WWN Supershow: Mercury Rising 2018 will take place Friday, April 6th at the Pontchartrain Center. As is the case for many of the wrestlers on ‘Mania weekend, several of the performers on this card are wrestling twice just a few hours apart. EVOLVE 103, which starts four hours earlier, features much of the top talent of this card. Don’t expect that to diminish the quality of the matches, however, as some of the best in the world will be performing on this show, and they know how to handle their business, even when exhausted. It will be interesting to see how the matches are worked, considering the Louisiana State Athletic Commission ban on certain moves like the piledriver and shooting star press, for companies not named Ring of Honor and WWE. They did state, however, there could be exceptions made if the wrestlers demonstrated sufficient experience (Editor’s Note: WWN’s Gabe Sapolsky stated on Twitter that they would not be affected)
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Darby Allin, DJZ, and Trey Miquel vs. Austin Theory, Travis Banks, and Zachary Wentz
As is tradition at the Mercury Rising event, dating back to 2010, the show will feature a six person tag match. The winners of this Six-Man Tag match are being billed as “The Stars Who Will Lead Indie Wrestling in 2018.” Those two things, along with such factors like this being Wentz’ and Miquel’s debut for Evolve, the Wrestling Observer reporting that both Theory and Allin are being prepared for a main event presence, Theory’s tryout for NXT in February, and Banks’ and DJZ’s commitments to other companies, make this match a complicated one to predict. But, in the end, the team of Allin, DJZ, and Miquel will get their hands raised, and be positioned for elevated status in the company.
Prediction: Darby Allin, DJZ, and Trey Miquel
Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay
Put an asterisk next to this one, as Ospreay may not be able to go on Saturday. During an attempt to hit a Spanish Fly off the ring apron against Marty Scurll on Sunday, Ospreay ending up landing awkwardly on his head. This is something that will likely be a last minute decision. However, if it happens, these are two of the best-known names on the independent circuit, and are going to have a great match, as it would seem impossible for them not to. Ospreay’s stock has risen as of late, having a terrific encounter with the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada. However, Riddle, a mainstay of the company, will get the win here, compensating for his loss the previous night to Zack Sabre, Jr for the Evolve Championship.
Prediction: Matt Riddle
SHINE Championship Match: LuFisto (c) vs. Holidead
In February of this year, Shine champion LuFisto announced she had cervical cancer, and will require surgery. Despite that, she successfully defended the belt at Shine 49 in March, and is slated to appear at Shine 50 in late April. In her announcement, she stated she was going to try to not miss any dates due to this, and she hasn’t, which is amazing. Expect her to retain over Holidead, who, despite being talented and possessing a very entertaining gimmick, is still a little too new to the company to take the top prize just yet. However, LuFisto’s reign won’t last too much longer, as it is by far the longest single reign in Shine history.
Prediction: LuFisto
EVOLVE Tag Team Championship (Possibly): Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka) (c) vs. Ringkampf
The title stipulation is listed as “possibly” because Dickinson and Jaka will defend the titles on an Evolve show beforehand. This match will be for belts, as they will escape with the titles the night before due to a wacky stipulation in that tag title match. Walter and Timothy Thatcher of Ring Kampf will dominate this match, and yes, there will be blood. Walter’s chops can open anyone’s chest, and expect that to happen here. Despite Ring Kampf looking much better in this match, Dickinson and Jaka will retain due to underhanded tricks. Walter has been open about his dislike of travel and being away from Europe for too long, so don’t expect him to win a championship for a company based an ocean away.
Predicition: Chirs Dickinson and Jaka
EVOLVE Championship (Possibly): Zack Sabre, Jr (c) vs. Munenori Sawa
Again, the title stipulation is listed as “possibly” because it will only be for the belt if Sabre successfully defends the night before against Matt Riddle at Evolve 102 (which he will). Sabre has been champion for over a year now, making his reign the second longest in company history, behind Timothy Thatcher’s massive reign. That reign will continue past WrestleMania weekend, as Sawa is mostly retired, and that doesn’t look like its changing. However, even though the outcome seems obvious, this match should be one of the most anticipated of the weekend. Sawa, best known for his shoot-style wrestling, will blend perfectly with Sabre’s submission based attack. This match will have an almost MMA feel to its style, and will stand out as a shining example of the best of that genre of pro wrestling.
Predicition: Zack Sabre, Jr
WWN Championship: Keith Lee (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto
Keith Lee is without a doubt one of the hottest independent talents in the entire world. Fresh off his historic PWG Championship win on March 23rd, Lee now heads down to NOLA where this will be his only title match of the weekend. The man he’ll be defending against is Daisuke Sekimoto, who is best known for his work in Big Japan Pro Wrestling where still wrestles, in addition to All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also at one point the wXw United World Champion. Sekimoto has worked some American indies before, including CZW and Chikara, but becoming the WWN Champion isn’t something that’s meant to be on this night. He doesn’t have enough US exposure or enough time with the company to reasonably expect him to win. With no official word on Keith Lee signing with NXT (though there’s been plenty of rumors), expect him to keep his spot at the top of WWN.
Prediction: Keith Lee
