SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
OCTOBER 7, 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
Correspondent: Adriana Rizzo
-Evolve Champion Harlem Lewis, then #1 contender Harley Riggins cut promos on each other in the parking lot of the Performance Center, followed by Blake Howard and NXT GM Robert Stone introducing the show from ringside.
-Marcus Mathers came to the ring. He said he was sick of basically everything. He said he was tired of being the “good indy wrestler” waiting for his opportunity. He then said he wasn’t afraid of Braxton Cole, Elijah Holyfield, Cutler James, or DarkState. With that, DarkState’s music hit as Cutler James came to the ring. The aforementioned Braxton Cole was shown seated in the VIP Lounge. Referee Vicky D’Errico entered the ring and a wrestling match broke out.
(1) MARCUS MATHERS vs. CUTLER JAMES
Mathers came out swinging, which stunned James for a few moments until he used his size and power to change the color of the match. Mathers got in some brief flurries of chaotic offense, but James kept overpowering him. The DarkState member lifted Mathers, spun him around, and dumped him to the floor before the commercial break. [c]
Back to the action, James was still in control. Mathers tried fighting back, but his knee gave out, which James took full advantage of. Mathers struggled through the pain and continued to favor his knee while trying to mount some sort of effective offense. He landed an impressive one-legged springboard cutter, then unwisely kneed James in the face with his bad knee. Braxton Cole got out of his seat to distract Mathers, but went running for the hills when Elijah Holyfield began stalking him. Mathers watched Holyfield chase Cole away, and the distraction was enough to let James recover. Mathers attempted a moonsault, but James caught him and delivered Dark Matter (a spinning Razor’s Edge) for the win.
WINNER: Cutler James at 7:51.
(Miller’s Take: We learned before the match that Mathers needs a lot more work on the mic. As far as the match went, it was good. The overexuberance of Mathers led to his downfall, which the calculating James took advantage of. Mathers took his eye off the ball, and James picked it up and scored with it. This also feeds into the storyline of the hate triangle among Holyfield, Cole, and Mathers.)
-Highlights were shown of the events leading up to the match between Veronica Haven and Anya Rune.
(2) VERONICA HAVEN vs. ANYA RUNE
Rune’s entrance music sounds like something out of Loco Roco, a Japanese video game my daughter used to play when she was 5 years old. Haven exploded at the bell with a slingblade and a vicious cutter for a very early near fall. She followed up with a running knee that got her another two-count. Haven screamed bloody murder and had a temper tantrum. She attempted another running knee, but Rune caught her and rocked her with a series of forearm strikes and uppercuts. Rune “powered up” and with an audible “whoosh”, shot a large green ball of light at Haven. She then hooked her into a reverse DDT position, spun around, and drove her down to the mat by her throat for the victory.
WINNER: Anya Rune at 2:03.
(Miller’s Take: It’s a shame that Rune was released because I’m really starting to warm up to her. It’s a bit ridiculous that the referee doesn’t disqualify her for using her “anime powers”, but hey, it’s wrestling, and we won’t get a chance to see it play out anyway. Now that I’ve seen her storyline progress quite a bit, she’s caught my interest. I hope she gets another opportunity with a major promotion in the near future. As for Haven, I see some upside to her. She’s good at being crazy and not a bad hand in the ring from what I’ve seen.)
-After the match, Sloane Jacobs and Evolve Champion Nikkita Lyons ran to the ring to attack Rune. As Lyons beat on her, Jacobs introduced a full trash can into the ring, where they proceeded to dump the rather clean contents onto Rune. Lyons grabbed the mic and accepted Wendy Choo’s challenge for a last woman standing match. She said, “I heard you say are you gonna stand up or shake your ass? Guess what? I’m about to be standing over your body just like this and shaking this ass.”
-P.J. Vasa watched on a monitor on the back and said, “Try that with me.”
-”Earlier today”, WWE Hall of Famer A.J. Styles approached Nathan Frazer and Conan Lycan in the PC gym. He told Lycan that WWE is offering him an ID contract. Lycan thanked Styles profusely and said he was going to be the next ID prospect to win a championship. Frazer said this place won’t know what hit them. [c]
-In the back, The Mog Squad lamented the fact that Max Abrams would be facing a mystery opponent tonight.
-Adriana Rizzo interviewed Cappuccino Jones. He said once he’s cleared, he’s going to take care of The Mog Squad. He said he’s going to call Chazz Hall, and he wants Jacari Ball and Santi Rivera. As he left, he exclaimed that Aaron Rourke was going to knock down Kale Dixon like a triple shot of espresso.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(3) AARON ROURKE vs. KALE DIXON (w/Alix Brooks)
An angry Dixon put an early thumping on Rourke, who soon caught his breath and fired back. Alix Brooks grabbed Rourke’s leg, then choked him across the ropes in front of the referee, who promptly called for the disqualification. The damage already being done, Dixon wore out Rourke with a chair and left him lying.
WINNER: Aaron Rourke by disqualification at 1:19.
(Miller’s Take: Nothing more than a vehicle to further the feud between the two. Rourke needs a femaie equalizer to put Brooks in her place.)
-Blake Howard conducted a sit-down interview with Wendy Choo. She told Blake she thought she would accomplish a lot more as champion and hated the way she lost it. She said Nikkita must have lost her mind in forgetting who she’s dealing with. [c]
-A video spot on the saga of Laynie Luck and Vanta the Unknown aired.
-In the back, Max Abrams, nose taped up, moaned and groaned in faux agony and said he didn’t think he could go through with it. He asked if any of his brethren would be willing to step in for him. After a few brief moments of indecision, C.J. Valor agreed to step in for him.
(4) C.J. VALOR vs. JASPER TROY
A chant of “Jasper’s gonna kill you” rang out before the bell sounded. Valor ducked and dodged in the beginning, but was soon pressed overhead and dropped unceremoniously to the mat. Valor answered with a chop block that slowed down Troy a bit. He dropkicked Troy over the top rope and to the floor, then hit a flying shoulder tackle from the apron to the floor before they cut to a quick commercial break. [c]
Valor put the boots to Troy as he climbed back into the ring, then stuck to him like glue to keep his very large opponent down. Troy fired up with a pair of Polish hammers, then delivered a running powerslam for a two-count. Troy went for another powerslam, but Valor went to the eyes and somehow managed to hit Chaos Theory. He speared Troy for a very near fall, but Troy kipped up and delivered a black hole slam for the win.
WINNER: Jasper Troy at 7:02.
(Miller’s Take: The big reveal was, indeed, a BIG reveal in the massive Troy. It was, however, a bit of a letdown considering Troy was on the list of the future endeavored that recently came out.)
-Blake Howard and Robert Stone ran down the card for next week’s Succession IV, including Riggins vs. Lewis, Vanta vs. Luck, and Lyons vs. Choo.
-In the back, an injured and pained Aaron Rourke growled that he hoped that wasn’t Dixon’s best shot, because he won’t be prepared for the hell he rains down on him. As he knelt in agony, Evolve Champion Harlem Lewis and Harley Riggins brawled their was past him and out to the ringside area. Security ran out to separate them, but got beaten down in the process. The champ and challenger took the fight to the ring, where Riggins delivered a low blow, followed by Shotgun (a GTS) to lay out the champ. He grabbed the belt and told Lewis he was coming for him and the title.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Released roll call for this week included Anya Rune, P.J. Vasa, Adriana Rizzo, Wendy Choo, and Jasper Troy. On a one-hour show, that’s a lot of talent that is no longer with the company, and takes away from the women’s title bout for next week’s Succession, as the outcome is pretty much 100 percent certain. Hopefully, Succession will thin out the herd and we’ll see fewer players who don’t figure into future plans. See you for Succession IV next week!
