HISTORY IN NEW YORK

It’s the final Evolution before Battle at Broadway and this show gave us a bit of history: we learned the Omega Woods, Lancelot, Santanico match for the RAW Title will be the Battle at Broadway main event. It will be the first time the RAW Title has ever main evented a show of this size.

Before this show started, we saw security footage backstage of TJ Frost talking to someone we couldn’t see but it was very clear he has some plans for Battle at Broadway.

The first match is part of a duo of contests as Igris and MidNight pick each other’s opponents ahead of their match at Broadway. Igris went first and MidNight selected Eddie Hernandez for his opponent, a man Igris has a significant history with and you could see the knowledge these two have of each other. Igris hit the Iron Throne but knew instantly it wouldn’t be enough which allowed Hernandez to lock in a triangle choke that very nearly ended the match. But when Igris survived, Hernandez went up top for his famous Speakeasy but Igris, one of the smartest men on Evolution, was ready. He caught Hernandez in another Iron Throne for the win.

We got to hear from Braddock and Garrett Gibson ahead of their match at Broadway and this is about more than just a statement, this isn’t an ordinary match, this is truly about the identity of two of the best wrestlers on earth.

Yun-Son Park takes on GCF enforcer Nathan Rotunda in preparation for Park and Hernandez’s match with the Demon Wolves. Park was ready for this from moment one, using his incredible speed and athleticism to stay away from Rotunda’s brute strength. When he hit the Hi-Lo Flow it seemed like the match was over… but GCF had other plans. A video appeared on the tron of Eddie Hernandez getting beaten down by the Demon Wolves. This took Park’s focus away from Rotunda and he paid for it as Rotunda locked him in the guillotine to win the match.

After the match, Omega Woods and Lancelot both entered to face each other face to face. Santanico would join them as all three men did their best to prove their dominance before they ever hit the ring in the Manhattan Center. We learned later their RAW Title match would main event Battle at Broadway, the first time the RAW Title has ever main evented a show of that size.

We also saw Derrick Cole and Kurt Andrews sign their contract for Battle at Broadway. They exchanged verbal barbs, of course, one of which possibly went over the line- it was Andrews’ of course. But before Cole could respond, Chandler Marcy attacked him from behind. Cole fought off the new GCF member but Andrews was the man on the spot, putting Cole through a table.

Igris’s pick for MidNight was Lars Nightfall, a monster who boasts a win over Eddie Hernandez. Igris clearly believed he would present issues for a MidNight who had only fought one singles match this season. But MidNight was better even than Igris had expected as he ran through Nightfall, finishing him off with a Yankee Destroyer and a Sleepwalker.

In the main event, RAW Champion Santanico took on Lee Carr and Devon Andrews, the last opponents of both Woods and Lancelot. Santanico was in rare form on this night, dominating both men and nearly capturing wins on several occasions. Finally, he hit a massive DDT on Carr to get the win and make the biggest statement of all before we head to New York City.