Over 1000 Pieces, Ages 12 and Older

Evolve 12 last weekend established Jigsaw, 6'2", 173#, as my favorite masked wrestler. The guy totally charmed me at the merch table. He was sweet, attentive, polite, and humble. Seriously, it was mostly his attitude and tone of voice, speaking through his mask. barely able to see his own signature on the photo I asked him to sign, given the mask and the poor lighting where his table was set up. It was the attitude that impressed me ... as well as the warmth of his bare torso as he fumbled with his pen. The man generated heat I could feel from two feet away. I am totally, 110% totally the man's fan now. I feel that I have perhaps deprived myself of something special by shunning Chikara for all these years.

The event in Charlotte was poorly attended, probably the smallest audience in Evolve's history. But the three or four dozen people there were supercharged and noisy, and the athletes gave us nothing but their best. The feedback I'm reading on the Internet, mostly from people who watched the show on PPV or later "On Demand," is that it may well have been Evolve's best show yet, so I am even more thrilled that I could have been there. It's hard to imagine how the card could have been improved: Jigsaw, Ricochet, AR Fox, Mike Cruz, Low Ki, Johnny Gargano, El Generico, Jon Davis, Fit Finley, Caleb Konley, Jake Manning, Chuck Taylor, Sami Callihan, among others. The show varied from match to match, showcasing wrestling styles from old-school catch wrestling to no-holds-barred chaos.

But so far my favorite Jigsaw match is on Evolve 10, shot in Philadelphia on January 14th in an arena that was shutting down right after the show, the end of a long history with local pro wrestling, including Evolve, Chikara, and Dragon Gate USA. I prefer Jigsaw in red, but blue Jigsaw is smoking too. This was Jigsaw's first solo match for Evolve, facing an opponent who is also one of my favorite wrestlers: AR Fox, 5'10", 185#.