SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
JUNE 11, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
-The show opened with a recap of Jackson Drake becoming the inaugural Evolve Champion.
-The Vanity Project made their way to the ring. They were in quite a celebratory mood. For some reason, they were all wearing the same button-up shirts. Drake talked about first champions like Buddy Rogers, Finn Balor, and Seth Rollins, adding his name to the list. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Typical heel faction promo.
-Lince Dorado cut a promo on The Vanity Project and said he needed to get a couple of his friends.
-Elsewhere in the back, Wes Lee, with Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe, cut a promo on Cappuccino Jones for their upcoming match.
-Zayda Steel remained in the ring after the opening segment and was joined by her tag team partner, Nikkita Lyons. [c]
-In the back, Cappuccino Jones said he was caffeinated and ready to go against Wes Lee.
(1) ZAYDA STEEL & NIKKITA LYONS vs. MASYN HOLIDAY & LAYLA DIGGS
Steel started the match with Diggs, who cartwheeled her way out of an armbar. She tagged Holiday shortly before Lyons tagged in. Diggs & Holiday showed some good teamwork. Lyons distracted Holiday long enough for Steel to attack her from behind. Big Kat Kita tagged in and took over with a flurry of fists. She tagged Steel, who got a near fall with a ZDT.
The heels isolated Holiday from her partner. Lyons grounded Holiday with a modified chin lock. Diggs finally took the hot tag and went to town on the heels, then got a two count on Steel after a great scissors kick. Lyons came in the ring but took a knee to the back. Holiday went for a pin, but was distracted when Chantel Monroe walked out. As she made her presence known to the referee, Lyons kicked Holiday in the head, allowing Steel to roll her up for the pin.
WINNERS: Zayda Steel & Nikkita Lyons at 7:52.
(Miller’s Take: Pretty good opening match. Holiday & Diggs make a great team, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of them together. Steel & Lyons seem like an odd pairing, but it worked here. I wish we had fewer babyfaces looking foolish by being so easily distracted.)
-A video of Troy Yearwood aired. He showed off his great physique and said he likes to write poetry When asked for an example, he said, “Roses are red, violets are blue, after I take over Evolve, I’m coming for NXT, too.” He told everyone to say goodbye to Troy Yearwood and say hello to Jamar Hampton. So, we have another name change coming out of LFG. I’m in the middle on the name change. Troy Hampton or Jamar Yearwood would have worked, too. Not quite sure what the name Jamar Hampton represents, but oh well. [c]
-In the hallway, Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong approached Natalya and told her she didn’t need her help last week. Nattie told her she did, and advised her to swallow her pride because next week the two of them have a match against Nikkita and Zayda.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(2) JAMAR HAMPTON vs. IT’S GAL
Gal wanted a test of strength, which he promptly lost. He put Hampton in a head scissors and showed off by doing pushups. Hampton hit a beautiful dropkick. He went for a high boot but missed and hung his leg up on the top rope, which allowed Gal to sweep the other leg and take control of the match. Gal worked on the left leg for a while, but Hampton fought through the pain to rally. He hit an Attitude Adjustment into a jackhammer for the pin.
WINNER: Jamar Hampton at 6:31.
(Miller’s Take: Hampton has the physique of a Greek god and has a ton of potential. It’s Gal still has the worst ring name in pro wrestling history, and that includes The Amazing Pookie. The name and his attitude make you want to see somebody smash his face in, which is exactly the emotion a heel should provoke, so bravo to him.)
-Chuey Martinez conducted a sit-down interview with WWE ID prospect Marcus Mathers. He said pro wrestling is all he’s ever known and he’s put in the training and has the matches under his belt. He said he dreams of being in WrestleMania. [c]
-A video package of Jordan Oasis aired. He talked about taking a Greyhound from city to city on the indy circuit and the struggles involved, including ordering the cheapest thing on the menu and sneaking into gyms.
(3) CAPPUCCINO JONES (w/Jack Cartwheel) vs. WES LEE (w/Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe)
I had my large Contigo mug of coffee ready for this one. They locked up in the middle of the ring and started slowly with a feeling-out process, trading headlocks. Jones hit an incredibly high dropkick to the mush of Jones. With Lee on the outside, Jones sailed over the top rope with a somersault dive onto Lee. [c]
Back from the break, Lee had taken control and slowed the pace down. He bounced Jones’s head off the mat a couple of times and then stepped on his head. Jones fought back with a couple of uppercuts, but ate a spin kick as he came off the ropes. Stone and Rosenberg noted Lee’s overconfidence, which soon led to Jones mounting a comeback.
Jones hit a Half and Half for a two-count. A Michinoku driver earned him another two-count. Dupont and Igwe got involved, leading to Cartwheel intervening. As chaos ensued on the outside, Lee took advantage with a springboard DDT for a near fall. Jones hit the Decaffeinator for a very believable near fall. The two men ramped up the action here, trading two-counts. Lee finally hit the cardiac kick for the pin.
WINNER: Wes Lee at 11:14
(Miller’s Take: This was decent. I love Cappuccino Jones’s gimmick and want to see this guy succeed. Wes Lee set the pace for the match, and it was flawless. With a little more experience, these two could put on a hell of a show.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not bad overall. Only three matches tonight, but they were all good. Nobody has stepped up to the plate yet to challenge the new champions. I’m all about Kali Armstrong, but I have to admit that Jackson Drake would have been my last pick to win the title coming out of last week’s fatal four-way. The kid has talent, but I see a lot more in the other three men who were involved. Not much advancement in the way of storylines tonight. Not a bad show, but nothing really stood out, either. See you next Tuesday for NXT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDjNcA9Rn6s&t=2097s
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