WWE Evolve – 02.11.26

It’s time, it’s time, it’s Evolve time! After two high concept (of a sort) shows the last couple weeks it seems that we’re returning to business as usual with Kendal Grey defending her Evolve Women’s Championship against Karmen Petrovic.

And speaking of…we open with Kendal and Wren in the lockerroom talking about how things are feeling a bit weird, they talk about how Kali Armstrong is on a bit of a losing streak, though they’re sure she’ll bounce back, Kendal brings up Tyra Mae Steele and PJ Vasa as rising threats. Wren brings up that Kendal is doing herself no favors with all these title defenses, but Grey isn’t RUNNING FROM THE GRIND (cough cough) and that pressure is a privilege and being on both shows is just a sign that people have faith in her (shoot comments…yadda yadda). Kendal brings up that she won the title at Succession, so she’s definitely going to defend it at the upcoming Succession II. Wren of course is supportive and agrees to help Kendal train before the match.

This was not one of Kendal’s better promos, but in her defense nobody sounds good doing the super awkward exposition stuff, at least her and Wren’s chemistry remains undefeated.

Credits! Purple! Science! Moves! Posing! And I think one of the lyrics is “you know what I’m doing this for” maybe, possibly.

Swipe Right (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) w/ Jackson Drake vs. Mike Cunningham and Eli Knight

Background: So Swipe Right are of course the goons of Jackson Drake, who is champ, they are heels but commentary is still complimenting them for running off the Team PC people last week, but they are very obviously heels. Cunningham and Eli are ID guys who are new-ish to Evolve, and Knight is already on NXT so uh…spoilers. Mike has sunglasses and his gimmick is that he has MAIN MAN ENERGY and he’s wearing red trunks. Knight is pretty generic but has blue tights and is springy. These guys helped Jackson Drake run off interference last week, but because Vanity Project are jerks, they ended up challenging them to a match at the same time.

The Match: We got Tate Wilder watching in the VIP section and we start with Mike and Ricky and we get a lockup, Smokes wins and gives the break and Ricky takes Mike down again and then we get a sneaky tag for Brad Baylor to come in and we keep the grappling and the quick tags as Smokes is back in. International goes Mike’s way and he hits all the Wrestling School 101 offense, shoulderblock, hip toss, dropkick, and then after taking out an interfering Brad, we get a tag to Knight who comes in with a diving stomp to a wristlocked arm of Smokes. They then set up MIke to do the same before tagging AGAIN and the babyfaces get a jumping stomp to the back of Smokes (impressive hops from Eli) then a jumping neckbreaker from Mike followed by a standing frog splash from Eli for 2. Ricky gets a knee to the breadbasket though and brings in Baylor to hit some strikes in the corner as Jackson Drake mugs ringside. The heat segment is instantly over though and Eli just bounds away and brings in Mike to hit some jumping strikes on Smokes before going up and Baylor tosses him off from outside and we have a break! Back in and Cunningham is getting worked over who hit consecutive slingshot moves and then Baylor wraps up Mike with an abdominal stretch and Smokes helps from the outside. Mike hip tosses out and just…splits the doubles on a Swipe Right double and it’s a hot tag to Eli with a double missile dropkick and and then a tornado DDT/combo combo before Knight gets a double lionsault press before getting a cover on Smokes and a spinning Michinoku Driver gets 2.8 afterwards. Eli goes up for a big moonsault but Smokes evades, Knights rolls through…and blasts Baylor on the apron but that distracts him long enough for Ricky to get a sneak attack dropkick for +2d6 damage. Baylor tags in and they get a Hart Attack with a Dropkick for 2.6. Some quick tags set up the Super Swipe…but Mike trips up Ricky outside and Eli gets a small package for 2.8 and then a jumping knee to stagger Brad. Knight tags in Mike and then hits a German suplex on Baylor so Mike can hit Main Objective (an inverted leg lariat) for 2.9. Knight and Mike set up something with a Frieman’s Carry and Knight off the top rope but Ricky breaks it up and Brad gets a pump knee and they hit Super Swipe (Baylor does a swinging side slam with Ricky pushing the legs) and a double cover (in full view of the ref?) but Mike breaks up the pin. We reset to Smokes and Knight slugging it out, Knight goes up but Smokes gets a pop-up knee and we get some tusseling on the top, Baylor comes in but gets tossed down and Mike runs in to get Ricky in a fireman’s carry. Eli jumps off the top to springboard off of Smokes back to hit a moonsault on Baylor. That was hilariously convoluted. The cover gets broken up and I’m starting to look at my clock. We lay around a bit before Cunningham gets a diving corkscrew back elbow on Smokes, Baylor gets a brainbuster on the knee on Cunningham, and Knight gets a Stundog Millionaire into a sliced bread (a Slice of Knight apparently) on Brad who bails. Knight follows with a flip dive…but Swipe Right evade and Eli takes out Cunningham. Big lariat from Brad Baylor on the outside takes out Knight and they toss him back in for an inverted DDT/diving stomp for 3.

**

This was half of guys walking a VERY green Mike Cunningham through a basic wrestling school match and then Swipe Right and Eli Knight doing an indie spectacular. They’re not two flavors that work especially well together, like it’s a chocolate covered roast potato. But still, they didn’t blow anything, and while it was too long, they did try to keep the pace up. However, Swipe Right and Eli are on NXT now, so like…what is this for? Cunningham I guess? Who they kinda kept isolated cause they didn’t trust him to do all their fancy double-teams? Still, they had ambition and they mostly nailed it, I just think they should have tried to be one or the other.

Post-match we get a promo and Jackson Drake talk about how they’re on a roll, they’ve beaten all their challengers up and they’re carrying the show. I mean…technically this is all true! Drake gets serious though, and he says that he does owe Cappuccino Jones a title shot in 3 weeks at Succession II. Harlem Lewis comes out and interrupts and says that he wants his title shot he earned at Succession II: Succeed Harder, but Drake reminds him that’s how Kam Hendrix talked and he lost. Lewis responds by stating his intention of beating up all three of them right now…but here’s Brooks Jensen to jump Harlem from behind and lay down some fists. Lewis is left laying and Jensen drives his cowboy boots into Harlems’ side. That was…one-sided.

We cut to Arianna Grace and Nikkita Lyons who look stressed out and tired, and both complain about having to be nice. If you missed it, Grace and Lyons went to a psychic who warned them that their future was full of horror and despair if they wouldn’t stop being jerks, don’t ask further questions. Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs immediately show up to force them back into fake cheer, and Holiday tries to exploit this by asking them to switch lockers, since Grace and Lyons have much nicer ones. This is finally enough for Nikkita to snap (in verse? She sings it for some reason) and she condemns both TikToks and swapping lockers! Layla brings up the psychic and Grace and Lyons finally figure out that the babyfaces had bamboozled them, tricked, deceived, pulled the wool over their eyes! Layla admits that the psychic was her neighbor Doris who is a chiropractor in Daytona, and Arianna is doing her best big shocked reveal face. Nikkita says it’s a good thing Diggs knows a chiropractor cause she’s going to break both of them, and Masyn is like “those are fighting words, lets fight!” A threat to violence? On a wrestling show?!?

This is all very silly and I’m glad they didn’t keep the gag up that much longer, but it did give us some great Arianna Grace overacting. For a goofy midcard thing I have no issues with “faked a psychic to prank some jerks.”

We now have the Team PC guys working out like crazy, and Kam Hendrix is doing curls while repeating “TATE WILDER, CROOKED REF” and I’ll admit I chuckled a bit. Harley Riggins complains about getting robbed and Carver says the ID clowns do something “goofy” every week. Jax Pressley adds they need to “nuke them” and I don’t know if that’s a sanctioned weapon. Braxton Cole says that they’ve had enough 1v1s, and it’s time to take them all out, Kam agrees and I guess we’re going to get a 5v5 tag as I guess this FEUD MUST CONTINUE!

Aaron Rourke vs. It’s GAL

Background: Rourke is announced from Sparkle City, which is pretty cute. Rourke is a flamboyant babyface who got into it with meathead GAL last week while helping Sean Legacy clean up the locker room. GAL is an arrogant bodybuilder heel type.

The Match: Roruke is hot out the gate but GAL catches him and drives him into the corner before Rourke does a vault into a back tuck and keeps up the aggression with some shoulder into GAL’s midsection, and more stomps from Rourke who is being pretty violent. The ref keeps pulling Rourke out of the corner and that sets up a GAL cheapshot and then some knees and elbows and posing before Aaron gets a flying headscissors to send the Israeli outside and Rourke follows with a tope and them some slaps to the rear before a forearm, GAL brawls back but turns his back after tossing Rourke inside…only for Aaron to do an inside-out spin and clobbers GAL again. Rourke now poses a bit and tosses GAL inside and he begs off but Rourke just continues to beat him down, another flying headscissors gets caught by GAL though and dropped on the ropes throat-first, GAL follows with a discus lariat for 2. It’s GAL reminds us he’s jacked and ready to attack and gets a few deliberate strikes and trash talk but Rourke catches him and he’s busted open on the ribs? Actually I think he had a bandage or something there that got torn off in the match. Rourke tries another corner charge but GAL just sorta lifts him up for a pop-up and tosses him back and gets a big boot for 2. GAL tries a power move but Rourke sunset flips out, but GAL hangs on, poses and tries a punch…but Aaron dodges and GAL hits the mat and of course does a big goofy sell. Rourke with a pair of clotheslines and a thrust kick before turning GAL’s foray to the top rope into a handstand frankensteiner and then a running hip attack into the corner. Rourke tries a fireman’s carry but GAL slips out, Rourke then goes for a diving crossbody but GAL catches and turns it into a fireman’s carry gutbuster for 2.5. GAL puts Rourke on the top and goes for something but Aaron turns that into a sunset flip powerbomb, Rourke goes up again and hits Over the Rainbow (Molly-Go-Round) for 3.

**¼

Ah that was fine enough, GAL cracks me up even if his in-ring identity needs work, he’s a posing goof but he tries these power spots and he’s really not big enough to pull them off with any credibility. Rourke isn’t bad by any means, and he certainly was trying to wrestle like he wanted to win the match, to the point where it looked silly that Aaron is throwing these desperate strikes and GAL is doing the posing and posturing, which I guess is the feud? GAL is a cartoon and Aaron is a real person with human reactions even if this was all started over some janitorial work. Oh, and while I get that Rourke is an indie guy, his offense is kind of a mess, I don’t really see how it works together, but he worked hard and his actual fundamentals are pretty good.

Post-match we get Chuey Martinez interviewing Tate Wilder who is still in the VIP section, and he’s been joined by Trill London. Wilder says he’s just checking out the ID talent and he is opposed to injustice and that’s why he interfered last week.

We get a sizzle reel on Tyra Mae Steele where we see her suplexing people while also promising to be the Evolve woman’s champion in 2026.

We now have a backstage segment where Kali Armstrong is on her phone, and Wendy Choo comes up to Kali and mentions that since Armstrong seemed down on herself that she should try therapy like Choo did, Kali responds with a right hand and brings up that’s all the therapy she needs. SPICY!

Rosenberg and Stone run down the card for Succession II on March 4th with Jackson Drake defending the Evolve title against Cappuccino Jones, and also an Evolve women’s championship match between…well we got a title match right now.

Kendal Grey (c) w/ Wren Sinclair vs. Karmen Petrovic – Evolve Women’s Championship

Background: So Kendal is on NXT and Evolve and she’s doing a “running herself ragged” storyline where she’s chasing a ton of gold, wrestling a bunch of matches, and taking on all comers as Evolve champ, Grey is an amateur standout and does a lot of grappling, but is also supremely athletic and uses her speed and quickness to make up for her comparative lack of size. Karmen is a karateka who is also somewhat undersized (honestly I think they’re probably both the same height and weight), she was on NXT and is now doing a stint in Evolve and seems to have a bit of a complex about it and is certainly acting a bit more aggressive but isn’t a full heel yet.

The Match: Commentary talks up Kendal big-time while Grey and Karmen lockup, go behind by Kendal is thwarted by Karmen getting into the ropes though. A second attempt is evaded and Karmen gets a quick cover as she’s holding her own on the mat. Kendal goes for the wrist but Karmen slips out and speeds it up with an elbow and a rolling neck snap for a quick cover and then goes for the arm but Kendal reverses and gets a takeover and then her own armbar. Karmen gets to her feet and speeds it up again, but Kendal shows off her own evasive skills and goes over the ropes and between the Canadian’s legs and puts on the turbo so she can hit a legsweep and a low dropkick for a cover. Karmen gets a kick off the buckle out of a corner whip and a bulldog sends the champ powdering outside for a break. Back in and we get both of them trading rollups before simultaneous crossbodies sets up a double-down. Kendal is up first and gets an uppercut into the ropes, Karmen gets an elbow into the ropes, and they slug it out until Karmen drops Kendal with a kitchen sink knee and then locks in a sharpshooter Grey tries to crawl to the ropes but Karmen drags the champ back to the middle but guts it out and finally makes the ropes. Wren gives her a pep talk but Kendal can’t even make it to her feet, Petrovic goes in to drag Kendal back to the middle and Grey gets her with a juji-gatame but Karmen has the s-grip and gets a schoolgirl pin for 2, Karmen charges back in and Kendal gets her with a pop-up powerbomb (?!) for a nearfall and Grey looks desperate, she finally makes it to her feet but she’s clutching her back, and goes for a fireman’s carry something but Karmen slips out and gets a gutwrench…so Kendal fires off some back elbows and tries for a springboard reverse something that Karmen counters with a superkick (can’t help but notice that Kendal has done the same thing as a counter before, HRM!) and Petrovic follows with a tornado DDT for 2.8 and it’s Petrovic’s turn to look upset and frustrated. Karmen hypes herself up and goes back for a sharpshooter again but Kendal kicks Karmen off who slides outside. Grey still has trouble making it to her feet so Karmen uses the ropes to get a gamengiri and goes up, but Grey pops up for a belly-to-belly superplex and then immediately gets Shades of Grey (jumping flatliner) for 3.

***

Is it bad that Karmen looked way better when she went from throwing 12 kicks a match to throwing 2? Playing up that she could match Kendals’ speed and grappling and even mirroring some of Kendal’s own counters was a really slick piece of business. I do wish Karmen would have fully heeled it up, but I gather this storyline with her is not done. Kendal remains on a crazy hot streak, and it made my black, withered heart good to see a person mostly sell the accumulated damage of a hold for the rest of the match until she got one gutsy no-sell for a Big Move and then immediately hit her finish. Shades of Grey being her real ace in the hole finish that people haven’t found out an easy counter for is good storytelling as the target on her back grows and people are starting to figure out her grappling, her speed, and her submissions, but her flash finish is still there. Good performance from Karmen too, it’s easy to just focus on her transitioning her offense, but the stuff she was doing looked good, and bendy ladies like Kendal can make even a so-so sharpshooter look like pure death. Hopefully she keeps it up, as her psychology has gotten a lot sharper (or her agenting has).

Post-match Kendal continues to sell the back and Wren cheers her on and hits like 70 different hand gestures to indicate that they are WrenQCC and I think she definitely slipped a few nWo things in there. Commentary is just ABSURDLY effusive with praise for Kendal and brings up that she’s probably not long for Evolve (GEE YA THINK?) and how every promotion in the world would want to have her. Look I’m a massive Kendal fan, but I don’t know if this amount of slobbering is the right approach.

PJ Vasa comes out next and yells out some stuff that’s violent if mostly unintelligible and I guess that’s the match for Succession II: The Revenge!

I continue to be a bit flabbergasted we’re spending so much time on guys and gals that are (rightfully) already on NXT. I know that Swipe Right can have a perfectly cromulent TV match, I know Kendal Grey is absurdly good for her age, I know that Eli Knight can do the flippies (sometimes, poor Josh Briggs…). So while I’m fine with getting moderately better action than the Team PC stuff, I’m just scratching my head about the why. I will say, that pairing up guys like It’s GAL who have the core of a fun gimmick but need to work on how to fully showcase it against dudes who know how to work but also need to trim/edit/modify their gimmick and presentation in Aaron Rourke should probably be more of what Evolve should do.

Regardless, I appreciate y’all for reading, commenting, and caring about z-grade developmental wrestling.