Evolve
Date: August 12, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone

As usual around here, it’s hard to say what to expect and that makes for a more interesting show. There are a lot of people coming after Harlem Lewis and the Evolve Title, while Thea Hail seems to be next in line for a Women’s Title shot against Nikkita Lyons. That should be enough to get us somewhere, with the ID prospects filling in the gaps. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Ulka Sasaki

Dempsey wrestles him to the mat to start and grabs some headlock takeovers. Back up and Sasaki takes his shirt off so the slugout has more of an impact. They trade some armdrags until Sasaki snaps the arm back to take over. Some forearms to the chest don’t get Dempsey out of trouble as Sasaki drops him with a suplex. Sasaki’s running kick to the chest gets two and they lock hands for some rolling flips.

Dempsey reverses a Kimura into a Boston crab before shifting to a German suplex. Sasaki pops back up for a discus forearm and they’re both down. The Rings Of Saturn send Dempsey to the ropes and he’s up with some suplexes, including a weird pushup bridging northern lights suplex (as in he bridged backwards and then did a kind of reverse pushup for the cover) for two. Sasaki is back up with a sleeper, which is reversed into a reverse fisherman’s suplex to give Dempsey the pin at 8:48.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that works well on Evolve as they were doing some unique stuff and making it feel different. There are too many times where things get too similar and this stood out, with the physicality and the submission work. Nice start to the show, as both guys looked good.

Brooks Jensen complains about young wrestlers, including ones like Elijah Holyfield who use their parents’ names to get over. Then the elevator door opens and Holyfield is there to chase him off. Obvious payoff and it worked perfectly well.

Wren Sinclair vs. Sloane Jacobs

Hold on though as Jacobs introduces Nikkita Lyons to watch from the VIP section. Sinclair takes her down with an armbar to start and grinds away on a headlock. Back up and Sinclair shoulders her down into a running facebuster for two. Jacobs cuts her off on the apron though and grabs a neckbreaker over the ropes as we take a break.

We come back with Jacobs grabbing a headscissors and using it to ram Sinclair head first into the buckle over and over (that looked cool). Jacobs ties up the arm but Sinclair pops up with some running shots of her own. An X Factor gives Sinclair two but Jacobs is right back with a hanging swinging suplex (Nikki Cross’ old move). Jacobs tries an O’Connor roll, which is reversed into the Final Wrench in a slick counter for the tap at 8:17.

Rating: B-. The ending alone bumps it up a bit and that’s cool to see, as Sinclair outwrestled her for the win. Sinclair continues to have that kind of weird charm to her and it’s good to see her getting some more success. It’s a nice match, and Sinclair going after the Women’s Title isn’t crazy.

Post match Lyons gets in the ring and says Sinclair didn’t beat her so no one is worthy of a title shot. Cue Thea Hail to go after Lyons and announce the title match for next week. And apparently Hail is now “Dad”. Ok then.

Brooks Jensen gets to his truck, leaving just in time to avoid a charging Elijah Holyfield.

Laynie Luck is upset by her loss in her title match but she’s madder about PJ Vasa attacking her. Vasa has two weeks until Luck is cleared and it’s time for revenge. You can tell Luck isn’t the strongest promo but she was showing some emotion here and that’s good.

Harlem Lewis is in the VIP section to scout for potential challengers. He also gives Adrianna Rizzo a cigar but she’ll pass on smoking inside.

It’s Gal vs. Cappuccino Jones vs. Chazz Hall

Jones is sent outside to start but comes back inside, with Gal taking both of them down for some pushups on their back. Shockingly that earns him a double team before Jones decks Hall in the corner. Gal suplexes Jones and gets shooting star pressed by Hall for a quick two. Jones’ headscissors out of the corner takes Hall down and a dropkick catches Gal. A running crossbody hits Gal to send both he and Jones out to the floor. Hall is of course right there with the running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Hall’s corkscrew moonsault hitting Gal, with Jones coming in for the save. Gal gives Jones a spinning slam for two of his own, only for Hall to grab a standing Sliced Bread, while kicking Jones down at the same time. Gal is put up top, where he elbows both of them down and hits a double missile dropkick. As usual, Gall takes too much time yelling and gets sent outside, leaving Jones to Froggy Brew Hall, only for Gal to steal the pin at 7:47.

Rating: B-. Gal is the definition of “this is kind of dumb but I like him anyway” and I can go for him going nuts over winning a few matches in a row. He’s a rather quirky guy and it could be interesting to see where he goes. Jones is being a bit more over the top lately and it’s only kind of working, but you can only get so far with the coffee stuff. Hall is…well he’s about the same as he’s always been.

Post match Gal calls out Lewis (who apparently doesn’t have great abs) because Gal is on the winning streak of a lifetime (Two matches!). Hall and Jones beat Gal up like sore losers and, after teasing a brawl of their own, dance to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a good time with this show, as they mixed things up enough and did one of the most important things possible: presenting whatever was in front of them as all that mattered at the moment. You can have a hierarchy of stories and wrestlers, but it makes a big difference to have commentary act like what they’re seeing matters. That’s what they did here and it makes a big difference. Good show this week, and they didn’t really touch on the top stories.

Results
Charlie Dempsey b. Ulka Sasaki – Reverse fisherman’s suplex
Wren Sinclair b. Sloane Jacobs – Final Wrench
It’s Gal b. Cappuccino Jones and Chazz Hall – Froggy Brew to Hall

 

 

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: July 8, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone

We’re on the way towards….I have no idea actually, but the Mog Squad is cleaning house at the moment and ran over a group of ID Program stars last week. That almost has to go well for them and I could go for seeing where the whole thing goes. Other than that, Aaron Rourke seems ready to face Harlem Lewis for the Evolve Title so let’s get to it.

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

Sloane Jacobs wants Nikkita Lyons’ celebration to be the best and it better work out. WWE and NXT stars and celebrities are invited so you better be watching.

Opening sequence.

Robert Stone is back on commentary for some reason. Ok then.

Here is the Mog Squad, in mostly matching gold trunks, for a chat. They’re rather pleased with how well last week’s main event went and they all brag about their individual skills. On top of that, they have the fastest rising team around. The reality is they are unstoppable so who is next. Cue Timothy Thatcher, who has a special guest.

CJ Valor vs. Cutler James

James throws him down to start and grinds away on a headlock. Valor pulls him into a mostly blocked cross armbreaker before going with a regular armbar. Back up and Valor dropkicks him into the corner but misses a charge of his own. That lets James fire off shoulders to the ribs in various corner, followed by a pop up uppercut not in the corner. Back up and James misses a charge into the post as we take a break.

We come back with Valor knocking him into the corner again, followed by James’ shoulder being sent into the buckle. A spinebuster gives Valor two and we hit the chinlock. Valor’s top rope headbutt misses and James starts firing off the uppercuts. A gutwrench gutbuster sets up the Dark Matter to end Valor at 6:57.

Rating: C+. James is getting to do something around here and that’s a good thing, as it’s not like there is anything positive going on with Darkstate. Valor losing a singles match to a star higher up on the food chain isn’t a bad thing so hopefully he is able to find something else to do. For now though, this was a nice way to shut the Squad up a bit, as Thatcher doesn’t care for them running their mouths.

Post match Thatcher says that it’s time for Ball and Rivera to prove themselves.

Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno vs. Mog Squad

Moreno and Ball start things off with Moreno rolling a neckbreaker early on. With that not working it’s off to Rivera, who gets wristlocked by Dar. That’s switched into a chinlock to keep Rivera in trouble for a bit, followed by a left hand to put him right back down. Dar works on the arm only to get taken into the corner so Ball can work on Dar’s arm for a change. That’s shrugged off as well and it’s Dar sending Ball into the corner for a backdrop from Moreno. A cheap shot from the apron slows Moreno down though and Ball kicks him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with…Sloane Jacobs trying to get some women to come to Nikkita Lyons’ party with Zena Sterling turning it down. I’d be more worried about someone secretly filming in the women’s locker room. Anyway we come back to the arena with Moreno still in trouble, including some running kicks in the corner. Ball hits a nice dropkick for two but Moreno fights out of the corner and brings Dar in for the running forearms.

Ball kicks Rivera by mistake and gets sent into a kick in the corner. A dropkick/Tower Of London combination gets two on Ball as everything breaks down. Moreno misses a springboard moonsault and an assisted German suplex gets two as Moreno’s foot is in the rope. The Squad seems to think it’s over so Moreno is back up with a big running flip dive. Back in and a double slam finishes Ball at 10:07.

Rating: B-. This was a long match for Evolve and while it was technically fine, it still wasn’t the most thrilling match. Moreno and Dar still don’t do much for me with what they’re doing in the ring but at least they’re getting the chance to do something. There is nothing wrong with throwing a team together so maybe they can get it rolling sooner or later.

Hold on though as Thatcher has one more match to announce, but it can wait until next week. That would be Max Abrams vs. Chazz Hall.

Aaron Rourke and Harlem Lewis meet up in the back, with Lewis saying he’s ready for his title shot next week. Rourke doesn’t need to hear Lewis’ backstory because he knows what kind of man Lewis can be. Lewis respects what Rourke has been through to get here (Rourke appreciates that) but every story comes to an end.

They both want to fight for people who are like them and Lewis is directing all of his suppressed anger at Rourke. That’s fine with Rourke, who knows what it’s like to be called all kinds of things. He’s ready to show that he’s glamour and grit. Nice job here of finding a way for two guys to respect each other but want to fight anyway.

Kale Dixon and his still unnamed blonde cohort have a photo shoot with the blonde praising Dixon’s looks, both in and out of his shirt.

Harley Riggins vs. Ulka Sasaki

Sasaki has been in both Pro Wrestling Noah and the UFC. His offer of a handshake is kicked away so Sasaki tries some unsuccessful running shoulders. Sasaki pulls him down into a Fujiwara armbar but Riggins powers out and grabs a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. Back up and Sasaki’s small package is reversed into a suplex for another near fall. Sasaki is able to send him into the middle buckle as the fans actually get behind Sasaki for a change. A kick to the head puts Riggins down for two but Riggins knees him in the face for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: C. They were in a tough spot here as Sasaki was coming in brand new and the fans only had so much of a reason to care about what he was doing. He’s fine with a background that should show what he can do rather easily but he didn’t have a chance to show that here. Riggins is good enough as a monster, but he feels like he would be better as a team, as he has been thus far.

Post match Riggins talks to new ringside reporter Adrianna Rizzo (hey she’s back) and says he’s riding alone from now on. He still wants to take out Tate Wilder.

Earlier this week, Elijah Holyfield was training with Noam Dar, who explained that Holyfield lost because he got too emotional. Dar explained some counters and techniques (with Holyfield getting the ideas) but Brooks Jensen was watching from the shadows.

Viktor Zanov and Shido Ash used to be security guards but they were also former judo stars. Now they’re kicking the door in and it’s time to come for everyone.

We look at Kendal Grey winning the NXT Women’s Title at the Great American Bash.

And now, Nikkita Lyons’ championship celebration, with Sloane Jacobs, Veronica Haven and Gianna Capri in the ring. They introduce Lyons, who is nice enough to sing her own theme song. Jacobs praises Lyons and invites out the rest of the guests…and no one comes. Lyons gets out some tarot cards to find her first challenger as Jacobs mocks Wendy Choo and Laynie Luck.

Instead here is Wren Sinclair to say she wants to add the title to the Wren QCC collection. This brings out Skylar Raye and Layla Diggs to say they want title shots. Diggs gets laid out and the brawl is on, with Lyons being left alone in the ring. Luck sneaks in to AA Lyons through the table. Humiliating a bragging champion is always a good thing and this worked out well enough, especially with a bunch of new women ready to come after the title.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the ending segment well enough and the Rourke/Lewis segment was good but there was only so much to get into about this show. The problem here is that a bunch of the show was built around the Mog Squad stuff and that was a bit dry. That being said, next week is looking rather stacked with the title match alone feeling big enough to make it work.

Results
Cutler James b. CJ Valor – Dark Matter
Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno b. Mog Squad – Double slam to Ball
Harley Riggins b. Ulka Sasaki – Knee to the head

 

 

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6