Finally the night has arrived! WWE Evolution is upon us and I am totally pumped for this show!
Opener
The opening video package for this show was really nice. Lots of the women on the current roster talking about what this night means to them. It then ran down the card and once the show for underway it was led in by Lzzy Hale, Nina Strauss and Arjay Hale playing an original song called “Evolution”. It was awesome!
Lilian Garcia was then in the ring announcing our first match.
Trish Stratus & Lita vs Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
Alexa came out to introduce Mickie James and Alicia Fox, the latter of which is taking Bliss’s spot in this match due to injury. Which is amazing for Foxy given that she’s the longest tenured female in WWE bar Stephanie McMahon! She deserved this match.
The match was really awesome. Huge pops for everyone in the match and especially when Mickie James and Trish faced off in the ring. I’m telling you, Trish can still bloody go! She didn’t look any different from what she did 15 years ago! Lita was great too, noticeably different, but still awesome!
Amazing finish too. Double Litasault to Foxy and Jame into a Chick Kick and the pinfall. I loved this as the opener. Everyone was smiling in the audience too!
Interview
Bella Twins cut a heel promo on Rousey and say they’re dedicating Nikki’s match to Ronda’s Mum. Totally sold it all too. Great promo.
20 Woman Over The Top Rope Battle Royal
Naomi, Michelle McCool, Sonya Deville, Alundra Blayze, Kelly Kelly, Zelina Vega, Tamina, Ember Moon, Carmella, Lana, Maria Kanellis (Mike Kanellis and their little baby girl were front row, baby with little ear defenders on. So frickin’ adorable!) Mandy Rose, Molly Holly, Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, Ivory, Asuka, Torrie Wilson, and the IIconics – the winner gets a Women’s Title match.
The IIconics were the first eliminated after walking down talking trash, followed by Molly Holly, Torrie Wilson next, Mandy Rose then turned on Sonya and eliminated her, that could be a storyline set up which would be nice. Nia Jax and Tamina have a little stand-off, then do a Roman Reigns like “Ooooahhh!” and destroy the other people in the match before then turning on each other. Michelle McCool looked amazing in the ring too, she looked like she hadn’t missed a step! Oh, do I mention the awkward Hurricanrana botch by Carmella and Ember.. yes. Yes I do. Because it was hilarious.
The final 5 of the match are Tamina, Nia Jax, Asuka, Ivory and Ember Moon. Ivory was eliminated by Asuka, a huge NXT chant erupts for Ember and Asuka as they went at it, Asuka is eliminated by Ember, Tamina eliminated by Ember too and then Zelina Vega came in from nowhere and tried eliminating both Ember and Nia Jax, but she failed, so Nia Gorilla pressed her over the ropes into Tamina, who I think may have busted her nose catching Vega. Ember Looked to be the one to win it, but is swatted down like a fly and thrown out by Nia Jax. She celebrates her win by saying she wishes Nikki and Ronda the best of luck and hopes they tear the house down, but she urges them to enjoy the moment because it won’t last long. This was cool. I expected Ember to win actually so Jax winning was a nice surprise. I loved seeing all the legendary ladies return too!
Mae Young Classic Final – Toni Storm vs Io Shirai
Well, this match took my breath away, these women sent the crowd into a frenzy and rightly so! After a German Suplex on the Apron, a Moonsault to the outside, tremendous back and forth, false finishes and two Storm Zeros, The winner of the 2018 Mae Young Classic is Toni Storm! She celebrated with the trophy and flowers with HHH and Steph in the ring.
The passion and drive overflowing from the Toni and Io made the hairs stand up on my arm. It was genuinely electric! This show had energy unlike anything I’ve seen in years!
Bayley, Sasha Banks and Natalya Neidhart vs Riott Squad
This match was really great too. Everyone involved looked amazing and had some really strong showings, Nattie even locked in a double Sharpshooter at one point! But when all was said and done the finish was great! Liv ate a big powerbomb from Nattie, followed by a top rope Elbow Drop from Bayley and an homage to Eddie Guerrero as Sasha followed up with a Frog Splash and got the win for her team and they all celebrated together after with a group hug soaking in their well deserved ovation.
Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane for the NXT Women’s Championship
This match did not disappoint. This was the match I had been most excited for on this card. Shayna Baszler is one of my favourite wrestlers, period. She has such a unique style that just transcends any box placement. She just seems like she is genuinely pissed off at the world and exists purely to succeed. I love it. So this match had me on the edge of my seat, it was out of this world. The fans in attendance were totally drawn in by it all too, Shayna attacked Kairi’s arm with the ferocity that only Baszler has, that “Killer Instinct” that she talks about, when the fight went to the outside, Sane threw Baszler into the crowd and onto her Horsewomen pals sat at the front row. One of whom grabbed Kairi by the hair but was swatted away by the champion and another got involved causing a distraction on an Insane Elbow attempt. Baszler had some false finishes, as did Sane, but it ended in the best way possible, Kirafuda Clutch after a Scorpion Kick from one of her pals, and Shayna Baszler became a TWO time NXT Women’s Champion! At a girl! The Submission Magician is reigning supreme once again. *-Insert 100 “Yes!” chants here-*
Next match
Bray Wyatt’s girlfriend and possibly the best Ring Announcer since Howard Finkel (in my opinion), JoJo Offerman, is announcing our next match, the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing match! Blimey, that’s a mouthful. But so effin’ cool!
Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
The last woman standing would prevail. This match was something that might have changed WWE booking forever. What an incredible display from these women. Every match trying to one up the other On this card and given the personal history between these two it just amplifies everything tenfold. The weapons used were brutal, especially the pile of chairs that were constantly being used to do moves on! Charlotte’s violence levels were upped too. A table didn’t break after a Moonsault by Charlotte and so Charlotte then did a Swanton instead and it broke. Then a ladder came into play and once Charlotte got body slammed onto the corner of it, it changed the tone. Charlotte then retaliated by using the ladder to attack Becky’s legs. Even using a the ladder to hit a Figure 8 on Lynch and it looked savage! After the onslaught that was set upon them both, Becky landed a leg drop from the ladder through the table. Becky tried burying her with steel chairs and Renee Young’s chair and bits of table. But Charlotte came up out of it looking like something from Evil Dead. Lynch looked scared, and rightly so because Charlotte began beating her half to Hell with a kendo stick, she then set her up for an outside Moonsault through a table, but Becky was playing possum, climbed up and Powerbombed Flair off the top rope.. through a table on the outside!! Flair didn’t make the 10 count, which means Becky Balboa scored the KO victory and the championship remains with its holder.
Nikki Bella w/Brie Bella vs Ronda Rousey for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship
Nikki Bella mixed in with a little Twin Magic and you get some decent offense from the Bellas. Totally Heelish Twin Magic, but still. Nikki actually looked like she could have emerged victorious, Rousey went for a Crossbody at one point and nearly clears the whole ring. She then reversed some of that magic by lifting both Bellas on her shoulders and delivering a Rowdy Buster, she then beat the holy living bejesus outta Nikki. Nikki tried to escape through the crowd at one point too which was hilarious, because she failed and then Brie got thrown over the announce table, Nikki got a near fall after the Rack Attack 2.0 too and I genuinely thought it was all over there but my fears were quickly squashed when Bella climbed the top rope and taunted, only to be met with a rolling takedown from Ronda, into an Armbar for all of 2 seconds before Bella tapped out. Ronda Rousey Retained and it was a bloody marvellous match!
Fantastic show from everyone on the show here and this will firmly imprint on the industry as a whole, not just WWE.
Conclusion
It feels wrong to do this again so soon, but it’d feel even more wrong if I didn’t do it, so this show gets the PERFECT 10! 10! 10! 10! 10/10 🌟
This show was about so much more than wrestling and I felt inspired by everything that went on in those 3 hours. The matches blew me away and in very different ways to each other. This could very well be the most positively emotive show I’ve ever watched.
Match of the Night: Has to go to Toni Storm vs Io Shirai. That match was out of this universe. It was spectacular! The wave of emotion across the whole tournament was heavy and to end it all live and on a WWE PPV was magical to behold. Congratulations to Toni Storm.
Annoyance of the Night: I honestly can’t think of anything. I’d hoped for some more surprises like Victoria and Stacey Keibler and maybe even Jazz or Kaitlyn. I wasn’t kidding myself about seeing AJ Lee. That was NEVER gonna happen, folks. But other than that it was flawless.
Thank you all so much for stopping by to have a peak at my take of thing again if you’re a regular reader and if you’re not then thank you for taking the time out to have a little gander, I appreciate every single one of you, please feel free to comment, like and share and make sure to Too Sweet that follow button on the Twitter machine @KayfabeToday. Peace and love to one and all! ✌🏻💚
– CB
