WWE Evolve – October 14, 2026 (Succession IV): The Special Lacking Special
Evolve
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Peter Rosenberg
It’s time for a big one with Succession IV and that means title matches. As usual, both titles are on the line here, with Harlem Lewis defending against Harley Riggins, while Wendy Choo challenges Nikkita Lyons in a Last Woman Standing match. We also have Laynie Luck vs. Vanta The Unknown so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
The people in the title matches, and Sloane Jacobs, are ready for their title matches.
Evolve Title: Harlem Lewis vs. Harley Riggins
Riggins is challenging and they go straight to the exchange of forearms. Lewis clotheslines him to the floor but gets knocked down and stomped back inside. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Lewis and we take an early break. We come back with Lewis getting in a backdrop and a nasty German suplex, with Riggins landing on the back of his head. Riggins is back up with a slam out of the corner and a twisting middle rope Swanton. Lewis spears the heck out of him though and the Boom Slang retains the title at 4:48.
Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted but I was expecting it to last about another ten minutes. They were starting to beat the fire out of each other and then it just went home out of nowhere. Maybe Riggins got his bell rung or something and they wrapped it up, but I was stunned by how fast they finished and not in a good way.
Post match Riggins jumps him from behind and crushes him with the steps (impact not shown due to a camera cut) before finally leaving. So there’s your rematch.
We look at Booker T. giving Reality Of Wrestling star Josiah Jean a WWE ID contract.
Vanta The Unknown vs. Laynie Luck
They trade headlocks to start and flip up to their feet, with Luck missing a charge out to the floor. Vanta catches her on top though and hits a hanging Stunner for two, followed by a choke with a bodyscissors. Back up and Vanta grabs an abdominal stretch while lifting the leg, only for Luck to power out. A spinning kick drops Vanta and a springboard stomp on the apron connects. Back in and Vanta blasts him with a discus lariat before cranking on the arm for the submission at 4:56.
Rating: C. I wasn’t sure what to think here, but the point was to make Vanta feel a monster. She ran through Luck here, who was mostly scared of whatever Vanta did. That’s fine enough and Vanta is still keeping me interested, as not knowing anything about her is the point. It might not have been a great match but it did what it should have.
Elijah Holyfield wants to fight Braxton Cole, but here is Marcus Mathers instead. Mathers agrees about Cole but says he can run circles around both of them. It’s Gal comes out to break it up.
We look at some Evolve’s stars success in NXT.
Women’s Title: Wendy Choo vs. Nikkita Lyons
Lyons is defending in a Last Woman Standing match and gets introduced by Sloane Jacobs, of course. Choo goes right at her to start and snaps off a headscissors. They’re already on the floor, where Choo gets in the chair shots. Lyons puts a trashcan over her and kicks away to come back, only for Choo to hit a clothesline. Back in and Lyons wedges a trashcan in the corner and sends Choo into it (that’s a rare success) and we take a break.
We come back with Lyons kicking her in the head and getting in a missile dropkick. Lyons have Jacobs send in some nunchucks to beat Choo down again. Choo fights out of a choke and uses one of the nunchucks to take over, setting up a hammerlock lariat. A hanging DDT out of the corner leaves both of them down, with Lyons getting up first. Lyons Michinoku Drivers her onto the trashcan but Choo is back with the Dirt Nap.
They fall out to the floor, where PJ Vasa runs in to clothesline both of them. Vasa leaves and they’re both up at nine to head back inside. Choo full nelson slams her onto some Legos and then knocks Jacobs off the apron. The Dirt Nap goes on again but Lyons drives her through the table. Choo gets up so Jacobs grabs her ankle, allowing Lyons to kick Choo off the apron and through another table. Even though Choo kind of gets up, the referee gets to ten and Lyons retains at 13:08.
Rating: B-. They had all of the usual spots in here but the Vasa interference was just in and out with pretty much nothing to it. Then they went on to the finish, which could have been done in a regular match. It was like they forgot the gimmick until the ending and that made for a weird one. Not bad for the most part, but just kind of a mess.
Post match Skylar Raye stands up in the VIP section and points and Lyons.
Harlem Lewis is out indefinitely and we’ll get an update on the title next week.
Overall Rating: C+. This special didn’t really feel special and that’s a problem. The Evolve Title match was barely anything and felt more like a way to set up the post match angle. The main event was slightly better, mainly because it got some time, but it didn’t feel big in any way. It’s not bad, but they need something a bit more interesting they do one of these things.
Results
Harlem Lewis b. Harley Riggins – Boom Slang
Vanta The Unknown b. Laynie Luck – Arm crank
Nikkita Lyons b. Wendy Choo – Spinning kick through a table
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Caught Succession IV last night — the Last Woman Standing match was the standout for me, Lyons and Choo went all out. The Evolve title situation has me curious about next week’s update though. Rewatched the whole special on Watch Wrestling: https://watchwrestling.center/