New WWE HQ Update, Natalya On Tyson Kidd Being One Of A Kind, Aleister Black And EC3 On EVOLVE

By Marc Middleton

- Above and below are new videos from WWE to promote the EVOLVE 10th Anniversary Celebration that airs on the WWE Network on Saturday night, featuring Akira Tozawa vs. WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle, and more. Aleister Black talks about his history with EVOLVE in the video above, and EC3 talks about the top indie promotion in the video below.

"EVOLVE is important to me because it was one of the first companies in the United States that put a lot of eggs in my basket, they put a lot of faith and trust in me. EVOLVE allowed me to work with some of the highest caliber athletes around the world, and it helped shape me in my path of becoming a WWE Superstar because a lot of the stars, even if you look now, a lot of the stars that are in NXT, current NXT, walked that same route that I did and they did EVOLVE before ever becoming a NXT or WWE Superstar," Black said.

Black was also asked about how he was influenced by the caliber of talent in EVOLVE. He said, "Well, it's sink or swim. If you want to be the best you have to compete against the best, and not everyone can compete against the best. So, whether I was good enough, it was really testing me. I would be put in there with guys like Kassius Ohno or Zack Sabre Jr., and it'd be like, 'Alright, show us what you've got.' And it was sink or swim."

EC3 was asked to describe his time with EVOLVE. He recalled the feud with Drew McIntyre and referenced his time with Impact Wrestling. "My time at EVOLVE, I'm notorious for making an impact and in EVOLVE, I made an impact. At that time in my career, I was reinventing myself in a different company, was on top of my game, on top of the company, and then this working relationship with WWE and EVOLVE came about. At the same time, Drew is reinventing himself. He was on top of EVOLVE. With the EVOLVE and WWE partnership, I was able to take a microphone and just let loose. It was a cathartic experience, so telling my story to the fans, and using that forum for EVOLVE, and we had a couple of good matches. I believe we fought in the streets of Ybor City and Tampa. It's a great place to make a name for yourself, especially with the WWE eyes watching you," EC3 said.

- We noted back in March that WWE was moving their global headquarters to a new building in Stamford, CT, on Washington Boulevard. The company logo was attached to the building this week, in what appears to be the first sign that WWE is moving forward with the move. It was noted before that the move will be completed by 2021. WWE has signed a lease for 16.5 years but there's been no talk yet of possibly buying the building, which will feature 712,000 square feet per floor, up from the 110,000 square feet per floor they have at the current HQ.

- WWE Producer Tyson Kidd turns 39 years old today while former WCW Tag Team Champion Butch Reed turns 65. Also, today would have been the 89th birthday of wrestling legend Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer, who passed away back on March 7.

Natalya took to Twitter today and praised her husband. She wrote, "I'm biased, but anyone who's met @TJWilson, & has worked with him in or out of the ring, would agree that he's a one of a kind expert on pro-wrestling. More importantly though, TJ's a one of a kind PERSON. Loyal, hard working, determined and kind. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TJ!"

You can see Natalya's full birthday post below:

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