SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
MARCH 11, 2026
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Blake Howard
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
Ring Announcer: Kelly Kincaid
-The show opened with NXT Interim GM Robert Stone standing in the ring, which was surrounded by the Evolve roster. He said Evolve needed authority, and he and Shawn Michaels came up with the perfect person to run it. He announced Timothy Thatcher as the new Evolve General Manager. Thatcher thanked him for the opportunity but said he’s no general manager. He said Evolve is where the hard work starts and said it’s more like a worksite. With that, he announced himself as the Foreman of Evolve.
Stone told Thatcher he’d have to make some tough choices, and announced that both Evolve champions, Kendal Grey and Jackson Drake, were now full-time NXT talent. Thatcher said champions shouldn’t just disappear, then need to earn their way out. He said he asked them for one last title defense in their evolution. If they win, they leave as champions, and the titles will be vacated. He announced Grey’s final title defense will be tonight against Tyra Mae Steele. As he thought about Drake’s opponent for his final title defense next week, Harlem Lewis interrupted the proceedings. Lewis demanded a title shot. Thatcher shut him down immediately and told Harlem he already had a match in mind for him, and it was time to get to work.
-As Kendal Grey laced up her boots in the locker room, she reflected on her time in Evolve. She said it would forever be her first home, then talked up her opponent for tonight. She ran down a list of her victims and said Steele was last on her list. [c]
(1) HARLEM LEWIS vs. SAM HOLLOWAY
Lewis attacked his larger opponent at the bell, but Holloway shrugged him off. Lewis managed to knock him to the floor and followed him out, but Hollway lifted him and slammed him crotch-first into the ring post. Ouch. Back in the ring, the massive Holloway hit a springboard elbow for a two-count. Holloway continued to thump Lewis and connected with a devastating dropkick out of the corner. He grounded Lewis and attempted to pull both arms out of their sockets, but Lewis slipped out and hit an elbow off the second rope to the back of the neck. Holloway lifted Lewis into a vertical suplex position but instead shoved him forward to drop him on his face. Lewis hit a big knee, then slammed him and hit the Boomslang for the win.
WINNER: Harlem Lewis at 5:53.
(Miller’s Take: Very good showing from Holloway, who is incredibly agile for his size. If he can work on his character, he’ll go far. Lewis has great intensity and just looks like he’s ready to beat the stuffing out of anyone he encounters. Not one to normally have to fight from underneath, he pulled this off very well.)
-A video package was shown of a new and improved Luca Crusifino. He was wearing a lot of groovy accessories, including a leopard-print fedora, and added some jive talk to his vocabulary. He sounded like Dusty Rhodes and looked like a cross between The Godfather and Dude Love. It will be interesting to see where this new incarnation takes him. [c]
-An excited Tyra Mae Steele kicked her feet and screeched about her first title match. She bragged about her gold medal. She said she can’t afford to lose and vowed to emerge as the new Evolve Women’s champion.
(2) HARLEY RIGGINS (w/Kam Hendrix) vs. TRILL LONDON
Peter Rosenberg announced that the victim of their attack last week, Tate Wilder, had been escorted from the building because he’s not yet medically cleared. London flipped his way out of some early offense by Riggins but was soon grounded with a hammerlock. He continued to work on the arm, but the Electric Enigma continued to escape the grasp of Riggins. As Hendrix and Riggins stood on the floor, London hit a Whisper in the Wind from the top turnbuckle to the floor. Back in the ring, he continued to befuddle Riggins with lightning-fast offense. Riggins, however, knocked London off the top turnbuckle and hit an F5 variation for the dub.
WINNER: Harley Riggins at 3:47.
(Miller’s Take: London has admitted to being influenced by Jeff Hardy, and it shows in his ring character and move set. Riggins, however, has been portrayed as a badass heel, so it’s no surprise that he came out of this match victorious.)
-Chuey Martinez snagged Riggins and Hendrix for a post-match interview. He asked if they were a new tag team and reminded them that Tate Wilder would be coming back. Dante Chen interrupted and chastised them for their attack on Wilder, saying they don’t represent all the PC talent. The challenge was made for a match between Hendrix and Chen for next week. [c]
-Aaron Rourke approached Forman Thatcher in his office and told him Jackson Drake does not deserve to leave Evolve as champion. He said he feels he represents Evolve and called himself the diamond in the rough of the ID Program. He said he was the man to stop Drake from rewriting history and make sure the title stays where it belongs. Thatcher told him Lewis made a compelling argument, but he thinks he’ll get his time, then told Rourke his time will be next week, making the title challenge official. That was a nice surprise.
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) KENDAL GREY (c) vs. TYRA MAE STEELE – Evolve Women’s Championship Match
The announcers lamented the departure of Grey to NXT but expressed pride in her evolution. They emphasized the Olympic success of Steele and the undefeated collegiate record of Grey. Laynie Luck and Wendy Choo were shown watching from the VIP Lounge as Grey and Steele engaged in a series of mat wrestling reversals. Steele got an early advantage, but Grey showed her prowess as well. The undoubtedly stronger Steele whipped Grey viciously into the corner several times, taking the wind out of her sails. Grey sold her back but used her speed in an attempt to overcome the onslaught of her challenger. The champ’s offense wasn’t sustainable, though, as Steele sent Grey sprawling to the outside of the ring before the commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Steele drove her shoulder into Grey’s midsection in the corner a couple of times, then grounded her in a rear chinlock. As they rose to their feet, Grey elbowed her way out and again tried to mount an offense but was stopped cold by the aggressive Steele. The Olympian effortlessly tossed Grey with two huge gut-wrench suplexes, then locked in a second chinlock and yanked her backwards violently. Grey spun out of a third gut-wrench, and the two women collided mid-ring with simultaneous cross bodies. Grey sold her midsection but tossed Steele with a couple of suplexes of her own. She dropped her with a DDT for a near fall.
Grey climbed to the top and leaped off, but Steele got out of the way and grabbed Grey as she landed on her feet, once again sending her sprawling to the mat. They traded rollups, then Grey landed a sudden Shades of Grey for the three-count.
WINNER: Kendal Grey at 12:38 to retain the Evolve Women’s Championship.
(Miller’s Take: Grey didn’t win this match as much as she survived it. Steele dominated throughout, but the plucky Grey seemingly overcame the odds to emerge with her title intact, which she must now vacate as she moves up the WWE ladder to her next playing field, NXT. Good choice here, as Steele is not there yet. In my mind, this opens up Grey to make good on her promise to Jacy Jayne last night that she would be the one challenging her at Stand & Deliver. Don’t be surprised to see her wearing NXT gold very soon.)
-A winded Grey addressed the crowd after her victory, thanking them for their support and assuring them that she would be taking over NXT every Tuesday. She then relinquished her title to Foreman Thatcher, who proudly stood behind her. They embraced and shook hands as a graphic above the entrance read “Thank you, Kendal”. She patted the Evolve logo and saluted the crowd as she made her final exit from Evolve.
-A special video package aired of Kendal Grey’s highlights during the last year of Evolve, serving as both an introduction to NXT and a farewell to Evolve.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The cat was already let out of the bag about Timothy Thatcher’s appointment as the new GM of Evolve, so it was really no surprise. Just as Stevie Turner gave herself the special title of Prime Minister to reflect her British heritage, Thatcher has adopted the moniker of Foreman to reflect his work ethic, which I feel fits him very well. The opening match was strong and physical, as was the main event. The match in the middle wasn’t bad, either. I really like the fact that they allowed Grey to retain her championship, as she needs to head into NXT looking strong. This makes her a very believable challenger to Jacy Jayne’s lengthy title reign in NXT. Will Jackson Drake be able to leave Evolve with his title reign unblemished? I can make an argument for either outcome, but I guess we’ll all just have to tune in to Tubi next week to find out.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.