SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
JULY 30, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
-A video recap of Keanu Carver’s vendetta against the WWE ID program aired before the show.
(1) BRYCE DONOVAN (w/The Vanity Project) vs. MARCUS MATHERS – WWE ID Showcase Match
Mathers locked in a headlock but succumbed to Donovan’s power game. As Mathers lied on the ring apron, Donovan kicked him off and into the cameraman. He clubbed on his back once he got back in the ring, then applied an abdominal stretch. Mathers fired back with several blistering chops. He dropkicked his knees, then his face. He hit a stunner variation off the second rope for a two-count. Donovan hit a sloppy powerbomb and followed that up with a flying forearm for a near-fall.
Mathers came back with a roll-up for two, then a superkick from the back that caught Donovan in the side of the face. As he stood on the ring apron, Swipe Right started to get squirrely, so he kicked both of them in the face. He started to dive over the ropes onto The Vanity Project, but Zayda Steel stepped in front of them, so he put on the brakes. As he turned around, Donovan caught him with a good-looking black hole slam for the win.
WINNER: Bryce Donovan at 6:16
(Miller’s Take: Mathers is pretty good. Donovan is not. Robert Stone kept referring to him as the muscle of The Vanity Project, but he doesn’t really have much muscle, he’s just tall and lanky. He also is just not good in the ring. His execution is stilted and sloppy, his timing is off, and he looks lost half the time. I may be wrong, but as of right now, I see zero potential in this guy.)
-In the locker room, Timothy Thatcher told Sean Legacy that he was still pretty sore after the beating he took from Keanu Carver. Legacy vowed revenge, but Thatcher gave him a reality check. He said he wasn’t the same man after being in the ring with him and Legacy needed to stay focused.
-Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong was shown walking in the building looking angry. [c]
-Kali Armstrong, mic in hand, came to the ring. She immediately called out Jin Tala. Instead, she got Tyra Mae Steele. She told the champ she needed to be worried about her. Armstrong said nobody knew who she was and nobody cared. Jin Tala then came to the ring. She said she wanted a title match. Armstrong agreed, but Steele took offense at the way she was asking and said she didn’t deserve it. Tala shoved Steele into Armstrong, and then dispatched of both women. She held the title belt above her head and gloated.
-In the locker room, Chuey Martinez asked Jamar Hampton if he was ready for Jack Cartwheel. Hampton cut a brief promo putting over his opponent, but said he was ready for him. As he walked away, It’s Gal walked up and talked some nonsense in his over-the-top, annoying way. Chuey asked who invited him. Good question. [c]
(2) JAMAR HAMPTON vs. JACK CARTWHEEL (w/Cappuccino Jones)
Jones gave his partner a sip of his java before the match. Jack showed off his agility early. Cartwheel ran into Hampton and bounced off him. He hit a stunning dropkick into a backflip that didn’t budge Hampton. Hampton showed some agility of his own with a picture-perfect high dropkick that resulted in a near-fall. Cartwheel came back with a wild springboard elbow drop variation from the outside.
He tied up Hampton’s legs and bridged backwards into a chinlock. Hampton powered his way out and fired up with some high-impact offense, ending with a blockbuster for two. Cartwheel rolled out of the ring. As Hampton dove over the ropes, Carwheel slid back in and Hampton crashed and burned on the floor. Jack hit a running cartwheel backflip over the top and onto Hampton. With his opponent back in the ring, Cartwheel sprung abdomen-first off the top rope and into a somersault splash for a two-count. That was nearly indescribable.
Hampton found an opening and put Cartwheel on the turnbuckle for a superplex, but was distracted by It’s Gal, who, for some reason, was standing outside the ring doing bicep curls with a resistance band. Cartwheel knocked Hampton off the ropes and hit a spectacular twisting shooting star press for the victory.
WINNER: Jack Cartwheel at 6:01.
(Miller’s Take: Jamar Hampton is going places. He has the size, perfect physique, and agility to do it all. Jack Cartwheel needs to be seen to be believed. He is indescribably agile and incredibly innovative. I would love to see him against Je’Von Evans in NXT, but I’m also really digging Adrenaline Drip with Cappuccino Jones and could easily see them holding the NXT Tag Team Championship in the not-so-distant future. It’s Gal is perfect in his heel role. Just the name “It’s Gal” makes you want to see someone punch him in the nose. Hell of a match.)
A split-screen showed Sean Legacy and Keanu Carver walking toward the entrance in preparation for the upcoming main event. [c]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “Wrestling Coast to Coast” with Chris Maitland and Justin McClelland, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
-Zara Zakher cut a promo putting over the Evolve women’s roster. She said she knew she didn’t stand out among the rest of the women, but she needs to step up if she wants to be in NXT one day.
-The announcers previewed next week’s matches, including Wendy Choo vs. Carlee Bright and Jin Tala challenging Kali Armstrong for the Evolve Women’s Championship.
(3) KEANU CARVER vs. SEAN LEGACY
Legacy was energetic as he entered the ring. Carver was stoic and unimpressed. The two men fiercely locked up to start the match. Legacy slapped Carver, which angered him. Rosenberg called him the Clubber Lang of Evolve. Carver threw Legacy onto the top rope, where he bounced off his ribs awkwardly. Ouch. Legacy’s speed and agility vs. Carver’s strength and meanness was the story here.
Legacy skinned the cat and hooked Carver’s head to flip him over to the outside. He dove onto him, but Carver caught him. Legacy broke free and staggered his very large foe with some kicks. [c]
Back from the break, Carver pounced Legacy into an alternate dimension. He grounded Legacy, who tried in vain to fight back. Carver still couldn’t quite put “Super” Sean away. He continued mauling his opponent, then locked him in a bearhug. He slammed Legacy so hard he almost became a part of the canvas, but still only got a two-count.
Legacy found an opening and hit a couple of clothelines, then put Carver down with a hard DDT. He kicked Carver until he made him angry. Carver missed a pounce and Legacy powered him over with a German suplex for two. He started to dive off the ropes, but Carver caught him before his feet left the ropes and unceremoniously dropped him.
Legacy managed to land a couple of superkicks, then finally took Carver off his feet with a springboard dropkick for a near-fall. He attempted Shambles, but he couldn’t keep Carver in the air. Carver hit some kind of slingshot into a powerslam variation for the pin.
WINNER: Keanu Carver at 11:36.
(Miller’s Take: This was so good! Carver is a monster of a man, on a par with Jasper Troy and Oba Femi. His pounce looks absolutely devastating and he has unmatched intensity. Legacy is definitely a star in the making as well. This was the best main event Evolve has featured in weeks. Carver’s finisher was a bit clunky, and I’m not sure if he even knew what he was going to do, but he made it work. Other than than, this was spot-on.)
-After the match, Carver leaned through the ropes at the camera and called out The Vanity Project. If he gets a title match against Jackson Drake, I think a Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston-type outcome would be appropriate.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a very good show tonight. The talking was at a minimum and the last two matches almost made me forget about Bryce Donovan stinking up the ring in the opener. No women’s match tonight, which was unusual. If you watch this on Tubi, you can skip the first match, but don’t miss the rest of the show! See you next week for NXT!
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