Timothy Thatcher, the current EVOLVE champion, suffered a concussion during his title defense at EVOLVE 72 this past Saturday. The injury kept him off the card for EVOLVE 73 on Sunday, and reportedly will keep him out of action for at least a month.
PWInsider broke the news with an update on the condition of Thatcher, who was injured during his title defense against Drew Gulak in the main event of EVOLVE 72 in Queens, N.Y. PW Insider described a "very scary backstage" scene after Thatcher returned from the ring following the match.
EVOLVE's Gabe Sapolsky tweeted the following update on the condition of Thatcher on Sunday:
Thatcher and Gulak faced off at EVOLVE 72 in what was called a Squared Circle Survival Match. The ropes were removed from the ring prior to the contest, which was held under "no holds barred" rules.
Thatcher is the longest-reigning title holder in EVOLVE history, winning the championship last July. His reign will surpass the 500-day mark before he is cleared to return to action.
Thatcher's injury forced a shuffling to the card for EVOLVE 73. Originally, Tony Nese was supposed to receive an EVOLVE title shot at that event. Instead, Nese teamed with Gulak as part of a four-way elimination match for the EVOLVE tag titles. Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams of Catch Point ultimately won that match, to become the new tag champions.
Click here for all the results from EVOLVE 72 and 73.
