WWE Reportedly Finalizes Purchase of EVOLVE Wrestling

The WWE has reportedly purchased EVOLVE, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com. 

Per that report, the WWE "will have the complete rights to use the EVOLVE brand name and produce EVOLVE events going forward, whether as live events or WWE Network programming. There is no word whether we'll ever see an EVOLVE event again, but certainly there will be EVOLVE/WWN content added to the WWE Network in some form down the line."

EVOLVE was founded in 2010 and ran 146 events through this March, serving as a pipeline to the WWE for wrestlers like Tony Nese, Apollo Crews, Austin Theory, Brodie Lee, Jon Moxley, Drew Gulak, Keith Lee, Biff Busick (Oney Lordan), Johnny Gargano, Malcolm Bivens (Stokely Hathaway), Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Rich Swann, Kalisto, Shotzi Blackheart, Sami Callihan, Timothy Thatcher and TJ Perkins, as Johnson noted. 

Without WWE providing NXT talents for EVOLVE shows, Johnson reported the promotion likely would have gone under years ago. 

The COVID-19 pandemic hit EVOLVE hard, forcing the cancellation of its monthly or bi-monthly live events. Given its preexisting partnership with WWE, it only made sense that the wrestling giant would be the one to buy it up.  

The sale will also include the EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA video library, per Johnson, though WWNLive was not a part of the purchase and will continue on separately. It is also expected that some EVOLVE talent will be signed into the WWE NXT system.