After a Saturday night in Queens, EVOLVE will conclude it’s weekend double shot Sunday night in Brooklyn. The feature attraction will be the main event. Matt Riddle and Drew Galloway will do their best to maim each other in what should be an epic I Quit Match. Zack Sabre Jr. will defend his EVOLVE Championship for the third time against Lio Rush. Other fights of note pit Kyle O’Reilly against EVOLVE Tag Team Champion Fred Yehi and Darby Allin vs. Keith Lee.
EVOLVE 83
April 23, 2017
Saint Finbar Catholic Church Gym,
Brooklyn, New York
Watch: FloSlam.tv
Ethan Page vs. Austin Theory
A seminal piece of Ethan Page’s bully crusade is berating the younger talent in the company. He did just that at EVOLVE 80 after defeating newcomer Austin Theory. The youngster slunk away that night but showed some moxie the next day. Along with Priscilla Kelly, he helped negate the influence of the Gatekeepers during Page’s wild brawl with Darby Allin. “All Ego” will either get a measure of revenge here or will suffer a fluke defeat to transition him into another program. I’d bet on the former happening instead of the latter.
Prediction: Ethan Page
ACH vs. Jaka
This match seems like another placeholder win for ACH while he regains some momentum heading into the summer months. Jaka’s undercard bouts in EVOLVE have been of high quality and often go under the radar. These two should put together a fun little contest with the limited time I assume they will get.
Prediction: ACH
Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin
As odd as this may sound, no one is better suited to face each other on right now than Keith Lee and Darby Allin. On paper, they seem to compliment each other so well. Lee’s array of suplexes, slams, and stiff punches are among the most impressive on the indies today. Allin’s apparent lack of regard for his body has made him the best up and coming bumper in wrestling today. Put these two together, and there is potential for as entertaining an ass kicking as will be seen all weekend. Honestly, I can’t wait to see Darby take the Energy Bomb; it will be a glorious sight to behold.
Prediction: Keith Lee
Fred Yehi vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Like Lee & Allin, Yehi and former ROH World Champion Kyle O’Reilly seem like a match made in heaven. Both men are renowned grapplers with a mean striking game thrown in for good measure. After getting an important submission victory over Matt Riddle at EVOLVE 81, Yehi will be looking to knock a second consecutive big name opponent. Defeating O’Reilly would be the biggest victory of his career. The safe bet would be to select the “Violent Artist”, but I think this is a good chance to catapult Yehi into the upper echelons of the roster. Especially since O’Reilly is likely on a short run with the EVOLVE as a special attraction.
Prediction: Fred Yehi
EVOLVE Championship Match: Lio Rush vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (c)
Rush requested that his previously scheduled contest with ZSJ be for the EVOLVE Championship after a standout effort in Orlando. This is a good opportunity for Rush. He gets a chance to show that he can hang with one of the hottest wrestlers in the world early in his EVOLVE tenure. For ZSJ, it is nice undercard title defense and a novel encounter. The champion rarely faces high flyers, at least in Gabeland, and I’m interested to see what crazy holds he will break out to keep Rush grounded.
Prediction: Zack Sabre Jr.
I Quit Match: Drew Galloway vs. Matt Riddle
The highly personal war between newly crowned WWN Champion, Matt Riddle, and Drew Galloway has already produced two excellent matches. Riddle won round one with a controversial TKO victory. Galloway took round two with a defintive pounding that saw him piledrive Riddle from the ring arpon to the floor. The blowoff will happen this Sunday in Galloway’s final EVOLVE appearance. When Galloway first showed in the company it seemed like a head scratching move. However, his undderated feud with Roderick Strong and intensity quickly made him a crowd favortie. Now Galloway returns to New York after being an intergral part of EVOVLE for the last few years. He will be missed, but I am certain he will go out with one last intesne, violent, and chaotic brawl to help further establish Riddle as one of the guys in the company going forward.
Prediction: Matt Riddle
