SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE SUCCESSION II
MARCH 4, 2026
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Blake Howard
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
Ring Announcer: Kelly Kincaid
-The second season premiere of Evolve started with The Vanity Project hanging out in their dorm area, red Solo cups strewn across the floor. Brad Baylor told Ricky Smokes that he found the girl who disappeared when Joe Hendry appeared on NXT a few weeks back. They talked about how they had it made in NXT, and Jackson Drake talked about retaining his title against Cappuccino Jones.
-Cappuccino Jones slugged coffee while running down the card for tonight’s Succession II, made a bunch of coffee references, and welcomed everyone to the show. Jones is unique in every way and I really like his character.
(1) HARLEM LEWIS vs. BROOKS JENSEN
Lewis tackled Jensen at the bell, driving him into the corner. They traded blistering chops, with neither man gaining a clear advantage. Lewis lost his doo-rag, then bounced Jensen out of the ring. Jensen trapped him in the ring skirt and beat on him before taking the action back to the ring. Jensen put the boots to him before Lewis snapped Jensen down by the arm. After beating on each other for a while, they each hit a clothesline on the other. [c]
Jensen put the boots to Lewis again, then hit stiff forearms to his back, followed by a clothesline to the back of the neck for a two-count. Lewis elbowed Jensen, then dropped him hard to the mat with a belly to back suplex. He flattened Jensen with a short-arm clothesline. They staggered as they traded stiff blows in the middle of the ring. Jensen hit a thunderous sit-out powerbomb for another near fall. Jensen stuck his shin into the side of Lewis’s face. Jensen chopped the skin off Lewis multiple times, but Lewis gave it right back to him. The two men traded boots to the face before Lewis struck Jensen with a massive lariat. He followed it up with a Boomslang for the win.
WINNER: Harlem Lewis at 11:19
(Miller’s Take: To quote the legendary Jim Ross, this was a real slobberknocker. I don’t think I’ve seen a match this physical since Sheamus and Gunther tore it up at Clash at the Castle. They really laid into each other in a working way. Nothing fancy here, just some good old-fashioned clubbering.)
-Chuey Martinez conducted a post-match interview with Harlem Lewis. He said he was the baddest man in the locker room and told Cappuccino Jones and Jackson Drake that whoever held the title would just be keeping it warm for him.
-A video package aired of WWE ID prospect Laynie Luck. She said she always loved wrestling and talked about how she prepared for it. She said she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease but didn’t let it deter her from her pursuit of becoming a professional wrestler. Good introduction video.
(2) KENDAL GREY (c) (w/Wren Sinclair) vs. P.J. VASA – Evolve Women’s Championship Street Fight
Kelly Kincaid barely made the ring introductions when Grey rushed the ring to attack Vasa. The challenger took control for a short time before they took the action to the ring. Grey pulled out a table to set up. They took turns trying to put each other through the table until Vasa threw Grey onto the ring apron and delivered a crushing headbutt. She pitched Grey into the stairs before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Grey was laid out in the ring when Vasa grabbed a chair. Grey dropkicked it out of her hands but fell victim to a black hole slam for a near fall. Vasa brought the chair down hard on Grey’s back several times. Tyra Mae Steele, wearing her granny glasses, was shown looking on from the VIP section as Vasa threw about a dozen chairs into the ring. She piled them up, then smacked Grey with another chair shot to the back. She set Grey up for a superplex, but the champ fought back and knocked her to the mat. She then hit a missile dropkick to Vasa, who fell back on the pile of chairs.
Grey picked up a chair and wore out Vasa with it, but when she took Vasa out to the floor again, she found herself on the receiving end of a spear through the Slim Jims table. Back in the ring, Vasa hit a huge powerbomb for a near fall. Vasa brought the ring steps into the ring and dribbled Grey’s face off it. She stood on the steps, pulled up Grey, and went for a powerbomb, but Grey reversed it into a Shades of Grey on the steps. Three seconds later, she had retained her title.
WINNER: Kendal Grey at 11:06 to retain the Evolve Women’s Championship.
(Miller’s Take: Both women took a pretty good beating in this match. They didn’t Nia Jax the chairshots at all, instead holding back nothing. They didn’t get too crazy with the weapons, just a table and a couple of dozen chairs, which they put to good use. I must be honest, I don’t see much in Vasa at this point. On the other hand, Grey is a shooting star, so the outcome was quite predictable.)
-As Grey and Sinclair celebrated in the ring, Tyra Mae Steele squeaked at Grey that it was pretty good, but she’s not a gold medalist. I’m assuming this means Steele is getting a tryout as a heel. Grey and Sinclair yelled something inaudible back at her, with a look of disdain on their faces. [c]
-Peter Rosenberg announced that there would be a major Town Hall announcement next week that would change the face of Evolve going forward.
-“Earlier this week”, footage from WWE Performance Center camera 5 time stamped 26.03.02 01:30 pm showed Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins attacking Tate Wilder as he got on his motorcycle in the parking lot.
-A video package highlighted the rivalry between Cappuccino Jones and Jackson Drake, dating back to the first episode of Evolve.
-The camera panned the crowd before the main event, showing fans holding to-go cups in support of Cappuccino Jones.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, 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)
(3) JACKSON DRAKE (c) vs. CAPPUCCINO JONES – Evolve Championship Match
Before the match, Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes were shown watching from the VIP Lounge. Kelly Kincaid made the official ring introductions before referee Victoria D’Errico called for the bell. Jones moved in for a single-leg takedown but wound up in a bodyscissors. They traded some technical moves before Jones cut loose with a flurry of fists. Drake stopped the assault and stomped on his opponent’s hand, but soon ate a highly caffeinated dropkick from Jones. The action spilled to the floor before they (of course) cut to a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Jones was still on the offense, but it didn’t last long. The champion drove Jones to the mat with an armbar, then mocked him with his coffee-drinking pose. Jones worked his way back to his feet before being dropped with a neckbreaker. Drake wrenched on the neck of the challenger, but Jones busted out a Michinoku Driver, then threw two dropkicks into the corner before Drake stopped him. He loudly asked Jones where his WWE contract was, then said he didn’t have one because he’s a coffee-drinking bum. Jones ducked a couple of strikes from Drake, then connected with some fists of his own.
Drake whipped Jones into the corner a couple of times, but got crotched by Jones when he climbed the ropes. With Drake on the outside, Jones nearly overshot a dive over the ropes and onto the champion, falling head-first onto the floor as he took Drake down. Back in the ring, Drake hit a knee and a superkick for a very near fall. He went for the Unaliving, but Jones nailed him. He hit a Froggy Brew elbow from the top turnbuckle, but only got a two-count. He went for a springboard cutter, but Drake caught him with a neckbreaker.
They threw hard chops on the ring apron until Drake lifted Jones for a hotshot that bounced Jones to the floor. He threw Jones back into the ring and hit a 450 splash for another very close fall. Jones hit a Decaffeinator for yet another very close two-count. The frustration mounted as he slowly climbed the turnbuckle, but Drake hit the ropes and knocked him off balance. He climbed the turnbuckle with him and landed a vicious modified Burning Hammer. He bounded off the ropes and connected with the Unaliving, rolled Jones to the center of the ring, and scored the pin.
WINNER: Jackson Drake at 19:34 to retain the Evolve Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This was an outstanding main event. Both men gave it their all and showed the entire locker room how it’s done. The match was filled with back-and-forth action and some very believable near falls that had the fans (and me) on the edge of their seats. There were more than a couple of times when I thought Jones might unseat the inaugural Evolve champion, but it was not meant to be. I loved and miss Adrenaline Drip with Jack Cartwheel as his partner, but Jones proved with this bout that he is a standout singles wrestler, too.)
-Baylor and Smokes celebrated with Drake until an angry-looking Harlem Lewis rushed the ring and beat up all three members of The Vanity Project. He screamed at Drake that the title was his.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Succession II was a rousing success, in my humble opinion. The non-title match was a brutal, hard-hitting affair. Grey unsurprisingly retained her title against the upstart powerhouse P.J. Vasa, and Drake managed to once again slither his way out of losing his belt. When he first won the belt, I was scratching my head, but he’s proven to be a solid champion with great ring awareness and a propensity for always managing to overcome the odds. I’m assuming that next week’s announcement will involve the appointment of a new Evolve GM. Stevie Turner’s departure was swept under the carpet, and it will be interesting to see who the new GM will be, assuming that is, indeed, the big announcement for next week. Evolve kicked their second season off with a very good start tonight.
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