Theory made his World Wrestling Network debut in 2016 at Full Impact Pro's Heatstroke alongside AC Mack.[8] In January 2017, for Style Battle, Theory was defeated by AR Fox.[9] At FIP Everything Burns, Theory defeated Anthony Henry.[10] Theory made his Evolve debut at Evolve 78, where he defeated Darby Allin.[11][12][13] At Evolve 79, Theory lost a four-way match to Chris Dickinson.[14] At Evolve 80, he lost to Ethan Page.[15] At Evolve 84, he was defeated by Lio Rush.[16] At Evolve 88, he defeated Ethan Case.[17] The next night at Evolve 89, he defeated Trent Barretta.[18] At Evolve 97, Theory defeated Fred Yehi to become FIP World Heavyweight Champion.[19] At Evolve 98, he successfully defended the championship against Yehi.