levels and I don't think there was a bad match on it. It's really the best thing you can watch for your money. The first two matches were good in themselves but after that the card just built match by match, each one outdoing the other with the only exception possibly being Black-Konley. Still, having those last five matches so solid and four of the five being some of the best matches of the year just go to show you how special of a card this was. I have to note that at some point within the last week or two I actually started adding matches to a Word document to try and create an eventual end of the year sort of list for the best matches. This isn't just going to be done in the overall sense, though I will probably list something like my top ten favorite matches in a general sense, but also by promotion so I will award most every promotion I watch a spot for their best match. Anyway, for most promotions thus far this year I've picked at least one match per show to make this list and at the most there have been two matches for a single show. The fact that I could easily pull four matches off of this card just for my EVOLVE list really says something about the show as a whole. Not to mention the fact that those four matches from EVOLVE are better than any of the other matches currently on my list from certain promotions. (That is to say any of these four matches is better than the best match put on by TNA so far this year, which isn't saying much but it is up for debate as to whether or not they also trump the top matches of other promotions as well) I think my favorite part of this iPPV though, as I look at it now and didn't see it this way before I watched it, was the pairings in these top matches as well. In each of the top four matches prior to the main event you have sort of the veteran going against the sort of younger, hungrier competitor with something to prove. This came out a lot with Gulak being the future over Chris Hero in their match, but it's there as well with AR Fox, PJ Black and Davey Richards. Those stories being told and EVOLVE being able to tell them is just incredible and makes me happy to be a wrestling fan. (And yes, I realize I just name dropped Justin Credible there) On top of that, you have two bonified stars in Drew Galloway and Roderick Strong leaving it all out there in the main event. I kind of thought that the EVOLVE Champion wouldn't lose in EVOLVE but thankfully there seemed to be no concerns there and the right man won, as I was pulling for Strong the entire time. My initial favorite professional wrestling show of 2015 was an early entry with Wrestle Kingdom 9, but EVOLVE 38 is every bit as good if not better than that. It's going to be a tough call by the end of this year to pick a favorite event and we're only barely into our third month here. The future looks bright to this reformed wrestling fan.
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