#1MansOpinion: Pro Wrestling EVO ‘Rebirth’ 5/24/13

Don’t call it a comeback. May 24, 2013 was a ‘rebirth’ for Pro Wrestling EVO. With champion Zack Salvation recently abdicating the title due to injuries EVO selected EVO 8 2013 winner Corey Hollis & the 1st ever EVO champion Cedric Alexander to compete in a 30 minute iron man to decide the new champion. In addition to that, EVO Original Marcellus “The Mid-Atlantic” King faced the Monster Zane Dawson in a war! Newly crowned SuperHEX champ Chip Day made his first title defense against The Black Cloud Joe Black & so much more on this stacked card. We’ll take a look at a full rundown & review of the Rebirth of Pro Wrestling EVO. Remember the following is…..

Chase Brown comes out & says he can out wrestle anyone on the roster. Arik Royal answers the challenge

Arik Royal ruined Brown’s chance at his own ‘Rebirth’ here as strength won out against the catch as catch can style of the grappler from the Grand Miracle Carnival Company. Royal also used his deceptive speed & athleticism to dispel of Brown fairly quickly.

#1MansOpinion: Big Arik Royal is on a tear through the Mid-Atlantic taking his opportunities & running with them. If you haven’t seen this big man, I strongly encourage you to check him out. Chase is a personal favorite with a unique gimmick & a ton of technical ability. Unfortunately he sustained a partial mcl tear early in this match. Best of luck on a speedy return! ** 1/2

This last minute addition to the card only stacked EVO’s rebirth even higher. Everett & King went high intensity from start to finish. Everett wasted no time in diving onto King with both men landing in the 3rd row. Back in the ring, King used any advantage he could to ground Everett & utilize his agility to get a huge win. Everett mounted a comeback with the crowd fully behind him & hit a beautiful Shooting Star Press to pick up the win.

                                                                                                     Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

#1MansOpinion: Everett is one of the most prolific high flyers in the business right now & always puts on exciting matches. Raymond King has impressed each time he’s been given an opportunity in EVO & this was no different. King drowned out the jeers of “Burger King” and matched athleticism with one of the best. King came up short but proved his name deserves to be in the conversation when talking about the new class of talents. I highly recommend checking this match out & following the careers of both guys to see just how high they’re going to go. ***

                                                                                                    Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

Lee was making his return to EVO & had a tough test in “Mr Match of the Night” Anthony Henry. Henry competed in the EVO 8 tourney this year & impressed EVO officials. Lee  & Henry felt each other out for awhile, exchanging mat wrestling holds but neither man could get an advantage. The action spilled outside & Lee hit a running punt to the face which turned the tide in Lee’s favor. Henry tried to battle back but Lee kept his opponent grounded with strikes. Lee, never shy to pat himself on the back, jawed with the ringside fans constantly & gave Henry the opening needed to get back in the match. “Mr. MOTN” hit a dropkick & some more high power offensive moves nearly picking up the win. Lee would not go away in his return and finally hit the “KillShot” Running  Knee to get the victory.

#1MansOpinion: It’s no secret that Trevor can get under a crowd’s skin like no other, but he’s also as gifted in the ring as they come & has only improved on that since we last saw him in EVO. Henry once again lived up to his name with what would’ve been MOTN on most other Indy shows. These are two more guys I suggest you get to know. *** 1/4

                                                                                                      Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

This was originally intended to be a 1 on 1 face off between Golphin & Lee who were partners & friends for 18 years. The cocky, brash Mr Elite made his way out & said no one cared about the friendship, or seeing a match between the two men. ATL & RTG went back into tag team mode & attacked Myers & the match was made a 3 way. Golphin & Lee didn’t stay on the same page long after sending Myers out of the ring they went right after one another w/ Golphin using his speed advantage to gain the upper hand. Mr Elite picked his spots to enter the match as the former tag team fought amongst themselves & as Golphin had ATL pinned, Myers hit a dead lift German suplex to steal the win.

#1MansOpinion: This was quick, fast paced & fun. After the events at the last EVO show & hype of ATL vs RTG I was looking forward to seeing them 1 on 1 which we still got to see shades of here & both looked excellent. Mr Elite continues to be one of my underrated favorites in the Carolinas right now, so anytime you can involve his athletic prowess & always improving mic skills your show will be better for it. This impromptu 3 way threw me off at first but worked fine in the end. ** 3/4

Two friends met in the next match with the former “Manscout” taking on his protege or at least biggest fan in a sense, Zane Riley. This match had “fun” and “hi jinx” written on it from the word go. I don’t think anyone expected a dance break to Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello”(no ACTUAL dancing took place) just deep meaningful, eye contact between the two friends. Then in a spot that would make Chikara envious, Manning chased Riley around the arena as Zane rode a bicycle… And yes it had a bell! When the two got back to business, Riley hit his trademark Cannonball(pantsless I might add) but it was Jake hitting the rope assisted Piledriver to pick up the win. The crowd (and the competitors) were all smiles after this unique & entertaining match.

                                                                                                               Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

#1MansOpinion: It’s safe to say this was different than anything you’ll see on an Indy show this year, and that’s not a bad thing. Manning is one of the more respected & proficient veteran talents on the indies & Riley never fails to elicit a full reaction from the audience. In a show with high flying, strong style, & tons of talent. This match somehow fit in like a puzzle piece & was entertaining, fun & had a little something for everyone. ***

Billed as “The Battle of the Monsters” these two didnt take long to live up to that billing. Shortly after the bell sounded & the two exchanged a few last words, the brawl spilled into the 3rd row of the El Patron Club. Dawson hammered the “EVO Original” Marcellus King & King hammered right back. Not too much was pretty about this one but that’s just the way it was intended & in the end Circo made his return, distracting Dawson & allowing Marcellus to hit a second “Murder Go Round” defeating the nasty, vile Zane Dawson.

                                                                                                 Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

After the match, King welcomed Circo home & moved onto more important matters. King had a challenge, a very specific challenge for KEVIN STEEN. King invited Steen to fight him on 6/28 at EVO’s show ‘This is Wrestling’ as of this writing the match is signed & I’m sure we’ll hear more leading up to this huge encounter between The Mid-Atlantic King & Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare.

#1MansOpinion: If you’re a fan of strong style or just plain brawling this is the match for you. King has been in some hellacious brawls with KC McKnight, Zack Salvation, Cedric Alexander & now add Zane Dawson to that list. When Dawson or King are involved the hits are going to be hard, you’re in for brutality & as a wrestling fan you have to consider that a GREAT time. Come June 28 Kevin Steen will likely be added to the list of brawls for Marcellus King, but can the “EVO Orginal” come out on top? ***

                                                                                                                 Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

Joe Black once again had a shot at the title that has been within his grasp so many times since its inception. Black toiled around the top of the leaderboard in the  series to crown the inaugural champion. After the title was vacated, Black was chosen based on that to compete in a 4 way & again came less than half a second from wearing the gold. The man who did leave with that Title was “Do or Die” Chip Day. Day is on a tear, utilizing some of the damnedest kicks & strikes you’ll see to punish his opponents. Black gave Day everything he had(as we’ve come to expect from The Black Cloud) but Day gave it right back & proved he wouldn’t be just a “flash in the pan”

Champion. Day finished off Black with the sliding knees to retain his spot atop the SuperHEX division & The Black Cloud will have to wait a littler longer for a shot at absolution.

                                                                                                                 Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

#1MansOpinion: These are the 2 top guys in a stacked SuperHEX division. Both had a great outing here as always. Black brings an intensity & drive to the ring that is not as rightly prevalent in a lot of competitors. Chip Day may be riding the biggest run of his career since he & former partner Corey Hollis went their seperate ways. Hollis has gotten  a lot of recognition but don’t overlook Day who can & has challenged the best & continues to get better & more dominant. ***

                                                                                                      Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

This was rematch from January’s EVO Eight tournament in which both men nearly stole the show. This encounter was nearly over just as it started as Tyshionn Williams blasted Konley with a tennis racquet shot & the referee called for a DQ. The Midnight Son refused the victory & asked to have the match restarted. Skyler obliged & attacked Konley as Williams was ordered away from ringside. Konley fought back & hit a big suicide dive into the second row as he & Skyler renewed their rivalry fighting all around the building. Without his manager at ringside, The Southern Savior used every underhanded trick he could to gain an advantage as the two battled back & forth. Konley looked to have Skyler submitted to the “Oh! Face” but Tyshionn Williams reappeared & Caleb broke the hold. This allowed Skyler to get the tennis racquet, hit Konley again & hit “Sliced Bread” to pick up another win on The Midnight Son.

#1MansOpinion: Again, on a show stacked with talent & great match after great match. 2 of the best on the Indy scene did not disappoint. Konley & Skyler consistently have MOTN outings, so putting them in the ring together will only produce more of the same. *** 1/4

                                                                                                    Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

The 1st ever Pro Wrestling EVO champion & the 2013 EVO Eight winner went to war for over thirty minutes in this awesome main event. The prize at the end of the rainbow, the recently vacated EVO championship. This match had everything & I can’t recommend it enough. Alexander worked over Hollis arm & hand. Hollis worked over Alexander’s leg. The two battled inside the ring, outside of the ring(with Alexander dragging Hollis to from the ring at one point in hopes of getting a Countout) The first fall of this IronMan came around the 7 minute mark as Alexander took the early lead but moments later Hollis got a pinning combination of his own to tie the score. What followed next was each man doing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he could to get that next decision & win the championship. Thirty minutes came & went and with both men exhausted a sudden death was announced. Cedric & Corey summoned what they had left & once again locked up, Alexander managed to avoid a “Clash” attempt once but Hollis went back to it & defeated Alexander to become Pro Wrestling EVO Champion.

                                                                                                          Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

#1MansOpinion: This is a contender for the best live match I’ve seen this year. The emotion, the back & forth, the sheer athleticism & talent from both men in this match really capped off what was an already phenomenal show. I suggest you see this match as soon as you can because once again this is two of the best talents the Indy scene has to offer doing what they do better than almost anyone. I can’t say enough about this match. *** 3/4

                                                                                                       Photos Courtesy: Adrian Rohr

#1MansFINALOpinion: Talent! Talent! Talent! Everywhere on this card is THE best talent in the Southeast & probably the world. With that kind of formula, there is no way the show won’t be top notch. Pro Wrestling EVO delivers the best talent & that talent gives 100% at each show. ‘Rebirth’ was no different. On June 28, word is the Final Chapter of Pro Wrestling EVO will be written at ‘This is Wrestling’ whether you’ve been a fan from the beginning, or are checking them out for the 1st time keep an eye on this show, First show, last show or in between. EVO does it right & provides a great show.

Overall: 8.5/10

Join Pro Wrestling EVO for whats being called the ‘Final Chapter’ of Pro Wrestling Evolution. One thing is guaranteed, this is another stacked card that will once again show no matter what is in the past, present, or future of EVO the shows they put on are loaded with talent and amongst the best you will see.

‘This is Wrestling’

El Patron Night Club

Concord, NC

Tickets available www.prowrestlingevo.com

Cedric Alexander vs Trevor Lee

Arik Royal vs Joe Black

CIRCO vs Robyn Golphin