wrestling / TV Reports
Leighty’s WWE Evolve Review 5.06.26
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written: 5.6.26
-Source: Tubi
-Run Time: 55:47
-Episode 59
-Plugs: Nitro 12.30.96
-Rest in Peace to Mr. Ted Turner! I will have more thoughts on his passing later this week.
-Announce Team: Blake Howard and Peter Rosenberg
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL
-Back to last week as we ended with Kam and Harley going after Aaron Rourke, but they us here that he was able to escape any damage.
-Wendy Choo pretape as she talks her having her first defense tonight and hypes what else is happening tonight on Evolve.
-Show opening!
Max Abrams (w/ CJ Valor), Jacari Ball, and Santi Rivera vs. Cappuccino Jones, Romeo Moreno, Chazz “Starboy” Hall
-Abrams is going to start with Cap, but Max quickly bails and brings in Bal. Jones with a sunset flip but Ball rolls through. He goes for a kick, but Jones finishes the roll-up for two. Dropkick to Ball and one to Santi. Abrams stays away though! Santi in and misses an elbow. Jones grabs an arm and tags Hall, who comes in off the top with a shot to the arm. He walks up the ropes and sends Santi across the ring with a Mexican Arm-drag. Moreo gets the tag and starts flying around the ring and Cap in off the top as they clear the ring. Moreno with a running knee to Santi. He lands a kick in the corner and decks Ball, who charged him on the apron. That brief distraction lets Santi get a knockdown and now Abrams wants the tag. He pounds away with kicks and punches and hits a version of The Disaster Kick for two. Ball back in and hits a gutwrench suplex and then two more as this is his version of The Three Amigos. They are trying to get over Hellcat as the nickname for Ball. Moreno avoids Santi being sent into him in the corner and dives to tag Hall. He runs wild with his high flying offense and here’s Jones to take Santi over the top with a cross-body. Romeo springs off the top and hits a plancha on the pile. Straps are down for Hall and he hits a Sasake Special. Howard: “Let the bodies hit the floor.” Some remember that as the song they played at Anarchy in the Arena and I remember it as the theme for SummerSlam 2001.
-Commercial!
-Back at 6:15 with everyone still fighting on the floor. Valor distracts Hall and that costs him as he gets sent back first into the ring post. Santi with a modified neckbreaker back in the ring and Abrams drops an elbow for two. Moreno tries to fight out of the corner and jumps for a tag, but Abrams cuts him off. Santi back in and hits an elbow. Forearm from Ball and back elbow from Abrams gets two. Valor gets in a shot from the floor as Abrams has the ref. Santi back in and he hooks a reverse chinlock. I hate holds like that in a six man. Ball gets the tag and goes to a choke, but Hall escapes. Tag to Abrams who goes for an ankle, but Hall kicks away. He dives for a tag, but Cap and Moreno gets pulled off the apron. It’s only a slight delay though as Hall fights out of the corner one last time and makes the hot tag to Cap. Clothesline to Abrams! Shotgun Dropkick! Ball runs in to save, but gets sent to the floor with a clothesline. Head scissors to Santi and he also gets dumped with a clothesline. Half and Half Suplex on Abrams gets two. Great move for a guy named Cappuccino! Jones gets caught though and Santi hits an assisted Slingblade for two. Moreno with a blind tag and hits a missile dropkick. Brainbuster follows and Hall hits The Shooting Star Press, but Abrams and Ball break up the pin. All six men stare each other down and they all throw down with strikes. Cool! Hall gets caught with a modified Facebuster and in comes Santi. Spinning Belly-to-Belly and Abrams comes off the top with a Frog Splash for two, but Romeo makes the save. Everyone starts firing off moves again. Hall with a Pele Kick to Abrams. Romeo with a headbutt to Abrams and brings him off the top with a Spanish Fly. Valor on the apron, but It’s Gal is out and pulls him down. Security pulls Gal away and he makes sure to flex on the way out. That distraction lets Abrams him Main Objective for the pin at 15:20.
Winners: ID 2.0 via pin at 15:20
-This would be the definition of a party match and it was fun, but I wasn’t a fan of that ending. Everything they were hitting, and the big time saves and then it just ends off a distraction and one move. Glad they were given time though and they delivered a really strong match. ***1/2
-Chuey talks to ID 2.0 and he says they are worse than Vanity Project.
-Laynie Luck video package as she wonders how she got here. She gets emotional thinking about blowing out a tire traveling on the indies. She wondered if it was all worth it, but she didn’t crumble. She has been inspired by Wendy and saw how it can be her.
-SNME commercial!
-Karmen Petrovic is working out in the PC gym and is interrupted by Nikkita Lyons and Sloane Jacobs, who need space to rehearse for their music video. Karmen says she will fight either one next week. Lyons says she will talk to Thatcher.
-Foreman Thatcher is in the ring and is proud of the two Evolve Champions and how they represent the brand. He puts over Wendy and hypes her title defense tonight, but he wants Aaron Rourke out to talk about what’s next. Here’s Aaron Rourke and he will do whatever it takes to keep his title. He goes to a different level when his title is on the line. He puts over former champion, Jackson Drake and tells Thatcher to line them up. Here’s Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins. Kam teases naming Harley as the next challenger, but chooses himself and Harley doesn’t seem pleased. TENSION! He wants a Title Match next week. Here’s Brooks Jensen and he won’t let Kam cut the line. Brooks feels he deserves the shot for beating Jones in the bull rope match. We get a bunch of BAMs before Tristan Angels interrupts. He actually just showed up on the last episode of LFG with his original name. He tells them they all have faces suited for radio. He is the most handsome man in England and therefore the entire World. He wants order and the crowd is all over him. Hey, how about another interruption as Dorian Van Dux is here and he also showed up on LFG episode two. Before he can say anything Tate Wilder hits the ring and attacks Kam and Harley. Thatcher takes control and announces Jensen vs. DVD vs Angels vs. Kam in a Fatal Four Way next week and winner gets Rourke in 3 weeks. I like that so many guys want to be Evolve Champion, and it was pretty easy to figure out where all these interruptions were leading.
-We aren’t done as Thatcher tells Tate and Harley they can fight right now. Efficiency!
Harley Riggins vs. Tate Wilder
-Harley was also on this past week’s episode of LFG and it was taped so long ago, a healthy Jax was with him.
-First, we get a SummerSlam commercial! My 49ers can’t win in Minnesota, so I need Roman to do something in the stadium to break the bad vibes.
-Back with the opening bell and Tate runs into a boot in the corner. He comes back with a release suplex and hits a quebrada! Clothesline sends Harley to the floor. Tate lands a kick from the apron, but gets caught with a right hand to the ribs. Harley drops Tate back first on the apron and hits a Back Senton in the ring for two. Harley works the back and hooks a submission as he buries a knee in the back. Wilder seems to be bleeding from the mouth. Wilder gets caught with a swinging Rock Bottom for a two count. Harley springs off the middle ropes with a twisting moonsault for two. Big dude to be hitting a move like that. Double clothesline puts both men down. Tate up first and picks up the pace as he starts his comeback. Twisting suplex gets two. Tate with a series of dropkicks and hits a running clothesline in the corner. He catches Wilder in the corner and ends up hitting a Backstabber in a sweet counter. That was nice! Harley works on the ribs now and goes for a backdrop, but Tate counters into a sunset flip for the pin at 6:03.
Winner: Tate Wilder via pin at 6:03
-Solid match as Harley got to show off a bit. I enjoy Wilder so I knew what to expect. The story here was Harley getting a chance outside of a tag match and I want to see more. **1/2
-No time to celebrate as Kam hits the ring and hits Lights, Kam, Action!
-DVD cuts a promo about next week’s Fatal Four Way. He’s not going to let this chance slip by and will be Evolve Champion.
WWE Evolve Women’s Championship: Wendy Choo (c) vs. Laynie Luck
-First, we get commercials! WrestleMania 43: Saudi!
-Handshake to start! Lockup and Luck gets a hammerlock. Wendy reverses and we get a series of standing switches. Snapmare by Wendy but Luck escapes and it’s an early stalemate. Another handshake. They lock hands and we get some flips and rolls to gain an advantage. Choo with a cartwheel and drags Luck down on her face. Wendy offers a handshake and Luck accepts by gets a side headlock. She springs off the middle ropes and gets an armdrag. Dropkick sends Choo to the corner. Whip reversed and Luck gets a roll-up for two. Crucifix for two. Wendy with a roll-up for two. They continue to trade pin attempts and Wendy ends up hitting a Japanese armdrag and then a splash in the corner. Running boot followed by a running knee strike gets a two count. Dirt Nap, but Luck escapes and sends Choo to the apron. Luck misses a stomp off the top rope. Wendy tries to knock her off, but Luck lands on her feet and hits a superkick. She comes back into the ring with a Senton for two. The crowd starts a dueling chant! Spinning back fist followed by a suplex from Luck. She picks the ankle to get a trip and slings in from the apron with a splash for two. Submission from Luck as she has Wendy tied up in impressive fashion. Wendy shifts her weight to get a two count and that forces Luck to break or be pinned. Short-arm clothesline by Wendy gets two! Luck throws a double boot from her back. Shining Wizard gets two! Wendy fights off the shoulders but Luck gets a roll-up for two. Wendy counters to The Dirt Nap, but Luck shifts her weight into a cover for two. Wendy hits The Snooze Button for two! Wendy is getting a little frustrated! She hangs Luck in the Tree of Woe but misses a basement dropkick as Luck sits up. They battle up top as someone shouts “suplex city.” Superplex from Wendy and that leaves both women out. Lyons and Sloane are out to interrupt, and we have a no contest at 8:27. Boo!
No Contests at 8:27
-They were having a nice little match here and I was curious how it was going to end and we get a downer of an ending. Wendy has been rolling since the gimmick change and Luck was right there with her in this match. Good match but a bummer of an ending takes a little away from it. **3/4
-Lyons and Sloane target Wendy, but here’s Karmen. We are out of time though.
-Thanks for reading!
