By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S EVOLVE 17 iPPV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 8, 2012
VOORHEES, N.J.
AIRED LIVE ON WWNLIVE.COM

Jon Davis interrupted Lenny Leonard while he was introducing the show. Davis said the time for action is now in regards to creating an EVOLVE title. Davis said everyone on the internet and in the locker room wanted an EVOLVE title. Davis told the fans to applaud if they wanted an EVOLVE title. Davis asked wrestlers that wanted a title in the company to come out and several wrestlers made their way to the ring. Davis said all these men deserve a shot at an EVOLVE title. A.R. Fox got on the mic and said he agrees with Davis. Fox said he’s ready for more gold. Ricochet came down to the ring and asked Fox what he’s talking about. He said he doesn’t even deserve the United Gate titles. He called Fox a Ricochet wannabe. Ricochet said he will be the first EVOLVE champion. Fox teased hitting Ricochet and he bailed.

Davis asked if anyone else wants an EVOLVE championship. Open the Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano came down to the ring. Davis took note of the fan chants for Gargano and said Gargano knows how important it is to be a champion. Gargano said EVOLVE already had a champion and raised his belt. Gargano said he won the belt for the fans and he defends it for them too. Gargano said they have a non-title match tonight. Gargano asked Davis if he wants to be a champion. The feed cut out, but I believe he asked Davis if he wanted a title shot. Davis accepted Gargano’s challenge. Gargano said he was ready to do it right now. The wrestlers on the outside of the ring banged on the mat and the fans applauded.

Leonard asked Davis if he would still leave EVOLVE if he lost to Gargano and Davis nodded.

1 - - Open the Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Jon Davis – Open the Freedom Gate title match

Gargano caught Davis with a dive through the ropes and a senton off the apron during the opening minutes of the match. Leonard and Bryce Remsburg are on commentary. Davis caught Gargano with a big spinebuster and went to work on him in the corner. Davis hit several hard slams on Gargano, but Gargano rolled him up for a nearfall. Davis immediately took down Gargano and went for a delayed vertical suplex. Gargano nailed Davis with a knee strike, but Davis picked him right back up and hit a big suplex for a 2 count. Davis targeted Gargano’s back until Gargano pulled down the ropes on Davis, who spilled to the outside several minutes later. Gargano went for a springboard DDT. Davis blocked the DDT, but Gargano shifted his momentum and connected with a DDT for a 2 count.

Gargano fired back and hit a series of dropkicks in the corner for a 2 count. Gargano hit a big superkick on Davis, but Davis no-sold it. Gargano ducked a strike and applied the Gargano escape, but Davis rolled through and tried to toss Gargano onto the ropes, but he escaped. Davis eventually slammed Gargano into the turnbuckle. The action spilled to the outside and Davis pressed Gargano over his head and dropped him onto the apron, which drew a gasp from the fans. Davis went for a kick, but Gargano ducked and hit hurts donut on the floor. Gargano rolled back into the ring and beat the count of the referee for the win.

Winner: Johnny Gargano via DQ

Star rating: (**1/2) – There were some good exchanges here, but the crowd didn’t really get into the action. Interesting to see a count out win here.

Leonard wondered if Davis was going to go home since he didn’t win. Gargano got on the mic as Davis sold frustration on the mat. Gargano said he’s not okay winning that way, which drew a small applause. Gargano said that’s not how he wants to defend his belt. Gargano said Davis had shown everyone that he is one of the best talents in the ring today. Gargano said he didn’t want Davis to retire. Davis got up and nailed Gargano with a huge clothesline. Davis then lifted up Gargano and powerbombed him from the ring through a table and the crowd gasped. Leonard said Gargano would never be the same. Leonard said he had never seen that look on Davis’s face before as several people tried to help Gargano to the back.

Lince Dorado didn’t get much of a reaction coming out for the next match. Jigsaw then came out to a nice pop.

2 - - Lince Dorado vs. Jigsaw

Neither man could get the upper hand during the early stages of the match. The pace picked up and they exchanged quick pinfall attempts before coming to another stalemate as Leonard emphasized the importance of wins in EVOLVE. After an exchange of counters, Dorado wiped out Jigsaw with a springboard moonsault to the outside. Dorado had the advantage, but Jigsaw fired back with a series of kicks against the ropes and Dorado fell to the mat. Both men ended up battling up top moments later. Dorado eventually went for a springboard, but Jigsaw caught him and slammed him to the mat. Moments later, Jigsaw nailed him with a dive through the ropes and the crowd chanted for Jigsaw. Jigsaw lifted Dorado up onto his shoulders, but Dorado countered him and hit a nice hurricanrana for a 2 count. Dorado went up top, but missed a SSP. Jigsaw then hit a dead-lift German with a bridge for a 2 count.

The crowd came alive as Jigsaw went up top. Dorado got up and nailed Jigsaw with a kick. Dorado went for a one man Spanish fly and nailed it. Dorado crawled over to Jigsaw and covered him for the pin.

Winner: Lince Dorado

Star rating: (**3/4) – The finish seemed to come out of nowhere as it seemed the match was building to something bigger. The action was good while it lasted, but Dorado got the win just when it was getting good.

3 - - Marti Belle vs. Christina Von Eerie – Shine Challenge match

Belle offered a handshake, but Von Eerie spit in her hand. Von Eerie awkwardly missed a kick attempt. Von Eerie ended up catching Belle with a side slam for a 2 count moments later. Belle tried to fire back, but Von Eerie hit the graveyard smash for the win.

Winner: Christina Von Eerie – They had an awkward exchange at the beginning, but the action was fine after that.

Larry Dallas came out to cheer up Belle. He told her that her talent wasn’t in a wrestling ring. Dallas asked her to come to the back and join the Scene because she had the right assets. Belle declined his offer. Dallas got upset and told her the crowd wouldn’t touch her if she was offering inexpensive hand jobs on Craig’s list. Belle got upset and yelled at Dallas in Spanish. Konley and Reed came down to the ring and checked out Belle. Dallas asked Belle if she wanted some 3 on 1 action. Pinkie Sanchez ran down to help Belle. Dallas asked Sanchez where his boys were and Callihan came down to the ring to a big pop causing the Scene to bail. Tammy Sytch came down and talked to Belle. She took Belle with her to the back.

4 - - The Scene (Caleb Konley & Scott Reed) w/ Larry Dallas vs. D.U.F. (Sami Callihan & Pinkie Sanchez)

The Scene isolated Callihan during the early stages of the match. Leonard mentioned that this was Callihan’s return from suspension. The Scene worked over Callihan for a long period of time. Callihan countered Reed up top and slipped through his legs before nailing him with a superkick. Callihan made the hot tag and Sanchez ran wild on Konley. Sanchez hit a big senton on Konley off the top, but Reed made the save. Reed and Konley hit a tandem lung blower on Sanchez, but Callihan made the blind tag and sent Konley to the outside. Callihan got the stretch muffler on Reed, but Reed countered it into a rollup for a nearfall. Sanchez debuted a new move where he applies a rear naked choke and brings his opponent down to the mat with a slam on Reed called the CDC. Reed ended up tapping out.

Winners: Sami Callihan & Pinkie Sanchez – This was good while it lasted, but it doesn’t seem there’s going to be much of a feud between the Scene and D.U.F.

Callihan got a promo after the match and welcomed the fans to iPPV. He said it’s great to be back in EVOLVE. Callihan called out Masada for the match fans paid to see.

5 - - Sami Callihan vs. Masada

Masada jumped Callihan and began working him over. Leonard noted Masada had an arm injury. Masada charged at Callihan, who was seated on the top turnbuckle and sent him to the floor with a kick. Callihan tried to fire back, but Masada caught him with a slam. Callihan tried to fire back and applied the stretch muffler, but Masada kicked him off. Callihan spilled to the outside and it appeared he was bleeding from the mouth. The crowd tried to rally behind Callihan as he attempted to recover on the outside. Masada dragged Callihan back into the ring and applied a modified STF submission with the arm trapped and Callihan tapped out.

Winner: Masada – It was really surprising to see Callihan lose such a one-sided match. He did appear to get hurt at one point during the early stages of the match.

Callihan clutched his stomach as several officials came down to check on him. Callihan dropped down to his knees as several officials tried to help him to the back. Callihan eventually made his way to the back. Leonard speculated that Callihan may have suffered a concussion.

Chuck Taylor came out with the Gentleman’s Club, which included the Swamp Monster, Jake Manning, and several other people. Rich Swann came out rapping and was accompanied by the Super Smash Bros. Swann said he was going to f—k Chuck like his mother. He then led the fan in a Chucky sucks d—k chant.

6 - - Rich Swann & The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Player Dos) vs. The Gentleman’s Club (Orange Cassidy & Drew Gulak & Chuck Taylor) w/Swamp Monster & Jake Manning.

Taylor and Uno kicked things off. Uno hit a chop and Taylor went to the outside to hug the Swamp Monster and consult Manning’s book for tips. Cassidy has the gimmick that he’s extremely lazy. After a fast-paced exchange, Dos took down Cassidy and tagged in Gulak. Swann got the tag from Dos and cleared the ring. The Gentleman’s club ended up huddling on the outside. Gulak quickly cut off Swann and Taylor tagged in to work him over. Swann fired back and tagged in Uno, who went to work on Taylor. The Super Smash Bros. took down Taylor and nailed him with a combo move for a nearfall. The Super Smash Bros. slammed Taylor and did their signature pose with Swann. Swann tagged in and continued the work on Taylor.

Taylor continued to take a beating as the Super Smash Bros. kept him away from his corner. Swann went for a dive, but Gulak nailed him with a knee to the back. Swann fought Taylor off on the apron, but Cassidy nailed him with an atomic drop before taking the Super Smash Bros. off the apron with a big dropkick. Cassidy got tired again and tagged in Taylor. Taylor grounded Swann and applied a headscissors submission. Gulak tagged in and continued to work over Swann. Cassidy tagged in and got some offense in before tagging in Taylor who hit a slow motion springboard senton on Swann. Swann tried to fire back, but Taylor nailed him with a big powerbomb for a nearfall. Swann countered a powerbomb attempt from Taylor into a DDT and the fans applauded. Uno got the hot tag and ran wild.

After some back and forth action, Dos tagged in and lit the ring on fire before hitting a springboard moonsault on Taylor. Gulak made the save, but got sent to the outside. Cassidy broke up a pin attempt on Taylor. Cassidy hit a modified stunner on Uno and followed up with a big kick, but Swann made the save. Swann hit an ace crusher on Cassidy a short time later, but the pin got broken up. Gulak went for chokeslam, but turned it into a backbreaker on Swann. Dos ran and went to work on Gulak. Cassidy ran in, but Dos nailed Cassidy and Gulak with the double pele kick. Dos slipped out of the awful waffle, but Taylor and Gulak nailed him with a pair of German suplexes before Gulak followed it up with a clothesline for a nearfall.

The pace of the match really picked up and after a big exchange everyone was down as the crowd clapped. Cassidy got into the ring and tried to squeeze Swann’s head. Swann slipped out, but Cassidy hit a Michonoku driver for a nearfall. Cassidy locked in the squeeze on Swann again. The Super Smash Bros. also got tied up in submissions as Taylor made dumb noises. Dos wiped out the Gentleman’s Club out on the floor. Swann then hit a spinning enzuguri on Gulak for the win.

Winners: The Super Smash Bros. & Rich Swann

Star rating: (***1/2) – I wasn’t sure what to make of the Gentleman’s Club at first, but this match got really darn good down the stretch after a slow start. The action down the stretch was a real blur.

7 - - A.R. Fox vs. Ricochet

Fox and Ricochet both nipped up out of shoulder tackles. These guys are moving around really fast, so bear with me here. Fox did an evade and took Ricochet down with a big dropkick and the crowd applauded. Fox missed a leg drop off the top to the ring apron and Ricochet began working him over. Ricochet hit some sort of slingshot kick on Fox using the ropes. Ricochet then hit a gorgeous step-up moonsault after walking to the top rope and the crowd applauded. Ricochet hit a dropkick and did some breakdancing. Ricochet continued to arrogantly attack Fox in the ring. He locked Fox up in a submission after rolling him up for a nearfall. The crowd tried to rally behind Fox, who got the ropes.

Fox hit several forearms, but Ricochet ducked and poked him in the eye. Fox caught Ricochet with one arm and drove him backwards so that Ricochet landed face-first on the mat. The pace picked up and Fox caught Ricochet with a springboard dropkick. Fox went up top and hit Lo Mein rain to the outside and the crowd gasped. Ricochet fired back and hit a double springboard into a DDT on Fox before hitting a running SSP press for a nearfall. Fox countered Ricochet and hit a crucifix driver for a 2 count. Ricochet fired back and nailed Fox with an exploder into the corner for a nearfall. The crowd clapped as both men regrouped. This match has been pretty crazy so far.

Fox ducked a kick from Ricochet and hit a gut buster followed by a twisting brainbuster, but Ricochet kicked out at the last second. Fox went up top, but Ricochet met him there. Fox dumped him to the mat, but Ricochet evaded a swanton. Fox landed on his feet, but after a rapid exchange, Ricochet nailed Fox with a kick to the back of his head and both men were down. Ricochet blocked Lo Mein pain moments later and hit a backslide driver off the turnbuckles. Fox got right up, but Ricochet nailed him with a reverse hurricanrana. Ricochet then hit a SSP off the top for the win.

Winner: Ricochet

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a very good back and forth match with both guys pulling off a lot of innovative maneuvers. This hasn’t been the greatest crowd tonight.

Ricochet got on the mic after the match. He said that the proof is in the pudding and he just had a whole snack pack. Ricochet said he had told everyone that Fox wasn’t better than him. Ricochet said he had proved he was better tonight. Ricochet taunted Fox and told him he wants to be Ricochet. Ricochet used his real name, Trevor Mann, and said it’s not easy being him. Ricochet tossed his mic at Fox and left the ring. Fox sold frustration inside the ring.

Samuray Del Sol got a good reaction coming out. Generico got the biggest pop on the show so far.

8 - - El Generico vs. Samuray Del Sol

Leonard said both men had been reviewing their previous encounters in preparation for this match. They went to a fast-paced exchange and came to a stalemate. Generico went for a legsweep, but Del Sol turned it into a hurricanrana before they came to another stalemate. Generico sold surprise at Del Sol’s ability to pull off that maneuver. They went to another big exchange and Generico hit his signature spinning arm drag on Del Sol. Generico went to work on Del Sol and slammed him into the turnbuckles. Del Sol fired back and did his hand walk headscissors on Generico for a 2 count. Del Sol then hit a great looking slingshot senton on Generico for a 2 count. Generico escaped a submission and rolled up Del Sol for a 2 count before nailing him with a big clothesline.

Del Sol fired back with a pair of headscissor takedowns for a 2 count. Del Sol did a double springboard before walking the ropes and hitting an arm drag on Generico. The crowd chanted for Del Sol, who got a running start and hit an incredible step-up corkscrew plancha to the floor. Generico caught Del Sol charging at him in the corner and nailed him with an exploder. The crowd cheered as Generico set up for a Yokuza kick, but Del Sol got his boot up. Generico popped Del Sol up into the air, but he changed positions and turned it into a hurricanrana for a nearfall. Del Sol set up for the rising sun, but Generico countered it into a blue thunder powerbomb for a nearfall. What a sequence! Generico set up for the Yokuza kick again, but Del Sol caught him with an elbow. Del Sol charged at Generico, but got caught with a Michinoku driver for a 2 count.

Leonard said there will be an EVOLVE title, as the producer was in his ear. Del Sol jumped on Generico’s back and hit a code red all in one motion for a good nearfall. Del Sol ran to the ropes and hit the rising sun, but Generico kicked out and the crowd gasped. Good grief! The crowd chanted for Del Sol as he went up top. The fans then chanted for Generico. Generico popped up and cut off Del Sol on the turnbuckles. Del Sol got on top of Generico for the rising sun, but Generico dropped him face-first onto the turnbuckle. Generico hit the Yokuza kick and the super brainbuster. Generico was slow to get up, but he crawled across the ring and covered Del Sol for the win.

Winner: El Generico

Star rating: (****) – This was a heck of a match, but the crowd didn’t get into until the end. It took a lot to get the fans into the action, but they were into the action down the stretch.

Generico helped Del Sol to his feet after the match. The fans applauded as Generico raised Del Sol’s hand after the match. Del Sol and Generico shook hands as Generico indicated they should team together in the future.

Overall thoughts: The crowd heat wasn’t great most of the night, as it seemed the fans didn’t want to invest fully in the action in the ring. The highlight of the undercard was the Davis heel turn after losing via count out to Johnny Gargano. The angle was really well done and Gargano took a huge powerbomb from the ring to the outside to sell Davis’s power.

Callihan got a nice ovation returning from his suspension to team with Sanchez to beat the Scene. They went right into Callihan’s scheduled match with Masada and Callihan appeared to get badly hurt early in the match. It looked like they called an audible and had Masada win via submission and it took Callihan a long time to be get to the back.

The three big matches all delivered. Super Smash Bros. & Rich Swann vs. The Gentleman’s Club got really good down the stretch and the action went by like a blur. Fox vs. Ricochet was really good as well and the finish with Ricochet winning and taunting Fox seems to indicate they will wrestle again. The main event between Generico and Del Sol was really good, but the crowd heat dragged it down a bit. Overall, I would give a recommendation for the replay for the last three matches, but hopefully EVOLVE can find a more passionate group of fans for their live events shortly.

***

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