WWE Network to air Evolve’s 10th Anniversary show opposite AEW Fight For The Fallen

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE issued the following press release on Wednesday to announce that the Evolve 10th Anniversary special will stream live on WWE Network on July 13.

WWE^® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that EVOLVE Wrestling’s 10^th Anniversary Celebration will stream live around the world on WWE Network on Saturday, July 13 at 8 PM from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

EVOLVE’s 10^th Anniversary Celebration will feature the return of EVOLVE alumni, as Adam Cole will defend the NXT^® Championship against WWE Superstar Akira Tozawa and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak will face NXT Superstar Matt Riddle. In addition, the event will feature NXT^® Superstars Arturo Ruas and Babatunde, EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory, EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Joe Gacy and Eddie Kingston, WWN Champion JD Drake and many more.Additional matches will be announced in the near future.

“EVOLVE was the birthplace for many current WWE and NXT Superstars so it is only fitting that their 10^th Anniversary Celebration will be showcased live on WWE Network,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative.

WWE Network is a streaming service featuring every live WWE pay-per-view event and more than 10,000 hours of video-on-demand content, including groundbreaking original programming, reality shows, documentaries and classic matches.  Available in more than 180 countries, WWE Network can be streamed on TVs, game consoles, phones, tablets and computers.  New subscribers can get their first month free by signing up at www.wwenetwork.com.

Tickets for EVOLVE’s 10^th Anniversary Celebration are currently available via www.etix.com.

Powell’s POV: The decision to stream this event opposite the AEW Fight For The Fallen event is very interesting to say the least. While WWE may claim this has been on the books and is a coincidence, only time will tell whether there are additional “coincidences” moving forward. That said, this is great exposure for the Evolve product. NXT talent appears on the Evolve shows regularly, so the NXT talent appearing on this event is not surprising.

Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and Brian Fritz of the Between The Ropes podcast discussing WWE’s creative and ratings struggles, Bray Wyatt following the Firefly Funhouse, WWE Stomping Grounds, NJPW G1 Opening Night, and ROH’s issues, what would happen if AEW opted to run head-to-head with WWE Raw, and much more.