Evolve (professional Wrestling)
Evolve Wrestling (stylized as EVOLVE) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2010 by former Ring of Honor booker and Dragon Gate USA vice president, Gabe Sapolsky. The company featured a roster of wrestlers from all over America, as well as several 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 with WWE, allowing WWE to scout Evolve talent and potentially sign them. On July 2, 2020, Evolve was officially purchased by WWE. History In 2009, Gabe Sapolsky announced a new wrestling promotion via some viral videos featuring one of the company's competitors, Jimmy Jacobs. After this more videos were produced promoting more performers, as well as featuring blogs written by the wrestlers about their feelings regarding the company. The first show, Evolve 1: Richards vs. Ibushi, was held on January 16, 2010, in Rahwa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Gabe Sapolsky
Gabriel Sapolsky (born September 26, 1972) is an American professional wrestling promoter, creative writer, and booker who currently works for WWE. Sapolsky has also held various creative and marketing positions in the professional wrestling industry, notably as Paul Heyman's personal assistant with Extreme Championship Wrestling, the co-founder and head of talent relations (booker) at Ring of Honor, the vice-president of Dragon Gate USA, vice-president of talent relations, creative and marketing of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) and creative writer (booker) and founder of EVOLVE. Sapolsky also worked in a booking capacity for various other promotions including Full Impact Pro and Style Battle, as well as for special events like the WWN Supershow and the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup. Early life Sapolsky attended Runkle Elementary School, and later Brookline High School, graduating in 1990. He received his B.A. in Communications from Temple University and graduated in 1994. Pro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has also written for the ''Oakland Tribune'', the ''Los Angeles Times'', Yahoo! Sports, SI.com, and ''The National Sports Daily''. He has extensively covered mixed martial arts since UFC 1 in 1993 and currently covers the sport for SB Nation. He has been called "the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism" by Frank Deford of ''Sports Illustrated''. He is also a frequent lecturer on many aspects of the business of MMA, professional wrestling, and boxing at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Early life Meltzer lived in upstate New York, later moving with his family to San Jose, California. Meltzer earned a journalism degree from San Jose State University and started out as a sportswriter for the ''Wichita Falls Time ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
NXT (WWE Brand)
NXT is a WWE brand extension, brand of the American professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE that was introduced on February 23, 2010. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to NXT primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, ''WWE NXT, NXT''. The brand serves as a Farm team, developmental territory for WWE's two main brands, Raw (WWE brand), Raw and SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown, which are referred to as the main roster. Due to its status as the company's developmental territory, NXT operates regardless if there is a brand extension in effect or not. In its WWE NXT (seasons 1–5), original incarnation, ''NXT'' was a Reality television, reality-based television show in which rookies competed to become a star in WWE. In 2012, NXT was relaunched as a separate brand and replaced the now-defunct Florida Championship Wrestling ( ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Trinity, Florida
Trinity is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,907 in 2010, according to the most recent census. The Trinity Community is named after Trinity College of Florida, a Bible college founded in 1932, when it relocated to the first occupied site in the communities developed by James Gills in the late 1980s. The main plaza is found near the high school, known as Mitchell Ranch Plaza. Trinity is located at the junction where Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties meet. The community of Longleaf is located in Trinity and it is believed that the “Welcome Plank” originated in Longleaf. Geography Trinity is located at (28.177854, -82.671139). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Trinity is a community just north of the Pinellas and Hillsborough county borders in West Pasco County. It is currently considered part of the New Port Richey area. The town of Trinity consists of hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. Covering an area of approximately , it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and financial center is Shanghai. Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or dyna ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
WWNLive
The World Wrestling Network is an American professional wrestling organization known for and branded after its video streaming service, WWNLive. WWNLive hosts content both from WWN's "brands", including Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Shine Wrestling, as well as content from third-party organizations. History World Wrestling Network was founded by Sal Hamaoui and Tony Valamontes in 2001 as a DVD company before it later evolved into an internet streaming and video on demand business. In 2003, WWNLive began producing FIP DVDs. In November 2014, Evolve Wrestling, Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Shine Wrestling held a tour of China under the WWNLive banner. 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. In 2015, WWNLive opened a training facility in Trinity, Florida named the "World Wrestling Network Academy". That year, Evolve began a partnership with ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Shine Wrestling
Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on Internet pay-per-view (iPPV). History Shine was created as the sister promotion of Shimmer Women Athletes, and it was established by Sal Hamaoui in 2012. It held its first event ''Shine 1'' on July 20, 2012. Sal Hamaoui is the bookers for the promotion. The company use to hold its events at The Orpheum in Ybor City, Florida. Now it runs shows in Woodside, NY and Queens, NY. In 2015, WWNLive opened its own training facility in Trinity, Florida named "World Wrestling Network Academy", which Shine shares with Dragon Gate USA, Evolve and Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the compa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Full Impact Pro
Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the President while Trevin Adams is the Vice President of FIP. FIP was founded in 2003 and has run the majority of their shows in Florida. The promotion was inactive from late 2011 until early 2013. They currently promote the FIP World Heavyweight Championship, FIP Tag Team Championship, and the FIP Florida Heritage Championship. History Full Impact Pro was founded in 2003 by Sal Hamaoui. It was originally the sister promotion of Ring of Honor. The first show was held on August 2, 2003. The main event saw Mike Awesome defeat Justin Credible and New Jack. On September 25, 2004, FIP introduced the FIP Heavyweight Championship at Emergence: Part Two, where Homicide defeated CM Punk in the finals of a tournament. On April 22, 2005, FIP introduced the FIP Tag Team Championshi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso (born June 18, 1964) is an American actor and professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their " developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as Vito. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1990–1998; 2001–2004) LoGrasso started wrestling in 1990 on the independent circuit until being approached by NOW Wrestling Federation, based in Japan. Vito then went on to work in the USWA and WWC using the name Skull Von Krush. LoGrasso also travelled to Japan on other occasions after his NOW run. Firstly to All Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he holds a rare pinfall elimination over Mitsuharu Misawa in the ''New Year Giant Series'' battle royal of 1998, after hitting a Stunner on the Triple Crown Champion which leaded to his elimination. As Big Vito, he teamed with "Mr. Puroresu" Genichiro Tenryu twice while wrestlin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Sami Callihan
Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Lucha Underground under the ring names Jeremiah Crane, and later, Jeremiah Snake, and on the independent circuit. He has worked for several independent promotions throughout the United States. He found the most success in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and Major League Wrestling (MLW), but has also wrestled for Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Full Impact Pro, and All American Wrestling. In CZW, he held the CZW Iron Man Championship, the CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship, and the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, and won the 2012 Best of the Best tournament. He also worked for WWE from 2013 to 2015, appearing in NXT under the ring name Solomon Crowe. He also runs an independent wrestling promotio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Ricochet (wrestler)
Trevor Dean Mann (born October 11, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Ricochet. Before signing with WWE, Mann is best known for his tenure with various Japanese promotions such as Dragon Gate (DG) and its American branch Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), where he held the Open the Brave, Dream, Triangle, Twin and Freedom Gate Championships once, and also won the 2013 King of Gate, DDT Pro-Wrestling's umbrella brand CyberFight, where he won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship once, and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he won the 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and the 2015 Super Junior Tag League tournament alongside Matt Sydal, in addition to being a former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion and a former three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. Mann also wrestled as Prince Puma for American promotion Lucha Underground, where he was t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Chuck Taylor (wrestler)
Dustin Lee Howard (born April 22, 1986) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), competing under the ring name Chuck Taylor. He is a member of Best Friends (professional wrestling), Best Friends alongside Trent Beretta, Trent, Orange Cassidy, and Kris Statlander. Howard has wrestled on the independent circuit since 2002, most notably appearing for Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara, where he held the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas, Campeonatos de Parejas Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas#Title history, twice, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he is a former List of PWG World Champions, two-time PWG World Championship, PWG World Champion. He is also known for his work in larger national and international promotions like Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Professional wrestling career Early career (2002–2005) Howard began his wrestling training in 2002, at age 15, under the tutelage of Brandon Walker at the Old Schoo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |