Evolve (professional wrestling)

Last updated

Evolve
Industry Professional wrestling
Founded2010
Founders Gabe Sapolsky
Sal Hamaoui
DefunctJuly 2, 2020
FateAssets purchased by WWE
Headquarters Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Evolve Wrestling (stylized as EVOLVE) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky. [1]

Contents

The company featured a roster of wrestlers from all over America, as well as several competitors from Japan. The promotion had a close working relationship with sister promotion Dragon Gate USA until Dragon Gate USA's closure in August 2015.

In 2015, Evolve formed a relationship with WWE, allowing WWE to scout Evolve talent and potentially sign them. [2] On July 2, 2020, Evolve was officially purchased by WWE. [3]

History

In 2009, Gabe Sapolsky announced a new wrestling promotion via some viral videos featuring one of the company's competitors, Jimmy Jacobs. After this more videos were produced promoting more performers, as well as featuring blogs written by the wrestlers about their feelings regarding the company. The first show, Evolve 1: Richards vs. Ibushi, was held on January 16, 2010, in Rahway, New Jersey at the Rahway Recreational Center. [4]

During interviews with wrestling newsletter Figure 4 Weekly on its radio show, Sapolsky told editor Bryan Alvarez that Evolve would have stronger emphasis on rules and would not limit anyone based on their own respective style of wrestling in favor of showcasing the talent's individual strengths and covering up their weaknesses. [5] On January 29, 2010, Sapolsky announced that Evolve would no longer be booking Davey Richards as he had signed a new contract with Ring of Honor. [6]

The concept of the promotion was initially an emphasis on the wrestlers' win–loss records. They divided the company into two divisions: singles wrestlers and tag teams. As per the website, some wrestlers would need to earn their way onto the roster by winning a qualifying match, but that since has been dropped. [7]

On November 25, 2011, Evolve and Dragon Gate USA announced the unification of the two promotions. Evolve and Dragon Gate USA will still promote separate events, but the two share rosters, including stables, and Evolve recognizes Dragon Gate USA's Open the Freedom Gate Championship and Open the United Gate Championship as its top two championships. [8]

In February 2013, Evolve announced that they would be holding a tournament to crown the first Evolve Champion as they were eliminating the records system at that time. The tournament was held in Secaucus, New Jersey, at WrestleCon in April 2013. Evolve used the records of the talent to determine the seedings in the tournament; the top two were Chuck Taylor (10–5) and Ricochet (5–2), and both received byes into the second round. On April 5, A. R. Fox defeated Sami Callihan in the final to become the inaugural champion. On September 18, 2013, Vito LoGrasso announced that his new Wrestling School signed an agreement to be the Development Center for Evolve. [9]

In November 2014, Evolve, along with Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Shine Wrestling, all under the WWNLive banner, held a tour of China. [10] The following month, WWNLive announced a long-term deal with Great-Wall International Sports Management for regular tours of Asia, starting in the spring of 2015. [11]

In 2015, WWNLive opened a training facility in Trinity, Florida named "World Wrestling Network Academy", which Evolve shares with DGUSA, FIP and Shine. [12]

During 2015, Evolve entered a relationship with WWE. Evolve's wrestlers were featured on WWE.com, [13] while NXT wrestlers Sami Zayn, Chad Gable and Jason Jordan took part in Evolve events in non-wrestling roles. [14] [15] In January 2016, NXT General Manager William Regal and WWE COO Triple H attended Evolve 54. [16] As part of the relationship, it was announced in March 2016 that Evolve would hold qualifying matches for WWE's Cruiserweight Classic. [17]

On April 1 and 2, 2016, Evolve held shows at Eddie Deen's Ranch in the build-up to WrestleMania 32. [18]

On October 24, 2016, WWNLive and FloSports announced a new streaming service, which would host events held by the WWNLive promotions, including Evolve. [19]

Evolve was the subject of the Viceland documentary, The Wrestlers, Episode 1. [20]

On July 13, 2019, Evolve held its 10th Anniversary Celebration, an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Dragon Gate USA's founding. The event was streamed on the WWE Network. This marked the first Evolve event and the first independent wrestling event to air on the WWE Network. [21]

On July 2, 2020, it was announced that after months of negotiation, the WWE had purchased Evolve Wrestling, giving them full rights to the name and video library. [22]

Championships

ChampionshipLast champion(s)Date retiredLocationNotes
Evolve Championship Josh Briggs July 2, 2020 New York City, NY Defeated Austin Theory at Evolve 139
Evolve Tag Team Championship The Besties in the World
(Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett)		July 2, 2020 Chicago, IL Defeated A. R. Fox and Leon Ruff at Evolve 142
WWN Championship Austin Theory July 13, 2019 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Defeated JD Drake in a Title Unification match, with Theory's Evolve Championship also on the line, at Evolve 131
Open the Freedom Gate Championship Timothy Thatcher August 15, 2015 Woodside, Queens Defeated Drew Galloway at Evolve 45 . Thatcher handed the title to Johnny Gargano, rendering it vacant and inactive [23]
Open the United Gate Championship Ronin
(Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann)		May 30, 2015 Woodside, Queens Defeated Premier Athlete Brand (Anthony Nese and Caleb Konley) at Evolve 42 . Gargano vacated and retired the titles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabe Sapolsky</span> American wrestling executive

Gabriel Sapolsky is an American professional wrestling promoter, creative writer, and booker who currently works for WWE. Sapolsky has also held various creative and marketing positions in the professional wrestling industry, notably as Paul Heyman's personal assistant with Extreme Championship Wrestling, the co-founder and head of talent relations (booker) at Ring of Honor, the vice-president of Dragon Gate USA, vice-president of talent relations, creative and marketing of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) and creative writer (booker) and founder of EVOLVE. Sapolsky also worked in a booking capacity for various other promotions including Full Impact Pro and Style Battle, as well as for special events like the WWN Supershow and the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Impact Pro</span> American professional wrestling promotion

Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the Vice President of FIP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akira Tozawa</span> Japanese professional wrestler

Akira Tozawa is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is a member of Alpha Academy. He is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and WWE 24/7 Champion, winning the latter title 16 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricochet (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1988)

Trevor Dean Mann is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Ricochet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon Gate USA</span> American professional wrestling promotion

Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate. Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, served as the promotion's Vice President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open the Freedom Gate Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The Open the Freedom Gate Championship was the major title in the promotion Dragon Gate USA. The first holder of the title was crowned following a 14-man tournament held at DGUSA Freedom Fight on November 28, 2009. The title was recognized by Dragon Gate USA's parent promotion, Dragon Gate, and it has been defended at a Dragon Gate show in Japan. The title was also recognized by the Evolve promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Beretta</span> American professional wrestler

Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo, better known by the ring name Trent Beretta, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Best Friends stable. He is also known for his time with WWE as Trent Barreta and New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor under the ring name Beretta. As part of Roppongi Vice alongside Rocky Romero, Beretta is a former four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He is also known for his tenures with Pro Wrestling Guerilla and various independent promotions.

Mercury Rising is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event currently produced by the World Wrestling Network (WWN) under the name WWNLive Supershow: Mercury Rising. The event takes place during WrestleMania weekend, at a venue in the same metropolitan area the WrestleMania is held, and features talent from WWN's affiliate promotions, including EVOLVE, Full Impact Pro and SHINE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Gargano</span> American professional wrestler

John Anthony Nicholas Gargano is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Gargano is best known for his time in NXT, where he became the first-ever NXT Triple Crown winner by winning the NXT Championship once, the NXT North American Championship for a record three times, and the NXT Tag Team Championship once. His popularity in NXT led him to be nicknamed "The Heart and Soul of NXT".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open the United Gate Championship</span> Professional wrestling tag team championship

The DGUSA Open the United Gate Championship was a tag team championship within the Dragon Gate USA promotion. The first champions were World–1 and were crowned at United: Finale in the tournament final, which was held in Union City, New Jersey. It aired on March 11, 2011 on pay-per-view tape delay entitled United We Stand. The title is also recognized by Dragon Gate USA's parent promotion, Dragon Gate, and it has been defended at a Dragon Gate show in Japan. The title is also recognized by the Evolve promotion. On May 30, 2015, Gargano retired the titles after a title defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalisto (wrestler)</span> Mexican-American professional wrestler

Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, currently performing under the ring name Samuray Del Sol. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Kalisto, as a member of both the Lucha Dragons and Lucha House Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AR Fox</span> American professional wrestler

Thomas James "T.J" Ballester, better known by his ring name AR Fox, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is also known for his work in promotions like Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA, and Evolve. Fox has also worked for Dragon Gate in Japan, Full Impact Pro (FIP), where he won the 2011 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). He currently serves as the head trainer of the WWA4 wrestling school in Atlanta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo Crews</span> Nigerian-American professional wrestler

Sesugh Uhaa is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Apollo Crews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Swann</span> American professional wrestler

Richard Anthony Swann is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Champion. He also wrestles for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he is the current CZW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolve Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The Evolve Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the Evolve promotion. The inaugural champion was crowned on April 5, 2013, when A. R. Fox defeated Sami Callihan in the finals of an eight-man tournament.

Jason Marc Ayers is an American professional wrestling referee. He is working for WWE refereeing matches on WWE SmackDown. He also produces NXT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolve Tag Team Championship</span> Professional wrestling tag team championship

The Evolve Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Evolve promotion. The inaugural champions were crowned on January 24, 2016, at the end of an eight-team tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWNLive</span> Professional wrestling promotion and online streaming website

The World Wrestling Network is an American professional wrestling organization known for and branded after its video streaming service, WWNLive. WWNLive hosts content both from WWN's "brands", including Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Shine Wrestling, as well as content from third-party organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolve 131</span> 2019 Evolve and WWE Network event

Evolve 131, also known as Evolve's 10th Anniversary Celebration, was a professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by the American promotion Evolve in partnership with WWE. The event aired on the WWE Network, making it the first Evolve show and the first independent wrestling show to broadcast live on the platform. It took place on July 13, 2019, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show featured current Evolve wrestlers and alumni, as well as wrestlers from WWE's NXT and 205 Live brand divisions.

Chance Barrow is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs for the NXT brand under the ring name Andre Chase, is the leader of Chase University and is a former one-time NXT Tag Team Champion with Duke Hudson. He was previously known by the ring name Harlem Bravado where he teamed with his brother Lance Bravado working for Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Noah as the Bravado Brothers.

References

  1. ↑ "Self-Chosen: The EVOLVE Championship Reign of Drew Galloway". August 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "WWE RELATIONSHIP LEADS TO CHANGES WITHIN EVOLVE AND MORE NEWS | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  3. ↑ "WWE ACQUIRES EVOLVE WRESTLING, COMPLETE DETAILS". PW Insider. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Schedule". Evolve Wrestling. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  5. ↑ Alvarez, Bryan (January 14, 2009). "Jan. 13 Figure Four Daily: Gabe Sapolsky on DGUSA, new EVOLVE promotion, ROH memories, booking, more". Figure 4 Weekly. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  6. ↑ Caldwell, James (January 30, 2010). "ROH/DGUSA News: Davey Richards re-signs with ROH, dropped from DGUSA shows including WrestleMania weekend shows". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  7. ↑ Mr. C.C. (October 19, 2010). "Breaking Kayfabe #2 w/Gabe Sapolsky". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ "EVOLVE evolves -- now unified with DGUSA". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . November 25, 2011. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ "PWInsiderXTRA.com". www.pwinsiderxtra.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Mike (September 19, 2014). "Evolve heading to China (no, really)". Pro Wrestling Insider. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2014. WWNLive, the parent company of Evolve, Shine, FIP and Dragon Gate USA.
  11. ↑ Caldwell, James (December 3, 2014). "Newswire: WWNLive announces long-term China plan, Ross talks importance of Tokyo Dome, New Japan's subscription goals, latest World Tag League standings, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ Caldwell, James (February 19, 2015). "WWNLive news: Official new training facility announced". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ Melok, Bobby (October 15, 2015). "NXT's next breakout stars?: Meet the 5 Evolve wrestlers you need to know". WWE . Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  14. ↑ "10/17 Evolve 49 Results – Zayn, Gargano, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. October 17, 2015. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ "NXT GM & Tag Team to appear at Evolve show". Pro Wrestling Torch. January 11, 2016. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Evolve 54 iPPV results: HHH & William Regal make an appearance". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . January 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  17. ↑ "WWE to hold GCS matches at future EVOLVE event". Pro Wrestling Torch. March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Complete Schedule of Events Taking Place During WrestleMania 32 Weekend in Dallas". Wrestlezone. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  19. ↑ Nason, Josh (October 24, 2016). "FloSports announces deal with WWNLive, launches pro wrestling streaming service". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  20. ↑ VICE (May 25, 2019), Training the Wrestling Stars of the Future | The Wrestlers, archived from the original on April 1, 2020, retrieved June 1, 2019
  21. ↑ Mueller, The Doctor Chris. "WWE Evolve 10th Anniversary Show Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction, Highlights". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  22. ↑ "WWE Acquires Evolve Wrestling". July 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Self-Chosen: The EVOLVE Championship Reign of Drew Galloway". August 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.