EVOLVE: Why you should care about Matt Riddle vs Drew Gulak

Former Catch Point members Matt Riddle and Drew Gulak will return to EVOLVE Wrestling at the promotion’s 10th anniversary show. Here’s why you should care.

EVOLVE 131 in July will serve as the 10th anniversary for both promotions under the WWN umbrella; EVOLVE Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA. To celebrate the occasion, Drew Gulak and Matt Riddle – two former EVOLVE regulars – will be facing off against each other to not only rekindle their history from not only the indie promotion, but also NXT.

Drew Gulak revealed the big news the other day at an NXT house show in Philadelphia. Which was fitting, considering that the 10th anniversary show will emanate from the historic ECW Arena – now known as the 2300 Arena – in the heart of Philly. He issued a challenge to anyone in the building that night willing to accept it. Lo and behold, his former Catch Point buddy appeared on the titantron.

So that leaves one question: what is – or was – Catch Point and why should you care?

Catch Point is more than just a wrestling stable. It refers to the style of wrestling known as catch wrestling: a combination between combat sports and hybrid grappling that focuses on submissions. In Drew Gulak’s own words, “Catch Point is a philosophy … the idea is to isolate your opponent’s weaknesses.”

As a stable, the faction initially featured Drew Gulak as its leader, along with other notable names like TJ Perkins, Tracy Williams and Fred Yehi following in tow. In time, Matt Riddle became a late entry. Not too far behind, Chris Dickinson, Jaka and Dominic Garrini would join them, as did Stokely Hathaway – now NXT’s Malcolm Bivens – as the group’s representative.

After Gulak jumped to WWE, Tracy Williams would take over as leader and enter a feud with Hathaway for control of Catch Point. Williams eventually won a Career vs Career match against the manager that effectively ended Catch Point, per the stipulation at Evolve 111. Prior to that, however, while respect grew over time between Riddle and Gulak, they had one standout match at Evolve 51, which Riddle won

At the time, Riddle was still new to the professional wrestling business. Fresh out of UFC waters and less than a year’s worth of experience as a wrestler, Riddle was still learning to find his character and style inside of a squared circle. I feel like his encounter with Gulak did a lot to help Riddle find himself as an in-ring competitor. It was matches like this technical classic that helped shape Riddle into the athlete that he is today.

After that match, they only tagged together on the independent scene thereafter. They would not meet one-on-one again until just over three years after their initial encounter. These two Catch Wrestling experts would utilize that style in a technical masterclass on the Feb. 6 episode of NXT TV. Again, the match would end with his hand raised.

Each encounter between Drew Gulak and Matt Riddle has proven to be a rare, special occurrence. Long time fans should expect the same in their third encounter at Evolve 131 as it could be their best match yet. Especially with Gulak set on finally getting a win over The Bro.

Be sure to catch tickets for the show if you happen to be in the Philadelphia area on Jul. 13. Tommaso Ciampa is also expected to be there for a meet and greet.