Samuray Del Sol v. Jigsaw v. AR Fox v. Ricochet
The winner gets a shot at the Open the Freedom Gate Title later in the show. This was a fun opener and better than EVOLVE 12's opener. Lots of moves in this one. Everyone isolated Fox at first with two different slingshot moves and then Jigsaw hit a slingshot cover for a two-count. Ricochet's striking looked bad at times. Jigsaw and Del Sol had a great exchange with a wonderful rana by Jigsaw. Fox hit a bad looking DDT on Ricochet and all four guys were down. Del Sol hit his reverse rana on Fox but got caught in a German suplex by Jigsaw later as Ricochet hit a shooting star press on Jigsaw to break the pin up. Del Sol hit a 450 on Fox but couldn't keep him down as Fox hit his Lo Mein Pain flip move off the top for the win. Afterwards, Fox said he would take his momentum into his match later with Gargano and get the belt. It seems that after nearly every match Lenny Leonard comes in and interviews someone from the match. They're really trying hard to put over Fox but he does fit in with EVOLVE and DGUSA.
Adam Page v. Silas Young
This was short and all Young. Pretty much a squash towards Young. Page got next to no offense in and the finish was the ref stopping the match after Young was destroying him with strikes on the mat, so Young won. There's something about Young that I like but it might be because he stands out a little on the roster with his look.
Caleb Konley w/Johnny Fairplay and Amanda v. Kyle Matthews
Matthews looked like he has potential here. Konley was in control until Matthews hit his comeback with a tornado DDT. Konley won with a spinebuster into a submission. This picked up in the end but was nothing spectacular and I want to see more of Matthews.
Jake Manning v. Alex Reynolds
This match was not good for Reynolds as he looked awful and the math wasn't so good either. Early on, Reynolds would be in control and Manning would stop to read his handbook for advice and it worked the second time. This built to a Reynolds comeback, which was awful and he did a botched dive. Manning did hit a butterfly superplex but it wasn't enough as Reynolds hit a TKO stunner for the win. This matches had a couple botches and wasn't very good.
Jon Davis v. Low-Ki
This was a pretty good David v. Goliath match and was match of the night. Davis was the first guy in EVOLVE to be able to keep Ki down because of the size differential and that was the story of the match. Davis hit a few big moves like a buckle bomb but all it took was a couple strikes and a double stomp for Ki to gain control. This established Ki as very dangerous and all he needs are a couple well placed attacks and he can establish control. Ki tried for a handspring in the corner but Davis caught him with a spinebuster, which looked awesome and the crowd loved it. Davis tried for a powerbomb but Ki blocked it and hit a double stomp for a two-count. Ki kept trying for the Ki Crusher but Davis kept blocking it with his strength. Ki got hit with a huge pounce and he sold it by flying outside the ring and it made Davis look great. Davis then tried for a superplex but Ki kicked him down and he got stuck in the ropes and Ki hit his double stomp for the win. Pretty good match here and it seems like Ki always has a solid match in EVOLVE. Davis was put over well too. Afterwards, Ki put over Davis and said he was the first guy to go 4-0. He also said he wants an EVOLVE championship to be created as everyone deserves it. Ki didn't really look like a heel at all tonight as compared to last night at EVOLVE 12, which was good.
Mike Cruz v. Chuck Taylor w/Swamp Monster and Jake Manning
Taylor went in with the best record in EVOLVE and with some momentum from EVOLVE 12. This match was fast and fun and nothing to complain about. Taylor did two scoop slams and then purposely did a really slow slingshot press to mock Cruz but this fired him up. Taylor missed a moonsault and Cruz was able to hit his springboard blockbuster. Taylor regained control though as he locked in the half-crab but Cruz didn't tap out. Taylor went for the Awful Waffle piledriver but it was blocked and Cruz missed a swanton that set-up Taylor for a second Waffle attempt that won him the match. After the match, Taylor cut a serious promo about how he has the most wins in EVOLVE and how an EVOLVE championship would look great on his mantle at home in Kentucky. This was the most tolerable I've seen of Taylor tonight.
Sami Callihan v. El Generico
This was the longest match of the night and it was pretty solid. Callihan had control early on and brawled a little. He did two spots where he would beat down Generico outside and roll back in and let the ref start the twenty count. The first time, Generico got back in so Callihan tossed him out again and suplexed him into the timekeeper and Generico stayed out until 19. They went back and forth for the rest of the match with a lot of moves. Twice, Generico hit a running boot that was followed up by a bicycle kick by Callihan. Generico had several near falls and he couldn't finish Sami. Callihan hit the stretch muffler twice but couldn't make him tap. Generico countered the second one with a roll-up into a Michinoku Driver and then a suplex into a brainbuster for the win. It was good to see Generico finally get a win. Generico told Low-Ki that tonight he felt he was pretty good, to which Ki clapped for him until Callihan attacked Generico. Leonard kept yelling at Callihan that he couldn't do that and Sami started beating up some refs until Ki stopped him and they did a staredown.
Johnny Gargano v. AR Fox-Open the Freedom Gate Championship
This was a solid match and it was the best I've seen from Gargano. Johnny hit three consecutive suicide dives on Fox. Fox had a comeback and nailed his springboard ace crusher followed by a DVD into a swanton for a two-count. Lenny Leonard compared Fox winning to the Giants winning the Super Bowl, how they were 7-7 before Week 16 yet they ended up winning everything. There was a great exchange where they both missed dives, Gargano missed a kick, Fox nailed a kick, and hit a Shiranui on the apron. The crowd was really into Fox by this point and then he hit a springboard cannonball flip and a springboard 450 inside the ring. By now, both guys were tired and they started exchanging strikes. Fox hit a twisting brainbuster but later missed Lo Mein Pain. There was a fast exchange with quick counters that ended with Johnny locking in the Gargano Escape but Fox actually did escape. Both guys ended up on the top-rope and Fox hit a DVD into an Emerald Frosion but he couldn't finish Gargano off. He tried for a 450 but was met with a superkick into a Hertz Donut and a two-count for Gargano. Then, he put Fox in another Donut followed by the Gargano Escape for the win. They really put over Fox here in a solid match that was better than the last match. Gargano put over Fox saying he is the definition of a champion. He said he was happy to be able to fight in front of all the EVOLVE fans in North Carolina and he brought up a girl into the ring who wrote a paper on how Gargano was her hero. He told her she was special and put her over in a touching moment.
Overall, this was a solid show with a lot of entertaining stuff. Match quality wasn't as good as EVOLVE 12 and nothing besides the Ki/Davis match compared to Finlay/Davis match last night but it was still a good show. EVOLVE has been delivering with their last couple shows. Commentary was great, even with Ki and Taylor as guests at times. The feed and sound was good but it usually seems to be with WWN Live. One thing that is safe to say about EVOLVE is that they're always trying to put over new talent, which is good.
Check out more EVOLVE at EVOLVE/DGUSA
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Steve Viglio
Steve Viglio
@stevesgraps
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