Heath Slater ended draft night going unpicked and had the lights turned off on him while he was in the locker room afterwards. Following the Draft, WWE sent out a tweet hinting that Slater would be going to Evolve, in a bid to prove himself.
Although Slater has been treated as a jobber by the WWE for a while, he is no slouch in the ring and is a legit former Golden Gloves champion.
Slater would go to EVOLVE and start off with a clean slate while mixing it up in the ring with some of the hottest independent wrestlers in the United States. In this article, I look at some of the wrestlers who Heath could face in the squared circle when he debuts for EVOLVE.
#5 Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak is the leader of EVOLVE’s submission-based-wrestling stable Catch Point and is himself one of the top wrestlers in the promotion. Gulak is a former EVOLVE tag-team champion and a former Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion at DDT Pro Wrestling in Japan. He’s also won a number of championships at CZW.
Gulak is currently competing in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic where he’ll be looking to catch the eye of WWE management for a future deal. Heath Slater is someone who he could face in EVOLVE in a match that would benefit both of them.
From Slater’s point of view, his match with Gulak could be a great way to start his bid for a comeback to WWE. For Gulak, WWE management could use the match to gauge how ready Drew Gulak is for the big time.
#4 Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle is a former MMA fighter who competed in the UFC for six years. In 2015 he attended a WWE tryout, following which WWE got him signed to EVOLVE in a bid to help him gain more experience in professional wrestling.
Riddle was out of his depth at the beginning, having to compete against seasoned veterans, but has developed really fast since his pro wrestling debut. Quite a few wrestlers from EVOLVE have signed with WWE in the past, but Riddle is the only one that EVOLVE have signed on WWE request.
It seems that Riddle has been earmarked by WWE as a future star who’s in EVOLVE to hone his skills. A match against Heath Slater would be a great way for WWE to gauge how far Riddle has come. For his time, Heath Slater would face one of the up and coming stars on EVOLVE’s roster.
#3 TJ Perkins
TJ Perkins set the Cruiserweight Classic on fire in his first round match against Da Mack. He is also one of EVOLVE’s top talents and one of the best cruiserweight wrestlers in the world. He has a variety of high-flying moves in his arsenal and oozes charisma.
TJ Perkins has to be on the top of Heath Slater’s list of potential opponents if he really is serious about making a name for himself outside WWE.
A match with TJ Perkins will both give Heath Slater time in the ring with one of the best out there and someone who can make him look really good but it will also give TJ Perkins time in the ring with a WWE Superstar as he bids to earn a full-time contract with the WWE.
#2 Timothy Thatcher
Timothy Thatcher is a wrestler who’s at the top of his game right now. He had an excellent 2015 and at one point held both the EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate Championships. His form has continued his form into this year and is now one of the faces of EVOLVE wrestling.
Thatcher’s style is a mix of stiff strikes and technical wrestling and he’s the current and longest reigning EVOLVE Champion. If Heath Slater has a point to prove, he’ll have to face the best that EVOLVE has to offer.
#1 EC III
EC III is the biggest star that TNA wrestling have right now but something that most fans won’t remember is that TNA’s golden boy appeared in WWE programming as Derrick Bateman. EC III is someone that WWE definitely shouldn’t have let out of their grasp and he’s proved it week after week on TNA.
With EC III now doing EVOLVE dates in addition to his time in TNA, how can Heath Slater not challenge the former TNA Champion in what will be a WWE vs TNA match on an EVOLVE show.
This is a unique match that WWE and Slater must take advantage of. If Heath Slater want to prove himself to WWE management, what better than by beating the former 2-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion?
