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COMPLETE EVOLVE 19 COVERAGE: THE FIRST EVOLVE CHAMPION IS CROWNED, THE YOUNG BUCKS AND SUPER SMASH BROTHERS TEAR IT UP, THE GENTLEMEN'S CLUB GETS SERIOUS, AND MORE

By Stuart Carapola on 2013-04-05 18:56:17

WWNLive.com iPPV

Welcome to PWInsider.com's live coverage of EVOLVE 19, featuring the tournament to crown the first EVOLVE Champion! You can find information on ordering the iPPV by clicking on the poster above.

The iPPV is starting late due to a technical issue with the building's internet connection, so Rich Swann comes out to the ring with his opponents for the four way, first round tournament match and asks the crowd if they're ready for Wrestlecon. He gets the crowd fired up and asks if they're ready to party all night long because he's ready to go. He starts leading the crowd in song and gets them clapping along, but then Lenny Leonard gets on the house mic and says that what the fans really want to see is some wrestling, so it looks like we're ready to get the tournament started!

EVOLVE Title Tournament First Round: Sami Callihan vs Rich Swann vs Samuray Del Sol vs Jigsaw

All four men are going all out as the match starts, and within a minute they all take turns taking each other out with dives to the floor. They all slowly make their way back into the ring and charge into a gigantic collision in the middle of the ring, with Swann and Del Sol going down and leaving Jigsaw and Callihan alone to trade chops in the middle of the ring. Jigsaw catches callihan with a boot and a flying headscissors, but runs into Callihan's boot on a charge. Jigsaw sweeps Callihan's legs and double stomps him for 2. Del Sol is in and gets backdropped out to the floor, but nails Jigsaw with a leaping enziguiri and a springboard, corkscrew armdrag. Now Swann is in and has a fast paced back and forth with Del Sol, who springboard headscissors Swann and they wind up at a stalemate. Callihan takes them both out with a double clothesline and then counters a leapfrog by Jigsaw to a Death Valley Driver. Callihan flattens Jigsaw with a springboard lariat that sends him out to the floor, and Callihan follows him out with a dive. He's up, but falls victim to a twisting senton by Rich Swann. Del Sol is alone in the ring, he catches himself when the opponents on the floor try to dodge his dive, but he catches them on the second pass and all four men are down. Calihan is in and covers Del Sol for 2, but Del Sol catches Callihan with a sole butt, Callihan responds with a leaping enziguiri, then hangs Del Sol from the Tree of Woe, sits Swann on top of him on the top rope, bicycle kicks Jigsaw off the top of the opposite corner, tries to superplex Swann, but Del Sol sits up and German suplexes Callihan, superplexing Swann in the process, and Jigsaw nails Del Sol with a coast to coast and tries pinfalls on all three opponents, but can't get a pinfall on anyone. Swann gets a handspring Ace Crusher and a DDT for 2 on Jigsaw, then goes at it with Del Sol before blocking a hard kick from Callihan. Swann tries a handspring move but Callihan catches him in midair and dumps him on his head with a backdrop suplex. Callihan gets a series of bicycle kicks on Swann in the corner, but Swann superkicks his teeth down his throat and gets a flying headscissors for 2. Del Sol comes in and trades forearms with Swann, then takes him out with an unassited Sliced Bread #2 for 2. Jigsaw is in and counters a springboard move from Del Sol to a German suplex for 2. Jigsaw gets ready to put Del Sol away with a superkick, but Callihan superkicks him, Swann superkicks Callihan, Del Sol superkicks Swann and hits the Rising Sun for 2. Del Sol with an inverted Frankensteiner on Callihan and then he goes to the apron for a springboard move, but Callihan catches Del Sol and traps him in the stretch muffler and Del Sol taps.

Winner: Sami Callihan

Hell of an opening match, they went a lot harder than you would have expected given that Callihan at least has to come back later in the night.

Lenny Leonard gets in the ring and introduces the newest signee to the WWNLive family, Tony Nese. Nese comes out in a fancy suit and says what you can do in the ring doesn't matter worth a damn, because it's all about building your brand and shaking hands. Starting this weekend, Nese is going to build a clear path to the top of EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA because the Premiere Athlete brand is here, so we should get used to it.

EVOLVE Title Tournament First Round: Jon Davis vs AR Fox

For the record, in my preview I picked the winner of this match to take the whole thing. Davis is just hunkering down in his corner and waiting for Fox to come to him. He waits for Fox to let his guard down and charges him, Fox tries to use his speed to duck around Davis and has some success, getting a twisting Stunner and a leaping enziguiri. Davis slumps onto the ropes and Fox catches him with a vertical drop and a dropkick that sends Davis out to the floor. Fox takes Davis out with a pair of dives through the ropes, then a third, somersault dive over the top rope. The crowd is going nuts for Fox as Davis rolls back inside, but Davis shuts that down pretty quickly as he catches Fox trying a springboard move and nearly drives him through the mat with a spinebuster. Now Davis is using his power to his advantage, repeatedly slamming Fox to the mat and then dumping him out to the floor. Fox lays in a couple of hard shots, rams Fox's back into the ring apron, and goes for a bicycle kick. Fox dodges and Davis gets his leg caught on the apron, giving Fox an opening to lay in a barrage of shots. Fox makes the ill-advised decision to take a charge at Fox and gets hiptossed right onto the ring apron with a sickening thwack. Now Davis is laying in the punishment to Fox's back with kicks and then dumps him onto the barricade. They head back inside where Davis lays in some clubbing blows to the back of Fox, then hits a neckbreaker for 2. Fox fires back with a series of forearms, but Davis easily shrugs it off, powers Fox up, and drills him into the corner with a buckle bomb for 2. Davis drags Fox to the apron so he's slung over the side and hammers down hard forearms to his chest. Davis tries to press slam Fox into the ring, Fox lands on the apron and tries a springboard, but Davis grabs his ankle and yanks him to the floor. They go back to the apron and Davis goozles Fox, but Fox blocks the chokeslam and DDTs Davis instead. Fox springboards onto Davis with a somersault dive to the floor, then goes back to the top rope as Davis rolls into the ring and tries a Swanton, but Davis gets the knees up and then drills Fox with a running kneestrike for 2. Fox counters Three Seconds Around The World to a flying headscissors, hits an Ace Crusher, and tries a springboard Ace Crusher, but Davis blocks and hits a wheelbarrow suplex, then hits Three Seconds Around The World, but Fox kicks out at 2. Davis brings a table out from under the ring and sets it up in the entranceway, then comes back inside and stalks Fox slowly before drilling him with a big right hand. Davis goes for the Awesome Bomb, but the referee pulls Fox down and stops Davis from completing the dastardly plan. Fox ducks a clothesline and Davis flattens the referee, getting a round of cheers that makes it appear that he's suddenly become the most popular man in the building. One person he apparently didn't become popular with is the referee, who calls for the DQ.

Winner: AR Fox by DQ

Davis is understandably upset at this turn of events since the referee was in the way and he didn't hit him intentionally, and picks the referee up to powerbomb him through the table. Another referee comes in and tells Davis that he'll be suspended for the rest of the weekend if he does that, and Davis says that if this is the way things are going to be, he's going to wreak havoc for the rest of the weekend.

Brian Kendrick & Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano vs Drew Gulak & Orange Cassidy

Cassidy tries to wake himself up as he slowly circles an incredulous Gargano. They tie up and Cassidy falls asleep, so Gargano goes for a quick cover and Cassidy kicks out at 2. Cassidy staggers into Gargano for a weak shoulderblock, then gets a side headlock and falls into Gargano with another weak shoulderblock. He tells Gargano to hit the ropes and goes for a couple of wild swings, but Gargano knows they're coming and manages to avoid them. Gulak tags in and asks for Kendrick, then plays mind games by ducking around Kendrick's shots and then nailing him from behind when Cassidy distracts him. Cassidy, Gulak, and the Swamp Monster triple team Kendrick to no apparent repercussions from the referee, so Kendrick gets a microphone and tells Gulak and Cassidy to stop wasting his time and to hit him in his face. The Gentlemen's Club fires up and beat Kendrick down, but whip him into his own corner and he tags Gargano in. Gargano ducks down and sends Cassidy out to the floor, then nails Gulak with a kick to the head and a spear through the ropes before charging across the ring and wiping Cassidy out with a dive through the ropes. Gargano springboard back inside with a DDT on Gulak for 2, Gulak gets a chinbreaker and nails Gargano with a clothesline, then takes a swing at Kendrick before tagging Cassidy in. Cassidy slams Gargano and then stumbles off the ropes into a cover on Gargano for 2. Gulak comes in and slams Gargano onto the ropes for 2, then Cassidy comes in with what can only be described as a passing-out headbutt to Gargano for 2. Gargano gets away from the Gentleman's Club and tags in Kendrick, who cleans house on both Cassidy and Gulak. Kendrick whips Gulak into Cassidy and then gives Gulak an FU, then picks Cassidy up in a Torture Rack, Gargano superkicks Cassidy in the head, and Kendrick hits a Burning Hammer for 2. Gargano gets a charging clothesline in the corner, then takes Gulak out as Kendrick hits a frogsplash for 2. Kendrick puts Cassidy on the top rope, but Cassidy fights him off and then nearly kills himself diving onto Gargano on the floor. Cassidy goes back up top for a passing-out top rope splash for 2, Gulak suplexes Kendrick into the corner for 2, Gargano comes in to try and make the save but gets dumped right back out to the floor. Kendrick slips out of a double suplex attempt, Gargano comes in and takes both men out with a DDT/Flatliner combo, but charges Cassidy in the corner and eats Cassidy's boots. Cassidy hits a top rope DDT and then Gulak German suplexes Gargano. Cassidy hits a Michinoku Driver on Kendrick for 2, gets the head vice, but Gargano superkicks Cassidy in the face and then lawn darts him onto the second turnbuckle. Gargano charges Cassidy and gets the orange mist in the face, then Gulak comes in and chokeslams Gargano into a backbreaker. Kendrick comes in and goes after Gulak, Gulak gets a backslide for 2 and then a victory roll for 2, the Swamp Monster has Kendrick from the outside, but Gargano takes him out with a dropkick. Cassidy charges Gargano and gets dropkicked out to the apron, and Gargano takes both him and the Swamp Monster out with a somersault dive. Kendrick hits Gulak with Sliced Bread #2, and that's all she wrote.

Winners: Johnny Gargano & Brian Kendrick

This was a LOT better than I expected it to be, this is the best Gulak and Cassidy have looked since they've come to the company and there was more than one point where it looked like they could have won. I liked how Kendrick's tongue lashing brought the intensity out of them, hopefully this is the start of a new direction for them.

The semifinals of the tournament are up next on Page 2!


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