LAX has been pulled from EVOLVE 117 & 118 by IMPACT Wrestling!

Next month’s EVOLVE 117 and 118 events on December 15th and 16th in Woodside, New York and Deer Park respectively would have been very interesting for fans in attendance after it was announced that IMPACT Wrestling’s LAX would be competing at both shows (see the announcement here).

Of course, EVOLVE’s relationship with WWE has been widely covered by now and the promotion boasts multiple NXT Superstars holding their titles (Fabian Aichner – EVOLVE Champion, The Street Profits – EVOLVE Tag Team Champions). After LAX and The Street Profits colliding was teased and then scheduled for both shows (EVOLVE 117 in a Triple Threat also involving AR Fox and Leon Ruff for the titles, then at EVOLVE 118 with The Street Profits and Darby Allin taking on LAX and Austin Theory).

Unfortunately for fans who were looking forward to the battle between IMPACT and NXT, the LAX has now been pulled from both shows by IMPACT Wrestling as announced by Gabe Sapolsky via Twitter:

Impact Wrestling has pulled LAX off the 12/15 & 16 dates. Working on replacements now. I was just informed. Our apologies to the fans.

— Gabe Sapolsky (@BookItGabe) November 27, 2018

At this time, there’s no word on what the reason for LAX being removed from EVOLVE 117 and 118 is.

EA’s Take: I think that the first and most obvious conclusion that could be drawn from this is that it’s in response to the new NXT UK contracts being handed out (read more on those here). With the new deals no longer allowing NXT UK Superstars to work against talent from IMPACT Wrestling, among other restrictions, I don’t think it would be a reach for someone to feel that’s what’s going on here. I wouldn’t blame IMPACT for it either, to be honest. It’s just unfortunate if that’s the case since it seemed WWE and IMPACT were making steps towards a better relationship.

Why do you think IMPACT pulled LAX? Let us know on social media @theCHAIRSHOTcom and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!