Pro Wrestling Evo Vive La EVOlucion
4-29-12
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center
Concord, NC
For the first time in over eight months there is a new champion in Pro Wrestling Evo. Zack Salvation defeated Marcellus King in a brutal “By Any Means Necessary” match at last month's 'EPIC' but Salvation suffered the wrath of the new incarnation of the Cirkus after the match in a sneak attack from Cedric Alexander. Fast forward to Sunday April 29 as Pro Wrestling Evo presented Vive La EVOlucion. Salvation and a mystery partner faced The newly formed Cirkus, 2 SuperHEX matches were on display as we inch closer to July and crowning the first SuperHEX champion, and The PWI Ultra J Title is defended in an unorthodox style no weight limits matchup. The following is a full review & #1MansOpinion of Vive La EVOlucion. Individual matches are rated 1-5 stars and the overall card from 1-10. This was a fantastic show even by Pro Wrestling Evo standards, each match impressed and my words will not do this show justice. The theme of this column is BUY THIS DVD! You will NOT regret it. Remember the following is……#1MansOpinion
4 Way SuperHEX elimination match
Joe Black vs Kirby Mack vs “Relentless” Robyn Golphin vs Chiva Kid
This match started the show off fast & furious. Starting with Chiva & Robyn whipping Kirby & Joe Black into the ropes simultaneously and performing a very nice synchronized sequence landing both men outside. It didn't take long for the action to spill outside as Chiva & Golphin both flip outside onto their opponents and we get our first “That was Awesome” chant of the night. The action continues at an unbelievably fast pace and 10 mins in Chiva hits a Shooting star press on Joe Black for the first elimination. With the elimination of the leader the SuperHEX points lead is now up for grabs. Kirby Mack still recovering on the outside sees an opening and slides in to hit Robyn Golphin with the “OverDoze” for the second elimination. We are down to Kirby & Chiva who fight up to the 15 minute mark with Chiva getting the advantage, he then goes up top for an amazing MUST SEE 720 moonsault but misses and Kirby Mack capitalizes to pick up the win, earning 3 points and moving into the lead of the SuperHEX division.
#1MansOpinion: This was the hottest opening match for an EVO show that I can remember. Just flawless is the best thing I can say about this match. My words will not come close to doing it justice. The hot opening, the dives to the outside and the sacrifices these four guys made in this opening match you will NOT see on any other wrestling show. The storyline was great as well(as it was all night) with Kirby Mack having “No Plan B” and needing to regain the SuperHEX points lead. In a night of fantastic match after fantastic match this ultimately is my MOTN. **** 1/2
Pro Wrestling Evo Debut- Ryze of The Fallen
Derek Ryze vs “Mr Elite” Drew Myers
Mr Elite outwrestled Ryze early with take downs and reversals. Derek Ryze then takes to the air and gets an advantage but the size and power difference is too much and he can do very little with Myers. They brawl outside both laying in brutal chops to one another, back in the ring a BRUTAL release german suplex by Mr Elite that lands Ryze right on his head. Ryze uses his speed advantage to mount a comeback and hits a twisting corkscrew plancha to pick up the win in his Evo debut.
#1MansOpinion: Derek Ryze is a fast guy but ANY match taking place after that first match would seem a little slow. Despite that fact this was very good as well, not your typical debut squash(I doubt you'll ever see that in Evo) and Mr. Elite really impressed here and had the crowd behind him. Ryze is like lightning in a bottle once he gets going and fits into the EVO landscape well, Mr. Elite continues to improve by leaps and bounds and seems on the verge of furthering himself in EVO and the world of professional wrestling. Good debut here for Ryze and I think you'll see more of both of these guys. ***
SuperHEX Singles Match
Ben Tyler vs Trevor Lee
The Fun Athletic Guys face off here to see who can advance themselves in the SuperHEX leaderboard but Trevor tells Ben that he has a plan. Ref calls for the bell and Trevor applies a wristlock to Ben who immediately taps, then Ben applies the wristlock on Trevor who taps even quicker. The Fun Athletic Guys continue this two or three times tallying their points as they go until the ref calls for the match to be restarted and says no points have been awarded. Ben & Trevor protest this saying they played by the rules but the referee holds his ground and the match really begins. Good, crisp chain wrestling to start and neither of the Fun Athletic Guys can get an advantage on their partner. Finally it spills outside and Tylers throws lee into the second row of seats, the emotions are getting high now. Back in the ring Lee gets a cross arm breaker but Tyler reverses into an ankle lock. Amazing athleticism by both men here as the moves are too many to name here but nearfalls are the story as neither man can pick up the pinfall. FInally Tyler pushes the ref into the ropes and crotches Lee, Tyler then hits a Spanish Fly but again only gets a two count. Finally the 15 minute time limit expires with neither man earning any points.
#1MansOpinion: These two tore the house down. The opening was AWESOME and once the match got going it was even better! The psychology of this match with each man knowing each other so well that they couldn't keep one another down for three or make the other tap out was phenomenal. Both of these guys pulled out all the stops to try and advance in the SuperHEX and in the end only ruined each others chances at advancing in the points. This is another match that is a MUST SEE! ****
Ring Announcer Chris Shore announces Pro Wrestling Evo Owner Patrick Wright who has two big announcements. The first being that their will be a special EVO pre show on May 12th in Concord before the EVOLVE show. The second “uber announcement” is that Pro Wrestling Evo will show THE WORLD what they can do in June with their very first Ippv!!! The date is To be determined but as always check www.prowrestlingevo.com and follow @ProWrestlingEvo on twitter for the latest updates!
PWI International Ultra J Championship
“The Midnight Son” Caleb Konley(c) vs Arik Royal
Konley started off asking for the mic and said he's heard all the internet talk about “Has Caleb Konley bitten off more than he can chew?” and he did just drive 9 1/2 hours back from Philadelphia to make this how and might not be at 100% but “On my worst day, Arik Royal you couldn't beat me.” Konley then charged Royal in the corner sending him to the outside and hit a suicide dive. Royal regained control outside and hit a Urinagi on the ring apron which seemed to injure Konley's left wrist & arm. Royal focused in on the arm hitting “Divorce court” and applying pressure to the arm. Konley fought out and hit a very nice bridging german suplex for a nearfall. The champion then went for his “Oh! Face” submission but was unable to turn Royal over, who reversed it into a fujiwara armbar, Konley fought out just as Kirby Mack charged the ring and returned Royal's kick to the face from 'EPIC' and the ref called for the DQ as Mack turned and walked from the ring. Konley left with his championship and Royal sat in the middle of the ring with a bit of a chuckle watching Kirby leave.
#1MansOpinion: Yet another very good match on this show. I was unsure about the “No Weight Limits” angle for the Ultra J title but this is definitely one of the best Caleb Konley matches I've seen so far, Konley as I've said before has had little storyline development and this was a welcome change to that. Arik Royal is a very good big man, with brutal kicks and incredible speed who could really be at the top of any wrestling promotion. *** 1/2
“The Southern Savior” John Skyler vs Steven “The Fever” Walters
This was another debut with it being Steven Walters first time in Pro Wrestling Evo. Skyler and Walters have faced off in NC, SC, GA, IL, and several other states and they really brought the feud to Concord at Vive La Evolucion. Some of the best chain wrestling and reversals you'll see to start the match with major heat on Skyler(as always) and I think it's safe to say that Walters became an instant crowd favorite. Walters foiled any offensive attempt early on and Skyler retreated to the outside to exchange words with the fans. Walters hit a series of overhead belly to belly suplexes and a dragon suplex nearly pinning “The Southern Savior” but Skyler would not be outdone regaining the advantage and going for a springboard. This too was blocked with a devestating codebreaker and Skyler barely kicks out at 2 3/4! Walters then got hit with a beautiful superkick by John Skyler(if you haven't seen this superkick you really should) but Walters this time is out at the last second. Skyler then applied a sharpshooter but cannot get the submission, moments laters Walters is back up and hits a a package piledriver to pick up the win in his Pro Wrestling Evo debut!
#1MansOpinion: I'm sure most of our readers have heard of John Skyler and Steven Walters if not I strongly urge you to check them out because you would be hard pressed to find two harder working, more dedicated guys night in and night out. Many are calling this MOTN in a show that had many contenders. If you have the opportunity to see John Skyler & Steven Walters live(and I assume at some point we all will) I suggest you do so. Once again I would suggest you buy this dvd or subscribe to www.evoondemand.com to check out this and all the other great matches of Vive La Evolucion as soon as possible. ****
Tag Team Main Event
The Cirkus(Marcellus “The Mid Atlantic” King & Cedric Alexander) vs Pro Wrestling Evo Heavyweight Champion “The Queen City Killer” Zack Salvation & Circo
If that wasn't enough we still had our main event and the newly formed Cirkus hit the ring first looking like they were on the same page, then the newly crowned PWEvo champion Zack Salvation came out. Salvation stopped at the entry way and asked “You want him? Well you got him!” and Circo emerged from the back complete with a brand new mask, shedding the old mask which he lost as former mentor Marcellus King abandoned him at September's BattleField Evo. Circo and Zack looked like the well oiled machine early on displaying excellent tag team wrestling including a double hip toss, then we finally got Salvation versus Alexander…at least for a minute or two. Salvation laid in brutal chops & kicks on Alexander who immediately tagged out as the crowd chanted “Coward!”. King then took over facing his former “Man-creature” Circo and Circo let out his pent up frustrations hitting a big dive onto King that landed them between the first & second rows. Alexander not to be outdone hit a suicide dive that went 3 rows back and the crowd burst into a “That was Awesome!” chant. Back in the ring the Cirkus tagged in and out picking apart Circo as the PWEvo champ tried to rally him from the corner. FInally Circo had a chance to tag but instead opted for a very nice frogsplash into an elbow drop. The Cirkus once again cut off Circo's offense but only for a brief moment as he finally got the tag to Salvation who cleaned house, meanwhile outside Cedric Alexander made a blind tag to Marcellus King and hit Circo with a devestating canadian destroyer on the ring apron!!!! Back in the ring Salvation hit the “Zacklash” on King but the referee informed him that CEDRIC was the legal man and Salvation turned right around into a “Kick to Kill” and a brainbuster as Cedric Alexander pinned the EVO Champion to get the win for The Cirkus.
#1MansOpinion: This main event had a lot to live up to after a stacked card like we saw on this night and it did so! I believe Circo was the right choice for Zack Salvation as a tag partner(it was certainly popular amongst the EVO fans) This action never for a second seemed stale as it truly had the “main event” feel. The Cirkus looks stronger than ever and Alexander earned himself some bragging rights and possibly some leverage for a title shot by pinning the PWEvo champion. All four men were phenomenal here, Circo flawlessly made the turn to a babyface and drew more cheers than heat when he was with the Cirkus. What other way would Pro Wrestlling EVO cap off their best show(along with Evo Eight 2012) to date than with a 4 star main event? ****
#1MansFINALOpinion: I feel my opinion is more evident than ever in this review. BUY THIS DVD! SUBSCRIBE TO www.evoondemand.com you do NOT want to miss this event!!! Also I feel while this is 1MansOpinon, many will share that opinion when seeing this event and if you were part of the live crowd in Concord, NC at Vive La Evolucion you saw great wrestling, great storytelling, and guys sacrificing everything to put on THE BEST independent wrestling show anyone could ask for! It will only get better from this point forward as EVO always raises the bar and in June will show THE WORLD what they can do with their first Ippv!
Overall: 9.5/10
Once again please stay tuned to www.prowrestlingevo.com and follow @ProWrestlingEVO on twitter for more information about June's Ippv and the Pro Wrestling EVO preshow for the EVOLVE show on May 12 at Cabarrus Arena & Events Center.
The following is #1MansOpinion I welcome any comments, thoughts or questions you can reach me at JustJer17@aol.com or on twitter @The1andonlyJer–Thanks!