Caleb Konley defeated Gary Jay: Gary Jay got the call due to the injury to Busick, and did well in his Evolve debut. I have watched a limited amount of his work, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect here. But he came out quick and took it to Konley, and overall got a lot in the match with the WWNLive mainstay. Jay played his role as the resilient face well here, and even got to escape Konley’s trademark stuff like the Death Valley bomb. Konley finally scored the win with the moonsault in a good opener.
Trent Beretta defeated Rich Swann: With the Premiere Athlete Brand already out, they transitioned right into the second match, which I appreciated because it gives the show a nice flow. Beretta is coming off a great showing in the BOTSJ tournament and some great six-mans vs. the Bullet Club, where he ate some incredible murder death kill finishes; he’s really good. Swann is so much fun and a very well established baby face for WWNLive. Swann emptied his arsenal, and overcame an apron suplex (which was sold ok, and should have meant more) but the returning Beretta overcame and hit the dudebuster and picked up the win in his return. I am very glad to have Beretta back in WWNlive, he’s such a great talent. This was another good match.
Andrew Everett defeated Anthony Nese: And again, with the Premiere Athlete Brand already out, they transitioned right into the third match pretty effortlessly. I really like Nese because he’s very consistent, and while this was good I still don’t think it was the right match to really show off Everett’s skills as much as they could have. It feels as if he’s not been able to have “his match” yet in Evolve. Nese worked a more methodical heat on Everett, and while good felt a bit too similar to the previous two matches. While the flow of the show was good, that’s the negative of working three consecutive matches with members of the same stable. The match was good, but not quite as good as the previous two. Everett picked up the big with the shooting star press, which did not please PAB manager So Cal Val. The unit had a good night, but with the Nese loss, all is still not well with the PAB. Everett challenges Konley to put his FIP Title on the line at Evolve 46.
Chris Hero defeated Trevor Lee: These two faced off at Evolve 43, and had a good match. Hero has had a very good year, and Lee has been impressive; add in the fact that they know each other better now and I am excited for the rematch. Lots of good technical wrestling as you’d expect here, with Lee controlling early before hero got the heat with some vicious looking strikes. Say what you will about Hero’s appearance, and I know some can’t get past that, but the dude is excellent at what he does and he can go. His look never hurts him in the ring, which means that it doesn’t bother me at all. The story here is that Hero is simply the better man, abusing Lee and continually cutting off Lee to maintain his control and eventually winning with multiple elbow strikes. Lee came much closer this time, and they had a much better match this time around. Post match, hero informed Lee that he was good, and that there was a lot of good in Evolve, but that he’s the best. He then demanded real challengers. Hero is such a great fit in Evolve, and has had some tremendous encounters in 2015. He’s really flying under the radar for a lot of people, which is a shame.
Zack Sabre Jr defeated Roderick Strong: At PWG Don’t Sweat The Technique, Zack Sabre Jr and Roderick Strong had a true MOTY contender, one of the best five matches (in my opinion) in 2015. ZSJ was originally scheduled to face Davey Richards on this show, and while I was looking forward to that match I am very glad it was cancelled. Why? BECAUSE THIS FUCKING RULED THAT’S WHY. You take Roderick Strong, one of the very best of 2015 so far, and you put him in with ZSJ, who is world of sport on crack and you have a recipe for success. They worked a rough and physical style, and more importantly it wasn’t moves and holds or the sake of moves and holds; this all mattered and led to something as ZSJ focused on the arm of Strong. Strong tried to work the legs, and eventually tired to finish things off with his Stronghold. But ZSJ was too much for him this go, and used a beautiful display of moves (kimura, chicken wing and then finally into the arm bar) to make Strong tap. This was every bit as great as their PWG match, and should be on your must see list.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Champion Drew Galloway: With the changes to the card Timothy Thatcher found himself facing off with double Champion Drew Galloway. Thatcher decided to make the best of his opportunity and requested a title match, and Galloway agreed to put both titles on the line. They had a good, but not great match, and had to work hard to get the crowd into it at times due to the previous match. Credit to both guys, as they worked hard and did get the crowd into things. Thatcher abandoned his usual style (most of the time) for a more aggressive one, as he looked to win the titles. This was appreciated, and also expected because he and Galloway work vastly different styles. Good work as they built to the finish, which saw Thatcher get the arm bar on Galloway, who struggled and then tapped. Thatcher won both titles, but the story is that Galloway’s leg appeared to actually be under the ropes when he did so; we’ll have to see how that plays out. It wasn’t a great match, but felt like a really cool and unexpected moment.
