SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 30, 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
-It’s Gal introduced the show as only he can. He’s such a cornball, but he’s just so incredibly entertaining! He addressed Harley Riggins by saying he was going to park the Big Rig in the junkyard tonight.
(1) ELIJAH HOLYFIELD vs. BRAXTON COLE
Cole seemed unusually relaxed, considering who he was facing. Holyfield knocked him on his backside with a few punches, but Cole countered Holyfield’s striking ability with wrestling. Elijah got in a bit of offense before Cole stayed on him, not allowing him any room for offense. He snapped Holyfield’s neck into the bottom rope with a slingshot, then settled into a rear chinlock. Holyfield struggled to escape, and finally did so with a side suplex. He exploded with a shoulder tackle that flattened Cole, then clotheslined him over the top rope and to the floor. Cole sidestepped a charging Holyfield, who collided with the ring post.
Cole rolled his opponent back into the ring and prepared to strike when Marcus Mathers jumped up on the ring apron to distract him. Cole took a swing at Mathers, who ducked, but then Holyfield rushed over and KO’d Mathers with a right hook. Cole took advantage of the distraction to clothesline Holyfield. As the referee was dealing with a fallen Mathers, Cole grabbed a chair from underneath the ring and swung it at Holyfield, who countered by punching the chair out of Cole’s hands. The referee turned around as Holyfield picked up the chair, saw him holding the weapon, and immediately disqualified him.
WINNER: Braxton Cole at 5:56 by disqualification.
(Miller’s Take: Not bad. Holyfield is obviously green as a gourd, but he has potential and throws a great worked punch. Cole is obviously talented, but we’ve already skipped to the last chapter with his potential in WWE, as he was on the list of NXT/Evolve cuts recently. Since Evolve is taped weeks in advance, it’s hard telling how much more we’ll see of Cole before he disappears.) [c]
-Harley Riggins cut a promo on It’s Gal. He said he was going to park his rig right inside of Harlem Lewis’s championship.
(2) GIANNA CAPRI vs. WENDY CHOO
Howard and Stone acknowledged that Choo was leaning back towards her darker side as the match began. After the Sauce Boss backed Choo into the corner, the former champ shoved her back aggressively. Capri settled into a headlock, but Choo escaped and executed a hiptoss, followed by a dropkick. Choo got a two-count before missing a short-arm clothesline. Capri took over again and worked her over for a few moments, using her incredible flexibility to her advantage with some unusually placed feet to Choo’s head and neck.
The women traded blows before Choo fired up and connected with her short-arm clothesline, but only got two out of it. Capri missed a cross body off the ropes, which gave Choo the opening she needed to cinch in the Dirt Nap for the submission victory.
WINNER: Wendy Choo at 4:44 by submission.
(Miller’s Take: Capri has talent and attitude. She needs more reps to perfect her timing, but I think she has what it takes. Choo looked fine here, but like Cole in the previous match, we know the Choo train got derailed with her release on September 4.)
-After the match, Choo was interviewed at rinside by the also recently released Adriana Rizzo. She asked Choo if she was ready for Nikkita Lyons. Choo said she choked her out to let her know just who the hell she was dealing with, then challenged the champ to a last woman standing match.
-In the back, Sloane Jacobs objected to the match stipulation, but Lyons was okay with it. She said if that’s how Choo wanted to be beaten, then so be it. [c]
-In the back, Foreman Timothy Thatcher congratulated Ulka Sasaki on his win last week. After he left, Laynie Luck walked up and asked Thatcher for a match with Vanta. She began doubting herself a bit as a result of Vanta’s comments. She wondered if the last 10 years working the indies was all for nothing and admitted that it messes with your mind to work a show in the middle of nowhere in front of a couple dozen people, then leave with barely enough money in your pocket to make it home. Thatcher related to her thoughts, and said they did it because they love professional wrestling. He then granted her match against Vanta, and said she deserved to have it on the biggest show Evolve has to offer, Succession IV. Thatcher told her to face her fears and go to work.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(3) SHIDO ASH vs. CAPPUCCINO JONES
Straight out of the 70s came Jones, taking one last gulp of java before daring Ash to meet him on the floor. Ash obliged, but Jones ducked his clothesline and slid into the ring. Ash followed him in as the referee called for the bell to officially start the match. Jones ducked and dodged Ash before nailing a high dropkick. Ash retaliated with some forearm uppercuts, but Jones quickly regained control. He began favoring his heavily taped left shoulder, and Ash zeroed in on it. He jerked and wrenched on Cap’s left arm, then applied a Fujiwara armbar and leaned back with it. Ash send him shoulder-first into the turnbuckle, and the momentum sent him tumbling to the floor. Jones made it back into the ring and fought gamely, but Ash stayed on the arm. Jones leaped off the ropes and got caught with a powerbomb. [c]
The Caffeinated One managed to land an exploder in the corner, then fired up with his high impact offense as he continued to favor his arm. He scored a very near fall on Ash, then grasped his bad arm. He leaped from the ropes for a Froggy Brew, but Ash caught him in a submission. Cap fought out of it, but Ash kneed him in the arm. He executed his Fade to Ash finisher (a suplex variation) for the win.
WINNER: Shido Ash at 7:12.
(Miller’s Take: Good psychology throughout the match. Jones had a huge target on him with his heavily taped shoulder, and Ash was an expert marksman in his dismantling of Cap.)
-As Jones tried to recover in the ring, The Mog Squad sauntered out. After praising Ash, Max Abrams lamented the setback in the healing of his nose, sadly claiming that he can no longer wear his sunglasses. He said his plastic surgeon was very upset that his work had been damaged. He told Jones he would have to pay for his plastic surgery. C.J. Valor told Jacari Ball and Santi Rivera to go take care of business while he watched Abrams. They rushed the ring to attack Jones. Chazz “Starboy” Hall hit the ring to even the odds, but got speared by Valor. The Mog Squad stood over their fallen bodies while Abrams ran his mouth and complained about not being on Succession.
-Foreman Thatcher stormed out and told them that was enough. He said since they wanted to moan about not being on Succession, he has a surprise for them next week, courtesy of NXT GM Robert Stone. The surprise wasn’t revealed, so apparently we’ll have to wait for next week to find out what it is.
-A recap was shown of the conflict between Harley Riggins and It’s Gal.
(4) IT’S GAL vs. HARLEY RIGGINS – Evolve Championship #1 Contender’s Match
As It’s Gal was making his way to the ring, Riggins ran up from behind and attacked him. He thumped him on the outside and sent him crashing into the ring steps before rolling him into the ring. The referee backed Riggins into the corner so he could check on Gal and see if he could start the match. When Gal nodded that he was ready, the referee called for the bell. Riggins immediately exploded out of the corner with a devastating claymore for a very near fall in the opening seconds of the match. Riggins locked in a rear chinlock, which Gal tried to battle out of. Big RIg put Gal on the ropes and went for a superplex, but Gal knocked him off, then connected with a cross body. He rushed Riggins, who delivered a high backdrop over the top rope that sent Gal crashing to the floor. [c]
Back from the break, Riggins was stomping a mudhole in Gal. Riggins worked the arm, but Gal counted with a unique codebreaker variation, then hit a suicide dive to the floor. He threw Riggins into the ring steps, then pitched him back into the ring, where he got a close two-count. Riggins countered a Dummybuster with a TKO, but he couldn’t put Big Daddy Red away. Gal rolled Riggins up for another near fall. Riggins came back with a GTS for the win.
WINNER: Harley Riggins at 5:42 to become the #1 contender.
(Miller’s Take: As much as I love It’s Gal, I really want to see Riggins challenge Harlem Lewis. Despite his gargantuan ego, Gal always seems to be fighting from underneath and playing the role of underdog. His mic work is phenomenal, his character is unique and highly entertaining, and he’s very talented, so I really think the sky is the limit for It’s Gal in WWE. Riggins is a hot commodity, too. He’s reminiscent of Kevin Nash in size and appearance, and Vic Joseph even remarked about the resemblance during his tag team match in the Dusty Cup last week. Riggins vs. Lewis should be one hell of a fight.)
-After the match, as is standard operating procedure in WWE, Evolve Champion Harlem Lewis came out to hold his belt over his head and talk trash to his challenger. Riggins hopped down to the floor for a confrontation, but officials kept them apart.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It might be a couple of weeks before the herd gets thinned with released talent still being featured. Choo’s challenge to Lyons would be a lot more interesting if the outcome wasn’t already a foregone conclusion. I am, however, looking forward to Lewis defending against Riggins. I don’t wonder if Luck will be slaughtered by Vanta, but I am wondering how she will be slaughtered by her. See you next week!
