Evolve_131
Evolve 131
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.
| Evolve 131 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster featuring various Evolve and WWE wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | Evolve | ||
| Date | July 13, 2019 | ||
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | 2300 Arena | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| Evolve chronology | |||
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Background
In October 2008, Gabe Sapolsky, long-time booker of Ring of Honor, was released from the promotion.[1] In 2009, Sapolsky founded Dragon Gate USA, with the group holding its inaugural event on July 25 of that year.[2] The following year, Sapolsky founded Dragon Gate USA's sister group, Evolve.
In 2015, WWE entered into a partnership with Evolve, with the smaller promotion being used as a scouting group for WWE's developmental brands.[3] In 2017, WWE began exploring deals that would see content from independent wrestling promotions (such as Progress and ICW) air on their WWE Network streaming service.[4]
Over two years later, WWE announced that Evolve's 10th Anniversary Celebration, an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Dragon Gate USA's founding, would air live on the WWE Network on July 13, 2019, broadcasting from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This marked the first Evolve event and the first independent wrestling event to air on the WWE Network.[5]
Storylines
The card included matches resulting from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT and 205 Live brands,[6] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television programs, NXT and 205 Live, and on Evolve events.[7][8]
On June 26, it was announced that Adam Cole would defend the NXT Championship against Akira Tozawa, a wrestler dubbed the "Dragon Gate USA MVP" by WWNLive.com.[9] It was also announced on June 26 that WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak would face former Evolve Champion and current NXT wrestler Matt Riddle in a non-title match. The two wrestlers had previously been a part of the Catch Point stable during their tenures in Evolve.[10]
On July 2, it was announced that JD Drake would face Austin Theory in a Winner Takes All match for both the WWN and Evolve Championships.[11] Additionally it was announced that Eddie Kingston and Joe Gacy would defend the Evolve Tag Team Championship against A. R. Fox and Leon Ruff.[11]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[12] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Briggs defeated Anthony Greene (with Brandi Lauren) | Singles match The Future Is Now Showcase match[13] | 11:49 | ||
| 2 | Stephen Wolf defeated Curt Stallion, Sean Maluta, and Harlem Bravado | Fatal four-way match[11] | 9:19 | ||
| 3 | Arturo Ruas defeated Anthony Henry | Grudge match[11] | 9:45 | ||
| 4 | Brandi Lauren defeated Shotzi Blackheart | No Disqualification match[14] | 9:49 | ||
| 5 | Babatunde defeated Colby Corino | Singles match Special Challenge match[11] | 3:09 | ||
| 6 | A. R. Fox and Leon Ruff (with Ayla and The Skulk) defeated The UnWanted (Eddie Kingston and Joe Gacy) (c) | Tag team match for the Evolve Tag Team Championship[11] | 5:25 | ||
| 7 | Matt Riddle (with Curt Stallion) defeated Drew Gulak | Singles match Catch Point Reunion match[13] | 13:37 | ||
| 8 | Austin Theory (c – Evolve) defeated JD Drake (c – WWN) | Winner Takes All match for both the WWN Championship and Evolve Championship[11] | 16:22 | ||
| 9 | Adam Cole (c) defeated Akira Tozawa | Singles match for the NXT Championship[5] | 13:15 | ||
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- Johnson, Mike (October 27, 2008). "More details on Gabe Sapolsky's departure from ROH". PWInsider. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Caldwell, James (June 17, 2009). "DGUSA News: Dragon Gate USA announces PPV distribution deal with ROH's previous distributor". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- "WWE/WWN Live Partnership Boosing EVOLVE Seminar Numbers, More". 411Mania. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- "A Much-Beloved U.K. Indie Wrestling Promotion May Head To WWE Network". January 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- "EVOLVE's 10th Anniversary special to stream live on WWE Network". WWE. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- Csonka, Larry (November 11, 2016). "Triple H Conference Call Report: Discusses 205 Live, NXT Takeover: Toronto, Says HBK Working at the Performance Center and More". 411Mania. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016.
- "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- "Akira Tozawa Signed For Special Appearance". WWNLive. June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Johnson, Mike (June 26, 2019). "EVOLVE 10th ANNIVERSARY EVENT IN PHILADELPHIA TO AIR LIVE ON THE WWE NETWORK". PWInsider. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- "EVOLVE's 10th Anniversary Celebration match lineup revealed". WWE. July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- Moore, John (July 13, 2019). "7/13 Evolve 131 on WWE Network results: Moore's live review of the 10th Anniversary show featuring Adam Cole vs. Akira Tozawa for the NXT Championship, Evolve Champion Austin Theory vs. WWN Champion JD Drake in a winner take all match, Matt Riddle vs. Drew Gulak". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
- "EVOLVE 131 – JULY 13TH – PHILADELPHIA, PA". WWNLive. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- "BREAKING NEWS.... You voted yes with a resounding 89% of the vote! Shotzi Blackheart vs. Brandi Lauren has been added to this Saturday's EVOLVE 10th Anniversary Celebration from Philadelphia live on the WWE Network! Blackheart is also added to #EVOLVE132 this Sunday in MA!". EVOLVE Wrestling on Twitter. July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.