SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2026
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Blake Howard, Robert Stone
Ring announcer: Sarah Schreiber
-Evolve Women’s Championship #1 contender Skylar Raye introduced the first all-women Evolve special by pointing out that she had to live up to women like Kali Armstrong, Kendal Grey, Wendy Choo, and even Nikkita Lyons. She said tonight was her night.
(1) SLOANE JACOBS vs. P.J. VASA
As usual, Jacobs gushed about her bestie, Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons. She said she was going to take care of Vasa. At the bell, Jacobs slipped behind Vasa and applied a sleeper, but Vasa escaped quickly and began dismantling Jacobs. Vasa, however, got caught by Jacobs in the corner and got her head bounced off the turnbuckle a few times, which allowed Jacobs to gain the upper hand. [c]
Jacobs managed a two-count, but also managed to anger Vasa, who put Jacobs on her backside with a few clotheslines and a Samoan drop for a near fall. Jacobs nailed Vasa with a stiff forearm, mounted Vasa’s shoulders, and rolled her up. She ensured the pin would stick by grabbing the rope as the referee made the count.
WINNER: Sloane Jacobs at 4:40.
(Miller’s Take: Not a big shocker here, knowing that Vasa has already been released. It was a passable match, but Vasa never really impressed me. She has her heel persona down pat, but she needs a lot more work in the ring and could really use an upgrade to her ring gear with something more flattering. Jacobs is great as one of those heels that you just want to see get the stuffings beaten out of.)
-After the match, an angry Vasa attacked Jacobs and folded her in half with a spear.
-In the back, the insufferable pair of Kale Dixon and Alix Brooks whined about the way they were being treated. Brooks expressed her disgust at Aaron Rourke throwing his jacket onto her “perfect skin” while Dixon speculated as to what creepy, crawly critters might be living in the jacket. He told Rourke that he got their attention.
-Zena Sterling made her ring entrance. She talked about not having to be a nice girl who is cute and smiles at everyone anymore, like Skylar Raye. She said she would be sitting in the VIP Lounge to watch Raye’s title match.
-A video of Anya Rune was shown. She spouted some anime references that I, not being familiar with the genre, didn’t understand. She said it’s time to prove that she belongs. I guess she’s going to have to prove she belongs somewhere else, because it was revealed a couple of weeks ago that she was on the list of released talent. [c]
-A recap of Vanta the Unknown’s attack on Laynie Luck was shown.
(2) VERONICA HAVEN vs. VANTA THE UNKNOWN
Vanta escaped Haven’s offense using very unique movements that I’ve never seen before and, quite honestly, struggle to describe. Haven halted Vanta’s forward motion a couple of times, but eventually fell victim to a submission armbar in which it really looked as if she were about to pull Haven’s arm out of it’s socket. Haven wisely surrendered.
WINNER: Vanta the Unknown at 3:13.
(Miller’s Take: I have to admit that I’ve never seen anything like Vanta the Unknown. She seems to have some type of gymnastic background, as her movements are very fluid and surefooted. Unique is a word that I know I will be using repeatedly when describing this woman’s matches. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that WWE has something here. She’s dark, foreboding, and kind of scary. I definitely want to see more.)
-After the match, Laynie Luck rushed the ring to attack Vanta, who matrixed out of a clothesline attempt. Luck threw punches at Vanta, who deftly avoided them with more matrix-like movements. Luck finally got Vanta down on her back and tried to assault her, but Vanta simply slipped out and rose to her feet. She caught a kick by Luck and clotheslined her to the mat, then stood over her fallen would-be attacker.
-A video package was shown of the short history of Succession. [c]
-Howard and Stone ran down next week’s card, including Riggins vs. Gal and Cole vs. Holyfield.
-Kali Armstrong talked about the upcoming Succession, the success of Evolve titleholders that followed in her footsteps, and said the women’s locker room was in good hands right now. She credited Evolve for her success in making it to NXT and said she knows that the women in Evolve will one day be facing her in NXT.
-After Skylar Raye made her ring entrance, Nikkita Lyons was shown in the back shoving a microphone in Gianna Capri’s chest. She told Capri that Sloane couldn’t do it, so she needs to go out and give her the introduction she deserves. Capri said she didn’t know her stuff, but Lyons said she could do it and told her to go. Capri emerged from the ring entrance and stuttered and stammered her way through a hilariously botched introduction as Lyons poked her head out from the entrance and threw her hands up in a “what are you doing” gesture at the flustered Capri. She made her entrance and gave Capri a little grief on the way to the ring. That was really funny!
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) NIKKITA LYONS (c) vs. SKYLAR RAYE – Evolve Women’s Championship Match
Raye looked confident and determined during the ring introductions. She got the best of Big Kat Kita in the opening moments of the match. Lyons grounded her challenger with a headlock takedown, but Raye slipped out and continued to dazzle and befuddle the champ with her speed and agility. Raye cinched in a headlock of her own that Lyons struggled to free herself from. She finally escaped with a belly-to-back suplex. Lyons rolled to the floor and Raye followed with a cross body before they cut to a quick commercial break. [c]
Back in the ring, Lyons caught a dropkick and delivered a slingshot that drove Raye’s throat into the bottom rope. That was the break Lyons needed to take over with her bullying tactics. She got a near fall after a Samoan drop, then went to a dragon sleeper variation that Raye eventually bridged out of. The challenger connected with a cross body off the top, but she rolled off and couldn’t make the pin.
They slugged it out mid-ring before Raye fired up with a series of forearms that took Lyons off her feet. She landed a handstand double knee for a two-count, then went for a tornado DDT that Lyons shrugged off. The divine feline attempted a Kita bomb, but Raye rolled out of the way and then successfully landed a tornado DDT for another near fall. Raye rallied to take Lyons off her feet. She went to the top rope and flew off with a Starstruck splash, but missed. Lyons connected with a roundhouse kick to the head and secured the pin.
WINNER: Nikkita Lyons at 11:43 to retain the Evolve Women’s Championship.
(Miller’s Take: Perfectly fine main event match. I don’t feel she’s ready for NXT yet, but I do see something in Raye. Her highly touted cheerleading background lends her incredible athleticism between the ropes, and we’ve seen multiple times that she can take a beating. Lyons, however, isn’t ready to give up her crown just yet, and I’m not sure who might be in line to contend for it next.)
-As Lyons celebrated her title retention, Wendy Choo rose up from behind her and locked in a Dirt Nap. With the champ out on the mat, Choo grabbed the belt and displayed it high above her head as the show ended.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I would have been much more excited to see the return of Wendy Choo if I didn’t know she’d already been released by WWE, so we already know her surprise attack on Lyons is going nowhere. Other released talent that appeared on tonight’s show were P.J. Vasa, Zena Sterling and Anya Rune. Braxton Cole, another released talent, was hyped for next week’s show, so that gives us an indication of how far in advance these Evolve tapings take place. It’s a bit difficult to get invested in feuds and matches involving talent that has been released, so we just have to wait for these storylines to play themselves out. On the bright side, we finally got to see Vanta the Unknown in action, and although it was a short match, we got to see her unorthodox style. There is so much talent in Evolve right now that I’d really like to see it expand to two hours, but I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future, if ever. See you next week!
