WWE Evolve
WWE Performance Center
Orlando, FLA
March 5, 2025
Commentators: Robert Stone and Peter Rosenberg
Ring Announcer: ???
Last week's Evolve saw the beginnings of a hell of a hoss fight between badasses Keanu Carver and Harlem Lewis. Somewhere down the line they're going to go at it. The tag team of Carlee Bright and Kendal Gray have had a hilarious Al Snow/Steve Blackman thing going on while Gal Barkay is establishing himself as Evolve's version of The Miz. Also at the end of last week, Gallus from NXT was here to cause some chaos. Let's see what tonight has in store.
Brinley Reece makes her way to the ring for our opening contest and her backstory is shown. She was an accomplished gymnast and says we're going to see more of her than meets the eye in Evolve. Her opponent is Masyn Holiday. Holiday puts on a mean looking scowl so we know who's face & heel here. Masyn's backstory is she graduated as class valedictorian at THE Howard University where she broke 3 school records. She says she's a superstar, clock it. The real life Darci Khan is a hell of a lot nicer but she really did have a hell of a track career at Howard. On to the match.
Match 1
Brinley Reece vs Masyn Holiday
Its the Evolve debut of Brinley Reece who's doing a fitness aerobics instructor gimmick not unlike Sunny. We got an acrobat against a track star here. Bell's gone and they tie up to start with Pete and Robert bickering with each other. Masyn gets an arm-ringer in and Brinley flips around and out of it. Masyn screams but Brinley ducks the line and goes for the headlock. Brinley gets her own arm-ringer going before hitting a shoulderblock. Brinley gets an arm-drag that has Masyn crawling to the corner. Brinley splashes her in the corner and covers for a one count. Masyn's fireman's carry is reversed but she still throws Reece down by the hair. Masyn kicks Brinley in the corner and stomps her down in the center of the ring. Stone likes Masyn's ruthlessness as she hits a side backbreaker on Reece. She covers for 1....2...no. Masyn applies a body scissors but Brinley leans back for a pinfall attempt 1...2..no. Brinley fights out of it, ducks the line and drops Masyn with a shoulderblock. Reece rallies with another shoulderblock and a scoop slam. Brinley hits a front cartwheel clothesline and shouts that it should have been here in that first match. Does she mean the tag team match two weeks ago? Brinley hits Reeces To Pieces and covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Interesting match as Brinley's attitude is very heelish but clearly was the babyface against Masyn in this one. Still, her acrobatics were on display here, as well as Holiday.
Time of match: 3:36
Winner: Reece by pinfall
Chuey Martinez hits the ring for the post-match interview. Brinley says her active mindset helped to win and Chuey asks what she was yelling about earlier. Brinley replies the match speaks for itself and she walks off. In other words, she wants to be top dog around here. Suddenly Pete Rosenberg is with Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe. Apparently they've been demoted from NXT as well. Dupont and Igwe are here to take chances and win championships. Dupont says they want someone to step up and catch a beating. Gallus makes their way to the ring and naturally don't take kindly to Dupont and Igwe shouting at them. Who are their opponents? Let's find out after the break. Jordan Oasis says he's been wrestling for 10 years now and was trained by none other than Rikishi. One day he was looking in the mirror and didn't know who he was so he grabbed a backpack and decided to go find out. Interesting. The truth is he's an ID prospect known as "The Global Nomad" for wrestling in both the US and Japan, also appearing on AEW Dark. Sam "Hardway" Holloway says he's from Akron, Ohio and had to deal with bullying as a youth. Then he grew taller than everyone and he has no remorse for what he did them. He enjoys striking fear into other people and football wasn't doing it, but this will. The truth i, he's s a 6'9 beast from AIW Academy in Cleveland that started wrestling 2 years ago. The kind of guy Vince McMahon would have loved.
Match 2
Gallus (Mark & Joe Coffey) vs "The Global Nomad" Jordan Oasis and Sam "Hardway" Holloway
Holloway tries to look menacing and Oasis comes to the ring with a backpack. Unless he has some mace in there, its kind of a goofy gimmick. Holloway tells Oasis to get lost so he can start with Joe Coffey, so much for team chemistry. They tie up to start and Joe no-sells a shoulderblock....are you kidding? They slug it out in the center of the ring until Joe hits a headbutt and works the left arm. Mark tags in and continues to work the left arm. Mark hits a European uppercut but falls due to a big boot. Sam tags out and demands Oasis to get in there. Oasis eats an arm drag and locks in a headlock. Mark no-sells a shoulderblock as Stone says he used to go hiking with a walkman and Source magazine....good grief we're old. Oasis hits a flying back elbow and slug it out in the center of the ring. Mark caters to the crowd and rallies with forearms although Holloway makes a blind tag. Holloway hits a slingshot clothesline as Oasis has no idea he tagged in. Stone says Holloway reminds him of Mike Awesome (WOW....). Holloway tells Oasis to get lost as he knocks Joe off the apron. Sam hits a scoop slam and covers for 1...2...no. Sam locks in a chinlock and Mark powers out of it. Sam makes a hard tag to Oasis who didn't like it. Oasis and ark slug it out as Mark hits the O'Connor Roll for 1...2...no. Oasis hits a running cannonball onto Mark on the second rope and Sam tags himself back in. Oasis shoves him and asks what his problem is. Oasis gets out, makes his own hard tag and comes back in. Oasis runs right into a waistlock by Mark who rams Jordan's head into Sam's, knocking Holloway out of the ring. The O'Connor Roll is brock but Mark hits a dropkick to the chest. Mark tags in Joe who rallies with right hands before shoulderblocking Jordan down twice. Joe hits a jumping clothesline but misses a charge int he corner. Mark hits a springboard crossbody and covers for 1...2...no, Sam broke it up. Mark and Sam brawl outside with Mark eating ring post. Suddenly Wolfgang of Gallus shows up to yell at Sam. Oasis turns around right into a big left hand from Joe, knocking him cold. The referee calls for the bell and this one's over. This was awful but mostly because Holloway is green as hell and the team not getting along trope isn't what you want in a developmental show.
Time of match: 5:50
Winners: Gallus by stoppage
After the match Holloway just walks off as Gallus celebrates in the ring. Oasis grabs his backpack like he's Dora The Explorer as Gallus taunts him as he leaves. Up next are two PC recruits Chantel Monroe ane Layla Diggs as we go to commercial. Back from break we're introduced to Layla Diggs from California. She's been struggling with self confidence and Shawn Michaels told her she's a great athlete. Fear held her back and was at the Wrestlemania Hollywood tryout. The real life Breanna Covington was a triple jumper at Fresno State before making her way to the PC after Wrestlemania 39. Chantel Monroe is introduced and she's the opposite of Layla. She was an all-star athlete at Auburn University and she's a diva, everything has to be on point. She claims she's obsessed with fashion and confidence s never an issue, she's a showstopper. The real life Derrian Gobourne actually was a great gymnast for Auburn University, winning the NCAA championship. On to the match.
Match 2
Layla Diggs vs Chantel Monroe
Two different personalities here as the bell rings to start the match. Monroe backs her to the corner and messes with her hair to start. Layla gets a headlock takeover but Monroe gets a knee to the ribs. Chantel hits a shoulderblock and pulls Layla down by the hair. Layla hits a sunset flip for 1...2..no. Layla plays cat & mouse with Chantel, hitting a scissors kick and a powerslam. She hits a standing moonsault for 1...2...no. Layla misses a charge in the corner and Chantel chopblocks the left leg. Chantel works the left leg in the corner and hits a big right hand. Chantel carthweels ontop of her and covers for 1...2..no. Chantel locks in a half crab but Layla turns it into a pin for 1..2...no. Layla sells the left leg and Chantel hits a dropkick to it. Chantel's charge in the corner eats elbow and Layla goes for a second rope sunset flip, but Monroe hooks the legs for 1...2...3 to win the match. Smart move by Chantel as she gets the duke in a quick match. It was mostly to showcase the athletic ability of both of them, hopefully they can improve on this.
Time of match: 3:27
Winner: Monroe by pinfall
Kali Armstrong is scheduled to face Haze Jameson. We're introduced to Haze and she's from Rockford Illinois. She was the captain of the volleyball team in college and is a wild child. She's the life of the party and Dennis Rodman was her childhood idol.....and we're cut off. Apparently Kali Armstrong is having none of it and she yells at Stone to get Jameson in the ring. The real life Hayley Montoya was the captain of the Volleyball team at Buffalo University. Haze makes her entrance as its on to the next match.
Match 3
Kali Armstrong vs Haze Jameson
Bell rings and Armstrong sizes her up before backing her into the corner Brock Lesnar style. Kali unloads with right hands and tells the ref to back off. Kali heaves Jameson off the ropes and hits a big powerslam. She taunts the irate crowd and runs the ropes like Bron Breakker, hitting a huge shoulderblock called the Kali Connection. She covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Poor Haze....a total squash to put over that Kali is a mean looking lady.
Time of match: 50 seconds
Winner: Armstrong by pinfall
Kali tells the camera she told yall she's different after the match. Later on our main event will be Luca Crusifino vs Javier Bernal right out of NXT. Up next, Kylie Rae is going to tell us what Wendy Choo's note was about last week. After commercial, Pete Rosenberg brings out Kylie Rae and asks what that was about. Kylie says she's never met Wendy Choo and doesn't want to because she scares her. She has a lot of talented women to focus on and doesn't have time to focus on it. She throws the note down but there's Wendy Choo's face on the titantron. Zara Zakher walks out for no reason and Kylie almost socks her. She brings Kylie back and we're introduced to two more guys. Drako Knox from LFG grew up in Dalton, Georgia to a blue collar family. He played college football and was always a fan of WWE. He says a lottery ticket presents hope and WWE is his ticket. He calls his shots, his own destiny and he's chasing greatness. The real life Drake Starks was a tight end for Mercer University and has been wrestling on NXT house shows since November of 2023. Next up is Tate Wilder, a rancher from Arizona. He grew up with 5 rowdy brothers that were into football and rodeo then walked on to Arizona State's football team. He describes himself as a mixture between Matthew McConaughey and the baddest man to ever ride a bull. He says when he's in the ring there's nothing a cowboy can't overcome. The real life Case Hatch did play at Arizona State University before signing with the Performance Center. Doing a Smoking Gunns kind of gimmick 30 years later is definitely a choice. Drako and Tate make their way to the ring for a tag team match.
Match 4
Drako Knox and Tate Wilder vs Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe
Dupont backs Knox into the corner at the bell before Knox reverses it. Dupont gets a cheapshot as a graphic says Dupont holds the Haitian national shot-put record. Dupont drops Knox with a shoulderblock but Drako hits a flying shoulder tackle of his own. Wilder makes the tag and hits a dropkick that causes Dupont to tag out to Igwe. Wilder goes for a double leg take down but Igwe counters with a knee to the face. Wilder totally botches a springboard armdrag so he does a standard one instead. Igwe hits snake eyes in the corner and tags out to Tyson. Dupon hits an uppercut to send Wilder outside. Dupont throws him inside and tags Igwe back in. Igwe chops and kicks Wilder then Dupont hits a full nelson slam. Igwe covers for 1....2....no. Suddenly Brady Baylor, Ricky Smokes and Zayda Steel wander out to ring side. Zayda picks up the note Kylie Rae dropped earlier as Swipe Right sits at the VIP section. Igwe hits consecutive elbow smashes in the corner as a graphic shows Igwe was an Olympic track star in Nigeria. Wilder backflips over Ogwe and O'Connor rolls him for 1...2...no. Knox tags in to clean house of both guys, hitting a coop slam on Tyson. Knox's charge in the corner misses and Igwe tags in to hit a big boot to the face. Dupont tags in and they execute The Heartstopper. Igwe pounces on Wilder as Dupont covers Knox for 1....2....3 to win the match. Kind of sloppy but mostly it was to put the heels over as mean looking fellas. If Gallus is going to stick around as babyfaces, here's your opponents.
Time of match: 4:10
Winners: Igwe and Dupont by pinfall
Suddenly Tate Wilder wants a piece of Ricky Smokes and has to be held back by Drako Knox while Zayda Steel holds back Ricky. Some really tall dude with hair stands next to them, who the hell is that? I'm sure we'll find out another time. We get a graphic for our main event before we go to break. Back from commercial Oro Mensah is in the VIP section just chilling as we go to our final match.
Match 5
Javier Bernal vs Luca Crusifino
The consigliere of the D'Angelo family makes his entrance as both Pete & Stone don't know how to say "consigliere" properly. The G is silent you strunads! Bell's gone and they tie up to start before chain wrestling. They shake hands as Luca works the left arm with a wristlock. Luca hits a majistrol cradle for 1...2..no. Luca is backdropped to the apron but Bernal runs into a slingshot shoulderblock. Luca splashes Bernal in the corner as we get a graphic saying next week it'll be Kendal Grey vs Zara Zakher. Javier armdrags Luca twice and hits a baseball slide. Outside Luca hits a back suplex on the ring apron and Bernal falls off after a ring hand. Crusifino rams him against the side of the ring then delivers a leg drop on the apron. Javier sells a knee injury and Luca sends him into the corner. Javier rolls him up for 1..2....no. Luca hits a basement dropkick and covers for 1...2..no. Luca gets in a front headlock but Javier backdrops out of it. Javier rallies with clotheslines and a t-bone taz plex. Javier covers for 1...2...no. Javier goes for a springboard but jumps into a codebreaker by Luca. Luca hits Case Closed and covers for 1..2...3 to win the match. Good effort by both guys and you can tell the difference between the veterans and the PC guys, these guys had much better chemistry.
Time of match: 4:41
Winner: Crusifino by pinfall
Crusifino says if anyone wants a piece of him, come out right now. Right on cue Keanu Carver walks out.....and is joined by Harlem Lewis. Luca wants both guys but the credits roll. Awwww come onnnnnn! Luca is pretty much established as king fish here but those two bruisers would be hell on earth in a match. I like it! The show as a whole was another introductory one just like the June 2012 run of NXT's. It'll be a while before a formula is established and a pecking order. Still, this is a great way to weed out the generic as AT LEAST Tate Wilder, Drako Knox, Kali Armstrong and the two fighters have some personality. You can only have so many generic gymnasts and football players before one of them has to stand out. Sam Holloway as a 6 foot 9 goon would definitely work in a bodyguard role if they choose to do that. Otherwise we're still in the introductory phase going forward. The next show after this is Smackdown this Friday night coming at you live from Bologna, Italy. I'll see you there.
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