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WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone
Ring announcer: Blake Howard
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
-The Vanity Project dismissed Jackson Drake’s challengers tonight in their usual, obnoxious way, with the exception of Bryce Donovan, who talked about what a monster Keanu Carver is. It seemed to annoy the other members a bit.
(1) CARLEE BRIGHT (w/Kendal Grey) vs. LAYLA DIGGS (w/Masyn Holiday)
During ring entrances, video packages aired on the right hand side of the screen of both competitors talking up their opponent. Diggs and Holiday did their synchronized dance routine before the bell. The ladies started the match with some basic reversals and takedowns. Diggs did a cartwheel out of a hurricanrana and wagged her finger at Bright. Both went for dropkicks at the same time and both immediately kipped up.
Diggs took over with some hard knees to the spine. Bright rolled out from a standing moonsault, but still got hit by it as she was on her stomach. Bright executed a tornado DDT for a two-count. She hit her Bright SIde finisher (a neckbreaker variation) for the pin.
WINNER: Carlee Bright at 5:02.
(Miller’s Take: Very acceptable opening match. Nothing crazy or special, but their moves were executed with precision and they took their time.)
-Brooks Jensen was shown warming up in the back. [c]
-Back from the break, Bright and Grey were still in the ring. Grey gave Bright her flowers for her win, then talked about what she was going to do to Wendy Choo. She said after she was done with Choo, she was going to go after Kali Armstrong’s Evolve title. Armstrong took exception to that remark and came to the ring to confront her. As they got in each other’s faces, Tate Wilder and Ridge Holland brawled their way to ringside. Evolve Prime Minister Stevie Turner came out and told them if they wanted to thump on each other, they could do it in the ring right now.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(2) TATE WILDER vs. RIDGE HOLLAND
The ladies vacated the ring off-camera, and the referee called for the bell. Wilder and Holland tore into each other. Wilder showed some heart with a couple of good dropkicks and a dive onto Holland outside the ring, which, of course, was the cue for a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Holland had control and started dribbling Wilder’s head off the mat like it was a basketball and he was Larry Bird. Wilder tried firing up, but Holland started suplexing him all over the ring. He got a two-count after numerous overhead throws. Holland sunk in a half-crab amid numerous cowboy references from the announce team. We don’t want to forget he’s a cowboy.
Wilder hit a beautiful flying body press from the second turnbuckle for a two-count. He backdropped him and hit a side suplex. Holland shook it off and squashed him with a cannonball. A gut wrench into a powerbomb scored him the victory.
WINNER: Ridge Holland at 7:22.
(Miller’s Take: Cowboy jokes aside, Wilder reminds me in ring style and physique of a young Jeff Jarrett when he first started wrestling. Holland is obviously an established star trying to reinvent himself. Physically, he’s in the best shape of his life. He just needs to find his groove, because he’s missing that one special spark.)
-In a backstage promo spot, Marcus Mathers and Aaron Rourke talked about how different they were from each other, but how much chemistry they have as a tag team. They promised to climb the ranks of Evolve.
-In the locker room, It’s Gal was pacing back and forth in front of Jamar Hampton. He talked about what they just saw with Mathers and Rourke. The two started rhyming a promo on them, and then went to “hit the gym”. That could be a very good tag team match-up.
In the gorilla position, Keanu Carver said he was getting ready to take what’s his. He made his ring entrance, but they cut to the back, where Wendy Choo had Kendal Grey locked into the Dirt Nap. Some officials pulled her off as Peter Rosenberg unconvincingly said he was disgusted with Choo. [c]
(3) JACKSON DRAKE (c) vs. BROOKS JENSEN vs. KEANU CARVER – Triple Threat match for the Evolve Championship
Drake was surprisingly solo for his title defense. Carver quickly clotheslined the champion out of the ring. He and Jensen pie-faced each other and bounce off each other, with neither man giving an inch. Drake slid back into the ring and went on the attack, but quickly succumbed to the experience of Jensen. As Jensen tried pulling Drake out of the ring, he was hit by a Carver pounce. Drake was pounced upon by his rather large challenger in the ring.
Carver showed off his incredible strength by lifting one man on his shoulders while powerslamming the other. The pace picked up with Drake hitting a dive onto both men on the floor. All three men took it back to the ring for a bit before Carver slid out for no real reason, other than it was his turn to take a break. Drake again leaped to the outside onto Carver, then returned to the ring to battle Jensen.
Jensen hit a vicious knee to the back for a two-count. As the two went head-to-head, they noticed Carver standing menacingly above them. They turned their attention to Carver, who began thumping on both of them. Drake hit a standing shooting star on Carver for a two-count. Brooks Jensen hit a combo German suplex/fall-away slam on his opponents for another near-fall. Jensen hit a kick onto Drake as he was perched on Carver’s shoulders.
He went to the top, but Carver followed him up and nailed a superplex. Drake tried to dive onto Carver as he was standing on the outside, but Carver caught him and about knocked his block off with a right cross that sent Drake to the mat hard. That looked legitimately painful. Bryce Donovan ran to ringside and took down Carver with a big boot. I was thinking disqualification, but silly me, I forgot about WWE’s ridiculous no DQ rule for triple threat matches.
As Drake was draped across the second rope, Donovan shoved him out of the way of a charging Jensen and took the bullet, eating a boot. Jensen hit the southern lariat but Donovan pulled him off by his feet as he covered Drake. As Jensen turned his attention to Donovan, Drake grabbed his leg while Donovan slugged him. Drake hit a vicious double knee to the face and covered him for the pin.
WINNER: Jackson Drake at 13:14 to retain the Evolve Championship.
(Miller’s Take: I guess at least they’re using the Vanity Project as an excuse for Drake not getting his lunch eaten by two men that are both twice his size, but still, I just don’t buy Drake as a believable champion and never have. He’s talented, for sure, but I just can’t see him getting over on guys like Jensen and Carver. Don’t even get me started on the no DQ rule for triple threat matches.)
-The Vanity Project came out to celebrate with Drake, who appeared to have a bloody lip. In the back, Stevie Turner was feeling good about the quality of the show. As she sat at her desk to look over the plans for next week, she saw a sticky note that said “I quit match”, with a little drawing on it of a couple of X’ed out eyes and a stitch smile. Stevie recognized it as being from Wendy Choo and wondered aloud how she got into her office.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not a bad show, but nothing newsworthy. Rosenberg and Stone seemed a bit off this week. The Vanity Project continues to rule the roost. A couple of potentially good match-ups were teased. I liked how they transitioned from the first match to the second one. I’m looking forward to Choo vs. Grey next week, especially if Turner takes heed of the sticky note and makes it an “I Quit” match. See you all Tuesday for NXT Homecoming!
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