Evolve
Date: February 11, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Robert Stone, Peter Rosenberg

We’re coming up on the season finale, which only means so much when the season premiere is a week later. The big result last week was Jackson Drake retaining the Evolve Title over Kam Hendrix in a bit of a surprise. Other than that, Karmen Petrovic is challenging Kendal Grey for the Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair recap the recent events in the women’s division in a way that no people would ever actually speak.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: WWE

Swipe Right vs. Eli Knight/Mike Cunningham

Tate Wilder is in the VIP section and Jackson Drake is here with Swipe Right. Smokes wrestles Cunningham down to start and it’s off to Baylor, who has to roll out of a wristlock. Cunningham dropkicks Smokes and sends Baylor outside, allowing Knight to come in off the top with a double stomp to Smokes’ arm. It’s back to Cunningham to stay on the arm and a running neckbreaker into a splash gets two.

Smokes manages to bring Baylor back in for a forearm to Knight, who easily rolls over for the tag back to Cunningham. Drake offers a quick distraction though and Baylor shoves Cunningham off the top as we take a break. We come back with Cunningham still in trouble but he hiptosses his way to freedom. Knight comes back in to clean house, including a nice tornado DDT/dropkick combination.

The moonsault doesn’t connect as Knight has to roll through, allowing Baylor to knock him down again. Cunningham breaks up the Super Swipe though and Baylor gets dropped with a hard German suplex. Everything breaks down and Baylor knees Knight in the face, setting up Super Swipe for two as Cunningham makes a diving save.

Smokes and Knight slug it out until Smokes catches him on top with a running knee. Cunningham is back in to pull Baylor off the top and fireman’s carry Smokes, allowing Knight to moonsault off Smokes’ back for two, with a big shove making the last second save. Knight’s Stundog Millionaire into Sliced Bread hits Baylor but a dive hits Cunningham by mistake. The top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination finishes Knight at 12:20.

Rating: B+. That’s on a bit of a sliding scale as these guys are still relatively new at this level, but dang this wound up being a heck of a match. It felt like they were being asked to go out there and show what they could do and then lived up to the challenge. They pulled me into this one and it’s easily the best match any of them have ever had.

Post match the Vanity Project brags about their win and Jackson Drake says Cappuccino Jones can have his title shot in three weeks at Succession II. This brings out Harlem Lewis to say he earned his title shot so he’ll just have to beat up all three of them. Brooks Jensen runs in to jump Lewis from behind, with the Project approving.

Arianna Grace and Nikkita Lyons are exhausted from trying to be nice. Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs come in and ask to switch lockers with them, but Lyons snaps because that TikTok video did NOTHING for her personal brand. Diggs reveals that the psychic was her neighbor Doris and a match is made for next week. Grace: “Can we sue?” Thank goodness as this story was not working.

Team PC is mad about Kam Hendrix losing last week so Hendrix wants a PC vs. ID ten man tag.

IMG Credit: WWE

Aaron Rourke vs. It’s Gal

Tate Wilder and Trill London are in the VIP and Rourke jumps over Gal in the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs. Rourke stomps him down in the corner and a headscissors sends Gal outside. The dive connects and Rourke throws in a few spanks, with Gal fighting back and hitting one of his own. Back in and a headscissors is countered into a hot shot, followed by a discus lariat to give Gal two.

Gal tosses him out of the corner and hits a big boot for two. He stops to pose though (again) and Rourke elbows him in the face a few times to start the comeback. The running hip attack connects in the corner for two but Gal’s double knees get the same. Rourke reverses a superplex though and hits Over The Rainbow (Molly Go Round) for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. Rourke continues to interest me as he is someone who would usually be treated as a comedy guy but he plays it seriously for the most part and it’s kind of working. He’s not a top star, but he’s a solid enough hand. Giving him a win like this is a good thing and I’m curious to see where he goes.

Tate Wilder isn’t happy with how the PC guys have been lately and is ready to stand up to them.

Video on Tyra Mae Steele.

Wendy Choo comes up to Kali Armstrong, who doesn’t seem pleased with the interruption. Choo suggests Armstrong go to therapy to fix her issues and gets punched in the ribs for her efforts. Bad talk.

We run down the Succession II card.

Women’s Title: Karmen Petrovic vs. Kendal Grey

Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is defending. Petrovic sweeps the leg for an early two to start and they stare at each other. An armbar takes Grey down but Grey flips around into one of her own. Back up and Grey kicks her down, only to get faceplanted out of the corner. We take a break and come back with a double collision leaving them down.

They pull themselves up and trade running shots against the ropes with Petrovic getting the better of things. Petrovic grabs a Sharpshooter, which stays on for a good while until Grey makes the rope for the break. The cross armbreaker goes on but Petrovic stacks her up for two. Grey’s sitout powerbomb gets two more but Petrovic superkicks her out of the corner. A tornado DDT gives Petrovic two more and she goes up top, where Grey pulls her back down. Shades Of Grey retains the title at 8:16.

Rating: B-. While there wasn’t much drama about retaining the title, it was nice to see Grey having to work to get a hard fought win. Grey continues to be someone who feels like she’s planned for the top level one day and she looked solid here. Petrovic did well too, but this might be her ceiling in WWE and that’s not a great sign for her future.

Post match PJ Vasa comes out and challenges Grey for Succession II.

Overall Rating: B+. The opener was very good and this was a wrestling heavy show, which made for a strong week. Evolve is doing rather well right now and that’s a good sign heading into two of their biggest shows. I want to see where some of these things are going and the stories feel like they have been mapped out well from beginning to end. Now just get the payoffs right and everything works.

Results
Swipe Right b. Eli Knight/Mike Cunningham – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Knight
Aaron Rourke b. It’s Gal – Over The Rainbow
Kendal Grey b. Karmen Petrovic – Shades Of Grey

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: January 28, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

It’s another case of the show before the big show as Evolve Champion Jackson Drake is in a three on one handicap match against a team of monsters. The idea is simple: have Drake get destroyed before next week’s title match, which is kind of a brilliant move. The other big deal tonight is Team PC is running the show and that should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of how Team PC won control tonight.

Team ID is ready for anything tonight, but a referee comes up and says most of them aren’t booked tonight so they have to leave.

Jackson Drake panics about tonight but the Vanity Project insist they have this.

Opening sequence.

Tate Wilder and Sean Legacy are in the ring for a match but Kam Hendrix and Keanu Carver interrupt. They’re in charge tonight, with the rest of Team PC in the VIP area. Tonight they take over Evolve, then NXT, then WWE. We’ll start with Wilder vs. Legacy, but there are three stipulations. First, the loser has to clean the locker room. Second, the winner can face Hendrix after he wins the Evolve Title next week. Before we get to the third, here is Harlem Lewis (his chyron is switched to MEATHEAD) to interrupt. He wants in on this, with Team PC handling the less than positive introductions.

Tate Wilder vs. Sean Legacy vs. Harlem Lewis

The graphic showing the match has this as Tate Slower, Sean Legacy (with SUPER crossed out) and Meathead, as it’s nice to have the little touches like that. Lewis wrecks everyone to start and hits a double clothesline to take over, including a hard slam to Legacy. Wilder flips over them in the corner and Lewis is sent into the corner, leaving the other two to trade near falls.

Legacy’s big dive takes Lewis out and Wilder’s big dive takes both of them out as well. Hold on though as Hendrix gets to the third stipulation: weapons are allowed! Team PC gets a bunch of weapons out and we take a break. We come back with the weapons in the ring and Legacy superkicking Wilder. Team PC slides Legacy a chair but he can’t bring himself to use it, allowing Lewis to come back. He’ll gladly use the chair but the brainbuster onto said chair is reversed into a small package.

Lewis is sent face first into the chair and Wilder has to make a save. Wilder’s spinning suplex drops Legacy but Lewis is up to kick Wilder in the face. Some kendo stick shots have Legacy and Wilder in trouble but Wilder is back with a big chair shot. A springboard splash onto the chair onto Lewis connects and everyone is down again. Back up and Legacy and Wilder tease throwing each other through a table, with Legacy sending Wilder into a chair instead. Lewis sends Legacy through the table instead and the Boomslang finishes for Lewis at 8:26.

Rating: B. This was a nice showcase for all of them and I like the idea of Team PC actually messing with stuff. It’s not just them making matches but rather having them abuse their authority, which makes for a more interesting show. Other than that, you had Lewis looking like a monster out there and that has potential for him in the future. Legacy is gone to NXT anyway so let someone get another rub off of him on the way out.

After the replays, Team PC tells PJ Vasa to come get some.

PJ Vasa vs. Laynie Luck

Team PC says Luck’s entrance took place during the break because she’s a PC jabroni. The bell rings twice for some reason and Luck actually kicks her away to start. Vasa isn’t having that and crushes her, only to miss an elbow. A Rock Bottom plants Luck and a backbreaker does it again, followed by another backbreaker for two. The bearhug goes on to stay on Luck’s back but she manages to fight out and trips her down. Vasa charges into a boot in the corner but opts to just hit Luck in the face. The Issue finishes Luck at 3:19.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash, but Vasa is clearly the new big monster around here. That’s the kind of abuse of power that works well for the PC guys and Vasa being on their side is a good way to go. Kendal Grey having to fight Vasa off would be a good way to go and this was an effective performance from the big bad.

Post match Team PC tells Cappuccino Jones to get out here because he’s up next.

Before that though, Chuey Martinez reads a prepared statement about the stupidity of the ID Program compared to the PC wrestlers.

Cappuccino Jones vs. Brooks Jensen

Hold on though as Jones (Mocha Jones) has to have his right arm tied behind his back. Hendrix says he and Braxton Cole have this so the other three go get ready to face Jackson Drake. Jensen knocks him into the corner to start and starts the slow beating, with Jones trying to go up. That’s fine with Jensen, who punches him out of the air and slams him down as we take a break.

We come back with Jones slugging away with the left hand but Jensen slams him down onto the tied arm. Jensen cranks on the arm and then chokes with a knee for two. Jones kicks his way out and actually knocks him into the ropes, with a bridging rollup getting two more. Jensen gets creative with a crossface chickenwing, which is actually reversed into a cradle for another near fall. A DDT of all things drops Jensen as Cole and Hendrix are getting worried. The Stundog Millionaire sets up a neckbreaker for two on Jensen but Jones can’t jump to the ropes. A Backstabber onto the knee brace finishes for Jensen at 8:35.

Rating: B. I don’t particularly care about either of these two and they had me cheering for Jones by the end. That is a sign they are doing something very right and it absolutely worked here. The PC continues their reign of dominance tonight and this was one of the more enjoyable matches Evolve has had thus far.

Keanu Carver/Jax Presley/Harley Riggins vs. Jackson Drake

Non-title and the rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake. Riggins shoves him into the corner to start and Drake realizes he’s in over his head. Drake gets sent flying into the corner, where Carver sends him flying right back out. A running clothesline turns Carver inside out to cut off a comeback attempt and the monsters start taking turns stomping away in the corner.

Riggins comes back in for the double arm crank but Drake’s rollup actually gets two. A missile dropkick sends Presley outside and a powerslam gets two on Riggins but Carver is back in to beat on Drake. Hendrix and Cole take out the Vanity Project and Carver hits the Pounce. Hendrix says hang on because he’s in this match too. Naturally he comes in and gets the pin on what used to be Drake at 4:53.

Rating: C+. While I don’t think this was a face turn for Drake, he was certainly wrestling as one here and it oddly kind of worked. Granted he’s a smaller guy so having him as the underdog against a bunch of monsters made sense. The match was little more than an angle rather than a match but it actually worked. Nice job.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a very good example of why I like Evolve: the show feels like it can go in different directions week to week. Rather than just doing the same stuff week to week, there are different kinds of shows, including this one. They could have played this safe but instead it came off like the PC guys were really running things. It worked very well and Hendrix has some impressive charisma. If he can keep doing that, he’s got a future in this stuff. Fun show here, with Hendrix hopefully winning the title next week.

Results
Harlem Lewis b. Tate Wilder and Sean Legacy – Boomslang to Legacy
PJ Vasa b. Laynie Luck – The Issue
Brooks Jensen b. Cappuccino Jones – Backstabber
Keanu Carver/Jax Presley/Harley Riggins/Kam Hendrix b. Jackson Drake – Pounce

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: January 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Things are changing in a hurry around here and it’s rather interesting to see where they are all going. With a bunch of Evolve names now officially part of NXT, some changes are going to need to be made around here. That could be a good thing, but it’s definitely a thing of some description. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Team PC arrives and are ready to take over.

The Vanity Project arrives and runs into Aaron Rourke, Cappuccino Jones and Eli Knight. They argue a bit and a six man tag is set for later.

Opening sequence.

Video on the Women’s Title match, with Kendal Grey being ready to face the monsters PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. PJ Vasa vs. Kali Armstrong,

Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is defending and Karmen Petrovic is in the VIP section. Vasa powers both of them into the corner to start so Grey slides between her legs to pick up the pace. Some running dropkicks stagger Vasa and a double dropkick sends her outside. That leaves Grey to suplex Armstrong and then kick the returning Vasa back outside. Armstrong spears Grey but gets speared by Vasa, who stands tall as we take a break.

We come back with Vasa cleaning house, including booting Grey down while holding Armstrong in a fireman’s carry. Grey gets the ankle lock on Vasa but Armstrong makes the save. Armstrong drops Vasa with the powerslam and loads up the Kali Connection, only for Grey to springboard in with Shades Of Grey to retain at 5:08.

Rating: B-. Well it was eventful while it lasted, but I was expecting a far longer match than what we got here. At the same time, I was expecting Grey to lose here as it’s pretty clear that she’s getting elevated in the near future. That being said, her holding the title even longer isn’t a bad thing and she got a solid win here.

Post match Petrovic doesn’t think much of Armstrong, who wants to put the sword, uh, somewhere.

Trill London talks about his time in the NFL and is ready to leave you wondering who he is.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Charlie Dempsey

Shockingly enough they go to the grappling to start, with Dempsey getting a cravate, which is broken up without much trouble. A knee to the arm has Dempsey in trouble and Thatcher knocks him outside as we take an early break. We come back with Thatcher still on the arm until Dempsey takes the leg down to switch control. Dempsey ties up the leg and then goes with something close to an STF.

A gutwrench suplex drops Thatcher again and it’s back to the legbar. With that broken up, Dempsey just cranks on the leg for a change. Back up and Thatcher just hits him in the face, which is quite the logical comeback. Dempsey gets something like a dragon screw legwhip but Thatcher pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s rolled into a leglock, which is reversed into a cross armbreaker as this is a technical clinic. Dempsey knocks him to the floor and matches Thatcher with a shot to the face back inside. A bridging butterfly suplex (nice) gets two on Thatcher, as does a bridging German suplex. Dempsey switches over to a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 13:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as you can tell both of them know this style very well. Dempsey winning is of course the right call as Thatcher is just there to make others look good. That’s what he did here and it came in a rather entertaining match. This isn’t something that works all the time, but when you see this style every so often, it’s pretty awesome.

Video on Harlem Lewis.

Vanity Project vs. Eli Knight/Cappuccino Jones/Aaron Rourke

Rourke frustrates Baylor to start and it’s quickly off to Jones for a nice dropkick. Knight comes in and gets headlocked by Drake but comes back with a nice leg lariat. The villains are cleared out to the floor and, after a quick spank from Rourke, Knight hits a big flip dive over the top. Baylor gets in a jumping knee to the face though and we take a break. We come back with Knight in trouble, including Drake raking his back.

A fisherman’s suplex gives Drake two and he knocks Rourke and Jones off the apron. The villains take turns beating Knight up in the corner, with a variety of stomps. Knight manages a high crossbody and that’s enough for the tag off to Jones. Everything breaks down and Rourke hits Eat Defeat on Smokes. The Decaffinator takes Baylor down but Smokes shoves Jones off the top. Drake comes back in with the Unaliving to pin Jones at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag here with Drake getting to look like a star in the end. That’s a good thing, as Baylor and Smokes aren’t exactly must see stuff in the ring. I can see why they make for good background people, but that only gets you so far once the bell rings. At the same time, Knight got to showcase himself well here, but it was only for so long.

Post match Team PC comes out, with Kam Hendrix saying they’re running Evolve in two weeks. That’s not when Hendrix wants his title match though, because that’s going to be Drake vs. Carver, Riggins and Presley in a handicap match. Then Hendrix will get his title match the next week. That’s rather brilliant.

Tate Wilder is in the back and says he feels like he’s walking this road alone.

Overall Rating: B-. I still love the way this show is put together, as it feels like every show is designed to keep things moving. This show had a variety of different stuff going on and I wanted to see all of it. That’s not something you often see and the differences make it stand out that much more. Good stuff here, and they kept things moving for the future as well. Nice work, as is almost always the case.

Results
Kendal Grey b. PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong – Springboard Shades Of Grey to Armstrong
Charlie Dempsey b. Timothy Thatcher – Fujiwara armbar
Vanity Project b. Cappuccino Jones/Eli Knight/Aaron Rourke – Unaliving to Jones

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: November 12, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

It’s time to crank up the title picture again as both of them will be on the line over the next few weeks at NXT Gold Rush. That’s not all though, as Jackson Drake has to defend the Evolve Title against Keanu Carver this week. Either way, hopefully Evolve gets to continue its rather nice run, which has been going for a few months now. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Earlier today, the Vanity Project arrived and mocked Keanu Carver as Jackson Drake talked about how he’s survived everything.

Opening sequence.

Here is Kali Armstrong for a chat. The last time you saw her, she was at war with Kendal Grey and yes she did slip. That was Grey taking her to a place she hasn’t been to in a long time, but she won’t let the emotions get the better of her. She either wins or she learns, which is why she took some time off. She’s ready for the road back to the top but let’s see if Grey can do it again. Cue PJ Vasa to say things have changed since Armstrong was last here. It moves fast, and now Vasa is the one getting the next title shot. The brawl is on and quickly broken up.

Sean Legacy vs. Eli Knight

This is Knight’s debut and the VIP Lounge is back, with Harley Riggins and Jax Presley joining us. Knight is ready to show why he is fly like no other. Legacy shoulders him down for an early two and adds a dropkick for a bonus. A headscissors brings Legacy out of the corner and a big running flip dive hits him on the floor. Back in and a slingshot dropkick sets up a springboard moonsault for one on Legacy.

Knight’s front facelock is countered into a drop onto the top rope for a heck of a bounce and Legacy glares at him a bit. Back up and a release German suplex sends Knight into the corner but Knight knocks him right back down. A jumping kick to the face sets up Sliced Bread for two on Legacy. Knight misses his Superman Press and Legacy suplexes him back into the corner. They slug it out until Knight grabs a hurricanrana for two. Legacy is right back with Shambles for the fast pin at 6:57.

Rating: C+. I’m still not big on Shambles but it’s clear that Legacy is the biggest star around here. He’s treated like something different than anyone else on the roster and that’s why he was put in there with Knight. It wasn’t a bad debut for Knight, though there is nothing that made him stand out all that much.

Post match Legacy says he wants to win some gold and tells Knight to keep his chin up after a great performance. Knight appreciates that as Riggins and Presley come to ringside to say they’re sick of the ID Program stars. The challenge is on for a tag match right now but cue Timothy Thatcher to say he has a team for Presley and Riggins next week.

Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs are doing a TikTok dance when Nikkita Lyons comes in to say it looks like their wifi is lagging. Holiday wants a match with Lyons, who takes a picture of them before and will get the after…well after their match.

Video on Keanu Carver.

Masyn Holiday vs. Nikkita Lyons

Layla Diggs is here with Holiday and they do their customary dancing. Holiday takes her down for an early splash before grinding away on a headlock. Lyons hits a quick slam though and adds a running forearm in the corner. A hard kick gives Lyons two and it’s off to a bodyscissors.

That’s broken up and it’s a double clothesline to leave them both down….and here is Arianna Grace. Holiday fights up with a neckbreaker and a suplex gets two. A standing moonsault misses for Holiday though and Lyons kicks her in the head. The Vader Bomb gives Lyons the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. I still don’t get the appeal of Lyons, as her matches are hardly worth seeing and the talking stuff isn’t much better. I’m not sure I can imagine her moving up the ladder much further but she seems to be here for the time being. Holiday and Diggs aren’t doing much with the dancing, but it’s better than nothing.

Post match Lyons dances at Diggs.

It’s Gal is still looking for a partner. He thought about Jax Presley and Harley Riggins, who broke his Stud Glasses. It’s ok because he has 3,000 pairs so he tried asking Keanu Carver. The fear ended that idea so it might be time to expand the horizons of his search. I’m still chuckling at these things.

Chantel Monroe doesn’t like Wendy Choo and says PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong are fighting over her table scraps. She’s getting a title shot at Kendal Grey so she’s ready to take the gold.

Evolve Title: Keanu Carver vs. Jackson Drake

Drake is defending and the Vanity Project is with him. Carver (with his bad hand) runs him over with a shoulder to start but Drake is back with some shoulder in the corner. Carver’s charge in the corner hits buckle as Tate Wilder is watching in the VIP Lounge. Drake gets slammed off the top but manages to slip out of a fall away slam. A stomp to the bad hand has Carver in trouble and Drake hits a suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with Drake working on the hand again as Sean Legacy is now in the Lounge as well. Carver muscles him up into a suplex for a breather and NOW the fall away slam works. Drake gets planted down hard with a spinebuster for two and they both need a breather. Back up and Drake tries the Lethal Injection, which is cut off by a heck of a Pounce for two in a nice false finish.

Drake’s kick to the head in the corner sets up a springboard Swanton for two on Carver, who turns him inside out. A one armed powerbomb (that was cool) gives Carver two and he hits another (and bigger) Pounce. Ricky Smokes grabs the title but Carver takes him out rather quickly. Drake is back up with a running knee though and Brad Baylor sends the bad hand into the post. The Unaliving retains the title at 9:50.

Rating: B-. Drake has started to get a lot better around here and it made for a good main event. It’s nice to see him survive against a monster like Carver and now it’s on to Legacy, which was already announced. That didn’t help with figuring out the result here, but at least the match worked well on the way there.

Legacy and Wilder glare at the Vanity Project to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I continue to like this show, which has a nice cast of characters who have been developed in the seven or so months the show has been around. The action was good as well, with the main event feeling like a big deal. Evolve is a good, consistent show and that’s a nice thing to have week to week.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Eli Knight – Shambles
Nikkita Lyons b. Masyn Holiday – Vader Bomb
Jackson Drake b. Keanu Carver – Unaliving

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Evolve
Date: November 5, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re back in the Performance Center and that hopefully means Evolve gets to continue its pretty entertaining run. Last week saw the debut of some ID Prospects, though Brooks Jensen was not pleased with their arrival. At the same time, Jackson Drake should be set to face Keanu carver for the Evolve Title sooner than later. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Harley Riggins/Jax Presley vs. Adrenaline Drip

It’s the rubber match and Drip dives onto them before the bell. Jones’ second dive is pulled out of the air so Cartwheel takes them all out with another flip dive of his own. We settle down to Jones trying to strike away at Riggins, with Presley coming in for a cheap shot to take over. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam gets two on Jones but a double springboard back elbow gets him out of trouble.

Cartwheel comes back in to pick up the pace with a bunch of slaps, setting up a springboard moonsault. A phoenix splash sets up Jones’ froggy elbow for two on Presley with Riggins making the save. Jones gets powerbombed out of the corner and a double chokeslam gets two, leaving Cartwheel to…lose a shoe. Jones’ dive takes Presley down and a dive connects, only for the Flip N Sip to be broken up. That means the toss spear can finish Cartwheel off at 5:40.

Rating: B-. I like Riggins and Presley more every time I see them. They’re not a great team or complicated in any way, but they stand out rather well. At this point, we almost have to be getting Tag Team Titles sooner rather than later and that’s a good idea at this point. Just don’t go too crazy with the titles.

Post match Presley and Riggins lay them out again.

We look at Kendal Grey retaining the Women’s Title over Lash Legend last week on NXT.

PJ Vasa vs. Haze Jameson

Jameson is here to bring the party to Evolve. I’m sure. Vasa powers her around to start and knocks Jameson into the corner. Jameson slips out and goes after the leg, which goes about as well as you would expect. The Issue (basically Keith Lee’s Big Bang Catastrophe) finishes for Vasa at 2:02.

Post match Vasa says she’s coming for everyone around here.

Jackson Drake questions Stevie Turner’s leadership but she knows that Drake sent the Vanity Project after Keanu Carver. The title match is still on for next week but Drake says he won’t do it due to Carver hurting people. Cue Carver, who misses a big shot with the cast, which goes through a wall instead. Turner has to calm him down.

Mike Cunningham meets Sean Legacy, who gives him a warm welcome. Cunningham is off to deal with Brooks Jensen. Marcus Mathers is upset about losing last week’s triple threat but Legacy gives him a pep talk. Apparently Legacy is facing Eli Knight next week.

Mike Cunningham vs. Brooks Jensen

Jensen easily takes him down to start and does some leapfrogs. A wristlock into an armbar has Cunningham down but he’s right back up with an armdrag. Back up and Jensen tries to run the ropes, only to get dropkicked down. Another dropkick misses though and Jensen whips him hard into the corner.

The chinlock goes on to keep Cunningham in trouble until he manages to send Jensen into the corner. Some snap jabs put Jensen down and a nice flying clothesline does it again. Cunningham’s missile dropkick gets two but Jensen kicks a springboard out of the air for the pin at 5:44.

Rating: C+. Given Cunningham’s lack of experience, this was a perfectly nice debut. His offense looked good and his comeback was pretty good. He’s a good example of someone who needs to be developed, which is why he’s in a spot like this. Nice stuff here, though Jensen continues to not be so thrilling in the ring.

Aaron Rourke talks about everything he’s gotten out of wrestling and how he’s been able to let things out that he’s hidden for years. Don’t let the face and makeup fool you because he can be aggressive and evil. These have been very nice surprises, as they’ve given me a reason to care about Rourke that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.

Kali Armstrong is back next week.

Jackson Drake asks Stevie Turner how long Keanu Carver will be suspended over the attack earlier. Turner says there’s no suspension, so defend against Carver or vacate the title. Drake walks away, with the title.

Chantel Monroe vs. Wendy Choo

Monroe poses on the buckle to start so Choo takes her down and they stare at each other a bit. The test of strength goes on until Monroe grabs a waistlock. That’s switched into a headscissors, which is reversed into Choo grinding away on a headlock. Back up and Choo sends her into the corner, followed by a neck crank. That’s broken up and Choo gets caught with a neckbreaker to put her down for a change as we take a break.

We come back with Monroe grabbing a figure four necklock, which is broken up for a double clothesline. Choo fights up for the clothesline comeback into a spinebuster for two. They trade rollups for two each until Choo gets two more off a brainbuster. Choo tries to take her to the corner but gets reversed into a spinning reverse DDT.

Monroe goes to the corner, only to get reversed into a the Dirt Nap. That’s reversed as well so Monroe grabs a faceplant. The running shooting star press misses so the Dirt Nap goes on again. Monroe breaks out of that as well though and the Perfect Ending finishes Choo off at 10:35.

Rating: C+. Monroe has started to develop a bit and is actually doing something other than the same promo time after time. I’m not sure I can imagine her going very far on her own, but she has indeed improved. On the other hand you have Choo, who has gone from one of the worst things in Evolve to someone perfectly fine. It’s almost like getting rid of a terrible gimmick helped a lot. Who knew?

Post match Monroe yells at Choo, saying get the freak out of her ring.

Jackson Drake comes up to Stevie Turner again and says she’s a terrible GENERAL MANAGER. Either way, he’ll defend the title against Keanu Carver as scheduled next week. So the same thing as originally planned thirty minutes ago?

Overall Rating: B-. The thing that has me interested in Evolve is that they have a nice variety to their shows. That was the case again here, as they didn’t do anything involving titles, but rather some personal issues that have been set up. That’s a great way to keep the show fresh and it’s been working in recent weeks. Evolve is a nice, easy, 50 or so minutes a week and I can go with that based on how long other shows are most of the time.

Results
Harley Riggins/Jax Presley b. Adrenaline Drip – Toss spear to Cartwheel
PJ Vasa b. Haze Jameson – The Issue
Brooks Jensen b. Mike Cunningham – Spinning kick to the back
Chantel Monroe b. Wendy Choo – Perfect Ending

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