WWE Evolve – 02.04.26

We’re back with Evolve, filmed in the Evolve Dome! Where all the Evolvemaniacs are about to lose their Evolve-loving minds! We got a title match with Jackson Drake defending the Evolve men’s title against Kam Hendrix and some other stuff too I’m sure.

And we start with Harley Riggins and Jax Pressley talking about how they lift while Keanu Carver calls it a lie while they trash their locker room and Kam talks about how well it went last week and how he’s gonna win tonight. Braxton Cole walks in brings up that Sean Legacy is gonna clean this all up. And here’s Sean to start his janitorial services via the stipulation for last weeks lost.

Theme music! I think one of the lyrics talks about keeping it 100, we have stars, backflips, posing, lab fires, microscopes! It’s purple! It’s dangerous! It’s Evolve! Only on Tubi!

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Carlee Bright

Background: So Tyra, if you don’t remember (and it’s been a while) is of course an Olympic gold medalist wrestler signed to WWE and is still very, very happy to be here, though she’s updated her look a bit from last I remember. She’s just bursting with joy and energy during her entrance and has a bit of the “nice until she isn’t” thing. Bright of course is a bubbly cheerleader and the former partner of Kendal Grey who wanted to make her own path and start trying to win on her own…I uh…don’t like her chances here.

The Match: Tyra immediately gets a gutwrench takedown and a pin…and then a few more takedowns and Carlee looks absolutely shook by this. Bright with an anklepick and a jackknife and Carlee starts mouthing off and brings up her relative experience. Oh spicy! Fireman’s carry takeover by Steele and another slam before Mae rolls Carlee around and then transitions into a bow and arrow hold before Bright slips free. Tyra gets almost a STS and then just a chinlock as Bright makes her feet. Carlee flips out of a suplex though and then gets a tilt-a-whirl headscissors…but just runs into a German from Tyra for 2 and it’s back to the STS and then just a sleeper (huh) and Bright elbows out, blocks a whip into the corner and they get a double-headbutt spot for a double-down (that looked ROUGH). And Carlee is now on the offense with a right-hand (?!) and a boot to the bread basket and then a chop as she’s brawling with the wrestler. Well…okay! A pair of clotheslines and then a somersault neckbreaker off the ropes and Bright goes up for a crossbody…but Tyra catches her, and gets Mae Day (Air Raid Crash) for 3.

**¼

Well first of all Tyra looks WAY better and more confident here, she was hitting her wrestling clean, she was showing off some charisma, and I will credit Carlee to being very game to get tossed around. A competent little TV deal where things MOSTLY went okay and Bright got to show off a bit of a nasty side (that said, tighten those strikes up buddy). Shockingly decent and a good sign for both of them.

Now we get Vanity Project’s Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes meeting with Team ID’s Cappuccino Jones, Aaron Rourke, Eli Knight, and Mike Cunningham, and Vanity Project are asking for some help against Kam Hendrix and his Team PC goon squad. Jones laughs this off, saying that VP have been jerks the entire year, Rourke compliments Drake’s looks, and does admit that Kam Hendrix shouldn’t be champ. Eli Knight says that he hates Kam, and Cunningham seems sympathetic to the idea of shutting down Team PC while blasting his catchphrase which is apparently “MAIN MAN ENERGY!” (errr, go back to the lab on that one). Team ID seem sympathetic to Vanity Project’s request and are going to talk this over…and they basically immediately agree to help. Rourke mentions he left his number in Jackson’s bag and Cunningham talks a bit of trash and him and Knight apparently now have a match with Swipe Right next week.

Team ID continue to look like GIANT dorks here, like…I get being sappy babyfaces, but agreeing to team with dirtbag heels to help them cheat to win a match is just total fool stuff.

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We now have Nikkita Lyons and Arianna Grace looking tired and spooked in the lockerroom as they reflect on how last week they had a spooky psychic read their future last week. Grace brings up that they just need to be nice and kind and not what they usually are and both her and Lyons look unenthused with the process. And here are Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday to test this. Both heels try to compliment them and Grace and Lyons agree to do some Tik Tok dance to mend the fences and avoid the curse.

Drake Morreaux vs. Sam Holloway

Background: Drake is a big man from Louisiana whose gimmick is crazy Cajun, he has long hair and a stick and purple pants and commentary talks about him wrestling alligators cherie. Holloway is another big guy, the big guy of Team ID and has a sort of “crazy serial killer dude maybe” thing that is remarkably TNA-ish.

The Match: Lockup to start is a standstill but Drake gets a shoulderblock to drop Sam, and then a flying headscissors (?!) into a dropkick and the Louisanian is fired up! Drake keeps it up with a sidewalk slam and a slingshot splash for 2. But Sam pops up and just punches Drake and then gets a leapfrog into a big boot and a corner clothesline and then they start trading shots. Sam blocks a discus clothesline and then gets a double-arm suplex into the corner for 2. Drake blocks a corner charge, gets Sam on the outside and boots him off the apron. Drake gets caught with a necksnap on the ropes as Sam is headed back in and Holloway gets a slingshot elbow for 2…but Sam misses another corner charge and eats a spinning boot from Drake. Both up and trading fists until Sam dropkicks Drake out of the ring and then follows with a no-hands plancha. Sam’s followup is a missed dive and Drake gets a discus…something and then a discus clothesline and that’s 3.

¾*

This match felt clipped. Like the transitions just did not exist, guys would do something, then the other guy would do something else, and then they’d something else. Neither worked their size, neither had anything flow together. On the plus side, it was brief, and they only messed up like 25% of their stuff. Not a good exhibit from either, eesh.

Chuey Martinez comes out most-match and Drake gives Chuey some beads before brushing off Team PC and says they don’t represent the whole performance center. Drake is focused on winning the Evolve title and bringing it back home to Baton Rouge for the biggest crawfish boil in history. Yes, this is what he said.

Pete Rosenberg runs down next week’s title match of Kendal Grey vs. Karmen Petrovic and how they’ll have a face to face tonight.

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And we’re back with Team PC harassing Sean Legacy while he’s cleaning the lockerroom…and then Team ID show up to help Sean out. BABYFACE! And now we have It’s Gal showing up to mock them for cleaning trash…and Aaron Rourke promises to take out the trash next week, I believe those are fighting words!

Dante Chen vs. Trill London

Background: So Dante Chen is the Gatekeeper, and yeah, he basically is there that lets you know if a guy is getting pushed. Trill is a dude who had a few matches back in the day but they reheated him with some vignettes about how he’s a sort of Personable Mystery, a Charming Puzzle, and yeah the Jeff Hardy influence is very clear, Chen has the robe and the entrance that he’s been doing for…5 years now? Longer? And Trill has a weird mask and some interesting sartorial choices as we get over he’s a Magnetic Paradox.

The Match: Lockup and some standing grappling but Trill flips out of a wristlock Dante goes back to the arm and shoulderblocks Trill to set up an international that goes Chen’s way. London slips out of a slam and then gets an armdrag but Chen breaks out and then counters a Trill springboard into a slam and follows with another and then an elbow drop for 2. Chen whips London into the corner a few times and then gets a running back suplex out of the corner. Both guys slug it out before Chen drops Trill, another back suplex but Trill flips out and then goes for a victory roll for 2. Dante up and he whiffs a kick which lets London hit a Whisper in the Wind out of the corner and goes up for a Swanton that Chen evades but London rolls through and gets a springboard reverse sunset flip for 2 and it’s back to a slugfest…and Chen drops Trill with a superkick, Trill gets to his feet and Dante drops London with a pump kick and then lands his Gentle Touch for 3.

*½

Well just like his idol, certainly seems that Trill London might not be the best at putting a match together! Okay he’s setting me up for a ton of Jeff Hardy jokes and I will happily oblige. Commentary put over that Chen was being more aggressive and heelish but it’s still Dante Chen. It was kinda poor but they’re a super green guy wrestling a not very good guy, which is…kinda bad but it could have been worse.

Post-match Dante offers a hand and Trill accepts. RESPECT! BABYFACING!

And now we cut to backstage where Evolve Women’s champ Kendal Grey is face to face with next week’s challenger Karmen Petrovic. Also shoutout to the fits here, Kendal has a black tanktop and baggy camo pants some some fresh white Nike’s while Karmen has a leopard print bodysuit and some knee-high black high-heeled boots. This is very much 90s vs. 80s.

Kendal starts us off by letting us know that they had been cool in the past and she has nothing but respect, but since Karmen is chasing Grey’s gold, the champ has to do what she does and Petrovic isn’t walking out the same, and certainly isn’t walking out with the title. Karmen says that she’s seen Kendal’s improvement into a confident champion, but feels like Grey is looking past her…just like people used to look past Kendal. Karmen brings up Kendal’s schedule in Evolve and NXT and how the champ is spreading herself thin, and with Karmen’s momentum she’s more than ready to win the belt. Grey says she’s not underestimating Petrovic, but she has total confidence in her abilities and just like she does every time, she’s walking in as the champ, and walking out as the champ.

Neither are all-world or even all-state promos, but that was a pretty solid deal that set up the tone of the match well. Kendal probably is looking past Karmen a bit too much, but Karmen might be overplaying her status as underdog as well.

Ad break!!!!

We’re back and we have Pete Rosenberg telling us that in 3 weeks, February 25th, we’re having the SEASON FINALE OF EVOLVE! What that means is unclear other than it being a Special Episode. And then on March 4th, we’re getting Evolve: Succession II where we’ll get both the men’s and women’s titles on the line.

Now Chuey Martinez is here with Kali Armstrong, who is looking a bit forlorn and Chuey brings up that Armstrong is on a bit of a losing streak. Kali is disappointed in herself for losing, cause she’s the Difference Maker, she’s Too Strong Armstrong, and she can’t get losses get to her and needs to get that dog back in her. That dog that let her dominate college and Evolve…and maybe Kali needs to go back home for a bit to find it.

Jackson Drake (c) w/ Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. Kam Hendrix w/ Harley Riggins and Jax Pressley – Evolve Men’s Championship

Background: So both these guys are heels. Both these guys have goon squads. Both these guys are sorta smug, cocky, athletic pretty boy types that brag about how attractive they are and how much attention they get. Drake of course is an indie guy with a ton of experience (8 years I believe) and Kam is a former football guy who is really, really, REALLY ripping off Rock stuff, but apparently Hendrix is the dirt worst and Jackson is the Ric Flair-esque tweener.

The Match: Lockup goes Kam’s way who barks in the corner and we get an international that goes Kam’s way who gloats a bit, and then Drake asks for a test of strength before kicking Kam. Pressley and Riggins trip up Drak however…and then Swipe Right trip up Kam in response. Hendrix boots Jackson outside anyway and we all powder to set up a big staredown with everybody…and the ref kicks Harley and Jax out…and then does the same to Baylor and Smokes and we have an ad break! Back and Kam does the most OVW strikes to put Drake down into a chinlock before Drake fights to his feet and Kam slams him down and then gets a cobra clutch. Drake gets into the ropes to break and then a gamengiri drops Kam across the ropes and then a running senton to the back (not quite Jarrett style but close) and commentary puts over Drake’s friendship with Je’Von Evans (okay that’s what this is) and the champ gets some kicks to Hendrix but Kam catches the leg, stands up, slaps Drake and then goes for a back suplex (the setup to his finish) but Jackson flips to evade and tries to get some boots in the corner…but Kam beats him down and sets up something off the top rope before Drake goes for a sunset flip powerbomb but settles for an Alabama Slam, Kam stuffs that and goes for his own powerbomb but Drake lands on his feet and get a high kick and then a German suplex for 2. Drake tries to follow through but Kam slugs back and commentary reminds us that this is actually Hendrix’s first 1v1 match in Evolve. Leapfrog sequence has Kam wipe out the ref and Drake hits his Unaliving knee strike for 2 and it’s a double-down, er, triple-down. And we have Tate Wilder out here to check on the ref! And Jax, Harley, and Braxton run out to stomp on Drake! But Team ID’s Cappucino Jones, Sean Legacy, Aaron Rourke, and Sam Holloway are in to beat up Team PC! We have a pier sixer! But then Keanu Carver runs out to drop everybody…and it’s looking like Team PC has it before Swipe Right run in to help Team ID! Oh the humanity! Team ID/Swipe Right clear the ring and it’s Jones, Legacy, Baylor, and Smokes in the ring, Sean dives outside with a flip plancha and Swipe Right attack a now standing Kam Hendrix with their inverted DDT/diving stomp combo and then Cappuccino Jones gets his Froggy Brew Elbow before Drake gets Unaliving on Hendrix while Tate Wilder tosses a mostly revived ref back inside for the 3 count.

**½

Okay, the match itself was **, I guess, maybe, but I will give a half star for a big silly Attitude Era everybody runs in and hits each other payoff to the show’s overarching storyline. I repeat that I cared not at all for Drake vs. Kam cause both guys are TOTAL DIRTBAGS and seeing faces cheat to help the dirtbag heel champion who insults them frequently makes the faces look like total losers.

Post-match Rosenberg talks about how grateful he is that Drake retained and how much Kam stinks and uh, I just don’t buy into this at all. Cappuccino Jones kinda cuts off the celebration and says how he’s “coming for this” in regards to Drake’s title and how the champ “owes [him] one.”

This didn’t totally work for me, at all But hey, they built it up and paid it off in one show and if that’s what you want out of your wrestling, this might be the show for you!