Leighty’s WWE Evolve Review 7.09.25

-Kali Armstrong defends her Evolve Woman’s Championship for the first time tonight, so this is a big show. Let’s get to it!

-Announce Team: Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone
-Taped: WWE PC, Orlando, FL

-Video package hyping tonight’s Evolve Woman’s Championship Match between Kali Armstrong and Natalya. Big fight feel tonight on Evolve!

Timothy Thatcher vs. Keanu Carver

-Carver is on a mission to destroy anything that has to do with the WWE ID program and Timothy Thatcher is basically the player/coach for WWE ID. This show be a little more of a test for Carver and I am curious to see what he does here. Thatcher fires off a series of Euro uppercuts and hooks a choke hold. Carver is able to break, but Thatcher gets a take down and goes to work on the arm. He traps the arm and drops a knee. Ouch! He gets a cover and throws in some knees to the ribs and gets a two count. He gets Carver in a bow and arrow and then lands a body blow. Thatcher drops an elbow to the back of the head and shoots the half for another two count. Thatcher was doing well, but tries to go to a power game with a suplex and Carver counters with one of his own. Charge in the corner followed by the Scott Hall SOS Slam. That gets two and Carver is going to work now. He stomps Thatcher’s chest and hooks a modified sleeper. Thatcher knows the escape though as Carver is now in his world, so Carver just rips his head off with a clothesline. Cool! World’s Strongest Slam gets a two count. Carver misses a charge in the corner and Thatcher fires off more uppercuts of the European variety. Carver fires back with right hands. He tries one too many and Thatcher takes him to the ground with an armbar. Carver gets to the ropes as I am digging the story they are telling here. Carver lands a kick from his back, so Thatcher goes to the ribs with forearms. Carver hits a POUNCE out of nowhere and it’s a matter of time now. Carver goes crazy as he rams Thatcher’s head off the aprons while in the ropes and we get the lame “kicking too much ass” DQ at 6:53.

Winner: Timothy Thatcher by DQ at 6:53
-I was digging that match until the ending. I guess they want to run this back again down the road and this was just the first chapter. The story was cool with Thatcher controlling when he was working the mat game and then making a mistake by going to the power game. Carver dominated with his power and then tried to wrestle and Thatcher caught him. I was not a fan of the ending though. **3/4

-Stevie Turner walks in on Vanity Projects and lets Jackson Drake know he will defend his Evolve Championship next week against Lince Dorado and they will sign the contract tonight.

-Tubi commercials!

-Saturday Night’s Main Event this Saturday! GUNTHER VS GOLDBERG! I think I want to do a review of the show. Depends how I feel after the kids are sleeping.

Chantel Monroe vs. Masyn Holiday (w/ Layla Diggs)

-We get a prematch promo from Layla and Masyn. They tried to be Chantel’s friend, but she is acting too brand new. Chantel works the arm to start which lets Masyn use the ropes to flip out and reverse the hold. Chantel grabs the hair and that lets her regain arm control. Masyn with an arm-drag into a pin attempt that gets two. Chantel buries a knee to the ribs against the ropes, but Holiday is back with a cross-body for two and then she goes back to the arm. Holiday gets sent into the buckle in one corner and then another, but blocks a third try. She lands an elbow and gets a two count. Chantel stays in control though and gets a neck snap for two. Back to the arm and she adds a chinlock as well. Masyn powers up to break and ducks a clothesline before getting a shoulder tackle. Splash gets a two count, but Chantel fights off Holiday’s shoulders and gets a kind of Code Breaker for the pin at 3:51 though it nearly looked like she took a spinebuster.

Chantel Monroe via pin at 3:51
-This was what you would expect from two newbies. Basically what we would get on Friday’s with Level Up. *1/4

-Chantel says the bell means she is leaving Masyn and Layla in the past. She is focused on the Evolve Woman’s Championship and whoever wins tonight will be seeing her. Kylie Rae is back and she offers Chantel congrats on the win. She notes she had the biggest win of her career over Wendy and that puts her in the conversation for a Title Match. Tyra Mae Steele is here and you had to see that coming as they are going to give her every chance. She is a bit too happy for someone that seemingly has been demoted and Chantel wants to know what she is doing here. Tyra says she is now in Evolve and Kylie congratulates her. Tyra wants her first match to be against the winner of tonight’s Title Match. Kylie says the line starts behind her, but Chantel has her own opinion. We get a brawl and Tyra stands tall.

-Chuey Martinez is backstage with Stevie Turner and hey, Ridge Holland is here. The crowd is not happy to see him. Ridge is here to hurt people and he wants the winner of Dorado and Drake. Stevie tells him it doesn’t work that way and now, Tate Wilder is here. They argue and Stevie tells them enough and she will speak with Tate later.

-Wendy Choo is laying on a table backstage. Okay!

-Stevie Turner is in the ring for a contract signing and Lince Dorado is out first. Vanity Project is out next and they are all dressed in red, other than Brad Baylor. Rebel! Although, I guess The Ole Miss Rebels wear red. Drake rails against Turner’s decision to have him wrestle next week just because Lince wins one match. Lince wants nothing more than to humble Jackson’s ass. Somewhere Iron Sheik is smiling! Drake says he has a reason to be cocky as nobody can match his athleticism and star power. Drake signs the contract first and Dorado starts laughing. He tells Drake that he should have listened to Stevie and reviewed the contract. Dorado put a stipulation in the contract that Vanity Project is barred from ring side and he can lose his Championship via DQ. Dorado puts pen to paper and not brawl at this contract signing.

-Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright are backstage and Kendal admits she was wrong about how the mysterious attacker is. Carlee says the rehab has been a buzz kill, but she will be cleared this weekend. They agree to make the attacker pay. They have to figure out how it is first.

-Sean Legacy is backstage and says Thatcher will be back as he is an old school warrior. Tim Hardaway or we going back even more with Rick Barry?

-SummerSlam commercial!

-Next week: Chantel vs. Kylie vs. Tyra Mae! Evolve Championship: Drake vs. Dorado!

WWE Evolve Woman’s Championship: Kali Armstrong (c) vs. Natalya

-Super, special in ring introductions! Lockup and nothing doing. We go again and they jockey for position. Again, nothing doing so Kali shoves Nattie. She shows off, so Nattie trips her and hooks a submission. Nattie floats over and gets a one count. Now she plays to the crowd and then gets a side headlock. She out wrestles Kali and counters whatever Kali tries which isn’t surprising. Kali looks for a kick, but Nattie catches her foot and slams her down on her face. Surfboard from Nattie, but Kali is able to escape. Nattie counters her again and lands some strikes. She avoids a charge in the corner, but Kali lands a clothesline as we take a break at 2:50.

-WrestleMania 41 commercial! Running it back to Vegas! My theory is HHH wants to make sure I am reminded that my Niners lost the Super Bowl in that building.

-Back at 3:50 with Kali landing body shots in corner as Stone calls her The Omega. KENNY OMEGA TO WWE CONFIRMED or something. Kali hooks an abdominal stretch, but Nattie finds a way out and hooks her own. Again, that makes all the sense in the world. Kali must have learned something as she reverses back. Nattie escapes and gets an armdrag followed by the discus clothesline for two. Both women are down for a beat, but Kali is up first. They start trading strikes and Nattie gains the advantage. Kali cuts her off but misses a clothesline. Nattie counters a hold with a Side Russian Leg Sweep for two. Nattie with a heel trip and gets another two count. She tries for the Sharpshooter, but Kali kicks her away. Nattie drops Kali on her ass, hits a stomp to the neck and then lands a kick for a two count. Kali reverses a whip and catches Nattie off a cross-body and hits a powerslam for two. Cool! Camel Clutch but Nattie won’t give up so Kali releases. She goes for a slam, but Nattie counters into an ankle-lock. The crowd wants to see a tap, but Kali rolls to break. Nattie with a roll-up for two. She gets another roll for a pin and then a crucifix for another two count. Crossface, but Kali escapes and counters a discus lariat with a powerslam. Kali Connection misses and Nattie hooks The Sharpshooter. Kali fights her way to the bottom rope to force a break. She then pulls Nattie throat first into the ropes and hits The Kali Connection. Nattie nearly goes out of the ring, but Kali pulls her back to the middle of the ring and gets the pin at 11:09.

Winner: Kali Armstrong via pin at 11:09
-Good stuff here with Nattie doing what Nattie does and Kali hanging in there with her. Kali did not look out of place and delivered in the biggest match of her career. This was suitably epic for this show and they delivered. Kali getting a win over Nattie is a big deal on this show and sets her Title reign off on the right foot. Just a good old school match here where Nattie put over the new Champion. ***1/2

-Kali offers a handshake and Nattie accepts. Jin Tala attacks Kali from behind and lets us know that is the mysterious attacker. Well, that wasn’t the way I expected the answer to be revealed, but we seemingly have out next challenger for Kali.

-Thanks for reading!

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Very good show this week with a lot that happened. First the opener and Main Event both delivered, even though I wasn't a fan of the way the opener ended. The middle match was okay and I have no issue with the newbies in ring work whenever they can. Angle heavy show too as we had the Evolve debut of Tyra Mae Steeler and Ridge Holland. I wasn't expecting either, but they seemingly want to give Ridge every chance and I assume they didn't have much space for Tyra to learn on the job in NXT. We have a Title Match set for next week off this and the next challenger for Kali while also ending our mystery attacker angle. They packed a lot into this show and I found it all enjoyable and an easy watch.