[Crowd cheering]
[Applause]
[Chattering]
ANNOUNCER: Well, Ethan Page again
brutalized young Darby Allin.
[Crowd wincing]
Oh my goodness!
Page has treated Allin like he was a fly who's beneath him.
Face first into the wall!
And Allin has been busted open!
[Crowd wincing]
I'll stop it now. Stop it now?
[Booing]
Allin has got a trash can.
[Cheering]
He just jumped off the balcony!
CROWD: Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!
[Groaning]
Allin taking that trash can back with him to the ring.
Page asking for mercy and getting none!
CROWD: Oh! Oh! Oh!
[Yelling]
[Laughing] That's so cool!
[Crowd yelling]
Allin to the top of the ladder!
No. Ugh.
[Crowd yelling]
[Cheering]
CROWD: One! Two! Three!
It's over! [Bell dinging]
[Cheering]
HOSTESS: The winner of the match: Darby Allin!
No matter what you think of professional wrestling
on a pure physicality level, if you aren't taken aback
by what we just saw, I don't know what's gonna take you.
[Applause]
MAN: We don't know, we don't know.
♪
DAMIAN: Professional wrestling is experiencing
a global renaissance.
Brought on by a cross pollination of styles,
it has its own language, each style a different dialect.
♪
As a lifelong wrestling fan, I've always felt there's more
to wrestling than just choreographed violence.
At the core of every wrestler there's a storyteller,
every ring a stage to reflect the struggles of its audience,
whether it be gender, sexuality, race, religion or class.
A theatre for the masses that gives us
the heroes and villains we need.
From the skyscrapers of Japan to the alleyways of the Congo,
we're gonna meet some of the most influential figures
in the sport, and examine their global impact.
In a world where the President of the United States is in
a wrestling hall of fame, and global politics
increasingly resemble theatre, it's impossible to ignore
wrestling's place in our society.
[Cheering]
Wrestling has always had a complicated relationship
with the truth.
For decades, bookers tried to maintain that
the matches were not fixed.
It wasn't until the 1980s, after a slew of investigative reports,
that it became widely known that the winners and losers
were predetermined.
For non-fans, it's proven difficult for wrestling
to shake the moniker of fake.
But to dismiss wrestling as a fake sport
is to misread it completely.
To understand why, I'm taking you to one of the best bookers
in the world: Gabe Sapolsky.
His promotion Evolve is widely considered the top indie
wrestling company in America, and he's agreed to show us
exactly what happens behind the curtain.
♪
Gabe Sapolsky, I was like I gotta meet this guy.
He's the top promoter on the indies.
Getting on Evolve set up the rest of my career.
As a promoter, he knows what he's looking for.
He has a vision.
Gabe understands what I want to achieve.
That's the guy that you want to impress.
If you don't know who Gabe Sapolsky is when we're talking
about wrestling, you just don't know what you're really doing.
He's just the guy.
[Wipers clicking]
Special treat Friday. Right, Jack?
JACK: Yeah.
If we eat well during the week and really don't have any treats
- or maybe just one - and we work hard all week,
we get to go for a special treat on Friday.
- Right, Jack? - Yeah.
I have a lot of work to do this weekend, okay?
Mm-hmm.
But then I'll be back Monday to pick you up from school.
CROWD: Oh!
The big question is always: is pro wrestling fake?
The drama and the physicality of it is not fake at all.
The way people would describe wrestling forever,
for years, would be it's a fake sport, it's not real.
I don't think that they've ever seen an actual wrestler,
because there's nothing fake about what they do.
And it's very hard to explain to them that that isn't the case.
You either get it or you don't.
[Toy rattling]
Whoa!
It kinda sikes you, right?
It's kinda... hypnotizing, eh?
[Laughing]
Looking around, Gabe,
there's not a lot of wrestling ephemera in here.
Is there any?
The Dragon Gate USA title belt.
It's symbolic to me because I was done, I was dead in
the industry, and that belt signifies the comeback.
The original merchandising contract we had with Sabu.
So if it wasn't for this contract right here,
none of this would've happened.
And then you of course have
the picture of the godfather of hardcore wrestling.
Yes, I have that Terry Funk plaque.
Terry Funk of course was like the beginning of everything too
with ECW.
September '93 is my first year, so we're talking...
you know, moving on 24 years now.
I appreciate the fact that I've been able to do this
for so long, and also I realize the fact that
the next show can be my last show.
Like that's how quickly it ends.
[Cheering]
When I was booker for Ring of Honor, it was my life 24/7.
Every minute of every day was spent thinking about it,
and I was very unhealthy.
A lot of people in the business become so immersed
that they kinda lose themselves in it.
There was a couple of years where he was on the road
like every weekend, every weekend.
Having that routine, it definitely has brought
a balance to him for sure.
I just don't wanna be a person
that's having somebody else raise their kid.
Once he stops holding your hand walking home from school,
he is never holding your hand again.
Wrestling's giving me this luxury to raise my kid.
I try to do the logistics and the promotional stuff
during the day.
Most of the writing I do takes place after midnight.
I can be up till 4:00 or 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning
writing wrestling storylines.
[Applause]
Wrestling is a thing that goes up and down.
It might be very high, very popular right now,
but in two years it can hit bottom.
And that's not his fault or anyone's fault.
So we know that he's made his mark in wrestling,
but it's not something that is...
that we expect to go on steadily.
A professional wrestling booker is a dying breed these days.
I could've gotten a 9-to-5 job.
Maybe I'd be better off now if I did.
I mean, ultimately it's his decision,
and I've always told him that throughout the whole time
we've been together.
It's your decision, that's your career path.
Whatever it may be, I'll support you.
At the same time, I know... I know how much he loves it.
♪
Much like in boxing, a booker in wrestling is the matchmaker,
and they also decide which match happens when
to maximize the audience's reaction.
But unlike boxing, the booker decides who wins and who loses.
In wrestling, the booker becomes like a stage director
of an athletic improv troupe.
I would-- You know what, I'm gonna change this.
I would hit the double team finish on Fred, okay?
Maybe dump him out of the ring, you turn to Harper...
But then how is Harper gonna be legal?
- What's that? - How's Harper gonna be legal?
You guys figure that out.
It's... It's un-figure-out-able!
No, it's not!
Everything is figure-out-able. That's your job.
- Alright. - Alright.
[Laughing]
Exposing the business 101!
[Laughing]
A big part of being a booker
is being able to manage the big picture.
You're dealing with maybe about 20 talents, 30 talents.
Wrestlers look at things from a perspective of just themselves,
because they're focused on their careers.
A part of that is getting the talent to understand
the big picture.
If you're out at the merch table while the matches are
in the ring, all the focus of the fans should be on...
Yeah, you don't want a fan thinking,
"Oh, well this match, I got another option.
I can go hang out with Matt Riddle at the merch table,"
you know what I mean?
It's disrespectful to the guys in the ring.
That's the old school mentality.
Alright, cool, thank you.
Everyone has different talents in life.
I can't fix a cabinet, but somehow I'm able to write these
storylines and recognize this quality in wrestlers.
Same way with each of these wrestlers.
They all have a different skill set.
Take a guy like Darby Allin.
I recognize that this is a guy who wants to create.
♪
Two years into his wrestling career and one year after
walking into an Evolve open tryout,
Darby Allin has had a very quick ascent.
ANNOUNCER: It's Darby Allin!
DAMIAN: Still in his early 20s, he's achieved what takes
other wrestlers years to accomplish, moving quickly up
the Evolve card in increasingly bloody matches.
Get rid of that towel.
♪
[Laughing]
♪
Damn it!
By the end, I will get one.
The Executioner will get one of them.
Two of the boys from Atlanta are playing a game of
who can board slide this rail over here first,
and the loser gets maced.
[Laughing]
Okay, um... why?
Life's kinda boring at times, and you gotta...
spice things up.
[Sighing]
I'd say there's a lot more on the--
[Cheering]
It's finally over!
Someone's getting pepper-sprayed!
[Dinging]
You're gonna break your board!
[Cheering]
- Keep it close like this. - Okay.
[Can hissing]
The thing that's exciting about pain is when you videotape it,
and you remember it, and you can hold onto that forever.
♪
This is my face after I got pepper-sprayed years ago, 2013.
Oh, come on!
Yeah, I couldn't even see.
Now get the rag.
[Laughing]
[Chattering]
This is why we need community centres
and art spaces in suburbia.
What do you say to this older mentality that looks at
wrestling today as being too dangerous?
Like there's too many risks?
At the end of the day, people are gonna do what they want.
There's a lot of times people love wrestling,
and then they're out there doing wrestling,
and it just looks like they're playing a wrestler.
But I come from a standpoint where I don't get inspired
from that wrest-- you know, wrestling too much.
So where do you find inspiration from
if it's not just in the ring?
There's a whole world out there, so that's why I try not to just
recycle into the wrestling world what's already been done.
If I watched everything from the '80s and I tried to recycle it
and give it to the 2000s, it would feel like pro wrestling.
[Shouting]
I like to show people pain, 'cause that's like a daily thing
people experience.
I'm not out there to try and like have my wrestling be
some type of utopia where it's some fake thing.
Take the real life situations
and put it in that squared circle.
That's what pro wrestling is to me at least.
You know, that's what I try to convey and create.
He told me what's important to him is storytelling and drama.
This guy has a different way of thinking than everybody else.
♪
There's a lot of symbolism why I picked those two names,
Darby Crash and GG Allin.
Oh man!
They were known around the world for just being themselves.
And in a way it's ironic because I'm straight edge,
and those two died of drug overdoses.
[Yelling]
He's willing to drop everything in Seattle and drive to Florida
to live there so he can hop in a van and drive hours and hours
and hours to all of our shows.
This is a guy who wants it.
ANNOUNCER: Six, five, four, three, two, one...
[Cheering]
It's amazing how much stuff you have to juggle
to make this come off.
Like obviously you've got partners...
It's like four hours a day, though I'm good at delegating.
That's what-- you know?
Like you know, you get people you trust,
and you delegate stuff to them.
Yeah, but even with the delegation,
you haven't stopped moving once.
♪
Darby, did you get everything under the ring?
Priscilla, make sure you stay dead, okay?
Larry Dallas! Zack Sabre!
Keith Lee, please.
Larry! Trevor!
Larry Dallas!
Drew Galloway?
Hey, Drew Galloway, where do you want the sledgehammer?
I'll probably open in like 10 minutes.
Yo, five minutes, guys! Five minutes!
So this is gonna be the...
Alright, so, just be...
I'm thinking. [Laughing]
And an immense amount of respect on display by the fans
here in Queens and New York for Austin Theory.
AMIAN: Traditionally the booker stands behind the curtain
in the gorilla position, the point just before
the wrestler enters and returns from the arena.
It's here that Gabe will impart any last-minute bits of wisdom,
encouragement, or changes to the script,
and the vantage point from which he will read the room.
Gabe has invited me to stand with him on this tour,
a very rare opportunity for an outside to catch
the inner workings of a match.
I try to be here every match.
When they come through the curtains,
give 'em a handshake and thank them, and I mean,
they're risking their bodies in the ring for you.
He's the man!
[Shouting]
It's like a huge sign of respect for the...
It's a sign of respect for what they do, yeah.
ANNOUNCER: The history between Darby Allin and Ethan Page
goes back over a year.
Who knows what damage these two men can do to each other.
You know both guys are really gonna put
a lot physically on the line in this match,
and I trust them in knowing their limits,
but you still have those butterflies
'cause the risk is increased.
DAMIAN: Ever since Ethan Page beat the hell out of Darby Allin
moments into his Evolve debut, the two have been
locked in a nasty feud.
In a year of matches that've been punctuated with brutal
violence, the two have found themselves the talk of
the wrestling world, and the main event on the Evolve card.
This could be a feud that people will look back at for years,
with the proper close.
You have to have that finale.
It's the match card for tonight.
Thinking of all the stuff we have to compete against.
The last match we had, you either gotta top it
or you gotta compete with it, you can't go any lower.
So it's time to rock and roll.
HOSTESS: From Seattle, Washington, Darby Allin!
[Cheering]
And his opponent, "All Ego" Ethan Page!
[Cheering]
The anticipation for the match will be high,
so we don't really have to do much.
I can do a suicide dive,
like if your back's against the guard rail.
ANNOUNCER: Beautiful elevation, and a suicide dive!
And then I'll get on the top rope, diving headbutt.
Darby Allin at the behest of Ethan Page,
and is he gonna throw himself?!
[Cheering]
My god, a flying headbutt!
You get the shovel, and then you come in, you go to swing it.
♪
The chaos is the stuff that's an accident.
The one thing I turn my back on and I wasn't paying attention to
is the one that got me.
[Cheering]
[Crowd gasping]
♪
It just clipped me in the elbow.
Before I knew it there was blood,
and the muscle was showing, everything like that.
But I was so in the sense of not letting go of any opportunity,
telling the referee-- he's like, "We gotta end it."
I was like, "No, you're not gonna end this."
I work too hard for this.
I put in too much time in a year, and I told
too hard of a story to have you end it.
In a sense, it's just a shovel cutting me open
and fracturing my arm.
We're gonna finish this match.
[Cheering]
He's gonna fill that body bag with thumb tacks.
[Crowd yelling]
Ahhhh.
No... Ugh...
Oh! Oh!
[Crowd wincing]
So I was real hesitant about the thumb tack idea,
but I trusted them.
I don't know how he's gonna get out of this.
[Crowd yelling]
But I think he's okay.
Oh no.
[Crowd yelling]
ANNOUNCER: Power bomb!
Darby Allin has not let go of that arm in quite some time.
I don't know if he's...
if Ethan Page has broken Darby's arm.
[Bell ringing] Oh, thank God it's over.
[Crowd cheering]
You alright?
Darby's fucked up?
On what?
CROWD: Darby! Darby! Darby! Darby!
What happened, man? Sorry, you alright?
My elbow got sliced open with a shovel.
Oh shit...
Alright, let's get him to the back.
[Crowd chattering]
Do you know where the doctor is?
Is he still here?
FAN: Thank you, Darby!
[Crowd chattering]
We got paramedics and the doctor.
[Chattering]
MEDIC: Sorry, dude.
It's okay.
Like that's totally cool.
Yeah, shit happens, you know what I mean?
- Go to a hospital. - You gotta get stitches.
Can someone drive me there then?
We have an ambulance that will take you there.
I don't wanna take an ambulance though.
I'll just-- Let me just have someone drive me.
- Alright. - That's just between--
Yeah, I just don't wanna pay for no ambulance.
It's kinda hard to protect yourself
when a shovel is coming.
Yeah, I know.
DAMIAN: Darby goes to the hospital for surgery.
He won't be wrestling the next day, and is looking at
2 to 3 months before he'll be back in the ring.
DAMIAN: Since the beginning, wrestlers have travelled
long distances between matches.
The Evolve crew is no different.
They think nothing of logging thousands of miles in a single
weekend, or driving for 24 hours straight.
It's a claustrophobic journey broken up by the occasional
gas station sandwich spot or pancake joint.
Well, now we've been in the car for...
I don't know how many hours.
Um...
My butt is so numb.
It's like just humming.
So Austin, you... how many times a day do you eat normally?
Uh, usually six meals a day.
Six meals a day.
I eat every two hours.
Every two hours you're gonna eat a protein-heavy meal?
Exactly.
So when you're on the road though,
there must be temptation to eat junk, right?
Like every time you stop at those gas stations
and things like that.
It's not really a temptation 'cause I do it, you know?
[Laughing] Yeah.
I train so much that I can eat this kinda stuff.
Mm-hmm.
It's just all day I work out.
That's why I look like this, and then I eat every two hours.
So you identify as being straight edge, right?
Absolutely.
And so that's like no drugs, no alcohol,
no cigarettes, none of that stuff.
Nothing.
I imagine in the sport of body building,
and even pro wrestling, like you know, I'm not...
you hear about this stuff.
Yeah, absolutely.
Performance-enhancing drugs are a reality,
and people use these drugs, but you're straight edge.
Yeah, it's something I've heard since I was in high school.
You know, somebody sees like a little muscle on you,
it's like, "Oh, he's doing this, he's doing that!"
But no, man.
I don't even have the money for that.
Well, now we're gonna have some turkey, right?
This is gonna be good.
And you know what's crazy?
I eat a lot of tilapia, but I hate fish.
But I eat it because it makes my arm look like this, so...
That's probably why mine look like this.
[Laughing]
- 'Cause you don't eat fish? - I don't eat fish!
[Laughing]
Austin Theory is a pro wrestling prodigy.
Austin has been streamed for wrestling stardom
for over half his life.
He drives an hour and a half every day to practice at
World Wrestling Alliance, located behind a strip club
in West Atlanta.
At the age of 19, he stands fully equipped to take over
the wrestling industry.
[Chattering]
Look, check it out.
My hand's acting like my foot, okay?
I'm gonna raise it up, and I'm gonna plant it there.
I'm just gonna put it there.
The main thing is all this too, this whole presence,
this whole... you know what I mean, acting.
This whole-- The face already.
So if I'm going aah!
You know, no, don't shy away from it.
[Thudding] So I'm just doing that.
Come on, come on, you got it.
[Thudding] Okay.
Damn it!
Are you worried about this, man?
I mean, 'cause it's pretty much...
[Laughing]
Alright, look, let me put it like this.
If it was real, it'd be easy, right?
Kick this person in the gut.
You're doing that, but just not for real.
[Laughing]
Ar Fox is one of the most influential
independent wrestlers of his generation.
His fearless style has inspired many fan and wrestler alike.
The first time I met Austin, I didn't know what to expect.
You know, and then he started wrestling and stuff,
and I could just tell this kid gets it.
[Groaning]
I'm like I will put a little extra work in this kid,
and I'm gonna push him, and I'm also gonna like give him a few
snug shots to see if he comes back the next day.
[Thudding]
And that's gonna see how bad you want it.
Some guys still are like trying to get on Evolve that I know
that've been wrestling for 8 years.
Me and Gabe actually had a small falling out.
Once Austin started doing real good,
I just swallowed my pride and I wrote on my Facebook and I said,
"Can I call you?"
GABE: Ar Fox said, "Hey, I got this student, Austin Theory.
He's gonna be a star."
What got me with Austin Theory was his facial expressions.
And the facial expressions most guys don't get till 3 to 5 years
down the line, some guys 10 years.
ANNOUNCER: Austin Theory almost going right through
the mat there.
The fact that he was able to have these kind of instincts at
his experience level and age, if this was sports or baseball,
this is a five-tool player, and a natural professional wrestler.
We immediately signed him, we signed him the next day.
Wrestling is everything to me.
It's what I've known since I was 8 years old.
I just was so drawn to it.
It was like real life superheroes.
My first show, I remember going with my grandfather.
I remember a guy coming out and being real scary to me.
And I was not knowing if I wanted to be there or not.
And then the next guy comes out, and he's like the hero.
And I was like wait, I wanna see this.
After that night, I was completely hooked.
My mom had me doing baseball and basketball,
but once I'd seen wrestling at 8, I was done with that.
Like I knew this is all I care about.
The way he is, he's driven, and he don't wanna be held down.
And when he sees something he wants, he goes for it,
and he will give up anything to get it.
I can go out of town, and I could leave alcohol,
you know, here, and I don't have to worry about it.
The only thing that's gonna be missing is protein.
AUSTION: I think I was 12 years old.
I told my mom, I was like, "Can I start going to the gym?"
But I wasn't old enough to work out, but I'd sneak in.
I just know getting on that main stage,
there's no way you're getting there without hard work.
♪
Oh shit! Oh shit!
♪
[Groaning]
♪
[Grunting]
♪
[Groaning]
♪
[Laughing]
[Clapping]
Most intimate thing I've ever seen in the ring.
You know, it felt like it was a private match just for me.
♪
AUSTIN: My parents, I think they split before I was born.
My dad, there would be times where we'd be in a store
and he'd steal stuff.
I wanna say I was 15 years old, and I was in the car with him.
I had got like my learner's permit so I could drive now.
We were riding, and he was telling me some story,
but he just kinda starts like dazing off.
He basically was geeking out from like a reaction from
some type of drug.
That moment really stuck with me.
Straight over.
It brought me to the point of being straight edge.
Never in my life have I had alcohol,
or smoked, or done any type of drug.
It's amazing watching him interact with
his two younger brothers.
To me, Austin's a role model for all of his siblings.
And with his brothers, they both look up to him.
AUSTIN: I just want them to always be good,
and not go through kinda what I went through.
They just think he's cool because he's a wrestler,
and they have t-shirts that's got him on it.
[Laughing]
AUSTIN: One day I'll have kids, and I wanna be somewhere
where they have nothing to worry about.
[Crowd shouting]
Before I go out to the ring, I definitely get nervous.
I'm a freakin' train wreck.
I love what I do so much that I know when I go out there,
I wanna give them everything I got.
I want them to see Austin Theory.
[Chattering]
- Oh my. - Ooh-wee.
Yeah.
I've been on my fast all day too, so...
[Laughing]
Yeah, me too, I haven't eaten anything all day.
[Chattering]
Alright, Pudding Pie, go ahead.
[Laughing]
Pudding Pie?
That's the name for the ring, dude!
Pudding Pie!
ALL: Pudding Pie Yehi!
[Clapping]
Pudding Pie Yehi!
[Clapping]
Pudding Pie Yehi!
Alright.
DAMIAN: Without the size that fast tracks someone for success
in wrestling, Fred Yehi has had to fight for every opportunity.
But Fred's ability to make the most of each and every match,
and an undeniable charisma, have helped him kick down the door to
some of wrestling's biggest indies.
Fred's a guy who has done my favourite thing,
which is improve every aspect of his game.
He's very impressive, and he brings it in the ring
like no other.
'Cause I wrestled him, and it's a rough time.
♪
Fred would destroy me in the ring.
He's really good at technical wrestling.
His biggest challenge is his height.
He's not a super tall guy.
There's guys who are his height that have become stars
on national TV, but it's not a strength of his.
He has taken that and made it part of his persona,
made it part of his move set.
Something as small as hitting the ropes,
which is when the guys run into the ropes
and bounce off of them.
If you notice, Fred does this off the second rope.
He's the only guy that does this off the second rope.
ANNOUNCER: Bouncing off the second rope.
So unique, the way he comes out and you see that tackle.
His wrestling style, stomping on the hands...
I was waiting for it there!
...they all bring his opponent down in size.
So he took what was a weakness of his,
his height, and he made it into a strength.
Stomp on the foot!
I mean, that's smart.
FRED: Wrestling in the South, it's really tough.
The crowd is pretty much like an all-white crowd, country crowd.
60% of the crowd is grossly obese.
Are they gonna identify with the 350-pound, beer belly,
out of shape guy who comes out in a cowboy hat?
He's the guy they're gonna put in the main event.
He's the guy they wanna put on the posters.
I wouldn't say there are any
African American companies per se.
There's just a decent amount of us who wrestle here in Georgia.
And in the end, we all go through that same struggle.
We all do.
♪
You met this dude training.
Let's bring you back to that moment.
Do you remember the first time you saw Pudding Pie?
When I first saw him wrestle,
there was this girl who was just flipping out.
She's like, "Oh my god, aah! Fred! Fred!"
And I was like uhn, whatever, I don't see the hype.
I was like I don't even think he's that cute.
And this is literally what I said,
that's literally what I said!
My trainer's like, "Okay, we're gonna do drop down drills,"
which is... you know, the person lays down,
you jump over 'em, jump over 'em.
So I hit the drop down, and I can't get back up in time.
What does this guy do?
What do you do, Fred?
He keeps going!
Straight on my ribs.
I flip over on my back, I'm like, "Aah! Oh my god!"
[Gasping]
I love to tell people to embarrass him.
[Laughing]
Dating in pro wrestling, it has its pros and it has its cons.
Oh, fuck! [Laughing]
We're both in this business,
so we have to be really understanding.
There has to be trust.
What's it like being in a relationship when both of you
are on the road?
It's honestly really hard, I'm not even gonna lie.
- Thank you, thank you. - Bye!
♪
What motivates you to get in the van and do this
weekend after weekend?
I remember being kinda stuck, and like stuck in Georgia,
doing like these rink-a-dink backwoods shows with like
maybe 20 to 50 people.
The pay was dirt.
You know, 30 to 50 bucks.
Maybe half that money, if not all of it,
is going back into the tank.
I appreciate that we have a van.
We don't have to worry about gas,
we don't have to worry about food.
All that stuff is covered.
And taking all that in consideration,
shoot, I'll stay crammed up in the van.
[Laughing]
You know, and deal with it, so...
I don't know if you ever heard that quote where it's like,
you know, if you're the hardest worker in the room,
then you're in the wrong room.
As long as I'm a wrestler, I don't think I'm ever gonna
arrive because I'm not gonna...
I won't allow myself to be, you know?
I won't allow myself to believe that I just know it all,
that I'm there.
There's always someone working harder, you know?
[Laughing]
Shoot, like I mean Austin, he got his contract.
He was like, "Man, that's freakin' awesome!"
It's like I don't want him to catch me, you know?
[Laughing]
So you know, there is that sense of like competition.
Like you have to stay on top of your game.
♪
It's real, guys.
Very real. [Laughing]
♪
I need to be back -on a 4 -G connection.
-I cannot be on a 3 -G connection.
Three, two, one... [Laughing]
That one's a clam.
Got it! [Laughing]
And you wonder how we pass time when we're away from our family.
- That's it! - Goofing off.
It's crazy with Evolve, 'cause you have legitimately like...
the most talented people in this industry
in that locker room right now.
There's the future of this industry, you know?
Like some of the greatest talents that are gonna emerge
in this generation of wrestling.
Oh man.
Man, I hate all y'all.
Bring all these cheesecakes and hot wings,
and I just gotta sit here like...
The wings might mess me up,
but I don't think the cheesecake will.
[Laughing]
You can't eat cheesecake in front of the biggest guy
in the locker room, eat the cheesecake
and then show off that you're ripped too.
That's rude.
Shut up, Fred! [Laughing]
One, two, three, four, five...
[Chattering]
GABE: I never wanted to be a wrestler myself.
When everybody was cutting wrestling promos and imagining
characters for themselves as like a kid or growing up,
I was actually putting together matches.
The whole side as far as being in front of a crowd
and performing never really appealed to me.
I always wanted to be the guy backstage
kind of pulling the strings.
If this is what Catch Point is gonna stand for, then I quit.
And when you say to Tracy Williams hi,
make sure... 'cause you're saying that to Tracy.
That's who's back to Orlando, okay?
So you're saying that right to Tracy, okay?
Like as a fuck you to him for earlier, okay?
What's it like dealing with bookers and dealing with someone
who is telling you how to work with your art like a director?
I get paid to show up and play a role
that they write the script for.
So whether I disagree or agree, I 9 times out of 10 will just do
exactly what they say to the best of my ability.
And usually people understand that whoever wrote the show
is in control of all the moving parts.
CROWD: Ego! Ego! Ego! Ego!
I go by my gut, you know that, okay?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - My gut's 100% right.
- That's been... - That's not true.
No, that is 100% true.
You... Your gut said to do another match after Orlando.
No, that was me thinking.
My thinking is 50/50, my gut is 100%, okay?
Being an experienced wrestler and someone who's been in this,
a lot of what you do is manage expectations of the younger
wrestlers you're working with, and also translate their ideas
into the world of wrestling so they work.
That's a very... I don't know, strong ability that I have.
I assume that's why Gabe puts me in the ring with younger talent.
[Bell dinging]
ANNOUNCER: Tonight though, what we're looking at here
is actually a rematch.
[Clapping]
[Crowd gasping]
His face nearly taken off by Ethan Page.
ANNOUNCER 2: Yeah, that's a rookie mistake right there.
I would imagine it must feel like a mark of accomplishment
that you're trusted again to kinda be that guy.
It is a mark of accomplishment, but it's also frustrating
because if you're always the guy that has to cater to the
inexperienced and essentially make the stars of tomorrow,
you'll never be the star of today.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you've never seen Austin Theory before,
you're about to see this young man fly.
Over the top rope, moonsault!
Spring-boarding off of the top rope, Tim!
[Crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER 2: I like the split crowd reaction here.
Austin Theory clearly already endearing himself
for the WWN and Evolve faithful.
Pisses me off, but it's also a pat on the back
that I'm good at my job.
I don't know, it's... I'm being pulled both ways.
Is that the same shovel?
No, they left it out in the room.
I mean, but does it look like the same shovel?
No, it was green.
Yeah, then that does us no good.
Those fucking assholes, man.
I told them like 10 fucking times to bring a goddamn shovel.
So there's always unbelievable risk with every wrestling match
and every wrestling move, but with these hardcore
wrestling matches, is that like a mental leap you have to make
to be able to inflict that much pain on someone?
Yeah, I hate it.
Like I hated everything about it because you have the guy
that's taking the moves saying he wants to do it,
and it's his idea, and then you have your boss who's obviously
concerned for our health, but also genuinely excited about
the reaction that you'll get online or with the crowd.
In today's day and age, you're looking for hits,
and that's how people thrive and keep their businesses alive.
[Applause]
HOSTESS: The winner of the match, Ethan Page!
I try to give these guys a safe working environment,
and at the end of the day
these are highly trained professionals.
Anything can hurt anybody in that ring.
There have been times where I've almost quit because I just...
I didn't wanna be a part of that aspect.
They're literally risking their lives and serious injury
every single match, every single move.
If something goes wrong and their concentration isn't there,
that can end their career.
[Bell dinging]
[Clapping]
ANNOUNCER: This is a match-up that once upon a time
I could never even imagine.
Fred Yehi, Kyle O'Reilly, here in an Evolve wrestling ring!
ANNOUNCER 2: Coming in here tonight, probably one of
the more highly anticipated match-ups
here on the Evolve 83 card.
So tell me about what kind of opportunity this is for Fred.
It's a huge opportunity.
Putting the spotlight solely on him,
it also put him in there with Kyle O'Reilly,
a world-class guy from all over the place.
I have a sense right now that the crowd is ready for him
to be in a bigger role.
So then you break him away, and if you're right,
he's gonna blow up.
If you're wrong, you could screw up his career.
[Clapping]
Place some very powerful maneuvers on top of it.
[Crashing]
ANNOUNCER 2: Yeah, and taking him down as he begins
that submission here.
[Groaning]
What the hell submission is this?
What the fuck is this?!
Yeah, Fred's got a lot of unique stuff.
[Laughing]
It's like some kind of yoga pose with pressure.
ANNOUNCER: He's just twisting the body of O'Reilly
into a pretzel, and just... what, he's holding the leg down?
[Laughing]
[Clapping]
ANNOUNCER 2: Coming off the ropes looking for that kick.
Yehi with the reversal, stomp on the foot.
ANNOUNCER: And the stomp followed by the forearm.
Move by Kyle O'Reilly.
However, that chop block there taking him down.
ANNOUNCER 2: Right to that same knee.
Figure 4 leg lock!
CROWD: Ooooh!
ANNOUNCER: And you can see Fred doing everything he can
to stop him from rolling through, but instead
O'Reilly able to get just enough momentum to do it.
[Clapping]
This kind of wrestling I love,
just good, straightforward, two hungry guys, you know.
I mean, they're leaving their heart and their soul on the ring
right now, both of them.
[Crowd shouting]
A great wrestling match will build, and it'll build,
and build, and take the fans on a rollercoaster ride.
Give them something that they can grab onto,
but then surprise them, play with their emotions.
[Crowd chanting]
[Groaning]
One stomp to the knee, Yehi so effective.
[Crashing]
And that release German, just full top Kyle O'Reilly.
This could be it, Tim!
Two... And O'Reilly kicks out.
ANNOUNCER 2: Cannot question the tenacity of Kyle O'Reilly...
[Crowd chanting]
...nor can you question the reaction we're hearing here
for Fred Yehi from the WWN faithful now.
[Crowd cheering]
Nuked again by Fred Yehi!
Your goal is to make them forget that
they're watching a performance.
♪
Seven!
Oh wait, he gets up!
[Cheering]
Now you hear the crowd is realizing what they're watching.
♪
I think this is gonna be it right here, if he gets the arm.
He's gonna try to get the arm out.
Gonna get the shot.
And I mean, at some point he's got no choice.
In fact, the brain buster we saw last night!
ANNOUNCER: This could put him away... Oh no!
ANNOUNCER 2: Now to go for the arm bar, the armageddon!
Yehi's in trouble!
He is in the centre of the ring!
This is perfect.
Holding on for dear life!
Trying to not let that arm free.
ANNOUNCER: But you can see the fingers just slipping away
from one another as Yehi trying to hold on desperately,
not allowing Kyle O'Reilly to lock in that arm bar!
What a fucking match.
What a match, Jeff!
Fucking phenomenal, man.
[Applause]
ANNOUNCER 2: We told you Kyle O'Reilly coming back to
Evolve Wrestling, there's no question.
This is a main event star, with a victory over Fred Yehi
tonight at Evolve 83!
That was beautiful.
We got Kyle established as a main event guy for us.
It elevated Fred right there, but you're still hungry for
the big win by Fred.
That was beautiful.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
[Clapping]
[Cheering]
ANNOUNCER: Sign of respect.
There's nobody sitting down, and Fred Yehi,
he showed he does not need to be a part of Catch Point.
Fucking grand slam, out of the park.
- Thank you. - Fucking phenomenal.
Phenomenal, man. Be proud of that.
Be proud of that, okay?
- Thank you. - Thank you.
I truly hope we see a rematch between these two athletes
in the future here in the World Wrestling Network.
DAMIAN: For someone to pursue their dream in the world of
professional wrestling is to knowingly subject themselves to
a life that makes the saying "blood, sweat and tears"
a literal experience.
Months of their lives will be spent cramped up in a van,
years inside a gym, and hopefully at the very best
only a few injuries to nurse along the way.
It's a solitary endeavour, but what makes wrestling so unique
compared to other combat sports is collaboration.
They aren't just going out there to physically
destroy each other, they work together to build a narrative
that aims to surprise, enrage, and gratify.
On some level, every wrestling fan knows the winners and losers
are predetermined, but that's not the point.
What's beautiful is that we as an audience choose to suspend
our disbelief in order to become a part of that narrative.
It's art, so it doesn't work all the time.
But when it does, that's the magic of pro wrestling.
[Clapping]
This is awesome!
[Clapping]
This is awesome!
♪