WWE Evolve – 03.04.26: Succession II

Welcome back with more Evolve action as we have a supercard of sorts, yes, I said it, a supercard! We got Jackson Drake defending his Evolve Men’s Championship against Cappuccino Jones, Kendal Grey defending her Evolve Women’s Championship against PJ Vasa in a streetfight, and Brooks Jensen and Harlem Lewis duking it out in a special stipulation match, no titles on the line, DQs count, and one fall to a finish (with falls only counting inside the ring), unique gimmick match here and I’m looking forward to it!

If you want to watch you can do so totally free on Tubi right here.

We start with Vanity Project’s Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes meeting in their…club house (apparently they’re Nascar fans!) and the champ brags a bit about how good it’s going for them and runs down his achievements. Brad Baylor adds that he saw the girl that Joe Hendry swapped with a while back and adds that after Drake takes care of business, it’s party time. Jackson agrees and then says that Cappuccino better be ready, cause you need to be on another level when you step into the ring with Dr. Thirst (that name ugh).

While the Vanity Project definitely can play their characters in the ring, extended monologues are not their strength, it was awkward.

Cut to Cappuccino Jones who talks about how tonight feels different and there’s something in the air. Jones puts over Kendal Grey’s dominance and PJ Vasa’s ferocity. Jones brings up Harlem Lewis and Brooks Jensen and how they’re gonna beat each other up, and lastly he talks about how the “pot will get hot” because Cappuccino gets a shot at Jackson Drake who has been looking past Jones. Being champion might come with a high, but Jones reminds Jackson there’s always a crash.

Man these coffee puns leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Cappuccino tried, but “run down the entire card” is a rare skill that few have…and yet WWE keeps wanting people to try.

We get new credits, or maybe a sizzle video of the card with dramatic strings and shots of all the competitors and of course the interspersed shots of SCIENCE STUFF!

Harlem Lewis vs. Brooks Jensen

Background: So after a few start and stop pushes and a tour in NOAH, Harlem Lewis is back and seems to the preeminent tough guy in Evolve with Keanu’s callup. Lewis has giant muttonchops, a rattail, and is a well-built dude with a hairy chest, he’s singlemindedly focused on the title. This irked Brooks who decided to make a statement by jumping Lewis and laying him out. Jensen of course is a second-generation wrestler and the oldest 24 year old ever, he’s got a half-mullet, grimy facial hair, a hairy physique, and the overall demeanor and wrestling style of an early 80s Mid-South undercard heel.

The Match: Lewis explodes to drive Brooks into the corner and slugs away, Jensen responds in turn and even manages to reverse the corner to Harlem but the bigger man keeps the fists flying and Brooks has to slip away. Brooks counters with a whip to the buckle but Harlem catches himself and responds with a bulldog for 2. Brooks grabs the arm and transitions to a sleeper but Harlem backs Brooks into the corner but Jensen gets some clubbing blows and tries his own bulldog but Lewis blocks it and starts a shoulderblock war that goes Harlem’s way and Brooks takes a spill outside. Harlem baseball slides to follow but Brooks catches Harlem in the ring skirt and pounds away. Harlem misses a stomp though and gets dragged down where Lewis beats the tar out of the vet…but Jensen slips away again and then gets a kneestrike (with his braced knee) to the jaw of a pursuing Harlem. Brooks goes for a facelock but Lewis gets an armwrench to break, a powerslam, and then an elbow drop for 2. Another powerslam attempt by Lewis but Brooks slips out the back and gets a high-crotch belly-to-back suplex for 2.5. Brooks picks Lewis up who immediately goes for a fireman’s carry that Brooks elbows out of, another attempt at the armwrench slam but Brooks rolls through and we have simultaneous clotheslines for a double down. Adbreak! We come back with a clip of the action during the break where Brooks turns a whip into a rebound lariat and Brooks stomps away and uses the ropes to assist a boot choke. Lewis slugs back but Brooks takes Harlem down with some rabbit punches and then a northern lariat for 2.6 and then cranks in a chinlock. Lewis gets some back elbows and turns the chinlock into a back suplex, running boot to the corner, an uppercut, and a short-arm clothesline gets 2.5. Lewis tries a powerbomb but we gets a sunset flip sequence that lets Brooks get a cheap right hand to the face. Both guys get back to their feet and trade strikes but Brooks is wobble-legged but gets a back elbow…but Harlem fires up and keeps pounding away before Brooks gets a rolling heel kick into a seated powerbomb for 2.8, a Muay Thai style knee from Brooks gets another 2 count and we get a closeup of Brooks face, spittle on his lips (ewww). More knees to a grounded Harlem who Brooks drags up and attempts a double-arm suplex that Lewis fights out of and turns into a Fujiwara armbar, Brooks teases a tap but turns the armbar into a crucifix pin for 2 and Harlem kicks out right back into the armbar that Brooks slips out of and turns into a facelock to set up another knee strike but Lewis dodges and both guys trade shots with Lewis dropping Jensen, but Harlem rebounds into a boot…but now he fires up again and charges into a thrust kick. Brooks goes for a short-arm clothesline but misses, setting up a Harlem boot that Brooks tries to counter with another rebound lariat that Lewis dodges and drops Brooks with his own lariat before a Boomslang (vertical suplex powerslam) gets 3.

**½

So, I liked the story of the match. Both are brawlers, but Harlem is more physically impressive while Brooks has more veteran savvy and technique. So Lewis would win the straight exchanges until Jensen found a way to counter/sneak-attack, eventually Brooks tried the same trick twice, Lewis sniffed it out and dropped him. However…man I think Brooks kinda ate Lewis alive. Brooks was much more dynamic as a seller, had more interesting counters and reversals, and was portrayed overall as the more capable and talented guy. If this match was supposed to make me think Harlem is the guy of the future, this match did not really accomplish that. Also, and this isn’t an agenting thing (or Brooks calling his own number and trying to outshine a much more green talent) but if Harlem is supposed to be a big, physically imposing powerhouse guy…his stuff should look a lot more impressive. Harlem wasn’t terrible by any means, but he needs more intensity, more physical pop, or hopefully both if he’s going to be the guy I think they want him to be.

Post-match we cut to Chuey Martinez interviewing the winner and my word Harlem is sucking wind hard. Chuey asks if Lewis thinks he’s the number one contender now. Harlem says he’s the baddest man in the locker room and that nobody can beat him, but that doesn’t make him champion until he actually wins the belt. Harlem says that it doesn’t matter if it’s Jones or Drake, cause he’s next.

Laynie Luck vignette. She talks about how much she loves wrestling as a kid and how even before she knew she could do it, she was getting herself ready by being a daredevil and looking for adventure. Luck got diagnosed with Crohn’s and that was scary, but she didn’t give up and she’s here to make an impact (that’s a different show!).

Laynie seems pretty generic but hey, she’s got some spunkiness to her.

We now run-down the PJ Vasa vs. Kendal feud and show clips of their interactions in the past and it’ title match time.

Kendal Grey (c) w/ Wren Sinclair vs. PJ Vasa – Evolve Women’s Championship Street Fight Match

Background: Kendal Grey is our scrappy champ, she’s been burning the candle at both ends with her pursuit of NXT gold and taking on all-comers as Evolve champ. She’s been in a LOT of matches in Evolve (never mind they tape these in batches, kayfabe, kayfabe) and they’re running a story of a champion stretched too thin. PJ Vasa is a big scary Samoan monster who is supremely confident in her abilities despite having not won anything yet. They’ve met in the past in a triple threat where notably, Kendal did NOT beat PJ, which Vasa has stated means that Kendal is afraid of her. The champ is giving up a lot of size and power but has the experience, technical, and speed edge. PJ is out in a beanie, black t-shirt and camo pants while Kendal is rocking a white crop-top and black cargo pants and of course is accompanied by Wren Sinclair. Points for both dressing in regular clothes here!

The Match: Hot start as Kendal lays down her belt and sprints to the ring to throw hands…and gets tossed into the corner. Grey ducks a charge and throws some hands before whipping Vasa across the ring, who just puts on the brakes and clotheslines Grey tail over teakettle. PJ drops Kendal with bodyshots and then a headbutt sends Grey outside. Vasa drags Kendal to the apron by her hair but the champ turns that into an armbar over the ropes before a shot by Vasa causes her to break the hold. A sliding kick on the apron stops another Vasa charge and Kendal takes this time to drag a table out from beneath the ring but PJ is quickly back to hit Grey from behind. PJ picks up Kendal but Grey flips out the back and shoves the challenger into the post and now finishes her setup of the table which she props over the ring barricade…but this has given PJ enough time to recover who scoops Kendal up and tries to Snake Eyes her through…but Kendal slips out, hits a superkick and then goes for a fireman’s carry (?!) but PJ is JUST TOO BIG! It’s back to a slugfest which has PJ staggered, Grey charges in pursuit and Vasa pops Kendal up and rebounds her off the ropes into a headbutt before tossing Grey into the ring steps as we go to a break. We’re back with PJ menacing Kendal with a chair, but Vasa takes too much time brandishing it and Grey throws a few rights which staggers the challenger who lowers the chair…letting Grey get a low dropkick sending it into PJ’s knee. More strikes by the champ sets up a whip…but PJ easily reverses and gets Kendal with a rebound Blackhole Slam for 2. PJ follows with a chairshot to the spine and then a half-dozen more. The Issue rolls outside and throws a mess of chairs in the ring. PJ piles the chairs in the ring while Kendal writhes in pain and Wren looks concerned on the outside, and when Grey gets to her feet PJ sends her down with another chairshot before placing Kendal on the top and setting up a superplex…but Grey lets loose a flurry of strikes to drop PJ back, and the goliath is wobble-legged before a missile dropkick sends Vasa flying into the chair pile. The champ picks up a chair of her own and unleashes shots to the back and the gut while Wren goes wild ringside. PJ powders to escape the onslaught and Kendal follows onto the apron, but misses whatever she was attempting which sets up Vasa spearing Grey through Chekov’s table. PJ tosses Grey back in the ring and a standing powerbomb gets 2.9 as Sinclair wills her partner back into it. Vasa goes back outside to bring the ringsteps inside. PJ bounces Kendal’s head off the 500 pound steel structure a few times before standing on them and loads up another powerbomb, but Kendal slips out and hits Shades of Grey (jumping flatliner) onto the steel and that 3 count is academic.

***¼

Well that was fun! Certainly nothing supremely novel when it comes to plunder matches but the spots were setup ahead of time, sold as devastating, changed the momentum of the match, and weren’t anything excessively dangerous! PJ sold like she was a monster in a video game, with some headshakes, a few wobble-legs, and one very good falling tree bump into the chairs. I did like the note that the women who introduced the plunder into the match were hoisted on that petard (Kendal got speared through the table she brought in, PJ got dropkicked into the chairs and of course the steps were her ultimate defeat). Kendal remains really fun as a scrappy babyface and PJ…well there’s work to be done but she at least seems to understand how to work like a monster.

Post-match Kendal is selling big but defiant in celebration as Wren helps her to her feet, and we cut to Tyra Mae Steele who was watching ringside, who puts over the champ. “That was really good…but you’re not a gold medalist! You’re not a gold medalist! Good job though.” Alright, this TMS gimmick might have legs.

Next week we’re going to have a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT at a town hall next Wednesday. Feel the excitement! I hope that the quorum will have decorum.

We cut earlier in the week (Monday at 1:30 PM given the date for the security footage) as we’re in the Performance Center parking lot and you know stuff is about to go down. We see Tate Wilder about to get on his motorcycle before Kam Hendrix and Harley Riggins ambush the Sheriff of Justice (ugh that name) and stomp him out on the concrete.

Jackson Drake (c) vs. Cappuccino Jones – Evolve Men’s Championship

Background: So as the sizzle reel showed us, these two fought in the VERY FIRST main-event in the very first episode of Evolve. They’ve faced each other on and off over the year but recently Jones got this title match by helping Drake retain the belt when he ran off interference in a Drake title defense. Last week Drake repaid the favor by taking his guys out of a 10-man tag match Jones was in. So history, bad blood, all that stuff. It’s Cold Brew vs. the Carolina Reaper. Jones is slight and jumpy, while Drake is taller, but still lean and still jumpy.

The Match: Both guys start fast with Drake going for an anklepick and trading some grappling. Jones gets a quick cover for 2 and Drake looks a bit shook. We do an international and Jackson foils the dropdown by just stepping on Cap’s back and doing a coffee taunt which enrages the challenger who unleashes a flurry of blows that has Jackson hiding in the corner. Ref Vicky D’Errico drags Jones off and chastises him which lets Jackson get a cheapshot and a snap suplex for 1. Drake stomps the hand but Cap smashes Jackson’s face into the buckle and gets a chop…but Jackson gets a drop toehold into the bottom buckle and gets an arrogant choke in the corner before going for a fireman’s carry that Cap turns into an O’Connor roll as commentary babbles about Drake’s nicknames (Dr. Thirst, Heartbreak Drake, and the Carolina Reaper) before Jones gets a dropkick to send Jackson outside and then gets a kind of awkward slingshot dropkick through the ropes and we have a break. We come back and we have Jones in control and we have a sunset flip sequence that ends with Drake getting a standing necksnap with his feet and then a running hipcheck to a rope-hung Cap. Jackson takes down Cap into a bow and arrow hold and then drops an elbow. Inverted facelock neckbreaker by the champ, then a boot to the back of the neck and a facelock as Drake is working the neck. Cap tries to slug back but Drake drops the challenger with a reverse neckbreaker and then cranks in a cravate. Jackson rolls and bridges with the hold until Jones FINALLY counters with a Michinoku Driver but Jones is too beat up to make the cover. Jones is up first though and he gets a running dropkick into the corner, and then a second, but a third is countered with Drake’s superkick and then a vertical suplex into the corner. Jackson Drake talks some trash and asks where Cappuccino’s NXT contract is, and brings up that Jones doesn’t have one because he’s a “coffee-drinking bum.” Not one to have his beverage be insulted, Cap fires up with a slap and powers through Drake’s strikes as Jones gets some boxing-style evasions and jabs away. Drake whiffs a legsweep and Jones gets a standing splash to the back. Peter Rosenberg is now going on an extended rant/metaphor about how you never know if you’ll be back to the Superbowl and I’m begging the man to shut up and call the match and stop talking about Dan Marino. Anyway, it’s another double-down and now Drake is up first but he eats a boot from Jones in the corner but Drake just sorta shrugs it off and gets some running strikes and then snaps Jones neck off the top-rope. Jackson attempts a springboard but Jones catches him and crotches the champ and follows with a springboard reverse back elbow to knock Drake outside and then follows with a tope that BADLY overshoots and he almost headbutts the floor, yeowch. Back in and Jones gets a jumping axehandle, a clothesline, and a pump kick as Drake pinballs. Jones with a half-nelson suplex for 2. Jones tries for his Decaffinator (somersault neckbreaker) but Drake counters with a jumping knee, torture rack into a slam is flipped out of by Jones, but Drake gets a high kick and a bridging German for 2.5. Jackson tries for Unaliving (busaiku knee) but Cappuccino cuts him off with a big forearm and goes up for the Froggy Brew Elbow for 2.9. Jones tries a springboard cutter but Drake counters with a neckbreaker but can’t go for the cover as Jones rolls to the apron. Drake follows and both guys slug it out on the HARDEST PART OF THE RING and Jackson gets a pretty ugly brainbuster onto it and sends Cap back in for a 450 splash that lands for 2.8. Jackson goes up again, but when Cap tries a pop-up Drake sees it coming and hops backwards before landing a high kick and mugs to the crowd before trying a springboard…that Jones counters with a right hand and Cap gets the Decaffinator for 2.9. Jones goes up for another Froggy Brew Elbow but Drake hits the ropes and now it’s Jones that’s crotched. Jackson goes up and tries for something…but Jones goes for a sleeper on the top rope…but Jackson turns that into an avalanche torture rack facebuster, Jackson doesn’t go for the cover and instead hits a double-rebound Unaliving, rolls Cap away from the ropes, and covers for 3.

**¾

Well they tried for epic and didn’t quite land there, but both guys worked hard. If Cap was a more gripping seller the match would be better. I don’t want to blast a guy for one match, but even in the pretty small pond of Evolve Cappuccino Jones did not particularly come across as a guy who seems like he can swim with the big fish. Which is fine, flashy midcarders can have long and prosperous careers. I do think that some of the early stuff was done as more of a “well this is what big title matches have, so this is what we’re doing” instead of feeling like it lead anywhere or set anything up, but they’re hardly the only guys to do headlock reversals just cause that’s what one does. I’ve never been the biggest Drake guy, but in his credit he seems to mostly work safely despite his preponderance of flashy indieriffic offense (an apron brainbuster into a 450 as a nearfall is just absurd to me). That said, he’s definitely outgrown Evolve and I don’t really get why he retained the title…but given Cap’s performance I sadly kinda see why. I am bothered that Drake once again won this effectively 100% clean.

Post-match Vanity Project run-in and celebrate with their guy, and yet again, these guys are supposed to be bloviating heels but they mostly back up what they say, compared to every other group on the roster they don’t rely on an overwhelming numbers advantage, and their cheating is more of the “use the ropes for leverage” which is barely even cheating in 2026.

Anyway, Harlem Lewis breaks up the lovefest and charges the rings and Vanity Project immediately scatters. Ricky runs back in to distract Lewis and all three beat Harlem down…but Lewis breaks up their triple-team offense and tosses all of them from the ring while he bellows about how all of this will be his.

I’m not saying you need title changes to feel like a big show, but I am scratching my head that we didn’t have a single one. Anyway, a perfectly watchable hour of wrestling even though I am struggling to see the future, at least both champs have strong challengers awaiting them and we do seem to be progressing some other feuds along.

Thanks for reading, commenting, and being your lovely selves. See you next week.