wrestling / Video Reviews

From The Shelf- EVOLVE 1: Ibushi vs. Richards

July 25, 2013 | Posted by Dylan Diot
6.5
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
From The Shelf- EVOLVE 1: Ibushi vs. Richards  

EVOLVE 1: Ibushi vs. Richards
1-16-2010
Rahway, NJ

Your hosts are Lenny Leonard and Leonard F. Chikarason.

A woman comes in and tells Davey Richards she’s trying to film a documentary but Richards does not want them filming his, Tony Koniza, and Kyle O’Reilly’s training. Richards threatens to remove her by force but Kozina calms the situation.

A couple of wrestlers answer the question, “Why do I wrestle?”

Kyle O’Reilly w/Tony Kozina vs. Bobby Fish
Feeling out process to start and O’Reilly catches Fish with a hard forearm. Dropkick by Fish but O’Reilly comes back with an enzuigiri. He charges in the corner but misses and hits the post shoulder first. O’Reilly falls to the floor and Fish follows up with a slingshot summersault senton to the floor. Back in, Fish hits a corner forearm followed up by an exploder suplex. Fish goes up and hits the diving head butt for 2. O’Reilly throws some kicks and sweeps the legs of Fish. Neckbreaker by Fish and he goes for a suplex but O’Reilly escapes. Rolling butterfly suplexes into the double arm DDT by O’Reilly gets 2. Snap mare and O’Reilly kicks Fish in the back for 2. They trade kicks to the chest and Fish hits a reverse atomic drop. More kicks to the chest by Fish and he catches O’Reilly with the cross armbreaker but O’Reilly quickly goes to the ropes to break. They trade forearms and O’Reilly catches him with a Regalplex for 2. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Fish and he goes for a springboard moonsault but O’Reilly moves. They trade superkicks and O’Reilly catches Fish with the discus lariat. Corner forearm by O’Reilly follows up by a sick kick into the corner. Tornado DDT by O’Reilly and he goes for the Brainbuster but Fish blocks and hits the Falcon Arrow for 2. Powerbomb into the corner by Fish but O’Reilly comes back with the Tornado DDT. Brainbuster by O’Reilly gets 3.
Winner- Kyle O’Reilly ***1/4 ( This was a great match to show what the promotion was all about. Two young guys having a fierce, stiff battle to prove who’s the best. I great showcase for the future reDRagon and a great way to kick off the show. )

EVOLVE Qualifying Match- Chuck Taylor vs. Cheech
Winner of this match becomes a full time roster member. Taylor avoids the dropkick to start but Cheech trips him up and hits the Hilo for 2. Thesz press by Cheech and he chops the chest of Taylor. Sharpshooter by Cheech but Taylor goes to the ropes to break. Cheech charges in the corner but eats boot and Taylor hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Taylor gets 2. Headscissors by Taylor but Cheech gets his foot on the ropes to break. Overhead belly to belly suplex by Taylor and he hits a back senton for 2. Forearms by Taylor and he charges in the corner but eats elbow. Asai moonsault by Cheech gets 2. Dropkick by Taylor gets 2. He goes for the Awful Waffle but Cheech blocks with a knee lift. Roll-up by Cheech gets 2 and a backslide gets 2. Sunset flip gets 2 and a small package by Cheech gets 2. Cheech goes up and cartwheels over a charging Taylor. Superkicks by Cheech and he hits a basement dropkick followed up with a corner 619 for 2. Taylor drop toe holds Cheech into the corner and he hits an ekuza kick. Cheech spears Taylor into the corner and he goes for the Cradle suplex but Taylor counters into Sole Food. Back elbow in the corner followed by a DDT from Taylor gets 2. He goes for the half crab but Cheech blocks so Taylor gets the jackknife roll-up for 2. Taylor escapes a powerbomb attempt and hits the Awful Waffle for 3.
Winner- Chuck Taylor **1/2 ( There were a few awkward spots at times but this was a solid match that served its purpose of showcasing Taylor. )

After the match, Chuck Taylor says he thinks someone in the EVOLVE office doesn’t like him so he’s going to make his future opponents miserable.

Ricochet vs. Arik Cannon
Feeling out process to start and Ricochet hits a tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana sending Cannon to the floor. Handspring corkscrew press to the floor by Ricochet and back in, he goes up. He leaps but Cannon moves out of the way and he hits an exploder into the corner for 2. Ricochet blocks a suplex attempt and he gets a tilt-a-whirl small package for 2. Roll-up by Ricochet gets 2 and Cannon hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Flying knee by Ricochet but he walks into a huge punch from Cannon. Brainbuster by Cannon gets 2. Cannon charges in the corner but misses and Ricochet hits a corner 619. Tilt-a-whirl DDT is countered by Cannon into Total Anarchy for 2. Cannon blocks a headscissors attempt but Ricochet comes right back with the piledriver. Sick kick by Ricochet and he goes up. 630 Splash by Ricochet gets 3.
Winner- Ricochet ** ( These two didn’t seem to click at all. They had a four minute match full of moves but it had no flow to it. Disappointing since I like both guys. )

Chuck Taylor comes out after the match and claims he did not come here to EVOLVE but to create. He challenges Ricochet to a match at the next EVOLVE show. Ricochet accepts.

Silas Young tells Jimmy Jacobs about his personal life and Adam Cole comes in. He tells Jacobs his match is coming up in a few minutes but Jacobs mocks Cole instead.

Brad Allen writes “Mom” on his wrist tape.

Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Kory Chavis) vs. Aeroform (Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon)
Davis charges at Lyndon in the corner but eats elbow and Aeroform hits a double springboard dropkick. Double dropkick to Chavis gets 2. Corkscrew plancha to Davis on the floor by Kendrick and Lyndon hits the Sick Kick to Chavis for 2. Lariat by Chavis to Lyndon and the DCFC hit the Head Rush to Kendrick for 2. Corner clothesline by Chavis to Lyndon and they hit a legdrop/backbreaker combo for 2. The DCFC hammers the back of Lyndon and they hit a double hip toss to Lyndon for 2. Chavis charges in the corner but eats boot and Lyndon hits the enzuigiri. Crossbody off the top by Kendrick and he dropkicks Chavis into the corner. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors to Davis and Kendrick sweeps the legs. Standing moonsault senton by Kendrick gets 2. Lyndon low bridges Chavis sending him to the floor. He goes for the suicide dive but eats the knee of Davis. He goes for a brainbuster on the apron but Lyndon blocks and he springs off Davis’ back with a moonsault to the floor onto Chavis. Springboard tornado DDT to Davis by Kendrick and he goes up. Spiral Tap 540 by Kendrick gets 2 as Chavis saves. Chavis hits a sit-out spinebuster to Lyndon for 2. Pounce by Davis to Kendrick. Project Mayhem to Lyndon gets 3.
Winners- Dark City Fight Club ** ( This went way too long. I didn’t find a lot of what Aeroform did believable against two powerhouses like the Dark City Fight Club. This was better off being a squash, it did no favors to either team. )

Niya vs. Mercedes Martinez
Forearms by Martinez and she knocks Niya down with a chop. Kick to the back and chest by Martinez and she hits a corner forearm. Ekuza kick by Martinez and she hits rolling suplexes. Release German suplex by Martinez and she hits the Fisherman Buster for 3.
Winner- Mercedes Martinez DUD ( Now this was a squash. )

After the match, Martinez says women belong in EVOLVE as well. She wants better competition as she wants to evolve.

Brad Allen vs. Silas Young
They trade forearms to start and Young breaks it up with a knee to the gut. Allen dropkicks Young to the apron and a big boot knocks Young to the floor. Summersault plancha to the floor by Allen and back in, Allen hits a clothesline from the apron. Slingshot legdrop by Allen but Young catches him with a jawbreaker. Allen misses a springboard cross body and they trade chops. Clothesline by Allen and he hits a springboard corkscrew senton for 2. Knees to the head by Allen but Young rolls to the floor to escape. Hanging DDT to the floor by Young and back in, Young gets 2. Knee drop by Young gets 2. Forearms by Allen but Young comes back with a snap mare into the corner. Snap mare by Young into the basement lariat gets 2. Allen escapes the rolling fireman’s carry attempt and he catches Young with a neck breaker. Side Effect by Allen and he hits a Hilo for 2. Allen blocks a kick and flips Young onto the top rope. Young bails to the floor and Allen goes up. Asai moonsault by Allen and his face SPLATED onto the floor!!!! Allen makes it in before the twenty count and Young covers for 2. Young toys with Allen and he hits some rights. Back suplex backbreaker into a lariat by Young gets 2. Peejee Waja Plunge misses and Allen goes up. Corkscrew Crossbody off the top gets 2 for Allen and he hits some rights. Big boot by Young and he hits the rolling Fireman’s carry. He goes for the Peejee Waja Plunge again but Allen blocks and he converts a powerslam into a flatliner for 3.
Winner- Brad Allen **1/2 ( This was going along nicely before Allen’s scary splat on the floor. After that, the match fell apart and lost all the heat due to fear of Allen almost killing himself. )

After the match, Allen thanks the fans for giving him an opportunity and he says to EVOLVE he has to faced the best. He says he knows who is booked for EVOLVE’s next show and issues a challenge to Chris Hero.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ken Doane
Jacobs says he’ll die for all the fans who love him and says let the haters hate. He says Doane was given everything he received in the business and Jacobs says he scraped and clawed for everything. He promises to make Doane wish he was playing dress up in a cheerleading outfit again. Doane hammers away on Jacobs in the corner but Jacobs stomps away to come back. He goes for a suplex but Doane blocks so Jacobs gets a small package for 2. Jacobs rakes the face of Doane but Doane comes back with a hard right. Clothesline by Jacobs and he goes for the End Time but Doane goes to the ropes to break. Doane charges but Jacobs sidesteps him sending Doane crashing to the floor. Jacobs goes for the baseball slide but Doane puts him in the ring apron and he pounds away on a helpless Jacobs. Back in, Doane gets 2. He stomps the chest of Jacobs for 2. Rear chinlock by Doane and Jacobs starts to fight out so Doane slams him. Elbow drop misses and Jacobs hits a jawbreaker. Doane trips Jacobs up again and he hits a slingshot front elbow drop for 2. Rolling short arm clotheslines by Doane gets 2 and he goes back to the rear chinlock. Doane prevents every attempt Jacobs makes to escape but finally Jacobs fights out. Jacobs backdrops Doane to the apron and he backdrops Doane back in. Clothesline by Doane and he hits a slam. This fires Jacobs up and he hits some jabs. Spinning headscissors by Jacobs and he hits a clothesline. Doane charges but gets drop toe hold into the corner. Double stomps by Jacobs and he hits an elbow drop for 2. Spinebuster by Doane gets 2. Doane goes for the Ukuza kick but misses and Jacobs hits some shoulders to the gut in the corner. Hanging DDT by Jacobs gets 2. Doane blocks the Contra Code and hits the German suplex for 2. Doane goes up but Jacobs crotches him and follows up. Doane blocks a superplex attempt and he knocks him down with a head butt. Top rope legdrop by Doane gets 3 even though Jacobs’ foot was on the ropes. BUT WAIT!!! Tommy Dreamer comes out and tells the ref what happened so the ref restarts the match. End Time by Jacobs and Doane taps.
Winner- Jimmy Jacobs ** ( I did not like this match at all. Half the match took place in a chinlock, they didn’t mesh well together, and it has one of my pro wrestling pet peeves, the restart. The middle of the card has not set the tone well for EVOLVE. )

After the match, Tommy Dreamer thanks the fans for letting the wrestlers in the back live their dream and letting him continue to live his. Jacobs thanks Dreamer for advertising EVOLVE but he won’t thank Dreamer for helping him win his first EVOLVE match. He says he doesn’t need help from a guy like Dreamer and Jacobs says he used have followers who would do whatever he wanted and in EVOLVE he wants to do it alone. He asks Dreamer is he came to EVOLVE to get one more minute in the spotlight. Dreamer gets on the apron and Jacobs says there was a time he would attack Dreamer but in EVOLVE, he doesn’t want to get barred from EVOLVE. Jacobs tells Dreamer he doesn’t need his blessing as he’s on his way down while Jacobs is on his way up. Dreamer says he came here for free and says he’s only here to have fun so he attacks Jacobs. Jacobs goes low and he stomps away on Dreamer. Elbow drop by Jacobs but Dreamer comes back with a pump handle suplex. DDT by Dreamer leaves Jacobs lying. This segment was better than the previous match.

We see more preparations from Ibushi and Richards.

Ken Doane calls EVOLVE crap and he walks out of the building.

Chris Dickenson vs. Johnny Gargano
They trade chops and he charges in the corner but eats an enzuigiri. Snap mare by Dickenson and he hits some kicks to the back. Basement lariat by Dickenson and he throws some kicks to the chest, knocking Gargano to the apron. Slingshot spear by Gargano and he hits a running kick to the chest. Gargano blocks a backslide attempt and hits the Ace Crusher for 2. Inside cradle by Gargano gets 2 and he gets a crucifix for 2. Rear Octopus by Gargano but Dickenson powers up and hits the gutbuster to break. They trade forearms and Gargano spits in Dickenson’s face. Kick to the chest by Dickenson and he hits some forearms. Superkick by Gargano but Dickenson comes back with a lariat for 2. Gargano blocks a high kick and they trade counters until Gargano hits a double knee strike in the corner. Dickenson comes back with a Ukuza kick and he hits the Falcon Arrow for 2. Dickenson hits a springboard elbow drop for 2. Dickenson goes up and leaps but Gargano moves and he hits a swinging DDT. Lawn Dart into the corner by Gargano and he hits Hurt’s Donut for 3.
Winner- Johnny Gargano **1/4 ( Nice little sprint but it was all moves so you couldn’t get behind either guy for any particular reason. )

After the match, Gargano hugs Sean Davis and Larry Dallas who appear in the crowd. Sean Davis promises to give Gargano a good time.

TJP vs. Munenori Sawa
Feeling out process to start and TJP goes to the ropes to break it up. Release German suplex by Sawa but TJP comes back with a roll-up for 1 and they reach a standstill. Both men battle for control with neither man able to maintain that control. Kick to the chest in the corner by Sawa and they trade forearms. They trade kicks to the chest with Sawa winning that battle. Dragon screw leg sweep by Sawa and he fires away in the corner. Sawa misses a high kick in the corner and TJP goes for a suplex but Sawa counters into the Octopus but TJP makes the ropes to break. Head butts to the leg by Sawa and he begins to work over the leg. Kicks to the leg by Sawa and he hits an elbow drop. Shining Wizard misses and TJP hits a Northern lights suplex. Cross arm breaker by TJP but Sawa gets his foot on the ropes to break. Kicks to the shoulder by TJP and he hits a hammerlock suplex for 2. Small package by Sawa gets 2 and he hits a spin kick to the midsection. Hard right by Sawa but TJP comes back with a high kick. They both nail each other with high kicks and both men are down. They trade slaps and Sawa counters a German suplex attempt into the Heel Hook. TJP makes the ropes to break and Sawa hits another dragon screw leg sweep. Drop toe hold by TJP and he goes back to the cross arm breaker. Sawa gets his foot on the ropes to break again. Kicks to the chest by Sawa and he hits an enzuigiri. Flying knee strike by TJP and he hits another high kick. Neckbreaker by TJP gets 2 and he goes back to the Cross Arm Breaker. Sawa counters into a roll-up for 2. They trade shors and Sawa slaps away. Spinning enzuigiri by Sawa and he hits the Shining Wizard for 2. Hard right by Sawa and he goes back to the Octopus. TJP taps.
Winner- Munenori Sawa ***1/2 ( Now this is more like it. A great fight with both men focusing on a particular body part of the other and exchanging in a hard fought strike battle. Good stuff. )

Adam Cole says he went to Tommy Dreamer for advice since he’s the bottom guy on the roster. He says people will remember the name of Adam Cole.

Akuma’s Army (Gran Akuma, Icarus, and Brodie Lee) vs. Team Frightening (Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, and Frightmare)
Quack and Icarus start. Back elbow by Icarus but Quack comes back with a leg lariat. Double knee drop by Quack gets 2 and he grabs an abdominal stretch. Arm drag/headscissors combo to Icarus and Akuma and Frightmare tags in. Quack suplexes Icarus while Hallowicked gordbusters Frightmare on top for 2. Tag to Lee and he clears the ring of Frightmare. Hallowicked comes in and he hits a hurricanrana. Corner enzuigiri by Hallowicked gets 2. Tag to Frightmare and Akuma and Frightmare hits some ar drags. Akuma bails to the floor and Icarus comes in with a lariat. Suplex by Icarus and he rolls it into the butterfly. Frightmare escapes a slam attempt but Akuma nails him from behind allowing Icarus to hit the spear. Tag to Akuma and he blocks a wheelbarrow attempt. Hallowicked gets the sunset flip for 2 and Frightmare hits a leg lariat to the back. Knee to the head by Quack and Frightmare gets a victory roll for 2. Akuma presses Frightmare into a powerbomb from Lee for 2. Tag to Icarus and they hit a double suplex for 2. Fall-a-way slam by Icarus and Akuma tags in. Kicks to the chest by Akuma and Lee tags in. He puts Frightmare on top and he slaps Frightmare knocking him to the floor. Lee lifts him back into the ring and hits the TKO for 2. Tag to Icarus and he chokes Frightmare with his boot. He charges in the corner but misses and Frightmare hits a headscissors takeover. Akuma comes in and Frightmare shoves him into Lee. He leaps off Akuma’s back into a hurricanrana to Lee. Tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana by Frightmare gets 2 and Hallowicked tags in. He cleans house and hits Go To Sleepy Hallow to Icarus. Truck Stop by Lee gets 2 as Quack saves. He backdrops Lee to the floor and he hits the Black Tornado Slam to Icarus for 2 as Akuma saves. Gutbuster by Akuma to Frightmare gets 2. Slam by Akuma and he goes up. Hallowicked stops him and follows up. Akuma shoves him to the floor to block but Quack catches him with Venus. Frankensteiner by Quack and he goes up. Swanton bomb by Quack and Frightmare hits Kneecolepsy for 2 as Icarus saves. Chops by Quack but Icarus catches him with the Blu-Ray. Big boot by Hallowicked to Icarus but he walks into a big boot from Lee for 2 as Frightmare saves. Tilt-a-whirl DDT to Lee by Frightmare and he hits a summersault plancha to Akuma. Quack does the same to Lee. Hallowicked escapes the Blu-Ray attempt and hits the Rydeen Bomb for 3.
Winners- Team Frightning *** ( The first part of the match came off too phony and exhibition like but the second half of the match they picked up the pace and showed off the fun, exciting CHIKARA style. )

After the match, Quack says he was only 75% at best after recent back surgery but it got the job done. He wants a four way elimination tag match at the next EVOLVE show.

TJP is being comforted by the documentary chick in the back.

Kota Ibushi w/Michael Nakagawa vs. Davey Richards w/Kyle O’Reilly and Tony Kozina
They trade forearms to start and Davey hits a spinning heel kick forcing Ibushi to bail. Ibushi comes back in with a springboard dropkick to the back knocking Richards to the floor. Slingshot pescado to the floor by Ibushi and back in, he stomps away. They go to the apron and Ibushi chops away. Richards hits some kicks to the chest and gets an arm wringer takedown onto the apron. Back in, Richards stomps on the arm of Ibushi and he hits a hammerlock back suplex for 2. Bridging hammerlock by Richards and he hits a knee drop to the arm. Kick to the chest by Davey and he chops away. Another kick to the chest by Richards and he stomps on the elbow of Ibushi. Texas Cloverleaf by Richards and he releases for 1. Slam by Richards and he goes up. Ibushi stops him and follows up. Elbows to the shoulder by Richards and he hits a second rope Divorce Court. Fujiwara arm bar by Richards but Ibushi gets to the ropers to break. Forearms by Ibushi but Davey catches him with a spin kick to the gut. Arm bar by Richards but Ibushi goes to the ropes to break again. Kick to the head by Richards and he hits a snap suplex. Richards goes up but Ibushi catches him with the handspring Pele kick. They trade forearms on the apron and they both climb the ropes. Enzuigiri by Ibushi knocks Richards to the floor and he hits a springboard Asai moonsault to the floor!!!! Back in, Ibushi hits some kicks to the chest for 2. Slaps and kicks by Ibushi and he hits the standing moonsault for 2. They trade forearms and Richards charges in the corner but eats boot. He pulls Ibushi off the second rope into a kick to the chest and Richards goes up. Missile dropkick by Richards and he hits some kicks to the chest. Handspring enzuigiri by Richards gets 2. Cross Arm Breaker by Richards but Ibushi goes to the ropes to break. Ibushi blocks a Saito suplex attempt and Richards kicks him in the bad arm. He charges in the corner but eats boot but Richards catches him with an enzuigiri. Richards follows up and he hits a superplex. Big boot by Richards but Ibushi returns the favor. Kick to the head by Ibushi and he hits a German suplex for 2. Ibushi goes up for the moonsault but Richards moves so Ibushi catches him with the standing moonsault for 2. Sit-out powerbomb by Ibushi gets 2. Ibushi goes up but Richards stops him and follows up. Ibushi blocks a super back suplex attempt but Richards goes back up again. Super German suplex by Richards and he hits a corner forarm. Corner knee strike by Richards and he hits a Saito suplex for 2. Kick to the head by Richards gets 2 and he grabs the Kimura. Ibushi counters into a roll-up for 2. Richards charges in the corner but misses and Ibushi hits a kick to the head. Reverse hurricanrana by Ibushi but Richards comes back with a lariat!!! They trade slaps and Richards hits rapid kicks to the head. Rapid palm strikes by Ibushi but Richards comes back with the Alarm Clock. Lariat by Richards and he hits the DR Driver for 2!!! Slam by Richards and he goes up. Ibushi stops him and follows up. Head butts by Richards but Ibushi hits some of his own. He knocks Richards off the top and goes for the Phoenix Splash but misses. Richards sends Ibushi shoulder first into the post and he goes up. Missile dropkick to the shoulder by Richards and he goes up again. Shooting Star Press by Richards gets 2 and he grabs the Kimura. He turns Ibushi over and hits some forearms to the back of the head. Back to the Kimura and Ibushi taps!!!
Winner- Davey Richards ***3/4 ( A great main event but like a lot of Richards matches they reach a peak a tad earlier and then they just keep going which turned down the crowd heat for the finish. Also I felt there was a lack of drama in the finish so why the wrestling itself was excellent, it didn’t have the emotional investment most great matches have, so it falls a tad short of great. )

Brad Allen says tonight was bitter sweet as he was reminded of the car crash that killed his mother when he got a WWE contract. He says that she helped him tonight.

Johnny Gargano and Jimmy Jacobs leave with Sean Davis and Larry Dallas. Dallas tells Silas Young to come out with them but Young tells them it’s not his thing anymore. Davis and Jacobs convice Young to go with him. Young gets a phone call on his cell to end the DVD.

The 411: EVOLVE 1 was not a bad show for the most part. There were some very good matches that showcased some promise for the promotion. However, the thought the middle of the card was a drag, with some weird styles clashes and a bunch of short matches that didn't mean much in the long run. It was a solid show but it wasn't the blow-away debut I expected.
 
Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]  legend

article topics

Dylan Diot

Comments are closed.