The year 2019 offered many incredibly memorable moments across many professional wrestling promotions. I was fortunate to attend NXT TakeOver: Toronto II, SummerSlam and AEW: Full Gear live.

When it comes to the emotional moments that resonated with me the most, Cody vs Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing sure takes the top spot alongside Kofi claiming the WWE Championship, but one moment I treasure just as much and is often overlooked was the night Paul Heyman returned home to the World’s Most Famous Bingo Hall.

Evolve

Gabe Sapolsky, a protege under Paul Heyman in ECW, founded Evolve in 2009 following a stint as the head booker for Ring of Honor. Over the years, the company featured several prominent independent wrestlers while establishing itself as one of the premier independent promotions in North America.

In 2015, Evolve formed a partnership with WWE that would often see an exchange of talent. William Regal could often be seen attending events where he would scout talent. Triple H even attended Evolve 54, which caught the attention of many professional wrestling outlets.

During the original Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, several qualifying matches were featured in Evolve, which displayed the level of trust WWE had in them as a partner.

Evolve 131 - July 13, 2019

Evolve 131 marked the 10th anniversary of the promotion and its debut on the WWE Network. This put Evolve 131 directly up against AEW Fight For the Fallen, which was available to stream for free.

Evolve 131 featured an excellent card, many young stars, and a mix of established names such as Adam Cole, Akira Towaza, Matt Riddle and Drew Gulak.

The show transpired from the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was otherwise known to most die-hards as the ECW Arena during its 8-year run. Yes, it’s the “World’s Most Famous Bingo Hall.”

Austin Theory (Evolve Champion) was set to clash with JD Drake (WWN Champion) in a Winner Takes All bout.

Before the match got underway, Bryan Idol was introduced as the special guest ring announcer. Idol took his time attempting to announce the names while continuing to cough. Suddenly, the lights went dark. This was a famous tactic utilized by ECW, which was fitting since they were in their original home.

When the lights turned on, Paul Heyman, the mastermind behind ECW, stood in the middle of the ring and was met with an overwhelmingly loud and positive reaction from those in attendance.

Upon watching this moment for the first time back in July of last year, my eyes immediately welled up. The sheer significance of this moment was certainly not lost on me, a loyal ECW and Paul Heyman fanatic.

Paul was visibly emotional as the fans chanted, “EC-DUB, EC-DUB!” followed by “Holy Sh$t!” and “Welcome back!”

Ladies and gentlemen began Paul as the crowd finished his line with him.

He said, “To be blunt. I’m honoured, and I’m privileged” before the crowd cut him off to continually thank you. Paul cut them and noted, “Thank YOU because I’m honoured, and I’m privileged to be back home.”

Paul admitted that he had been offered different guest spots on different shows over the years and didn’t do those guest appearances or conventions. He wasn’t invited to this show since he historically turned them down but purposely asked to be here. This was met with a thunderous roar of approval.

Paul would then explain:

“The reason that I asked to be here tonight is because (he paused to address an obnoxious fan prior to concluding his explanation) this, this right here, you, everyone in that locker room, this promotion, is the future. I do not want to be one of those old time boxers sitting watching the black and white film like this (mimics a slow motion punch) of Jack Demsey going that used to be me. I like to go in that locker room, take all that youth, rub it all up against me and realize that when I walk out of here tonight, I’m going to know more about the future of the industry then when I walked in the doors earlier.” So for that reason and because I’m fat and I’m sweating my ass off right now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hang around just a little bit, indulge and ring announce the next match. Because 5 years from now on YouTube or whatever the hot platform will be then, when you watch the video, you’re going to play this match and you’re going to say to yourselves, that was the moment we all knew this industry is going to evolve.”

To this day, this particular moment still overwhelms me because I was one of many faithful ECW fans sincerely connected to the promotion and the movement they created while admiring the pure creative genius of Paul Heyman, the father of ECW. Without that man, I often wonder if my dedication towards professional wrestling would have wavered, but it’s seemingly stronger than ever.

Rather than go for a nostalgic pop or tell ECW-oriented stories that would undoubtedly engage the fans, the always optimistic Paul Heyman put over Evolve and the talent in their locker room while leaving us with an inspiring reminder that everything is going to be okay and the future is in good hands.

Evolve 131 might be known for the 10th anniversary of the promotion while showcasing many future stars in the industry. Still, more importantly, it was the night Paul Heyman returned home to emphasize that Future Boulevard can be just as thrilling as Memory Lane. Even the more cynical fan should find reassurance in that message.