Leighty’s WWE Evolve Review 5.13.26

-Written: 5.13.26
-Source: Tubi
-Run Time: 46:51
-Episode: 60

-Plugs: Nitro

-Announce Team: Blake Howard and Peter Rosenberg
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL

-Then! Now! Forever! Together!

-Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins arrive and brag about taking out that “mad guy, sad guy,” Tate Wilder. Harley also calls him a tater-tot. Hendrix says tonight it’s time for Lights, Kam, Action.

-Show opening!

Nikkita Lyons vs. Karmen Petrovic

-Kita backs away in the corner to slow things down and then bails to the floor. Bringing the mind games! They check leg kicks and avoid other kicks to start. Kita offers a handshake and Karmen kicks her hand away. Side headlock from Karmen and she takes it to the mat. Kita shoves off and lands a punch to the gut and slams Karmen back on her head. Blake plugs the NXT show for Johnstown, PA this week. That’s not far from me, but my son has a birthday this weekend. Karmen shifts her weight to counter a slam and falls back for a two count. Back to the side headlock and again she takes it to the mat. Karmen tries a head scissors to counter, but Karmen fights that off. Back to their feet and Kita shoves off. Karmen gets a trip and lands a kick. Backslide for one! Crucifix also gets a one count. Karmen buries a knee in the back and yanks back on the arms. She transitions into a body scissors. Kita shifts her weight back and gets a one count, but Karmen turns the body scissors into a sweet submission where she has the Kita’s arms trapped behind her body. That looks awesome! Kita screaming “I said help,” to the ref made me laugh. Kita finds a way out and blocks a cross-body and gets the SOS Slam. Kip up as we take a break at 4:50.

-Night of Champions! June!

-Back at 5:15 with Lyons standing on Karmen’s chest and then dropping the splint leg drop. Shoulder tackle in the corner. Another one is blocked as Karmen gets a knee up. She lands another and gets a roll-up for two. Kita up first and hits a nice kick for two. Backbreaker submission! Karmen escapes and counters to send Kita face first into the mat. Chops from Karmen as the crowd is getting into this one. Eat De-Feet! Knee strike followed by a head kick. Karmen with a Shing Blade for two. Suplex is blocked and Kita snaps one off. Kita Bomb misses and Sloane Jacobs is out. She distracts Karmen, but Laynie Luck is out to stop her. Wendy Choo is out on the other side and trips Kita. Petrifier hits for the pin at 9:06.

Winner: Karmen Petrovic via pin at 9:06
-I enjoyed this! I dug the early counters and the submissions from Karmen. They hit each other hard with strikes. Not a big fan of the ending, but Kita did get involved last week and they made her pay this week. **3/4

-Brooks Jensen runs into Dorian Van Dux and Brooks offers some advice. “Stay out of my way.” DVD speaks French and confuses Brooks. Speaking of France, my friend Eugene is quite annoyed the Steelers aren’t traveling to NOLA to play the Saints and instead the game is being playing in Paris. He has to wait 8 years of the Steelers to come back to NOLA now.

-Harlem Lewis is in the ring and calls out Braxton Cole for screwing him out of his Title. Harsh words as he calls him a loser. Cole is out and calls for security to keep Lewis away. Cole says he is the future of WWE and can’t lower himself to these unsanctioned battles. The entire industry is resting on his development and he will send Harlem back to where he came. Security stops Lewis, so Cole delivers a right hand.

-Tate Wilder meets up with Romeo Mereno backstage. Romeo is not feeling it tonight as he didn’t picture his Evolve career going like this. Tate delivers a pep talk and says he is not down after last week. He gets Romeo fired up and we hear some Spanish. Multi-lingual show tonight!

-SNME! May 23rd! Peacock!

-Tristan Angels backstage promo! He is in tonight’s 4 Way #1 Contender’s Match!

It’s Gal vs. CJ Valor (w/ ID2.0)

-Gal throws right hands to start, but Valor gets a side headlock and then a shoulder tackle. Gal avoids a splash in the corner and goes back to the striking game. Valor with a boot to the gut and another side headlock. Gal counters to a head scissors and does some push-ups. A take down and some more push-ups. Gal dumps Valor on his head and gets a step-up enziguiri. Dropkick gets two! Valor runs Gal into the top rope and gets a release overhead suplex for two. Throw into another two count. Whip to the corner and Gal takes an upside down bump to sell it. That gets another two count. Valor with clubbing blows to the chest and then to a reverse chinlock. Gal elbows his way out and gets an escape. Gal fires up and lands a bit boot. Clothesline misses, but he tosses Valor across the ring. Spinning clothesline and Gal springs off the top with a missile dropkick for two. Suplex, but Valor slips out. He gets control of the leg and hooks an ankle-lock. Gal escapes and gets a roll-up for two. ID2.0 get involved and distract the ref. Chop Block and Valor hits The Valor Spike for the pin at 5:23.

Winner: CJ Valor via pin at 5:23
-I like It’s Gal as he has grown on me over the last year. You kind of knew where they were going with the finish on this one. Valor getting the win makes sense and it seems Gal is going to have to find some gym partners to help in his battle. Gal showed me more here than Valor did. **1/4

-ID2.0 throw Gal out of the ring and Abrams introduces every member of the group and apparently they are now called The Mog Squad. Rosenberg: “I don’t get it.”

-A hidden camera in the bushes is spying on Cappuccino Jones. He is on the phone and I assume it’s not Pat McAfee. He tells whoever it’s time for all hands on decks.

-Gianna Capri is backstage and she blames Anya Rune and Veronica Haven for her issues. Anya stands up for herself and says she will go to Thatcher and get a match with Layla Diggs.

-July 18: SNME: MSG!

#1 Contender Match: Fatal 4 Way: Dorian Van Dux vs. Kam Hendrix vx. Brooks Jensen vs. Tristan Angels

-No super, special in ring introductions. Aaron Rourke is out to watch the match and next week we get the contract signing. This is one fall to a finish which makes sense as we have 10 minutes left in the show. It quickly breaks down to Angels and Hendrix. Angels with a roll-up for one. Hendrix with a backslide but Jensen breaks that up. DVD comes flying into the screen of the top rope with a missile dropkick to Kam. Head scissors to Angels and backdrop to Kam followed by another dropkick. Jensen runs Angels over with a clothesline on the floor. DVD and Jensen go at it in the ring, but Angels pulls DVD to the floor and drops him face first on the apron. In the ring Hendrix with a boot to Jensen. Angels with a Buckshot Lariat and catches DVD with a powerslam. Hendrix breaks up the pin. Jensen gets dumped to the floor. Forearm followed by a Half and Half Suplex from DVD to Angels. He heads up top, but Angels knocks him off balance and hits a step-up enziguiri. Kam with a Show Time Kick off the apron and Jensen comes off the top to the floor onto everyone. DVD off the top with a moonsault to the floor as we take a break at 3:45.

-SummerSlam! Minnesota! 2 Nights! The Vikings play my Niners in Mexico this season. If you can’t tell, I am a little excited about the NFL schedule release tomorrow.

-Back at 4:20 with Angels hitting a superplex on Kam. Gourdbuster by Jensen on DVD. All four men down and the crowd chants for DVD. The all trade punches as they struggle to their feet. Kam seems in the best shape, so they gang up on him with kicks and he ends up on the floor. DVD and Jensen hit a 3D/1D on Angels. Brooks and Jensen are left standing and trade forearms. High Knee from DVD, but Jensen rebounds off the ropes with a clothesline. DVD counters a move into a cutter. He ends up on top off an alley-oop. Angels back in and hits a Backstabber on Jensen but is laying there and DVD hits a Shooting Star Press for two. Kam breaks that up and hits Lights, Kam, Action, but Tate Wilder is here and pulls Kam off the cover. They brawl to the back to take him out of the match. Jensen whacks DVD with his boot and hits a stump puller piledriver for two as Angels makes the save. DVD elbows outs of a fireman’s carry and gets a half crab. Jensen in with a running boot and DVD eats it and yells at Jensen. Brooks runs into a boot and a clothesline. Angels with a roll-up in the chaos for two. DVD with a fake out from the middle ropes and springs to the to come off the top with a cutter om Angels. Jensen in to pick the bones, but Angels gets a small package for the pin at 9:12.

Winner: Tristan Angels via pin at 9:12
-This slapped as the kids say! This was all action and exactly what I wanted from this match. I could see any of the four winning and would have been fine with it. The crowd was clearly behind DVD which makes sense as he was the only face in the match. He looked great. Jensen is finding himself in Evolve and Kam is improving. Not sure if it’s time for Angels yet, but sometimes you have to push a young guy. ***1/2

-Thanks for reading!

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Really fun show this week with a great Main Event. I was a fan of the opener and It's Gal but wasn't a fan of the how the matches ended. As always, this show keeps things simple and builds week to week. They are starting to find a nice groove after losing Kendal, Kali, and Private Party/Legacy.