10 Observations From Attending EVOLVE 67 Live

Matt Riddle and EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher have a controversial relationship with each other that dates back months. In March, the then-undefeated Riddle took on Thatcher for the title, but the champion cheated to retain. In an April rematch, Riddle hurt Thatcher so badly that the match was stopped, but the title didn't change. Friday evening in Maryland, they had a rubber match, and Thatcher won.

Watching Riddle - who's only been wrestling for about a year and has taken to it about as quickly as Kurt Angle did - compete against the WWE-bound Tommy End, though, it was clear that he should really be the group's champion. The bout was excellent, worked in part like a shoot-fight (End is an experienced kickboxer), but also full of pro wrestling drama. There were hard strikes galore and plenty of submissions, with Riddle finally making End tap out.

I'm not sure exactly what Riddle is contractually allowed to do, but given that WWE has reportedly lost interest in him (he's a fervent marijuana enthusiast), EVOLVE should be pushing him to the moon and every other company on Earth should be checking his availability.