Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

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Big Red Machine
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Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by Big Red Machine » Sep 24th, '17, 19:10

This was posted on the ROHWorld forum, and while I have no way to verify if it is real or not (I guess I could check Gabe's Twitter to see if he said anything but I'm avoiding all EVOLVE and Style Battle spoilers so I'm not going to do that just yet), the person who posted it has never posted false info in the past, so I trust that he/she wouldn't ruin his/her reputation for something small like this.
Gabe Sapolsky? wrote:Hey everyone,

This is an important email so please read it through.

We are about to enter a transition period. I want to use this weekend to prepare for that. A major part of this will be the in ring work. You are all awesome, obviously, or you wouldn't be booked. However, I want to change some things you do in EVOLVE to make EVOLVE different and also prepare for what's next.

I will explain more in person, but this weekend please concentrate on these things:

-Make every lock up on the show count. I saw Regal last week and he was at BOLA. I was surprised for him to say that he didn't see many good lock ups there. Honestly, he said he barely saw one good lock up. I know this might be surprising, especially since some of you were on the show. This is a major thing. It's about starting your match up with believability. Please let's put on emphasis on lock ups where you fight for position rather than go into a spot.

-Don't look into the floor camera at anytime. This is a Vince/WWE thing. I really don't care if you look into the camera or not, but this is a habit you will have to break as soon as you go to WWE/NXT, so you might as well break it now. I can explain this more in person. It's a huge thing there, so don't discount this.

-Make every kick, strike and chop count. I don't mean go in there and beat each other up. Just don't waste your kicks, strikes, chops and sell it. In addition, consider who your opponent is. If Keith Lee is striking you, sell it bigger than if someone smaller was striking you. Keep the situation and opponent in mind with your selling and how you do kicks, strikes and chops.

-Don't do cool stuff for the sake of cool stuff. Everything should be about winning the match. I'm not saying don't do cool stuff, but don't do it just to do it.

Have it make sense in your match.

-Challenge yourself to break your normal routine of spots. I don't care what match rating you get on Twitter. This is small picture stuff. I want everyone to think big picture and long game. I can explain this better in person.

-I've been traveling with Chris Dickinson a lot lately since we are from the same area now. We have talked about this stuff extensively in the car. I feel he has a good grasp of it and can explain it from a worker's perspective, which I can't. Please get with him on any questions. I've also told Chris to take more of a leadership role and point things out, so please be open to what he has to say. Thank you.

-Some other notes:

-Belltime each night is 8pm. Please be at the venue by 5:30pm.

-Sal is is getting hotel in a little bit. If you are flying in, we'll tell you where to go soon to hang out. Brandon Tolle is arranging all the rides. Please get with him on rides. If you don't hear from us by tonight, let me know.

-Please remember the EVOLVE rules when it comes to:

-No swearing

-Nothing derogatory towards minorities, women, ethnicities or any other groups.

-No piledrivers.neck bumps, apron spots, anything that drops you on your head.

-Nothing hardcore without permission -No unprotected headbutts

-No mic work without permission

-Be super nice to kids

-No guests in your hotel rooms! We are not going to pay for an extra hotel room cause someone is your ride or you are bringing someone along. We arrange three per room. We are not budgeted for more hotel rooms. No one gets added to these rooms. It is for the comfort of everyone in the room.

-I will send out booking info late night. This weekend is going to be mostly about wrestling. We aren't going to go big into storyline stuff or angles during this transition period. I want everyone to really concentrate on their matches, think of the fundamentals and making everything solid and make sense.

-If you need anything call or text me [number redacted]. If you can't reach me and it's an emergency contact Sal at [number redacted].

I look forward to a fun weekend. Thank you, Gabe
Lots of interesting stuff to read into here.
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Re: Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by cero2k » Sep 25th, '17, 09:37

all i see is Gabe being completely ok with just being the NXT dojo
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Re: Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by Big Red Machine » Sep 25th, '17, 13:53

cero2k wrote: Sep 25th, '17, 09:37 all i see is Gabe being completely ok with just being the NXT dojo
The thing about rooms could also be a subtle indication that money will be tight for a while, and the whole thing about changes could mean that Gabe is rethinking the direction of the company a bit. It definitely sounds like he wants to get back to a more grounded, old-school-ish style. Dickinson seems to have some good ideas to me.
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Re: Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by Big Red Machine » Sep 25th, '17, 13:59

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2017/0 ... in-future/

Posted by Aaron Bentley | Sep 25, 2017 | Columns
Email Leaks, Lawsuits and The Uncertain Future of EVOLVE Wrestling

Coming out of this weekend’s EVOLVE shows (EVOLVE 92 & EVOLVE 93), the future of the promotion, and its parent company WWN, has never been less clear.

FloSports kicked WWN off its streaming service amid a contentious legal battle, and now, new comments from promoter Gabe Sapolsky suggest that he may not want to continue promoting and booking the company’s shows.

In addition to defending FloSports’ lawsuit, WWN faced more issues last week when Sapolsky learned that an email he sent to EVOLVE talent was leaked to the public.

In a late-night phone call Sunday, he said that it “killed something” inside of him when he learned Friday that my podcast, Everything Evolves, received a copy of the email, which provided instructions for wrestlers performing on this past weekend’s EVOLVE shows. Further, Sapolsky maintains that the leak almost cost him his job as a consultant with WWE when Fightful.com published it Sunday afternoon.

The purpose of Sapolsky’s call was to discover which performer shared the email with people outside the company. When Everything Evolves refused to disclose how it obtained the email, Sapolsky asserted that the podcast’s hosts had “betrayed” EVOLVE wrestling.

“I’m pretty much done with this whole indie bullshit,” Sapolsky said shortly before concluding the call. “This almost cost me my NXT job that I’ve worked 23 years for.”

While Sapolsky did not expand on his statement about being done with independent wrestling, the rest of the phone call led me to believe that the leak truly made him wonder whether he wanted to continue to devote his time to WWN and EVOLVE. He seemed to think if he could identify and fire the original leaker, everything could go back to how it was before the leak.

Sapolsky may be concerned because the leaked email revealed details of EVOLVE’s relationship with WWE and the promotion’s rules for its wrestlers. The email instructed talent that EVOLVE is “about to enter a transition period” and that Sapolsky wanted “to use [EVOLVE’s September shows] to prepare for that.” The email further discussed Sapolsky’s desire that EVOLVE talent not develop habits they would have to break once they arrived at WWE or NXT. Sapolsky outlined “EVOLVE rules” reminiscent of rumored WWE rules regarding prohibitions on swearing, derogatory language, and wrestling moves believed to cause head injuries.

Sapolsky’s comments about nearly losing his WWE job combined with the content of the email makes clear WWE was unhappy with this information becoming public. For now, it’s unclear if that’s because WWE doesn’t want to publicize details of their close relationship with WWN, because Sapolsky mentioned comments from WWE official William Regal, or something else in the email.

Sapolsky’s email received particular interest due to its public release after news broke that FloSports, the streaming video company that until recently broadcast WWN events, filed a lawsuit against WWN. The complaint alleges that WWN inflated the company’s sales of internet pay-per-views and videos-on-demand in its negotiations with FloSports.

Everything Evolves first received the memo last Thursday evening. On Saturday, it contacted Sapolsky to confirm the email’s validity. Sapolsky did not outright confirm he wrote the memo or its contents, but he described it as “in house business” and immediately requested the identity of the person who leaked it. When Everything Evolves refused to provide that information, Sapolsky threatened to fire an EVOLVE talent at random.

After no conversation for over 24 hours, Sapolsky contacted Everything Evolves to express that the leak personally hurt him and that he was “just about done” with independent wrestling. In response to Sapolsky’s guesses at who might have leaked the email, Everything Evolves again refused to provide the requested information, and Sapolsky requested to speak on the phone.

In the first phone call, Sapolsky stated he sent out emails like the leaked one before every show he’s ever done over the last 15 years and that this was the first time anyone distributed it to people outside the company. He expressed his belief that, by refusing to identify the source of the email, Everything Evolves is “destroying the company you’re doing a podcast about.” In a subsequent conversation, Sapolsky repeated his earlier requests. The conversation ended when Sapolsky accused Everything Evolves of betraying him and EVOLVE.

EVOLVE is scheduled to have its next show on October 14th in Queens, New York, so the next three weeks are sure to be intriguing as WWN files its initial response to the FloSports lawsuit and we find out what Gabe Sapolsky’s involvement with the company will be.

It would be a shame to lose Sapolsky’s creative vision and eye for talent from the independent wrestling landscape, whether he goes full-time with WWE or decides to spend his time doing something else. But the world is different than it was when he created Ring of Honor in 2002. Sapolsky, too, will have to evolve.

Aaron Taube (@aptaube) contributed reporting to this article.
Hold #712: ARM BAR!

Upcoming Reviews:
FIP in 2005
ROH Validation
PWG All-Star Weekend V: Night 2
DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2013
ROH/CMLL Global Wars Espectacular: Day 3

User avatar
Big Red Machine
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Re: Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by Big Red Machine » Sep 25th, '17, 14:05

Big Red Machine wrote: Sep 25th, '17, 13:59 http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2017/0 ... in-future/

Posted by Aaron Bentley | Sep 25, 2017 | Columns
Email Leaks, Lawsuits and The Uncertain Future of EVOLVE Wrestling

Coming out of this weekend’s EVOLVE shows (EVOLVE 92 & EVOLVE 93), the future of the promotion, and its parent company WWN, has never been less clear.

FloSports kicked WWN off its streaming service amid a contentious legal battle, and now, new comments from promoter Gabe Sapolsky suggest that he may not want to continue promoting and booking the company’s shows.

In addition to defending FloSports’ lawsuit, WWN faced more issues last week when Sapolsky learned that an email he sent to EVOLVE talent was leaked to the public.

In a late-night phone call Sunday, he said that it “killed something” inside of him when he learned Friday that my podcast, Everything Evolves, received a copy of the email, which provided instructions for wrestlers performing on this past weekend’s EVOLVE shows. Further, Sapolsky maintains that the leak almost cost him his job as a consultant with WWE when Fightful.com published it Sunday afternoon.

The purpose of Sapolsky’s call was to discover which performer shared the email with people outside the company. When Everything Evolves refused to disclose how it obtained the email, Sapolsky asserted that the podcast’s hosts had “betrayed” EVOLVE wrestling.

“I’m pretty much done with this whole indie bullshit,” Sapolsky said shortly before concluding the call. “This almost cost me my NXT job that I’ve worked 23 years for.”

While Sapolsky did not expand on his statement about being done with independent wrestling, the rest of the phone call led me to believe that the leak truly made him wonder whether he wanted to continue to devote his time to WWN and EVOLVE. He seemed to think if he could identify and fire the original leaker, everything could go back to how it was before the leak.

Sapolsky may be concerned because the leaked email revealed details of EVOLVE’s relationship with WWE and the promotion’s rules for its wrestlers. The email instructed talent that EVOLVE is “about to enter a transition period” and that Sapolsky wanted “to use [EVOLVE’s September shows] to prepare for that.” The email further discussed Sapolsky’s desire that EVOLVE talent not develop habits they would have to break once they arrived at WWE or NXT. Sapolsky outlined “EVOLVE rules” reminiscent of rumored WWE rules regarding prohibitions on swearing, derogatory language, and wrestling moves believed to cause head injuries.

Sapolsky’s comments about nearly losing his WWE job combined with the content of the email makes clear WWE was unhappy with this information becoming public. For now, it’s unclear if that’s because WWE doesn’t want to publicize details of their close relationship with WWN, because Sapolsky mentioned comments from WWE official William Regal, or something else in the email.

Sapolsky’s email received particular interest due to its public release after news broke that FloSports, the streaming video company that until recently broadcast WWN events, filed a lawsuit against WWN. The complaint alleges that WWN inflated the company’s sales of internet pay-per-views and videos-on-demand in its negotiations with FloSports.

Everything Evolves first received the memo last Thursday evening. On Saturday, it contacted Sapolsky to confirm the email’s validity. Sapolsky did not outright confirm he wrote the memo or its contents, but he described it as “in house business” and immediately requested the identity of the person who leaked it. When Everything Evolves refused to provide that information, Sapolsky threatened to fire an EVOLVE talent at random.

After no conversation for over 24 hours, Sapolsky contacted Everything Evolves to express that the leak personally hurt him and that he was “just about done” with independent wrestling. In response to Sapolsky’s guesses at who might have leaked the email, Everything Evolves again refused to provide the requested information, and Sapolsky requested to speak on the phone.

In the first phone call, Sapolsky stated he sent out emails like the leaked one before every show he’s ever done over the last 15 years and that this was the first time anyone distributed it to people outside the company. He expressed his belief that, by refusing to identify the source of the email, Everything Evolves is “destroying the company you’re doing a podcast about.” In a subsequent conversation, Sapolsky repeated his earlier requests. The conversation ended when Sapolsky accused Everything Evolves of betraying him and EVOLVE.

EVOLVE is scheduled to have its next show on October 14th in Queens, New York, so the next three weeks are sure to be intriguing as WWN files its initial response to the FloSports lawsuit and we find out what Gabe Sapolsky’s involvement with the company will be.

It would be a shame to lose Sapolsky’s creative vision and eye for talent from the independent wrestling landscape, whether he goes full-time with WWE or decides to spend his time doing something else. But the world is different than it was when he created Ring of Honor in 2002. Sapolsky, too, will have to evolve.

Aaron Taube (@aptaube) contributed reporting to this article.
I can totally understand Gabe being hurt by this (especially when you realize that Paul Heyman first took under under his wing only after providing him with the results of the NWA World Title Tournament as a test to see if Gabe would run to the dirtsheets with it or not [sans the Shane Douglas deal at the end, of course, so Paul would still have his surprise even if Gabe proved untrustworthy], so Gabe probably feels that someone here failed that test), but he should have known better than to ask a reporter to name a source, and threatening to fire someone at random is just wrong. I can also understand him being upset about losing whatever exactly his NXT gig is, although WWE being upset that that info came out seems totally unreasonable to me- but then again, many of WWE's rules are.
The idea of Gabe being "done" with independent wrestling would be a real shame unless it somehow means that he would be given free reign in WWE, ROH, or TNA, because, in my opinion, there has never been a booker with such a consistent track record of putting out an exciting, interesting, and satisfying product.
Hold #712: ARM BAR!

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ROH Validation
PWG All-Star Weekend V: Night 2
DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2013
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Re: Leak of Gabe's Sapolsky's E-Mail to EVOLVE Roster?

Post by cero2k » Sep 25th, '17, 14:29

Big Red Machine wrote: Sep 25th, '17, 13:53
cero2k wrote: Sep 25th, '17, 09:37 all i see is Gabe being completely ok with just being the NXT dojo
The thing about rooms could also be a subtle indication that money will be tight for a while, and the whole thing about changes could mean that Gabe is rethinking the direction of the company a bit. It definitely sounds like he wants to get back to a more grounded, old-school-ish style. Dickinson seems to have some good ideas to me.
they just lost the FlowSlam money and now they have to spend their own money to broadcast the shows, that definitely hurts them
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