Evolve (professional wrestling)
Industry | Professional wrestling |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
Founders | Gabe Sapolsky Sal Hamaoui |
Defunct | July 2, 2020 |
Fate | Assets purchased by WWE |
Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Evolve Wrestling (stylized as EVOLVE) was an
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
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
In February 2013, Evolve announced that they would be holding a tournament to crown the first
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
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
Championship | Last champion(s) | Date retired | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 ( Caleb Konley) at Evolve 42 . Gargano vacated and retired the titles
|
References
- ^ "Self-Chosen: The EVOLVE Championship Reign of Drew Galloway". August 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "WWE ACQUIRES EVOLVE WRESTLING, COMPLETE DETAILS". PW Insider. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Schedule". Evolve Wrestling. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mr. C.C. (October 19, 2010). "Breaking Kayfabe #2 w/Gabe Sapolsky". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ "EVOLVE evolves -- now unified with DGUSA". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. November 25, 2011. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "PWInsiderXTRA.com". www.pwinsiderxtra.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ "WWE Acquires Evolve Wrestling". July 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Self-Chosen: The EVOLVE Championship Reign of Drew Galloway". August 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.