SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
JULY 29, 2026
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
STREAMED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Correspondent: Adriana Rizzo
-In the women’s locker room, Wren Sinclair broke the news to Thea Hail and Skylar Raye that Laynie Luck is not medically cleared for their 8-woman tag team match. Hail asked if anyone had heard from Wendy Choo. Raye said she hadn’t been seen since losing her title to Nikkita Lyons. Zena Sterling offered her services to the trio. They mulled it over for a few seconds, then accepted.
(1) HARLEY RIGGINS vs. TATE WILDER
Wilder received a very warm reception from the Evolve crowd. Wilder went into a headlock takedown at the bell and hung on for life as Riggins struggled to free himself. Despite a brief flurry of offense, Wilder maintained control of the match and sent Riggins tumbling to the floor. He laid Riggins across the ring apron and delivered a splash from the turnbuckle to the stiffest part of the ring before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
Back from the quick break, Riggins caught Wilder with a kick as he tried to re-enter the ring. He slowed the pace of the match down and began delivering heavy blows, ending with a backstabber followed by a Whisper in the Wind for a near fall. Riggins sank in a rear chinlock in between thumping on Wilder. They took each other out with a double clothesline, then traded punches as they rose to their feet. Wilder got the best of the exchange, then hit a slingblade into a backstabber for a near fall. Riggins came back with a spear that earned him a two-count. Wilder hit a moonsault, but Riggins got his knees up when he went for a second one. He hit a shotgun (GTS) for the win.
WINNER: Harley Riggins at 9:54.
(Miller’s Take: Wilder’s NXT losing streak carried over into Evolve, where Riggins needed the win a lot more than Wilder. Riggins is ready for NXT, in my opinion. He’s big, aggressive, and agile for his size. Personally, I’m ready for Wilder to put an end to his losing streak and start moving up the ladder in NXT, but tonight was about Riggins.)
-In a lounge area, a cameraman surreptitiously caught Sloane Jacobs talking to P.J. Vasa, who gushed about how much she loved what Vasa did to Laynie Luck. Vasa scowled when Jacobs patted her on the arm and told her how much Nikkita Lyons appreciates what she did. Jacobs suggested Vasa become part of their crew after they win tonight. Vasa scoffed at the idea, then told Jacobs she was coming for Big Kat after tonight. Sloane muttered that Lyons wasn’t going to like this as she began texting.
-Another futuristic video package aired of the mysterious blonde with a black stripe painted on her chin. She asked what happens when your luck runs out or when you fail to live up to your family’s name, referencing recent losses of Laynie Luck and Elijah Holyfield. She said everyone was watching, including her, because you can’t outrun a shadow. A graphic read, “Vanta, the unknown is coming.” [c]
-A video package aired of Sam Holloway wondering aloud what was going on with Cappuccino Jones, Marcus Mathers, and Chazz “Starboy” Hall. He said it reminded him of his football days when the team would argue amongst each other, and how he was the one to step up and settle it. He said once it was settled, they stepped up and started winning again. Holloway said he wanted C.J. Valor and challenged him to a match. Holloway is very impressive in the ring but needs a lot of work on the mic, kind of like what Grayson Waller alluded to in his wild pipe bomb promo on NXT last night.
(2) KALE DIXON (w/his business associate) vs. IT’S GAL
Before the match, they recapped Dixon and his business associate (who looks like a cross between Izzi Dame and Stevie Turner but is yet unnamed) turning down Gal’s offer to collaborate on a swimsuit calendar. The crowd was solidly behind Gal as he locked up aggressively with Dixon, who derided him for ruining his photo shoot last week. Gal put Dixon on his face and did pushups on his back before posing and exclaiming, “It’s Gal!” The business associate jumped up on the apron to distract Gal, who called her a dummy and posed until Dixon nailed him from behind.
Dixon worked over It’s Gal with some basic offense, then laid him out with a sharp chop to the back, followed by a kick to the face. He got a near fall after a reverse neckbreaker, then settled into a rear chinlock. Gal got to his feet and hit a flatliner, then threw Dixon off the second turnbuckle to the mat, followed by a big kick. Dixon answered with a superkick for another near fall. Gal moved out of the way of a splash, then nailed a discus clothesline and a Dummybuster for the win.
WINNER: It’s Gal at 6:44
(Miller’s Take: This was a much-needed and somewhat surprising win for It’s Gal, who has been on a lengthy losing streak. Surprising, considering the hype for Dixon since he made his debut on Evolve as a narcissistic heel with a token blonde armpiece. Good action from two very talented and capable wrestlers.)
-Despite being so full of himself, It’s Gal looked shocked at his victory before celebrating with some posing and flexing.
-A video package on Viktor Zanov & Shido Ash aired. They said they were once fierce rivals, but couldn’t break each other, so they paired up and were ready to deliver destruction in Evolve. [c]
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)
-Adriana Rizzo conducted a ringside interview with Brooks Jensen. She said he may have beaten Elijah Holyfield twice, but he cheated both times. Jensen ignored the comment and went into his usual spiel of being a bad man from Alabambambambam but hightailed it out of there when an angry Holyfield emerged from the back. Security quickly restrained him after he decked one of them.
-Foreman Thatcher was shown seated at his messy desk. His office was littered with a stepladder, flashlight, hard hat, a megaphone, and posters of William Regal and Fit Finlay on the wall. He announced a fatal four-way match next week for the Evolve title, with Harlem Lewis defending against former champion Aaron Rourke, Tristan Angels, and Max Abrams.
(3) ZENA STERLING & SKYLAR RAYE & THEA HAIL & WREN SINCLAIR vs. SLOANE JACOBS & NIKKITA LYONS & P.J. VASA & GIANNA CAPRI – 8-Woman Tag Team Match
The eight women began brawling in the ring before the bell. The match officially started when only Sinclair and Jacobs remained in the ring as the dust settled. Raye quickly tagged in, but got tagged by Jacobs before Capri and Sterling both tagged in. Vasa tagged in and let Hail bounce off her when she attempted a cross body. The match quickly broke down into another all-out brawl. As the fight went to the floor, Raye executed a cross body to the floor on everybody. The face quartet stood triumphantly in the ring as the heels licked their wounds on the floor before a quick commercial break. [c]
When they returned, Hail was working over the arm of Lyons. Raye tagged in, as did Jacobs. Raye cartwheeled out of an offensive attempt by Jacobs and delivered some crisp, fancy offense until Vasa tagged in and began mauling her. The champ tagged in to get in on the fun, then tagged Capri in when she got overwhelmed. Capri lifted Raye into a delayed vertical suplex that garnered a near fall. Jacobs tagged in and pulled Raye’s head into the turnbuckle repeatedly with her legs. Raye made the hot tag to Sterling, who went to town on everybody. Everybody took turns hitting big moves until it came down to Lyons and Hail, who took each other out.
Sinclair and Jacobs fought their way to the back as Capri tried to sneak the title belt into the ring, but the referee saw it and stopped her. Anya Rune came out to confront Capri and tried to use her anime powers to attack her. As a confused Capri watched Rune act like she was about to launch a ball of atomic anime power her way, Hail took her out with a baseball slide. After taking Capri out of the equation, Hail turned her attention to Lyons. Big Kat Kita escaped one attempt at a Kimura lock by Hail but couldn’t escape a second one and tapped furiously when Hail leaned back with it.
WINNERS: Zena Sterling & Skylar Raye & Thea Hail & Wren Sinclair by submission at 11:53.
(Miller’s Take: This was a fun main event. Raye was the MVP of the match, in my humble opinion. That’s a good thing considering she has been used as enhancement talent in NXT the last couple of times she’s appeared. Not a lot of ring psychology to this one, which isn’t surprising considering the number of wrestlers involved and the relatively short time that was allotted. Hail tapping out the champion led Blake Howard to speculate that she could be the next challenger to the Evolve Women’s championship.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Perfectly acceptable offering from the purple brand this week, with a little help from NXT regulars Wilder, Sinclair, and Hail. Riggins continues to improve and is, I believe, ready to join his buddy Kam Hendrix in NXT. It was good to see It’s Gal snap out of his losing streak with a big win over the newly-heeled Kale Dixon. Nikkita Lyons defending against Thea Hail? I’ll take it, but fully expect Hail to put over Lyons to establish her as a dominant champion. See you next Wrensday!
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