Like many fans who tried to make the trip, I was not able to get into Rahway to see this show due to flooding. A sad twist of fate for a young company like EVOLVE, as it seems like at least 2/3rds of the audience were turned away. The remaining crowd is small but vocal, and the show doesn't suffer too much from it.
-EVOLVE is still using clear DVD cases, which I really like and helps set their DVD apart
-Box art is better than EVOLVE 1, with some more color and a nice cover playing up the size difference between Hero and Hidaka
-The DVD menu features new music, which helps maintain a better identity than sharing DGUSA's.
-A new EVOLVE intro graphic adds a nice touch.
-Backstage interviews have graphics now as well, featuring the names, which are a welcome addition.
-Bobby Fish gets things started with a strong interview. The sit down confessional style suits the promotion well.
-Aeroform and Chuck Taylor cut decent short interviews.
-They go to a promo video with highlights from the first show. Seems a little premature to do a video like this after just one show, but it's done fairly well.
-The "documentary crew" happens to catch a candid moment where Hero talks to Claudio about Allen calling him out. Funny moment when Hero thinks it was Brad Bradley and not Brad Allen. The set up to this was still awkward and while the documentary girl is cute, the whole documentary angle feels unnecessary at this point. There are probably some organic ways to work it in but they haven't found out how yet.
-EVOLVE is still using clear DVD cases, which I really like and helps set their DVD apart
-Box art is better than EVOLVE 1, with some more color and a nice cover playing up the size difference between Hero and Hidaka
-The DVD menu features new music, which helps maintain a better identity than sharing DGUSA's.
-A new EVOLVE intro graphic adds a nice touch.
-Backstage interviews have graphics now as well, featuring the names, which are a welcome addition.
-Bobby Fish gets things started with a strong interview. The sit down confessional style suits the promotion well.
-They go to a promo video with highlights from the first show. Seems a little premature to do a video like this after just one show, but it's done fairly well.
-The "documentary crew" happens to catch a candid moment where Hero talks to Claudio about Allen calling him out. Funny moment when Hero thinks it was Brad Bradley and not Brad Allen. The set up to this was still awkward and while the documentary girl is cute, the whole documentary angle feels unnecessary at this point. There are probably some organic ways to work it in but they haven't found out how yet.
-The show is shot entirely with two handheld cameras and no steadycam, most likely to cover up for the small crowd. The video quality is good and they use some great angles, but the lack of a steady wide shot is a little disorienting.
-Brad Allen VS Chris Dickinson. This was nowhere near as good of an opener as O'Reilly/Fish from the first show. They tried to do too much, Dickinson shouldn't be throwing out half nelson suplexes in the opener. Dickinson was very... excited to wrestle in this match. There's an obvious joke to make here with his last name, I'll try to take the high road. Allen has a lot of ability but doesn't seem to focus enough on pacing and projecting himself to the crowd.
-We go to a backstage segment with Johnny Gargano, the unnamed fat blond kid and his cronies, and eventually Jimmy Jacobs. Not bad. Jacobs brings it as usual.
-Brodie Lee VS Gran Akuma. Back to back matches with half nelson suplexes to start the show. Terrible. With such a big roster and so many matches per show, EVOLVE could really use some backstage vets to play the role of road agent and try to prevent this from happening. The match itself was okay, with Lee clearly outshining Akuma. Akuma feels like he gets pushed just by virtue of being on the indies for so long now, but he's never really improved at all. Lee has a distinct look and raw talent, but I'm not sure if he's the right fit for EVOLVE.
-Areoform VS Up In Smoke. This was mediocre. Up In Smoke feel like a fun 90s WWF jobber team at their best, and a pair of sloppy indy spot monkeys at their worst. They weren't at their best here. Cheech in particular looked rather awkward. Both teams hit some nice double team offense. Okay for what it was.
-Tony Kozina talkes to Kyle O'Reilly about Richards leaving and how Kyle needs to get focused on the here and now. Decent segment, short and to the point, had the potential to be much better though. I like O'Reilly a lot in the ring, but he feels uncomfortable during promos.
-Kenn Doane VS Caleb Konley. This is my first time seeing Konley and he looked decent. This was a slower match like Doane tends to work and it did a nice job of telling a simple story and sucking the crowd in. I'm just starting to like what Doane brings to EVOLVE but then he cuts a promo after the match implying he might leave.
-Kyle O'Reilly VS Hallowicked. This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to aside from the main event and I wasn't disappointed. Nothing great but a very solid match that stands out but doesn't try to do too much. O'Reilly is a good whitebread babyface and it was smart to pair Kozina as his manager/trainer to give him a bit more personality. Hallowicked seems like he purposefully bulked up a year or two back, which I liked at the time because it set him apart from the rest of Chikara. He was never able to cut down though and these days just looks doughy. Not trying to knock the guy because I think he's a solid wrestler. But whatever he's doing in the gym, he needs to step it up or try a new approach. O'Reilly works in a lot of kicks and submission spots. I get that he's kind of doing an MMA gimmick but I'd like to see him be a bit more focused with the submissions, instead of just running through them.
-Another Gargano/Jacobs backstage segment with the fat blond kid. They're doing a good job of building this match without much history. Gargano is goofy but seems to have a real chip on his shoulder. I agree with Jacobs that wacky doesn't sell tickets but I think Gargano has the potential to be more than just an ironic 90s reference. Unlike...
-Chuck Taylor VS Ricochet. I loathe Taylor but I know he's worked Ricochet a million times and they have good chemistry, so I'm trying to be fair to this match. I like Ricochet more each time I see him. Which is to say I went from not liking him to being mildly into him. He still has a ways to go but he's constantly improving, which is awesome to see for someone with the natural physical ability he has. His gear and look have come a long way as well, and he should definitely stick with his hair tied back like he did for this match. This was not one of their better matches as it featured Taylor in control for the majority and Ricochet didn't hit anything particularly impressive by his standards.
-Bobby Fish VS Claudio Castagnoli. Other than the main and O'Reilly/Hallowicked this was the only other match I was actively seeking out on this DVD. Man did it deliver! Unlike O'Reilly/Fish from the first show, which was a shorter uptempo match, this had a bit more length and was worked at a deliberate pace that plays to Claudio's strengths. Lots of dead lifts, throws, and tosses in this one. I didn't envision it before his debut, but EVOLVE could be a federation where Claudio makes it as the top dog. His promos won't be as important, he can strip down his offense to his most physical stuff, and the guy flat out looks like a beast these days. He should stick to the short tights in this fed as his look was perfect here, right down to the beard.-Brad Allen VS Chris Dickinson. This was nowhere near as good of an opener as O'Reilly/Fish from the first show. They tried to do too much, Dickinson shouldn't be throwing out half nelson suplexes in the opener. Dickinson was very... excited to wrestle in this match. There's an obvious joke to make here with his last name, I'll try to take the high road. Allen has a lot of ability but doesn't seem to focus enough on pacing and projecting himself to the crowd.
-We go to a backstage segment with Johnny Gargano, the unnamed fat blond kid and his cronies, and eventually Jimmy Jacobs. Not bad. Jacobs brings it as usual.
-Brodie Lee VS Gran Akuma. Back to back matches with half nelson suplexes to start the show. Terrible. With such a big roster and so many matches per show, EVOLVE could really use some backstage vets to play the role of road agent and try to prevent this from happening. The match itself was okay, with Lee clearly outshining Akuma. Akuma feels like he gets pushed just by virtue of being on the indies for so long now, but he's never really improved at all. Lee has a distinct look and raw talent, but I'm not sure if he's the right fit for EVOLVE.
-Areoform VS Up In Smoke. This was mediocre. Up In Smoke feel like a fun 90s WWF jobber team at their best, and a pair of sloppy indy spot monkeys at their worst. They weren't at their best here. Cheech in particular looked rather awkward. Both teams hit some nice double team offense. Okay for what it was.
-Tony Kozina talkes to Kyle O'Reilly about Richards leaving and how Kyle needs to get focused on the here and now. Decent segment, short and to the point, had the potential to be much better though. I like O'Reilly a lot in the ring, but he feels uncomfortable during promos.
-Kyle O'Reilly VS Hallowicked. This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to aside from the main event and I wasn't disappointed. Nothing great but a very solid match that stands out but doesn't try to do too much. O'Reilly is a good whitebread babyface and it was smart to pair Kozina as his manager/trainer to give him a bit more personality. Hallowicked seems like he purposefully bulked up a year or two back, which I liked at the time because it set him apart from the rest of Chikara. He was never able to cut down though and these days just looks doughy. Not trying to knock the guy because I think he's a solid wrestler. But whatever he's doing in the gym, he needs to step it up or try a new approach. O'Reilly works in a lot of kicks and submission spots. I get that he's kind of doing an MMA gimmick but I'd like to see him be a bit more focused with the submissions, instead of just running through them.
-Another Gargano/Jacobs backstage segment with the fat blond kid. They're doing a good job of building this match without much history. Gargano is goofy but seems to have a real chip on his shoulder. I agree with Jacobs that wacky doesn't sell tickets but I think Gargano has the potential to be more than just an ironic 90s reference. Unlike...
-Chuck Taylor VS Ricochet. I loathe Taylor but I know he's worked Ricochet a million times and they have good chemistry, so I'm trying to be fair to this match. I like Ricochet more each time I see him. Which is to say I went from not liking him to being mildly into him. He still has a ways to go but he's constantly improving, which is awesome to see for someone with the natural physical ability he has. His gear and look have come a long way as well, and he should definitely stick with his hair tied back like he did for this match. This was not one of their better matches as it featured Taylor in control for the majority and Ricochet didn't hit anything particularly impressive by his standards.
Not to take anything away from Fish, who once again has a great showing. He is one of the wrestlers that EVOLVE needs to use for their foundation, along with O'Reilly and TJP. He's the full package for a promotion like EVOLVE and his involvement in MMA adds a nice element of credibility (especially if he can keep a winning record). One thing I particularly liked about this match was the use of the 10 count to tease knock outs, which I expected to be a common thing in EVOLVE matches but hasn't been used much (if at all) up to this point. I also liked how Claudio has started throwing a crushing lariat that simply looks great. They need to protect this as his move in EVOLVE as I don't believe anyone else on the roster uses a lariat as a signature spot. They do something neat post match and have the winner put on some attire from a sponsor, like in MMA. This match was very good and is worth going out of your way to see.
-They do an angle in front of the crowd where Dickinson comes out to say something, and the fat blond kid and his cronies come out and start to heckle him. Dickinson loses his temper and is ready to throw down but Tony Kozina cools him off. Not a bad segment, and it's good to see they have something in mind for Dickinson to build to. He's a long ways off but I think he has the potential to be a solid midcarder for this promotion.
-Mercedes Martinez VS Sumie Sakai. This starts off with the fat blond kid's crew heckling the women. They get some legitimate heat from the crowd. This "stable" (I guess?) is an odd angle that is not what people expected from a fed like EVOLVE. It reminds me a bit of the early angles Gabe tried in ROH though and while it's a bit strange, it's doing a good job of giving a few different parts of the roster some focus. Martinez has a more competitive match this time around, as Sakai uses some interesting offense to work over her arm. Building the women's division around Martinez was a smart move for EVOLVE. It breaks up the card and Martinez fits the promotion like a glove with her no-nonsense attitude. She cuts a good intense promo after the match. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they do with Martinez. Yet another match with SDR seems inevitable, and I mean that in the best way possible.
-Bobby Fish is being taped during a phone conversation unbeknown to him. We can't tell if the conversation is with a loved one or a colleague or what. He notices the camera and leaves. Good segment that makes better use of the documentary crew, but once again doesn't actually require we see the crew documenting it.
-Chikara 4 Way Elimination Tag. This was better than the Chikara multiman match from the first show, but I still don't like the way Chikara has been used for these tags. In Dragon Gate USA these types of matches fit the promotion perfectly and are a great way to break up the card. In EVOLVE it's a styles clash that feels like an exhibition, especially with the focus on the standings here. This was a little less sloppy than the 6 man on EVOLVE 1 and had more dynamic personalities thanks to Osirian Portal. There were some good spots but no real psychology to speak of. I would much rather see something like O'Reilly/Hallowicked or mixing the Chikara tags in with Aeroform or Dark City Fight Club than keeping them isolated like they have so far.
-Chris Hero VS Ikuto Hidaka. This was the match that made me attempt the trip to Rahway to see this show. Ikuto Hidaka has been a personal favorite of mine for a long time and I would have loved to have a chance to see him live. This was a treat for the fans that were able to make it and I regret not being there to see it myself. They work a large portion of the match on the mat which both guys do very well. They also get into some hard strikes and some great nearfalls. There are a few awkward moments not surprisingly considering the size difference and language barrier, but overall this is a very good, borderline great match. It probably won't go down as a MOTY or anything, but it will be one of the matches I look back most fondly on from 2010. I feel bad for Hidaka, when he came to ROH previously it was to a rather small crowd, and then the weather ruins the attendance for this show. I hope that EVOLVE brings him back if he's willing, because there's still a lot they could do with him.
-The show closes with another Jacobs/Gargano segment. Jacobs brings the best out of Gargano and I hope they keep them involved in some sort of angle for a while.
Like EVOLVE 1 this is a strong show that's an easy watch start to finish. There are some weaker matches but nothing that drags the show down. The promotion keeps a good pace, generally keeps their matches short and to the point (in a good way), and has used a varied enough roster thus far to keep the show fresh. There is very little dead weight on this roster, with my only issues being with the Chikara guys and Chuck Taylor. The potential is there to mix at least part of the Chikara roster in effectively, the key will be to make them feel like members of EVOLVE and not just Chikara exhibition matches. They are still in the process of bringing new guys in as well, like Jon Moxley, Drake Younger and Sami Callahan, which is a good thing. The key to EVOLVE will be booking fresh matches with a unique presentation, as they've done with O'Reilly/Fish, TJP/Sawa, Claudio/Fish and Hero/Hidaka. They are still figuring out the backstage stuff and the overall hierarchy of the roster, but if and when they can get those aspects worked out, EVOLVE could become something special.
