Everyone act surprised! After months of speculation, and years of Evolve being a feeder promotion for WWE NXT, they’ve finally been fully bought out by WWE. Recent financial hardships due to missing key shows thanks to COVID-19 finally put Evolve in position to be bought out, and that deal has finally went through.
A Brief History Of Evolve Wrestling
Started back in 2010 as an offshoot of Dragon Gate USA, Evolve would blossom into a super-indy promotion of sorts, attracting big and small names alike for their 146 events. They would run shows in major markets, piggy backing off other companies and going where wrestling was the hottest. However, in the past few years their link to WWE became very clear to all, when developmental talents like Fabian Aichner, Street Profits, and Dan Matha would become common on their events. At the same time, bigger names like Velveteen Dream, Adam Cole, Mustafa Ali, and more would make their way to shows, giving fans special treats in main events rarely seen outside that room. They ran huge shows, didn’t ask a huge amount to get in, and fans would get to see the future of professional wrestling. Few could complain about that.
Their Tape Catalog Has A Who’s Who Of The WWE Roster
Roughly half of the people who signed a contract with Evolve would make it to WWE. Looking through their archieves, names that instantly stand out include Daniel Bryan, Jon Moxley, Brodie Lee, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Johnny Gargano, Apollo Crews, Tony Nese, Matt Riddle, Timothy Thatcher, Matt Riddle, Drew Gulak, Austin Theory, Finlay, Keith Lee, and more. Getting this footage for the WWE Network alone is going to be huge, and makes the deal almost feel worth it right out of the gates.
Between having a new developmental brand if needed, and having access to 146 shows for their network, this was a huge get for WWE, and likely not one that costed them too much in the end. It’s never a good time to see a promotion die out, and this WWE deal should ensure Evolve’s heart keeps beating in some way for a little while longer. What will WWE do with Evolve Wrestling? Did they only buy it for their tape libaray, or will the Evolve legacy live on? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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