 | |
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Gabe Sapolsky |
| Defunct | 2020 |
| Fate | Assets purchased byWWE |
| Successor | WWE Evolve |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Evolve (stylized asEVOLVE) was anAmericanprofessional wrestling promotion founded in 2010 by formerRing of Honorbooker andDragon Gate USA vice president,Gabe Sapolsky.[1]
The company featured a roster of wrestlers from all over America, as well asseveral 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 withWWE, allowing WWE to scout Evolve talent and potentially sign them.[2] On July 2, 2020, WWE officially purchased Evolve.[3] WWE relaunched Evolve as a new series titledWWE Evolve in March 2025 onTubi.
In 2009, Gabe Sapolsky announced a new wrestling promotion via someviral videos featuring one of the company's competitors,Jimmy Jacobs. After this more videos were produced promoting more performers, as well as featuringblogs written by the wrestlers about their feelings regarding the company. The first show, Evolve 1: Richards vs. Ibushi, was held on January 16, 2010, inRahway, New Jersey at the Rahway Recreational Center.[4]
During interviews with wrestling newsletterFigure 4 Weekly on its radio show, Sapolsky told editorBryan Alvarez that Evolve would have stronger emphasis onrules 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 withRing 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 andtag 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 andDragon Gate USA announced the unification of the two promotions. Evolve and Dragon Gate USA will still promote separate events, but the two share rosters, including stables, and Evolve recognizes Dragon Gate USA'sOpen the Freedom Gate Championship andOpen the United Gate Championship as its top two championships.[8]
In February 2013, Evolve announced that they would be holding a tournament to crown the firstEvolve Champion as they were eliminating the records system at that time. The tournament was held inSecaucus, New Jersey, atWrestleCon in April 2013. Evolve used the records of the talent to determine the seedings in the tournament; the top two wereChuck Taylor (10–5) andRicochet (5–2), and both received byes into the second round. On April 5,A. R. Fox defeatedSami Callihan in the final to become the inaugural champion. On September 18, 2013,Vito LoGrasso announced that his new Wrestling School signed an agreement to be the Development Center for Evolve.[9]
In November 2014, Evolve, along with Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA),Full Impact Pro (FIP) andShine Wrestling, all under theWWNLive banner, held a tour ofChina.[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 inTrinity, Florida named "World Wrestling Network Academy", which Evolve shares with DGUSA, FIP and Shine.[12]
During 2015, Evolve entered a relationship withWWE. Evolve's wrestlers were featured on WWE.com,[13] whileNXT wrestlersSami Zayn,Chad Gable andJason Jordan took part in Evolve events in non-wrestling roles.[14][15] In January 2016, NXT General ManagerWilliam Regal and WWE COOTriple H attended Evolve 54.[16] As part of the relationship, it was announced in March 2016 that Evolve would hold qualifying matches for WWE'sCruiserweight Classic.[17]
On April 1 and 2, 2016, Evolve held shows at Eddie Deen's Ranch in the build-up toWrestleMania 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 theViceland documentary, The Wrestlers, Episode 1.[20]
On July 13, 2019, Evolve held its10th Anniversary Celebration, an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of Dragon Gate USA's founding. The event was streamed on theWWE 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, theWWE had purchased Evolve, giving them full rights to the name and video library.[22]
In January 2025, it was reported that WWE were planning to revive Evolve as abrand.[23] The company trademarked the name "Evolve" on January 30, 2025, with the first set of Evolve tapings under WWE set to be held at theWWE Performance Center on February 7, replacingWWE NXT Level Up, which was cancelled in December 2024.[24] During theRoyal Rumble on February 1, WWE announced thatWWE Evolve would premiere onTubi on March 5, with theEvolve brand launching on the same day.[25]
| Championship | Last champion(s) | Date retired | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evolve Championship | Josh Briggs | July 2, 2020 | New York City,NY | DefeatedAustin Theory atEvolve 139 |
| Evolve Tag Team Championship | Besties in the World (Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett) | July 2, 2020 | Chicago,IL | DefeatedA. R. Fox and Leon Ruff atEvolve 142 |
| WWN Championship | Austin Theory | July 13, 2019 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Defeated JD Drake in a Title Unification match, with Theory'sEvolve Championship also on the line, atEvolve 131 |
| Open the Freedom Gate Championship | Timothy Thatcher | August 15, 2015 | Woodside, Queens | DefeatedDrew Galloway atEvolve 45. Thatcher handed the title toJohnny Gargano, rendering it vacant and inactive[26] |
| Open the United Gate Championship | Ronin (Johnny Gargano andRich Swann) | May 30, 2015 | Woodside, Queens | Defeated Premier Athlete Brand (Anthony Nese andCaleb Konley) atEvolve 42. Gargano vacated and retired the titles |
WWNLive, the parent company of Evolve, Shine, FIP and Dragon Gate USA.
