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Evolve's 10th Anniversary Special was full of incredible action, insane high spots, brilliant technical wrestling, and some special heartfelt moments that kept the crowd fully involved throughout the night. From bell to bell, start to finish, those who saw the event witnessed one of the best wrestling shows to take place in 2019.
Those that weren't able to tune into the special last night missed some rather important moments for, not only Evolve but for WWE as a whole. For that reason alone, we're here to bring you five things you need to know from Evolve 131.
#5 AR Fox & Leon Ruff captured the Evolve Tag Team Championship
Eddie Kingston, Joey Gacy, and the rest of the Unwanted have been running amok in Evolve for some time now. Kingston and Gacy managed to dethrone the former Evolve Tag Champs, and new NXT Tag Team Champions, the Street Profits, back in March at Evolve 123.
Tonight, they planned on making an example out of their challengers and the rest of the Skulk, refusing to be embarrassed in their WWE Network debut. The hard-hitting duo spent a majority of the match pummeling the young Ruff into a paste, managing to keep Fox away from his partner for a while. However, their divide and conquer approach fell apart after a while, as Fox and Ruff took them off their game following some impressive high-flying manoeuvres.
Near the end of the match, Gacy set up a table on the outside of the ring, with Kingston looking to powerbomb Ruff through it from the top of the turnbuckle. However, AR Fox managed to stun Gacy outside, distracting Kingston long enough for Ruff to connect with the Ruff Ride from the top rope. Ruff then leapt onto Gacy, taking him through the table he'd set up earlier, as a 450 Splash dethroned the Unwanted.
Ruff & Fox celebrated with the rest of the Skulk in the middle of the ring, throwing a dance party as the Unwanted dragged themselves to the back.
#4 Catch Point reunites for the 10th Anniversary of Evolve
In the earlier years of Evolve, there was a group of highly technical mat-based performers known as Catch Point. While not necessarily the leader, Drew Gulak was the primary speaker for the group, while Riddle was one of four other men, including TJ Perkins, Tracy Williams, and Fred Yehi.
The group was focused on bringing their style of wrestling back into the limelight of the industry. In a time where high-flying spot fests had become the norm, these men were focused on proving just how important the basics were. And though the group has since dissolved, many of the members still feel this way.
Gulak, especially, has taken this thought process all the way to 205 Live, where he's the reigning Cruiserweight Champion. Riddle is currently in NXT and has been one of the most dangerous competitors in the roster thanks to his MMA based style and exceptional striking and ground game. Though we saw these two face off recently on NXT, we got a serious showcase out of them at Evolve 131.
It was a wrestling clinic, with the majority of the match based around the two men transitioning into different submission holds, the rest filled with some heavy hitting strikes. From start to finish, it was a technical masterpiece mixed in with some incredible feats of strength from the King of Bros and the Submission Specialist.
Riddle would end up pinning the Cruiserweight Champion following BroDerick. However, Gulak wasn't upset at the outcome, and motioned for a mic. He thanked Riddle for the contest, stating that it was always an honor, and was always ready whenever Riddle wanted to go at it again. The duo then hit the iconic Catch Point pose.
It was a great moment that not only highlighted the ability of both men, but served as a celebration of the history of Evolve.
#3 Johnny Gargano returns to Evolve
Adam Cole successfully defended his NXT Championship against the Stamina Monster, Akira Tozawa in the main event of Evolve 131. If you've seen Cole and Tozawa before, you knew, going into this that it was going to be incredible.
The former Cruiserweight Champion put up a valiant effort against the leader of the Undisputed Era. In fact, Tozawa took Cole to the limit, which led to him rolling outside for the title. Back in the Ring, he decided he'd had enough of Tozawa and attempted to disqualify himself with a belt shot. Before he could, though, his rival Johnny Gargano rushed the ring.
This distraction allowed Tozawa to level Cole with a huge spinning roundhouse kick. However, the Panama City Playboy managed to put his knees up, right as Tozawa leapt off the ropes for the Senton Splash. Following the Panama Sunrise and the Last Shot, Adam Cole walked out with the title still around his waist.
Gargano then jumped into the ring, demanding that he and Cole settle their differences in the ring right then and there. Cole decided against it, leaving up the ramp as Gargano and Tozawa stood in the middle of the ring. Gargano then took a mic, discussing the history of Evolve and how important this company has been to the likes of himself, Tozawa, Cole, and many NXT and WWE superstars of today.
It was a great way to end the 10th Anniversary special, as Gargano asked a question that's brought up at every Evolve event. And yes, we did enjoy the show.
#2 Austin Theory unifies the Evolve & WWN Championships
In what was a history-defining moment for Evolve, Evolve Champion Austin Theory battled the WWN Champion JD Drake in a unification match. Those that were unfamiliar with their work found themselves, more than likely, on the edge of their seats for two men who they became fans of overnight.
Theory and Drake were in the midst of a bitter rivalry, with Drake believing that nobody, especially his opponent at Evolve 131, has been through the harsh battles that he has. Depression and suicidal thoughts plagued him, and his dedication to this business saw him nearly lose his family. When he captured the WWN Championship, it was one of the greatest moments of his life, and he felt that he'd become a champion of the people.
Theory, however, doesn't feel he has what it takes to represent a company, as his hard work didn't exactly show through his physique. At Evolve 131, Theory looked to ruin the run of the Blue-collar Badass.
These two men came out swinging from the get-go, with Theory looking for Ataxia early, as well as Drake attempting the Drill Bit. It was an incredible title bout, which saw both champions going tit-for-tat with each other, counter for counter. Drake's resilience shone through, as he took some incredible hits, including a rolling blockbuster, but always managed to cut off Theory's aggressive offence with some massive right hands. He was even able to avoid Ataxia a total of three times throughout the match.
However, the Real Superstar, Austin Theory, withstood Drake's Drill Bit, and would finally connect with Ataxia to unify both titles. It doesn't seem that the WWN Championship will be around, however, as Theory dropped it to the floor and stepped on it, ruining the legacy of the title.
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#1 Paul Heyman returned to the former ECW Arena
The 2300 Arena was best known as the home to ECW from 1993-2001. Fans of the hardcore promotion saw gallons of blood, sweat and tears poured out in the ring in this legendary Philly venue, all thanks to the extreme superstars that put their bodies on the line every night and Paul Heyman for giving them the opportunity to do so.
Though the company closed in 2001, the arena has always been known as the ECW Arena to most wrestling fans. So when the lights went out before the Unification match between Evolve Champion Austin Theory and WWN Champion JD Drake, the advocate for Brock Lesnar made his way down to the ring.
After the lights came back on, the crowd erupted, chanting "ECW" and thanking Heyman. The new head of Monday Night Raw's creative team cut an emotional promo, thanking the fans for all the support they'd given him, ECW, and now Evolve.
He delved into the importance of Evolve 131 and stated that five years from now, fans around the world would be looking back at this night, and this match, knowing that this was when professional wrestling truly "Evolved."
As expected, his introductions of Austin Theory and JD Drake were incredible. If there's someone you want to introduce yourself in a match, it's Paul Heyman.
