WWE EVOLVE RESULTS (8/20): Ridge Holland vs. Sean Legacy, Kylie Rae vs. Chantel Monroe, Swipe Right vs. Aaron Rourke & Marcus Mathews

WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
AUGUST 20, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Ring Announcer: Blake Howard

Interviewer: Chuey Martinez

-A recap of last week’s show aired.

(1) KYLIE RAE vs. CHANTEL MONROE – Championship Eliminator Match

The two women started out trading arm twists and armbars. Some great chain wrestling ensued before Monroe took the advantage with a back elbow to the jaw. Rae fought back by ramming Monroe’s head into a couple of turnbuckles and nailing a good dropkick. Monroe, while standing on the ring apron, snapped the back of Rae’s neck on the second rope. [c]

That slowed things down for Rae, who fell to a neckbreaker for a two-count. Monroe kept working on Rae’s neck for a couple of minutes. Rae fired up while still selling the neck, but took it to Monroe with some kicks. Chantel managed to sneak in an inverted DDT and ran Kylie neck-first into the ropes, then hit her Perfect Ending for the victory.

WINNER: Chantel Monroe at 9:34.

(Miller’s Take: Very basic match, but well-executed with good ring psychology from both women. I’m a bit surprised at the outcome, because Kylie Rae seems to be Evolve’s golden girl, but maybe the have bigger things in store for Monroe.)

-Keanu Carver cut a promo about decimating the WWE ID program and called out The Vanity Project.

-In the back, The Vanity Project reacted to Carver’s promo. Jackson Drake admitted to being nervous about Carver. Zayda Steel blamed Bryce Donovan for losing to Layla Diggs last week. Ricky Smokes said they’ve been slippery lately, but they can’t let it happen, and Bryce needs to fix it and own it. [c]

-Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong was in Stevie Turner’s office. Turner congratulated her on her win over Jin Tala and was about to talk to her about her upcoming title defense when Nikkita Lyons walked in. She said she’s been watching and told her she’d come back when the title needed a challenger. Turner said there would be a fatal four way next week with Armstrong defending against Lyons, Petrovic, and Monroe.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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(2) SWIPE RIGHT (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes, w/The Vanity Project) vs. AARON ROURKE & MARCUS MATHERS

The effeminate Rourke sashayed around the ring a bit before locking up with Smokes. The face team showed off some slick double-team moves. Mathers connected with a wicked chop to Baylor, but soon fell victim to some tight teamwork from Swipe Right. Mathers took a beating for a while as his opponents cut the ring off.

Baylor did a Rick Rude hip-swivel, and the arrogance of Swipe Right left an opening for Rourke to take the hot tag. He went to town with a couple of double knees. Mathers got back in the ring and hit some very good-looking kicks. Swipe Right went for a Super Swipe, but they were foiled when Mathers turned it into a crucifix. Mathers and Rourke hit a unique double-team spear that looked a bit awkward, but it was effective. An illicit Bryce Donovan boot to Mathers’s head led to a successful Super Swipe for a three-count.

WINNERS: Swipe Right at 8:22.

(Miller’s Take: Really good tag team match. I’m not sure how much mileage Rourke will get out of his gimmick in today’s world, but he’s damn good in the ring. All of them performed flawlessly and it was exciting to watch. Donovan made things right for the time being.)

-A video was shown of It’s Gal training with Jamar Hampton. Hampton gave Gal a few workout tips and the two seemed to get along swimmingly. Maybe a face turn for It’s Gal? I can see the fans getting behind him and enjoying his narcissistic antics. [c]

-Kendal Grey cut an intense promo on Wendy Choo for taking out her friend, Carlee Bright, and then laughing about it. She said she’d see if Wendy’s still laughing next week when she rips her arm out of it’s socket. I’m looking forward to this one.

-Jax Presley & Harley Riggins talked up their athletic backgrounds and said they were going to take out Adrenaline Drip.

-Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone ran down next week’s card, including Grey vs. Choo, Jensen vs. Oasis, and the Evolve Women’s Championship fatal four-way match.

(3) “SUPER” SEAN LEGACY vs. RIDGE HOLLAND

The announcers talked about Holland getting back to his rugby roots. He definitely has been hitting the gym. Holland immediately went on an explosive attack. Legacy tried fighting back, but Holland hit several headbutts and an elbowdrop for a one-count. Tate Wilder was shown watching the match in the back. Legacy used his speed to make a comeback. He hit a couple of stomps and a beautiful dropkick. [c]

Back from the break, Holland executed an overhead throw that sent Legacy sailing. Holland blocked some blows by Legacy and again threw him over his head. A powerslam by Holland resulted in a two-count. Legacy fought out of a bearhug, but ate a stiff clothesline. Super Sean sneaked in some kicks and took Holland down with a DDT. He followed that up with more kicks and a German suplex.

Holland reverse-bodyslammed Legacy and got a near-fall. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one of those before, but it looked good. Legacy leaped from the ropes and fumbled a little bit before locking in a scorpion death drop. Holland soon had Legacy seated in the corner and ran in with the hardest cannonball I think I’ve ever seen. A gut-wrench powerbomb later and Holland’s hand was raised.

WINNER: Ridge Holland at 9:20.

(Miller’s Take: Holland looks massive. Despite Legacy getting in some good shots, he was dominated by Holland throughout the match. Ridge is obviously going back to the drawing board in Evolve, and I hope he can carve out his niche, because he’s really talented. Sean Legacy has what it takes to move up through the ranks, and we’ll definitely be seeing a lot of him in the future.)

-After the match, a dejected and beaten Legacy walked to the back and was confronted by Ice Williams, who degraded him for getting all the opportunities and losing. The two got into a shoving match that was quickly tended to by the officials that were backstage.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a very enjoyable show tonight. All three matches were good in their own right. The women’s title picture is looking interesting, but I don’t look for Armstrong to drop the title anytime soon. The Vanity Project continues to have problems, which I’m sure will lead to an eventual breakup, most likely with Bryce Donovan being blamed for not carrying his weight. Legacy is obviously moving into a feud with Ice Williams, with Holland looking ahead to Tate Wilder, who, in case you didn’t know, is a cowboy. See you all for NXT next week!