Live Report from the WWN Show in Beijing

[Big Red Machine]

We missed the first half of the show because of Beijing bullshit like a packed train and only one goddamn gate being open so we spent 30 minutes walking around the entire arena. There were people selling tickets on the street everywhere which wasn't a great sign. Apparently scalpers bought a lot of tickets. When we got there the arena was about half full but people were leaving when we went in. A good chunk of people just didn't like it and left early on. I'll post pictures when I get settled tonight. The first thing I noticed was how into the simple spots the crowd was. Now I've never really seen Evolve outside of clips so I was expecting a very fast pace and lots of high spots but most of the show was very straight forward and Matt based but the crowd would pop giant for simple vertical suplexes and chops. Every match came off show except the main event. Let's just start.

Rich Swann b AR Fox to retain the FIP title

Allysin Kay b Su Yung

Chuck Taylor b Jody Kristofferson via count out

I missed all of these.

Timothy Thatcher b Biff Busick

I came in during this. They had the ring micd awesome. Every slap and slam sounded huge. I don't know who's who but they did a babyface from the under the whole match. Lots of ground work, holds, and striking. The babyface won with an Armbar and they shook hands. Had good reactions.

Then they did this stupid cheer leading deal to I'm Happy which in the US I was able to avoid ever listening to the whole thing so that fucked me.

Mia Yim b Ivelisse Velez to win the Shine title

they came out to Gun Sounds by Waka Flocka, that was cool.

The match was ok but it had some horribly blown spots and very fake looking stuff. It was about the sane as the llast.Mia won worth a package piledriver off the second rope but it was so noticeable that the other girl helped. My girlfriend still thought it looked way too dangerous.

Trent Baretta & Caleb Konley b Bravado Brothers and Fire Ant & Silver Ant in an elimination match to retain the Open the United Gate tag title

this was good. The Bravados loomed fantastic and played heels but I'm not sure the crowd got it. They eliminated the Colony really really early, I think just to establish the Bravados finisher for later. Lots of back and forth. The babyface team went over. Not nearly as many dives asi thought. Like when the wrestlers would come out they played intro videos and the videos were all apron bumps and dives but the matches were very subdued. It could've been that there were no pads outside or that they didn't wanna overwhelm the audience. Either way good match.

At this point my girlfriend asked what they made, thinking these guys should make at least $10,000 a match....so yeah....

Johnny Gargano b Ricochet to retain the Open the Freedom Gate title and the CITIC Cup

before the match started a good chunk of the audience left to beat the subway. Ricochet looked incredible and oozed charisma. Los if high spots. My girlfriends jumped and grabbed my hand like a horror movie for a few like the ssp and a dvd on the apron.

Gargano won which the f4w report listed asa retain but Ricochet cane out with the belt so I think he won it. He did a speech and I ran down to say hi to Ricochet, called him Puma, but he blew me off. The cried poured out. I got to see Gargano, got a sweet picture of him and he said my Batman shirt was awesome which kind of left me speechless like a little girl.

Overall a good show. I was expecting a faster style and i think the crowd that stayed really liked it. They said they'd be back and the turnout is perceived to be good, especially for the lack of promotion they did.

Also they had a little cheering section that would try and get chants going but good luck when no one speaks English.

I'll post pictures later if anyone is interested.
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And yeah, people trickled out during the whole show. I'd say, and in horrible at estimating, at least 8,000 stayed to the end but you need to understand, no one knew what the fuck this was going to be. People bought tickets or of curiosity and figured out they didn't like it. When we were going in at least a hundred people were on they're way out. These guys have no clue who Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Andre the Giant, Antonio Inoki, or John Cena are. This was a pure curiosity show.

In other news at the end of the month in the same arena is an mma show called M1 and it looks brutal. I might check that out too.
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The crowd that was there seemed to get into it. The smallest stuff got giant pops. The Biff Busick match I came in on was very slow but like imagine a simple standing vertical suplex and the whole crowd popped huge but in a worried and horrified way. I got the feeling everyone was worried about they're health. In my opinion at least half the crowd couldn't tell if it was real or not. I wish I would've got there earlier just to see if they like explained the "rules"or not.

The other thing that was funny was they did a lot of "both men down" ten counts and the crowd would count along real loud, getting louder as they got closer to ten.

They were very quiet between spots, and the ring was micd great, so I got ti hear everything like the wrestlers arguing with the ref, that was very fun. I'd never really heard that before.

I don't think the audience really understood the heel quirk by the Bravados. They weren't really booing but got into the fast action.

Ricochet played total heel and people got it bit the big turning point was when he spit in Gargano face. You felt this immediate buzz from the crowd of like "wtf! Kill that prick!"

Ricochet did that double back flip into a standing hurricanrana early in and people were so hooked into the main event. The Chinese word for "fighting" is "jaiyo" and at my school the kids chant it during games. I asked my girlfriend to confirm the word (cause my Chinese sucks) and she goes "don't chant it like a moron" but then Gargano yells it loud as fuck during his comeback and the crowd chants "jaiyo! Jaiyo!" And that was the only chant that got going but it was cool.

There wasa guy behind me who lived it. Every single punch, kick, slap and slam the guy let out a loud "ohhhhh! Ahhh! Ooooo! Ahhhh!"

As soon as Gargano won half the crowd just left to get to the subway (in Beijing the subway is so ugly goddamn crowded and the arena was by the busiest line) but half stayed to get pictures and see the 2 walk back up the aisle.

I think if they came back and ran a 14,000 seat arena they'd totally all it out but i only ever saw that one poster and none of my friends knew anything about it.a little bit of promotion would've done wonders.