INDEPENDENT WRESTLING DVD REVIEW SERIES
EVOLVE's “EVOLVE 9: Taylor vs. Gargano”
July 26, 2011
Manhattan , N.Y.
By Brian Leahy, PWTorch specialist ( @cobyhectic )

EVOLVE 9 represents the promotion's final show of 2011, and though that wasn’t meant to be the case (EVOLVE 10 later being cancelled due to issues with securing a venue), it works well as a chapter-point to end EVOLVE'S second year, and also marks their final show before combining “universes” with DGUSA.

The show features a number of acts making their EVOLVE debuts, and while Kevin Steen and Dave “Fit” Finlay will be the names that catch the eye of the more casual wrestling fan, the established and lesser known talent provides the real meat of the card.

-- The opening bout between AIW talents Bobby Beverly and Eric Ryan was fine, if lacking a little elegance, for the few minutes they were given before Kevin Steen made his presence known. Playing up his “loose cannon” role, Steen annihilated Beverly and Ryan with ease before threatening anyone and everyone with forced sexual acts should they attempt to interrupt.

It was therefore refreshing, that when Bobby Fish came out to inform Steen as to how things work in EVOLVE that the “Anti-Christ” not only didn’t force himself upon Fish, but respectfully vacated the ring to allow the show to continue. Steen would surface sometime later on commentary, alongside Leonard and Naylor, adding some color to the viewing experience before getting involved in the ring for a second time.

-- After the atypical beginning to the night, the second bout was more of the typical EVOLVE fare as The Super Smash Bros clashed with Facade & Gory. The match was as quick, high-flying, and inventive as you’d expect from these two parings, but it’s matches like this that showcases the cons as much as the pros of the EVOLVE style. The action was tight and fresh, but very little sticks in the mind other than the highest of the high spots. Given 20 minutes to develop and play out a story, these four men could perhaps begin to put on matches approaching the standard of those seen in DGUSA, but it’s hard to tell considering match times in Evolve - outside of the main event - typically do not run further than 10-12 minutes. In notable happening from the match, Facade & Gory executed an amazing “buddy” tandem-quebrada before Facade succumbed to a gory bomb/diamond dust double-team from Players UNO and DOS.

-- Sugar Dunkerton, making his EVOLVE debut, took on the ever-present, unimpressive, Silas Young in a disappointing third contest. Clunky and lacking flow, they plodded through a basic contest before Young hit his headstand into a moonsault in the corner to score a pin fall victory. On the bright side, and as always with EVOLVE, if you don’t like what you see you (which I didn’t here), five minutes later, it’ll all be over and forgotten about.

-- Former BDK teammates clashed in the fourth match, as Lince Dorado took on Pinkie Sanchez in an entertaining, high-flying bout. Surprisingly enough, they managed to tell an effective story in their allotted time as Sanchez worked over Dorado's leg at every opportunity. Granted, the selling wasn’t up to much, but at least they tried. Cleanly executed and featuring a string of moves you won’t see often on televised wrestling, this type of match should be the benchmark by which EVOLVE sets its mid-show-match expectations. The finish came after Dorado absorbed a rope-assisted DDT from Sanchez, only to fall victim to Pinkie’s Figure Four leglock.

-- EVOLVE’s most successful team, Up In Smoke, took on the debuting “Scene” of Scott Reed & Caleb Konley in the next match on the card. Through their association with the seedy Larry Dallas, Reed and Konley were instant heels and provided a welcome dynamic on a show where almost everyone seems to be a babyface. Up In Smoke dominated the early proceedings before Cheech found himself isolated by The Scene. Cloudly’s hot tag was short-lived, as he found himself on the business end of an extended beat-down. Cheech eventually got the opportunity to clean house, but before Up In Smoke could secure the victory, an isolated Cloudy fell victim to a double team DDT and a bridging German suplex to hand The Scene their first win in EVOLVE, and Up In Smoke their first loss.

Post-match, obviously distraught by losing his perfect record in EVOLVE, Cheech turned on Cloudy to disband Up In Smoke. It seemed a strange use of the build given to Up In Smoke over the first two years in EVOLVE, but the focus on tag wrestling is lacking on the brand, and Cheech has the ability and personality to break out on his own should he be given the opportunity.

-- In Match #6, Bobby Fish and Jon Davis didn’t even get the time afforded to the opening bout before Kevin Steen again got involved, leading to a no-contest. The decision was quickly made to turn the match into an unsanctioned three-way match, and the action got back underway. Not the most innovative match in terms of its format, the three big men made up for it with brute strength as they traded bombs and power moves. While I don’t like the “unsanctioned” aspect of the match (i.e. the result didn’t count towards win/loss records), I can’t fault the entertainment provided by the three. The finish came as Davis hit a pounce on Steen to send him to the floor, and followed it up by drilling Fish with a sit-out powerbomb for the victory. Following the match, Steen was forcibly removed from the building, much to the chagrin of the crowd.

-- Post-intermission, Tony Nese took on John Silver in a shockingly good match. Obviously familiar with one another (both being products of Mickey Whipwreck's wrestling school), the action was smooth and action-packed. Nese has physically looked the part since debuting in EVOLVE, but has never performed to this level in his previous appearances. Silver has a different look (akin to a larger Quiet Storm for those who can recall early ROH shows), but showed surprising agility as the two traded increasingly impressive and brutal moves.

By the end of the bout, the crowd was genuinely invested in both men, and despite handing the win to Silver, Nese achieved more for his own brand value in this one night than in his previous three matches combined. On the back of this performance, both men should be seen in action in EVOLVE again during 2012. And, with the door open for acts to step seamlessly between the EVOLVE and DGUSA brands, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if one or both of these guys gets a chance on the bigger brand based on this performance.

-- The co-main event of Sami Callihan and Fit Finlay was a lesson in brutality. The bout is a genuine case where words cannot do the action justice, and any attempt to do so would undersell the sheer viciousness unleashed by these men on one another. There was no fancy movies here, no high-flying, no eye-catching submissions; what this was was two men trading basic wrestling holds, but doing it in a manner that I haven’t seen employed this effectively since Kobashi and Misawa in 2003. So brutal were even the headlocks of Finlay, that I could almost feel my own airways closing up as I watched this lesson in wrestling.

The story too was deceptively simple, but massively effective: Finlay played the grizzled vet, with no time for Callihan’s offense in the early going, before Sami proved his toughness and worth as an opponent. Finlay eventually had to resort to a Tombstone Piledriver to put Sami down for the three-count, but going toe-to-toe with Finlay in this manner did more for “The New Horror” than any win ever could. While it may not top any polls at the end of year awards, this match will stick in the mind far longer than most matches that will be placed above it in the Match of the Year standings.

-- Gargano and Taylor had a mountain to overcome trying to follow Finlay-Callihan in the main event. As valiantly as they tried, the match fell just a little short, and the crowd was more than just a little burned out from the action that went before it. The action was good, really good in places, as they played off the friendship and familiarity of the two. A sickening DDT on the ringside stage nearly sealed victory for Taylor in the latter stages, but Gargano made a last second recovery (which was almost groan inducing in its suddenness) to keep the contest alive. Form here, they upped the tempo and traded “stolen” finishers before Taylor secured victory with the Awful Waffle.

OVERALL: Recommended (8.0). EVOLVE 9 is a rock solid show for the most part, topped off with an absolute gem of a match in Callihan vs. Finlay. The Kevin Steen angle is a nice change from the usual EVOLVE straight-up wrestling, and makes it a worthy purchase for anyone following Steens ongoing battle with Ring of Honor. With a handful of matches over three stars, and representing a significant chapter point in EVOLVE’s history, it represents a perfect jumping-on point for anyone looking to dip their toes in the EVOLVE/DGUSA pond.

Notable Match Star Ratings:

The Super Smash Bros vs. Facade & Gory **3/4
Lince Dorado vs. Pinkie Sanchez ***
Up In Smoke vs. The Scene **3/4
Bobby Fish vs. Jon Davis vs. Kevin Steen ***1/2
John Silver vs. Tony Nese ***1/2
Sami Callihan vs Fit Finlay ****
Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor ***3/4

LEAHY'S DVD REVIEW SERIES: ROH's "No Escape" (7/9/11) - American Wolves vs. Cole & O'Reilly, Hero vs. Cabana, Strong vs. Generico steel cage

RADICAN'S DGUSA DVD REVIEW SERIES - "Untouchable 2011" 9/11: YAMATO vs. CIMA, Gargano-Tozawa

RADICAN'S PWS WRESTLEREUNION LA REVIEW 1/28 - Outlaws vs. Steiner Brothers, Legends Wrestle Royale, Smith-Richards

LEAHY'S INDEPENDENT DVD REVIEW SERIES: ROH's "Tag Team Turmoil 2011" (7/8/11) - American Wolves vs. Strong & Elgin, new ROH champ Richards

COMMON FAN'S RETRO DVD REVIEW - ROH Manhattan Mayhem (05-07-05): Punk vs. Rave Dog Collar match, Aries vs. Shelley, Cabana, Nigel, Joe

RADICAN'S PRO WRESTLING EVO DVD REVIEW SERIES: "Follow This" 10/8 - King vs. Alexander, Konley vs. Manning

RADICAN'S DVD REVIEW SERIES: "Sami Callihan: They Came for Stiff" - short flim on Callihan's journey to EVOLVE 9 vs. Finlay

RADICAN'S ROH DVD SERIES: "Homecoming 2012" 1/20 - Hallowicked & Jigsaw vs. Briscoes, Richards vs. Lethal

RADICAN'S JCW "New Years Eve Ninja Party" DVD review - full JCW card, ICP performance, Jackson impersonator

ROBERTS'S BOOK REVIEW: "Adam Copeland On Edge" (2004) - Edge's first book & subsequent career path confirms need for second book