WWE Evolve – 02.18.26

At first we were in the primordial ooze of professional wrestling, but with luck and chemistry we will all Evolve! Okay that was probably too much, anyway we’re back with more Evolve and we got…stuff happening before the season finale and Succession 2: Pro Wrestling Bugaloo, so we’re setting the table so to speak. We start with Nikkita Lyons and Arianna Grace in a cold open, Lyons hasn’t been this excited since “Mercury stopped being in retrograde” and Grace brings up that while Kendal is doing well, she does have PJ Vasa 1v1 at Succession II: The Revenge. Lyons prods about how that’s not the exciting thing, so Grace brings up that it’s because of Laynie Luck repping WWE ID and Nikkita is frustrated before Arianna brings up Tyra Mae Steele’s official announcement as an Evolve talent! Lyons continues to be angry and reminds Arianna that the real excitement is that they’re going to have a match with Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday later on and both Lyons and Grace vow to get revenge against them! And also they’re happy for Laynie Luck.

Okay that worked a lot better than the WrenQCC version of this last week cause Lyons and Grace are such cartoons that them doing whacky sitcom stuff actually works pretty well.

PURPLE! WRESTLERS! SCIENCE! It’s Evolve, only on Tubi!

We get a start and commentary announces that instead of Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone, Stone, being the new interim GM of NXT, is leaving commentary and we’re getting as his replacement…Blake Howard. Oy vey. And we got Chuey Martinez as the geeky Evolve non-wrestlers continue. Chuey continues his life’s purpose as a missing MTV Spring Break host by asking the crowd to make some noise and lets us know that we’re getting Kendal Grey vs. PJ Vasa at Succession 2: I’ve Run Out of Sequel Jokes and we’re getting a contract signing segment. Commentary puts over how scary PJ is, and brings up that Kendal Grey might be stretching herself too thin. Grey starts and brings up that people think Vasa is her toughest matchup yet, but she loves that because she lives for THE GRIND and loves facing challenges and overcoming them. PJ actually compliments Kendal a bit before the champ cuts Vasa off and talks about how she’s been underestimated and how she looks like she should be working at Starbucks. Or how when she was a high school wrestler, the only girl on her team, her coach told her that “if you’re here for a boyfriend, get out” and four months later she had kids crying about losing to her. Kendal reiterates she doesn’t back down, and she thrives under pressure, and that’s what Kali Armstrong learned. And now PJ Vasa cuts that off, bringing up that Kendal hadn’t beaten Vasa, she beat Armstrong in that triple threat and Kendal knows she can’t beat PJ. The Issue signs the contract, and says that’s not do this on Kendal’s terms, lets do it on PJ’s, and make it a street fight. Grey, the fighting champ she is, agrees to this, signs, and then PJ immediately jumps her and talks trash to the camera.

So Kendal sounded better here, and is definitely workshopping some character motivation, I will say the “I don’t look like I should be a pro wrestler” things as underdog motivation is weird when we have multi-time world champions Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, and Iyo Sky…so if that’s a comment about not being tall and busty, it doesn’t make sense and I dunno if that lands. The bit about being the only girl on a men’s team and making people cry after she beat them anyway? That’s gold. I can quibble a bit about Kendal immediately agreeing to a bad stipulation, but commentary and her own promos have done a lot to establish she’s a bit of an Heroically Idiotic Babyface, so her being played is fine. Wouldn’t have minded more PJ in that segment, but I do think that her not trying any sorta “I’ve had it rough” promos and being weirdly arrogant for a challenger might be good to keep the heat on her.

Next up a hype video on Cappuccino Jones, the challenger for Jackson Drake’s Evolve title. Jones talks about how good he is with a ton of coffee wordplay and how he’s seen other talent get called up but he’s gotta “wake everybody up” by winning the belt.

Look man…there’s “I have a silly name and maybe a goofy term for a finisher” and there’s “literally everything I say is a coffee pun.” His actual delivery wasn’t bad (for a pre-tape) but that material was the dregs.

Dante Chen vs. Brooks Jensen

Background: Chen’s gimmick is textually that he is a JTTS, if you beat him, you’re getting somewhat of a push, if he beats you, welp. Brooks is like 24 years old but has a sorta throwback style and look, he’s not exactly Mr. Chiseled and has chest hair, a shifty beard, and is sorta a mean and nasty territory guy. He recently beat up Harlem Lewis and that’s the match for Succession 2.

The Match: Commentary brings up that both guys have been in NXT for 5 years now and have history and YEESH! Brooks immediately gets a nerve hold as we cut to the VIP section where we have Harley Riggins, Kam Hendrix, and Braxton Cole. Back in and we have a Brooks headlock and he grinds that out as commentary just sorta runs over the card for Succession and Chen finally reverses into a wristlock and Jensen freaks out and sells big before reversing and then Chen reverses that reversal and they just trade armwringers while Brooks tries to slam Dante’s head off of the turnbuckle. Chen keeps the hold and works Jensen on the mat before Brooks finally breaks…but he eats a back bodydrop and some armdrags before Dante goes back to the wristlock. Brooks counters another back body drop attempt with an elbow across the neck and then gets a boot and some strikes (while selling the hand) and then a Tower of London (top-rope hung cutter) for 2 and more beatings before a neckbreaker attempt that Chen turns into a backslide and then gets a small package before Brooks gets a clothesline and drops an elbow and rakes the eyes with his boot. Brooks lands the neckbreaker now and gets a cocky cover for 2 and then gets a chinlock. Chen slips out and Brooks whiffs an elbow drop which gets a quick cover for Dante before Brooks gets back in control with a boot and more elbows. Chen does the Bret bump off a whip and Brooks sets up another Tower of London before Chen slips out and gets a diving chop. Chen ducks a boot, gets a chop, a dropkick, an uppercut, and a thrust kick before he gets a bicycle kick. Chen goes up but Brooks rips him down into the ropes and then gets his vertical suplex into a backstabber for 3, Peter Rosenberg calls it the Upside Down which annoys me as that was a Joe Gacy move, but a move called the Upside Down for a guy who is a sorta exaggerated 80s nostalgia act fits.

*½

Did both these guys want to work a WCW Worldwide special or something? Just sorta long extended sequences to assuredly let commentary talk about other stuff, nothing bad, but it was way too long for no real good reason and then Brooks won in pretty dominant fashion. Jensen does amuse me with the old-school routine but Dante is just a warm body.

Post-match Brooks reminds Harlem Lewis he’s already put him down, and at Succession 2 he’ll do it again.

More talking as Wendy Choo talks to the camera about how difficult her last year was, but she’s gotten better and therapy helped and she just wanted to share advice with Kali Armstrong…who responded with violence. Wendy says that she accepts Kali doesn’t want therapy, but at the same time Choo won’t be pushed around and it’s a challenge for Armstrong.

MORE TALKING as we have Vanity Project’s Jackson Drake, Rickey Smokes, and Brad Baylor who are apparently recovering from a “wild party last night’ before Team ID’s Sean Legacy, Aaron Rourke, and Mike Cunningham (who is wearing a Canadian tuxedo and sunglasses…inside) chastise them for not locking in. Well like…these guys have consistently beaten the tar out of Team ID, so I don’t really know what leg they have to stand on when criticizing the training methods of guys who have been called up to NXT already. Anyway, Rourke reminds Vanity Project that Team PC are animals in the gym, and Legacy brings up that while none of them have to like each other, and they will carve their own paths, right now Team PC is coming for all of them. Rourke reiterates that combined they can’t lose. Drake seems moved by this and agrees that the ID program did a lot for him and while Jackson will be defending his title in TWO WEEKS AT SUCCESSION 2: 2 WEEKS AWAY Swipe Right will be part of Team ID for this one.

Drake Morreaux vs. It’s GAL

Background: So Drake is a big brawny Louisiana guy who is the Bayou Boy and while I am not from that region, I do think he is maybe offensively Louisiana, he has the purple and gold pants and the fleur de lis logo and they talk about him wrestling gators and making gumbo. It’s GAL of course is a vain bodybuilder goofball heel.

The Match: Lockup ends with Drake tossing the much smaller GAL away. GAL tries a headlock and gets shoved down, he tries a leapfrog and Morreaux catches him, GAL tries a suplex…Drake reverses it and GAL flops to the apron and tries to use the buckles to get Drake but the big cajun reverses and smashes the Israeli against it. Drake follows to the apron and It’s GAL almost takes over but Morreaux is too big to slam, blocks a chop, clotheslines GAL back in and runs him over with a shoulder. GAL finally gets something going when he ducks a Drake boot and hangs the big guy up in the ropes before going at the other leg and GAL follows with a dropkick for a cover. Stomps from GAL and he isolates the knee with elbows before doing pushups mid beatdown and then a jumping DDT gets 2 and then GAL gets a chinlock before the big cajun gets to his feet. Drake whiffs a corner charge and GAL keeps peppering him with strikes but he stops to hotdog and pose and Drake powers up, gets a slam, some running strikes, a blue thunder atomic drop, discus lariat and a chokeslam and that’s an academic 3.

**½

WOW! Okay, so was somebody reading my critiques? Drake cut out all the silly high-flying stuff and just was a big ferocious guy who slammed the small annoying heel around, got some heat when he whiffed a charge, the heel posed too much, and a flurry of big guy offense dropped him. GAL focusing on the comedy stylings of a chickenpoop heel, and Drake just being a big guy doing big guy spots. Massive improvement from both fellows.

Post-match Kam Hendrix comes out to compliment Drake and says that since Team PC are short some people with Keanu on NXT and Jax Pressley hurt “pushing too much weight in the weight room” they’re looking around and Drake has what it takes and they have a spot for him. Kam vows to take over Evolve, NXT, and take things to WrestleMania. Drake has a very ambiguous “I know exactly what side of history I want to be on” and leaves the ring. And It’s GAL runs in, begs to be picked, confirms he’s a stud, they need a stud and that Team ID are nerds (well they are nerds…) and uh, Team PC don’t seem super enamored with this.

Next up MORE TALKING as we get Kali Armstrong doing a walk and talk and saying that maybe she hurt Wendy’s feelings, but it wasn’t personal. Armstrong doesn’t need Wendy’s help, she doesn’t need anybody’s help, nobody helped her on the way to the top, and everything she’s got she’s done on her own. Kali says she’s feeling the same fire she had as champ, and that she’s got her swagger back. Kali accepts Wendy’s challenge and if Choo keeps putting Amrstrong’s name in her mouth she’s gonna beat her back to mute. Harsh!

Kali is pretty easily the best promo in Evolve and probably a better promo than 90% of the NXT women’s division, I know Kendal is the big coup (and she’s great) but Armstrong is one to watch.

Nikkita Lyons and Arianna Grace w/ Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday

Background: So Lyons and Grace are jerky heels that were mean to Diggs and Holiday, so the faces pranked the heels with a fake psychic to make them pretend to act nice. The heels figured out the the ruse at some point and have vowed revenge. This I think might be a Saved By The Bell plot point. I do feel like I should bring up that right now Grace is literally the TNA KO’s Champion (yes I know Evolve is taped, heck, we have Kelly Kincaid on ring introductions! But still.).

The Match: We have Chantel Monroe in the VIP section and we have a hot start with Masyn going for an early rollup and then going for a wristlock on Grace while the faces do some quick tags and doing armwringers before Grace takes over with a headlock and she trades some mat work with Masyn. Holiday does a leapfrog and then a crossbody before tagging in Diggs with more wristlocks. Grace gets an anklepick and brings in Lyons who uses some power before getting headlocked into the face corner and double-teamed which brings in Grace and a double dropkick sends the heels powdering and an ad break. We get back with Holiday on the ring apron fighting off both heels before Lyons yanks her off and hammers away outside. Back inside and Lyons gets her signature leg drop and chokes out Masyn on the ropes while Chantel Monre claps from outside. Lyons with a clothesline and a chinlock as Masyn is our face in peril. Masyn struggles to freedom but Lyons immediately suplexes her back down for 2. Lyons snatches Masyn for a slam into the tree of woe and brings in Arianna to stomp away. Grace then taunts Layla on the corner and that lets Masyn get back up and turns a neckbreaker into a backslide for a count but Grace comes back with elbows and then a flying forearm to a seated Holiday and brings Nikkita in for a double elbow for 2. Lyons gets her own flying forearm into the corner as Masyn is being demolished here. Holiday gets a leg-trap sunset flip out of the corner for 2 but Nikkita responds with a massive lariat and then a neck crank. Masyn finally slips away gets a clothesline of her own and it’s a double-down and a double-tag as Layla runs wild with kicks on both heels. Step-up knee to Arianna in the corner and then a back tuck evasion into a Pele kick but Lyons breaks that up and that brings in Masyn to toss the Big Cat, but Grace gets Masyn with a codebreaker, Layla capitalizes with an O’Connor roll to Arianna, but the second-gen star kicks out, sending Diggs to the ropes where Nikkita unleashes a big roundhouse from the outside and Arianna hits a fireman’s carry slam for 3.

*¾

Basically an extended squash with a tiny shine segment for the faces. Lyons and Arianna actually aren’t terrible as a team here but they’re not really workrate gods and Masyn is VERY rough. Layla is quite athletic but some of those sequences were sloppy. Yet again, it’s not the biggest thing, but Evolve has had real bummer energy with their feuds in terms of the heels winning 90% of the time.

We learn of BREAKING NEWS as Tate Wilder talks about the Team PC vs. Team ID feud and how disappointed he is that it’s ruining the environment of Evolve. He doesn’t really want to be part of it, but he can’t handle injustice, and ergo he will be the special referee for that match, next Wednesday, and apparently Tate is The Sheriff of Justice!

I hope you like yapping! Cause this show had a lot of yapping! I guess it’s just a table-setter episode, but there was SO MUCH TALKING and mostly from people that aren’t great at it. I dunno, they are promoting Succession 2: The Wrath of Sapolsky pretty well at least, it feels like a somewhat big show, this show…eh.