WWE Evolve – 12.10.25

We start with a Vanity Project promo and Jackson Drake complaining cause Swipe Right have ruined their dorm but they’ll have one of the generic guys moms pay for the cleaning, but they stop bickering cause now we have Layla Diggs vs. Nikkita Lyons.

Layla Diggs vs. Nikkita Lyons

Background: So Nikkita Lyons beat down Masyn Holiday after a match, Layla took affront to that, and now we have a match, as one does. Layla is a track athlete and she’s facing the entirely nonsensical gimmick of Nikkita Lyons.

The Match: Wait apparently Malik Blade is still employed as he’s watching ringside and we get some standing grappling with Diggs getting the advantage before Nikkita uses power. Layla with a heel kick and a standing moonsault for a cover and then a headlock but Lyons uses power to move to the apron and uses the ropes for a takedown and some ground and pound and a snap suplex. Layla slips out of a slam and gets a cradle for 2 before Nikkita’s superkick gets 2.8. And then a…reverse Bronco Buster? But Nikkita gets distracted by Masyn Holiday and Layla gets a sunset flip for 3.

¾*

Oh boy. Uh, so Nikkita doesn’t seem to have any idea about what she is as a wrestler, Layla had something going as a bumper at least, but that finish was horrendous.

Sean Legacy is juiced up for his main-event and he’s dressed like a medieval family crest. And some of the other guys all kinda talk about it to hype it up, but Marcus Mathers and Aaron Rourke kinda both seem a bit aggressive about it. Before Timothy Thatcher shows up as a fluffy babyface and uh…what??! But apparently we’re getting a 5v5 gauntlet match here between the WWE PC vs. WWE ID programs.

We get a few video packages and then we get Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright, who have been established as long-term friends beforehand, and Carlee is like “hey, you’re doing really well, but I think I gotta be more than just your friend” Kendal agrees and tells her that Bright needs to find that edge and they look forward to facing each other in the future.

Dante Chen vs. Drake Morreaux

Background: So Dante was the Gatekeeper on LVL Up, but now he’s the Measuring Stick, and uh, yeah, he’s just the babyface guy that you go up against to prove what you got. Drake is a big bayou boy who is maybe offensively Louisanian. Big, ugly tats, man-bun, if I’m gonna be mean he looks like Cajun Josh Briggs.

The Match: We go standing stuff with Dante being all technical before Drake tries power before Chen’s technical expertise foils the bigger man but Drake just spams some basic power/big man stuff and wipes out Chen before Dante ducks a lariat and hits a German…but the crossbody leads to a slam but Chen recovers with knees against Drake’s standing splash. We slug it out but Chen gets a diving shoulder and a boot for a near fall. Chinlock time. Drake reverses and gets a slingshot splash and starts slugging down and then an atomic drop and a boot. Drake misses an elbow so Dante gets a superkick, a suplex, but Drake powders. Chen’s tope is blocked but gets tossed back inside and Chen tries his Gentle Touch…but Drake gets a discus lariat and a chokeslam for 3.

**

Hey this was just…a match, it was so basic, so simple, no storytelling, but they did it okay and Drake being too big for Dante is a thing.

Chuey Martinez then talks with Drake and the Louisanian gibbers babyface gibberish. But Harley Riggins and Jax Pressley come out to recruit Drake.

We now have Charlie Dempsey and he’s bragging about how he’s a pure wrestler with international success but was upset that he kept hearing about Timothy Thatcher who is an old man and Dempsey is the real best technical wrestler of this generation.

It’s GAL now talking about how he has been recruited by Team ID and Team PC but he decided to go with…the one who will give him the biggest payout, so you better reach out to his agent ASAP, as possible, cause the balance of power rests surely on these boulder shoulders.

It’s GAL’s Superstar routine cracks me up.

Tate Wilder is meeting with Harley Riggins, Jax Preslley, and Keanu Carver, who now seem a stable of uber jock outsiders, and are like “we like you, join us” but Tate is a dorky babyface who is like “no we need to respect people.” Grrr. And Tate is like “I’m a good guy, you can’t be a jerk” and the rest of the squad is like ‘no, be heel.”

Eli Knight vs. It’s GAL

Background: So Eli is a total jobber, he’s springy though, so maybe he should be Evolve champion right now. It’s GAL is annoying jerky heel doing a bodybuilder deal despite being pretty small and slim.

The Match: GAL flexes and does some power stuff, Knight does some speed and does some stuff before he gets lifted for some squats from GAL. Eli flips around more to confuse Knight GAL But the Israeli gets a big slam out of a counter and then a discus lariat for 2.8 and then we clubber. Fireman’s carry gutbuster by GAL for 2 and then an abdominal stretch. Eli hip tosses out and brawls and hits his flurry and then goes for a 450…that he whiffs. More brawling lets Evans take the lead but GAL dodges a 450 and beats him down. Knight drags him to the corner but whiffs a 450. GAL goes for the German and Knight flips out but GAL blows up a springboard and gets a double-rotation Blue Thunder Bomb and that’s 3.

*½

Decent enough squash but I wish GAL had as much in-ring charisma as he did just talking.

So we have more therapy with Wendy Choo who is talking about her issues with Chantel Monroe and well, Chantel Monroe jumps her during her session.

Sean Legacy vs. Tate Wilder – #1 Contendership for Evolve Men’s Championship

Background: So both guys are cool if sorta weiner-swinging with each other and represent a sort of WWE ID vs. WWE PC feud between the trainee system. Sean is a jacked-up if small ginger who does ALL the flips, while Tate Wilder is a less jacked brunette who does ALL the flips, but wears a cowboy hat.

The Match: We start with a handshake and then we get a lockup into a standstill and Legacy takes down Tate and gets technical. Sean with a takedown to set up some kicks and a standing moonsault and back to the facelock. Tate fires back with some simple stuff and the “c’mon!” taunts before Sean slugs him down but Wilder comes back, hits another “c’mon” and hits the Coffin Drop for 2. Legacy comes out of the break with a chinlock until Tate breaks it with a back suplex. Both trade strikes before Tate speeds it up with some rope-running, another “c’mon!” and a twisting brainbuster for 2. Tate goes up and gets cut off and they fight over a superplex, Wilder shrugs him off but misses the moonsault (landing on his feet) but walks into a Sean superkick. Legacy follows with a multiple rotation (despite looking REALLY uneasy with it) blackhole slam backbreaker for 2.5. WIlder tosses Sean on a float-over and hits a tope and now both Team PC and Team ID all get feisty and it’s all breaking down ringside. Wilder gets hit by Cappuccino Jones in the brawl, and Legacy rolls him back in for Shambles for 3.

*¾

Look, this match wasn’t very good to begin with, Tate is…rough, and him having nothing more than a moonsault and “c’mon!” So Legacy having to fill the match out as the quasi-heel…by just doing chinlocks kinda reveals the game for these indie guys. Just mediocre work and now we have Legacy as a sorta dirtbag going after Jackson Drake.

And just like a much better and more charismatic wrestler, Drake appears to stomp out Legacy post-match and attack the shoulder while we have a PC/ID brawl outside.

Well. This was not a great episode of Evolve (and sometimes the show is good!) but uh, it’s setup a match next week I don’t care about in this PC vs. ID feud and also we have another Legacy vs. Jackson match. In good news Choo vs. Chantel in a no-DQ match might be worth something. Have a good one and catch y’all next week.