Hall’s WWE Evolve Review 10.28.26

Evolve
Date: October 28, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Robert Stone, Blake Howard

The Evolve Title picture is a bit weird at the moment, as you have Harlem Lewis injured but not injured and…maybe he’s able to defend the title? It’s not entirely clear, but he’s probably not done with Harley Riggins. Other than that, the Mog Squad is having some issues of their own so let’s get to it.

Elijah Holyfield promises to knock someone out tonight, whether it’s Braxton Cole or Marcus Mathers. Why not both?

Opening sequence.

Harley Riggins vs. Milosh Jovic

Jovic snaps off some armdrags into an armbar to start but Riggins is back up with right hands. Riggins sends him into the corner and it’s a stungun into a clothesline for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Riggins switches to a front facelock. Jovic fights back with a dropkick but Riggins drops him with a spear. The choke knee to the face finishes Jovic at 3:19.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t quite a squash but it was there for the sake of making Riggins look good. That’s all it needed to be as Riggins gets to run through some people until Harlem Lewis is back for the real fight. That’s all this needed to be, though Jovic looked good in defeat.

Post match Riggins sends Jovic into the steps and tries the big crush, with referees cutting him off.

Marcus Mathers is ready to show what being from Philadelphia is all about.

Here is Jasper Troy to say he is going to take everything over around here and wants someone to step up to him.

Jasper Troy vs. Jax Presley

Presley appears to have gone good now. Troy starts fast by sending him hard into the corner and gets two off a suplex. Presley is quickly out of a bearhug but gets stomped down without much trouble. Troy gets in the abdominal stretch for a bit, only to miss the Vader Bomb. Presley fires off some elbows in the corner and gets in a running clothesline for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. Presley didn’t get in a ton of offense here but I liked what I saw of him before his injury so hopefully he is able to get right back on the horse. He and Riggins remind me of a gimmick where the promoter said they looked like they had gone to a** kicking school rather than wrestling school. That still feels like the case and it worked well enough here. I’m hopeful for Presley’s future and that’s always a good sign.

We look at Max Abrams’ facial injuries and how hard he has been working on recovery. Abrams, with help from the Mog Squad, promises to be back and better than ever. The big PRAY FOR MAX banner is a nice touch.

Here is Sloane Jacobs to welcome us to the nationwide celebration of admiration for Nikkita Lyons. This brings out Lyons, who brags about her greatness and wants us to open our third eye and look to her future. Cue Anya Rune to say she is both the main character and on a winning streak. She wants a title shot, which has Lyons and Jacobs cracking up.

Cue Timothy Thatcher to say Rune needs one more win, with Thatcher saying that she can have a title shot if she beats Jacobs. However, Jacobs also said that Lyons could beat Wendy Choo, Skylar Raye and Thea Hail all at once (Lyons immediately knows where this is going and appears to have a headache) so she can have a four way title defense next week. And then Rune transforms into her ring gear (yes with lights) to clear them out.

Shido Ash is on his own at the moment but he’s here to win everything.

Aaron Rourke asks Laynie Luck to help her against Alix Brooks and Kale Dixon. Luck is in.

Elijah Holyfield vs. Marcus Mathers vs. Braxton Cole

Before the match, Cole says he is the perfect mixture of brains and athleticism and he’s ready to show it tonight. Holyfield drives Cole into the corner for the shoulders to start but Mathers breaks it up. Mathers dropkicks Cole down but Holyfield sends Cole outside. Back in and Cole quickly cleans house until Holyfield and Cole get in a fight on the floor. Naturally Mathers is right there for the big dive and we take a break.

We come back with Mathers dropkicking Cole for one but getting sent outside. Cole kicks the ropes for a low blow on Holyfield and an uppercut gets two. Mathers is dropped again and a neckbreaker hits Elijah but Cole goes after Mathers again. That lets Holyfield grab a spinebuster on Cole but Mathers is back in for the save to send Holyfield outside. Cole’s release Falcon Arrow gets two on Mathers but he takes a chair away from Cole back inside. That’s enough for Holyfield to hit the uppercut for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: B-. Well at least Mathers didn’t take the pin. I was expecting Cole to win here due to him not getting a promo until the entrances so it was nice to be wrong. Holyfield is clearly a big project and it’s easy to see why, so hiding his weaknesses in a match like this is a good idea. Nice job here, with the match going about as well as could be expected.

Thea Hail, Skylar Raye and Wendy Choo are ready to win the Women’s Title next week.

 

Results
Harley Riggins b. Milosh Jovic – Choke knee to the face
Jax Presley b. Jasper Troy – Running clothesline
Elijah Holyfield b. Braxton Cole and Marcus Mathers – Uppercut to Cole

 

 

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7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

I liked this show, which had a focus on some non-top stories. The key there is focus though, as Evolve has figured out how to make just about anything feel important. That’s what we got here and it was a good event, as I continue to be surprised about how much they can do in about forty minutes a week. That’s hard to do and they make it work time after time.