New Evolution Wrestling put on “The Big Event” this weekend from New York City. Scheduled to appear were stars such as Ultimo Dragon, Alberto El Patron, Josh Alexander, as well as NOAH stars Katsuhiko Nakajima and Naomichi Marufuji. There was just one small problem – the talent weren’t paid.
A new report from Fightful details the messy incident that played out over the weekend. During the show, several wrestlers were told that the promoter did not have any money, and that talent would not be paid. Upon hearing the news, the talent located the promoter who claimed to have a medical emergency and rushed off to the hospital. The money earned from the signings was left to be split among the wrestlers who were there.
According to the report, Impact World Champion Josh Alexander physically chased down the promoter, and then counted the money to ensure that the audience would at least get to see Ultimo Dragon and the NOAH talent work. The event ended up $14,000 short of what the talent were owed.
Ultimately, the performers did stay and put on a six-man tag match for the crowd in attendance. The original line-up included Alberto El Patron and Ricardo Rodriguez facing Ultimo Dragon and Marufuji in a tag match. Alexander was set to face Nakajima in a singles contest. Instead, the six-man tag match featured El Patron, Alexander, and Rodriguez vs. Ultimo Dragon, Marufuji, and Nakajima.
After the match, El Patron got on the mic and cut a promo, saying no one was getting paid (which was inaccurate) and that no one was getting near what they were owed. Some talent stayed to sign some free 8x10s in order to help the crowd.
Fightful Select also notes that none of the NOAH talents were paid, and the company will have to pursue payment later on. Despite not receiving their payments for working the show, Nakajima, Marufuji, and Ultimo Dragon all reportedly worked very hard and put on a good performance for the fans in attendance.
In an interesting side note, the promoter of the event reportedly insisted that fans who attended the show pay him via Venmo, PayPal, or the Cash app, and that there was no point of purchase for tickets for the event.
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