SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE “SUCCESSION”
OCTOBER 15, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone
Ring announcer: Mike Rome
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
-A great video aired of the history of Evolve, from its inception to the WWE reboot and the current feuds.
-They had an NXT-sized crowd for Evolve’s first special. Bryce Donovan walked out to zero response from the crowd before they cut to a video recap of the history of The Vanity Project. Excellent video packages that got me excited for tonight’s show.
(1) JACKSON DRAKE (w/The Vanity Project) vs. BRICE DONOVAN – Evolve Championship Match.
Blake Howard took Peter Rosenberg’s spot alongside Robert Stone for this show, and mentioned that the ring introduction by Mike Rome gave this a big fight feel. Despite Donovan’s lukewarm response earlier, the crowd seemed geared up for this one.
Drake slapped Donovan at the bell, but Donovan retaliated with a huge black hole slam for a near fall. He gave him a high flapjack and then just beat on Drake’s chest with very stiff forearms. Swipe Right got involved on the outside, but Donovan decked Baylor and Smokes. Drake dove over the top rope and nailed Donovan, then threw him back in the ring. As The Vanity Project celebrated, Keanu Carver was trying to burst past a crowd of security that were trying to hold him back. [c]
Back from the break, Donovan continued to dominate, but Drake took him down. While Donovan was stretched out on the mat, he reached out of the ring and grabbed Smokes by the throat until Drake pulled him away. Donovan fired up with a series of chops, a flying clothesline, and a powerbomb, but still only got a two count.
Donovan went for a chokeslam, but Drake flipped backwards onto his feet. They went to the outside, where Donovan got slammed into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Drake continued to work on Donovan’s knee and pointed down at him. Donovan took that opportunity to grab his fingers and snap them apart. Nice little snapping sound effect there for added realism. He followed that up with a lariat that turned Drake inside out, then chokeslammed him as Drake was standing on the second rope. Drake barely got his foot on the rope before the three count. Drake clipped Donovan’s knee, then hit a devastating double knee to the back, followed by a knee to the face that looked like it took his head off, and that was all she wrote.
WINNER: Jackson Drake at 9:10 to retain the Evolve Championship.
(Miller’s Take: I’ve said before that I wasn’t impressed with Bryce Donovan’s in-ring skills, but this was a damn good match. It looked like a fight. Their strikes looked stiff, and they built up quite a bit of drama toward the end of the match. Job well-done for both men.)
-The Vanity Project celebrated in the ring while Donovan licked his wounds on the way back to the dressing room.
-Evolve Prime Minister Stevie Turner was on the phone with someone, saying that they were appreciative of the relationship with AAA, and they were happy to have “him” here. She abruptly excused herself and hung up the phone as Bigg Jah walked in. She looked thrilled to have him there, so I guess he must be some sort of celebrity. I honestly have no clue who he is, and it’s probably just as well. They talked about the show, and went to watch the rest of it together. Guess I’ll have to Google who this dude is. Curiosity always gets the best of me.
-An entertaining video of Adrenaline Drip talking about their feud with Jax Presley and Harley Riggins. They said they wanted to do it one more time. Cartwheel continued to beg Jones for a sip of his coffee, but Jones told him he didn’t need it. They showed some great personality here.
-Chuey Martinez was with Layla Diggs, Masyn Holiday, and Wendy Choo, who stood facing away from Martinez and mumbling to herself. Diggs and Holiday were talking about the show, then asked Wendy a question. As she struggled to find the words, Chantel Monroe walked past her and started running her mouth. After she walked off, Choo said that AJ Lee says therapy works, and walked off camera. They mentioned something about this Big Josh or Bigg Jah or whoever he is and walked away.
(2) TATE WILDER vs. BROOKS JENSEN – Bull Rope Match
Blake Howard mentioned the history of similar types of matches like this, citing classics like JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero and Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine. The match started with a tug of war between the two men. Wilder tripped up Jensen with the rope and then hit the obligatory yank of the rope between Jensen’s legs. Jensen tried to take a powder, but as Wilder attempted to pull him back into the ring, Jensen yanked him into the ropes hard. [c]
When they returned from commercial break, Jensen was working over Wilder with the aid of the rope. He tried hitting him with the cowbell, but Wilder moved out of the way and took control. He hung Jensen over the middle rope and came off with a less than devastating double ax handle off the turnbuckle. Jensen quickly turned the tide with some whips of the rope. Those lashes seemed to wake up Wilder, as he fired back with some hard lefts, followed by some whips with the rope himself. He managed a two count, then both men rose to their feet and traded punches and whips with the rope.
Jensen ate a boot to the mouth, but whipped Wilder hard with the rope as he leaped off the ropes. Wilder managed to gain the advantage long enough to hit a big moonsault for the win.
WINNER: Tate Wilder at 8:24.
(Miller’s Take: With Brooks Jensen already established, Wilder needed this win to be taken seriously moving forward. I’m still not crazy about the cowboy gimmick, but Wilder does have some potential. This victory should set Wilder up for a rematch against Ridge Holland, but with Holland’s recent injury and contract status, it may be unlikely to materialize.)
-A video package on the WWE ID program informed us that new WWE ID prospects would appear on Evolve soon.
-A video recap of the road to the women’s title match aired, with good promos from each lady. [c]
-A very brief video showed the flamboyant Aaron Rourke looking into a makeup mirror. He said, “So, you want to hear a story?”
“Super” Sean Legacy was in Stevie Turner’s office, saying he wanted to find Edris and punch him in the mouth. Bigg Jah walked up and suggested the two have a match next week, which Stevie parroted. As a content Legacy walked away, Bigg Jah asked Stevie if he could make more matches. Stevie suggested he be the GM next week. .Apparently, suggesting an obvious matchup in front of the PM is all it takes to qualify as a matchmaker for WWE programming. Maybe I’ll email Turner to suggest that Jackson Drake defend his title against Keanu Carver, and see if I get invited onto the show to become Stevie’s Assistant PM. Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday approached and tried showing off their acting chops to him. Needless and uninteresting segment that I could have done without.
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) KALI ARMSTRONG (c) vs. KENDAL GREY – Evolve Women’s Championship Match
As with the first title match of the night, NXT ring announcer Mike Rome lent prestige to this match by announcing the competitors before the match. When the bell rang, the two women engaged in a shoving match, with Grey taking the quick upper hand with some spirited offense. Armstrong’s strength played into the match for a short time before Grey displayed her incredible quickness and athleticism to wow the crowd and befuddle the champ. Grey tried springing off the ropes, but Armstrong tripped her up and she tumbled to the floor, where Armstrong’s street smarts led the the challenger getting thumped. [c]
Back from the break, Armstrong retained control, but could only manage two counts on the plucky Grey. The crowd chanted “this is awesome”. Armstrong missed an elbowdrop, which opened the door for Grey to fire up with a double stomp over the top rope. She went to the top, but Armstrong caught up with her and went for a German suplex off the ropes, but Grey shook her off and landed a moonsault for a near fall. Armstrong ate a huge superkick, but caught a flying Grey to deliver a thunderous powerslam. She followed that up with a superplex for a very close two count.
The crowd really started to come alive for this. A brief mid-ring slugfest preceded another powerslam attempt by Armstrong, which Grey reversed into a small package for a very believable near fall. She leaped off the ropes, but Armstrong caught her and planted her with a hard powerslam. She began running the ropes in preparation for the Kali Konnection, but Grey caught her with an unbelievably quick powerslam and held her down with all her might for the three count.
WINNER: Kendal Grey at 10:54 to capture the Evolve Women’s Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This was an outstanding main event match! Kali Armstrong was the right choice at the right time to become the first Evolve Women’s Champion, but Grey has risen through the ranks with her grit and determination, not to mention her exceptional speed and talent. She easily shines brighter than any star on the Evolve roster and I expect this to be the beginning of a long, storied career with WWE. Armstrong is going places, no doubt, but Grey is the future of the WWE women’s division, and this is only the beginning for her.)
-Wren Sinclair and Carlee Bright ran to the ring to celebrate with their friend as a defeated and dejected Armstrong looked on from the floor.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The first Evolve special was a success, as far as I’m concerned. The purple brand ramped it up with a larger crowd and Mike Rome handling the ring introductions for the two title matches. I’d have liked to see this special go a bit longer than the regular one-hour time slot, but that’s a small matter. Bryce Donovan showed up for this one, but let’s see if he can bounce back from this loss and maintain any momentum outside of his relationship with The Vanity Project. The bull rope match was what it should have been, and both men emerged looking good. The main event was exceptional, and I could have easily watched five more minutes of it, but it accomplished what it set out to do. This was definitely a can’t-miss outing for Evolve, and I look forward to future Evolve specials. See you for NXT next week!
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