WWE Evolve April 15th 2026

Welcome back to more Evolve action as we are finally going to get the next Evolve women’s champion with an 8-woman gauntlet match and probably (maybe) some other stuff.

But if you want to catch up on everything going on in the greater WWE wrestling sphere…

Impact – SmackDown – AAA – Rebellion – Raw – NXT: Revenge

We start with Karmen Petrovic talking to the camera about the gauntlet match and the Evolve title and I guess she’s our lucky number 8 (called it!). Karmen runs down the rest of the participants, Laynie Luck, Wendy Choo, Nikkita Lyons, Kali Armstrong, Tyra Mae Steele, PJ Vasa, and Sloane Jacobs and puts them all over and how big this match is for everybody.

Science! Chemistry! Posing! Moves! And some new faces in the mix!

And we start with our Evolve champion, Aaron Rourke in a fishnet belly shirt and sparkly black pants and I think…he bedazzled his sneakers? Slayed it. He’s got a microphone and says that it takes effort to get to the top, but consistency to stay on top, and after beating Chazz “Starboy” Hall last week and puts the 23 year old over and then talks about the responsibility of the championship and how he needs to defend the belt and show that he’s the best. So Rourke has an issue with one Harlem Lewis who keeps saying the champ is ducking him, and Rourke is calling him out right now…and Lewis responds, says he could break Aaron right now but that’d delay what Lewis wants. Aaron is lying to the fans, he is ducking Lewis, cause Harlem knows that Rourke knows that when they wrestle for the belt, Harlem is gonna win. SPICY! Rourke laughs it off and says he can have a match RIGHT now and Lewis immediately steps into the ring, but Braxton Cole comes out and says while he respects the champ…he thinks Harlem is right, but it won’t be Lewis as next champ, it’ll be Cole. Braxton has championship pedigree, the looks, the gifts, and qualities to lead the company forward but Rourke cuts him off and tells him to shut up. Rourke says Braxton has the looks…of a guy people want to punch! On sizzle! And Rourke brings up Marcus Mathers and how he hasn’t forgiven Braxton for putting him on the shelf. Hey continuity! So Rourke is fine with a title match…as a triple threat so he can beat ‘em both. Lewis is irate and says that this is proof that Rourke is ducking him and making it a triple threat lets him get around beating Harlem…okay fair. And Braxton ambushes Lewis and it’s a donnybrook as the preppy Cole tosses Lewis and drops Rourke with a fireman’s carry side slam and poses with the belt.

Rourke remains good on the mic, Harlem is one-note but fine, and Braxton remains super generic but he’s got some confidence while talking, Not bad at all.

And we have a vignette of Tristan Angels talking about how his family have gone 7 generations as shepherds, but that ends with him cause as a 22 year old he’s one of the best wrestler in the history of Europe, and in 2024, he won the very prestigious Thailand Mr. International tournament as Mr. England, which makes him the most handsome man in England, and therefore the world. But don’t think that just he’s a good looking fellow he isn’t as tough as a pig’s foot, you could say he’s Pretty…Deadly…

Okay I can’t get over that he’s just if Pretty Deadly could wrestle, but he’s pretty solid, though the Mr. International thing might be too ridiculous for him.

Lince Dorado and Mike Cunningham comes down, and Mike has a mic and asks them to CUT HIS MUSIC and talks about how he has a new name that is going to be on billboards and fitness magazines and I realized he talked about “ladies with gentle hands” and how the women are gonna yell louder than they already do and he’s now Max Abrams. Well…okay. And as Max dances to the ring some more, Peter Rosenberg on commentary absolutely buries it and says the name sounds like “an Upper Eastside dentist.” Yeeesh.

Lince Dorado and Max Abrams vs. Santi Rivera and Jacari Ball w/ It’s GAL

Background: So last week Dorado and Max were angry at It’s GAL and pals working out too loudly in a gym, and they’re like that’s fighting words, lets fight. Lince is the savvy vet, Abrams is the vain rookie that is definitely heeling it up and feels like he’s on the cusp of stabbing Lince in the back. GAL, Santi, and Jacari are just three jacked up dudes who don’t want to lose their GAINS. They’re the heels here but they’re three goofy meatheads and I am rooting for them. Max is in powder blue trunks, Lince is in a pink velour outfit with a mask, Santi is in red trunks, and Jacari in dark grey trunks.

The Match: Lince and Santi start with some dancing around before Santi gets Dorado in the corner and pats the head as he breaks. THAT CAD! Lince grabs an arm and we have CJ Valor in the VIP lounge. Dorado gets run over with a shoulder but the vet gets a whacky lucha rollup for a cover and goes back to the arm. Santi finally runs Dorado into his corner and brings in Jacari and they hit a double-team…that Lince flips out of and brings in Max with dropkicks on both opponents and they clear Santi out before Abrams armdrags Ball more fast-paced stuff from Max who hits a big flying back elbow for a cover but he whiffs a corner charge and gets crotched and Jacari tosses him down and we get some double teams from the gymbros with a Jacari backbreaker and then Santi rolls in for a neckbreaker onto Ball’s knee. Max gets worked over more in the corner and more quick tags as It’s GAL talks junk ringside. Santi stomps in the corner, then Jacari in with a Karelin lift and some covers and Max is begging for a tag as Ball chinlocks Max. Santi in now to keep it up but he whiffs a corner charge and now Lince is in! Flips! Kicks! He’s going 1v2 and pulling it off with strikes. Rivera pinballs around for Lince who then rakes the back into a lungblower but Ball breaks the cover. Lince hits a double handspring stunner and then Max runs in to hit a double clothesline to send the gym guys outside and Lince hits a tope through Abrams legs and it’s back in with a Dorado crossbody for 2.5 and then a jujigatame while Max plays defense…but Jacari just runs him over. And then a crazy dropkick from Jacari sends Max outside, Lince superkicks Ball and goes for a moonsault but Ball gets his feet up. Tag to Santi and it’s a Manhattan drop by Ball and then a slingblade by Rivera for 2.9. Bacari tags in and both guys try a double-brainbuster but Lince turns that into a double-DDT and drags Santi into the corner and goes up…but Max tags in and accidentally (okay, “accidentally”) knocks Lince off and then Lince gets distracted by GAL on the apron and Santi rolls him up for 3. And commentary explains that since Abrams didn’t have both feet on the canvas his tag wasn’t legal and ergo the loss is kosher, okay good work from Blake Howard explaining that.

**¼

A little overcooked but Jacari and Santi seem like a solid team and GAL as a manager is fine? I think the finishing sequence was just clever enough to be nice without being too stupid and it’s advancing some stuff. Mostly worked at a pace you could call Mike Enos vs. Steve Doll-esque…but the end heated up a bit, no real complaints!

Post-match Max and Lince hash it out and the vet looks pretty disappointed.

Next week we’re gonna get Harley Riggins and Kam Hendrix vs. Tate Wilder and Luca Crusfino! The hottest feud in Evolve!!! And in two weeks we’re getting Rourke defending his title against Harlem Lewis and Braxton Cole! Feel the excitement!

Dorian Van Dux vs. Kai Kavari

Background: So Dorian obviously made his appearance on NXT recently, so I don’t know how much longer he’ll be in Evolve, but he’s a jacked up (if short) Belgian dude who does flips and power moves. Kai was the goon of the Team PC squad and is basically a jobber, errrr, enhancement talent. He’s not very big and has some ugly tattoos but he’s a good bumbling goon.

The Match: Dorian and Kai lockup to start with the Belgian getting the advantage and then Kai takes over with a flurry of strikes and then slips out of a powerslam and gets a springboard back elbow and a kip-up (?!). But Dorian just stares at him blankfaced and I think he’s trying a sorta Terminator deal. Dorian decapitates Kai with a lariat, release Doctor Bomb and the Bad Boy from Brussels hits a SSP and that’s 3.

*½

Squash such as Kabocha are often used in Asian cuisine, the Thai “pumpkin” curry uses Kabocha. Much better worker by DVD and the emotionless killer thing has some legs. Very solid! Poor Kai but I guess somebody has to job, y’know?

And now we’re backstage with Brooks Jensen who goes over his beef with Cappuccino Jones, Brooks questions why Jones would jump him the last week, did Cap think it would frighten Jensen? The Bad Man From Alabama denies that, but it did make him think, and he thinks about the last match between Cappuccino and Brooks, and it’s a match with no DQs, no countouts, and no running away, because they’re not connected by wrestling, but by a rope, and next week, Brooks thoughts become Jones reality when it’s a bullrope match.

I like Brooks! He’s good, solid promo here, clearly nostalgia bait but it’s a style.

And now it’s Byron Saxton for the main-event as he explains the rules of this eliminator gauntlet match. Two people start, every two minutes a new competitor comes out. Eliminations can happen via pinfall, submission, or DQ, and the last woman standing wins.

Laynie Luck vs. Kali Armstrong vs. Karmen Petrovic vs. Wendy Choo vs. Nikkita Lyons vs. Tyra Mae Steele vs. Sloane Jacobs vs. PJ Vasa – Eliminator Gauntlet Match for the vacant Evolve Women’s Championship

Background: Okay woof, that’s a lot, so we just established the rules, let me quickly break down the talent. Laynie Luck is the ID champ and a tatted up scrappy underdog babyface lady, she’s in maroon gear. Kali is a former champ but she just debuted on NXT so I have my doubts about her chances, she’s big, athletic, jacked, a brawler with a power game. Kali is wearing Lakers colors here (boo!). Karmen of course was on NXT in the past but is now in Evolve (uh oh) and is an undersized karateka, she’s in black and red gear with sparkles and straps and it’s very Final Fantasy.. Wendy Choo is now a babyface post-therapy when she did her creepy heel gimmick, she’s a vet with a lot of know-how and is probably the in-ring general for this match, she’s dressed in a black and blue singlet. Nikkita Lyons is a bigger brawler type who is an evil hippy influencer LA nutbar heel. Lyons has dark grey studded gear. Tyra Mae Steele, Olympian, won a gold medal, she’s big, strong, fast, and has tons of amateur skills and is always kinda teasing going heel. TMS is in red and white. Sloane Jacobs just came back and won a match to get in this match, pale, sorta regular generic heel here but she was of a previous class of NXT that had Roxanne and Sol in it, so uh, she’s in Evolve now…yep. Sloane is in purple and electric yellow in an almost raver look, how odd. And PJ Vasa is a big, scary Samoan lady with tattoos, she’s The Issue and is going to be the last one in the match as she won a multi-woman to get the spot, the erstwhile favorite. She’s dressed in her black and red singlet with the tusk motif on the edge. Whew, you got all that?

The Match: Laynie Luck and Karmen Petrovic start and both bounce around and Karmen gets a cravate and tries some early rollups before Laynie tries her own. Babyface technical exchange into a standstill and both seem to be playing the long game as we get a Greco-Roman knucklelock into a rollup by Karmen as we cut to the lockerroom and we see Layla Diggs, Masyn Holiday, Anya Rune (ugh), Veronica Haven, and Gianna Capri watching intently. Back to the match as both just do basic wrestling school 101 stuff and they run an international now before Karmen sweeps the leg into a Gedo Clutch and they trade more pins. Petrovic gets a leg full-nelson and we get a double-facebuster as two minutes have passed and in comes Kali Armstrong. Kali looks at the Evolve title for a bit and caresses it and it’s an ad break! We’re back with Kali dominating both women with double-leg slams and charging shoulder thrusts before getting a spinebuster on Laynie…but she runs into a Karmen boot and the Canadian gets a few strikes before Kali slams the blonde and we get a few rollups traded as Laynie slides back in. Armstrong eats strikes from both women and gets chopped down as Karmen and Luck both get pin attempts off it, but Kali fires up and kips up and hits a double lariat and now we have a new competitor as it’s Wendy Choo, who has history with Kali and immediately takes down Armstrong with some fast strikes and a hammerlock lariat before turning to Laynie and tossing her into the corner for a handspring elbow and then a Yakuza kick to Kali. Choo goes up for a crossbody but Karmen flies in with a superkick on Choo for a quick cover. Karmen is frustrated and goes for Kali and Laynie seems to agree to the double-team…but Kali shrugs it off for a bit before Kali is worked over by Laynie and Karmen…and it’s now another 2 minutes as Tyra Mae Steele flies in to break up a pin on Kali (?) but she destroys Laynie and Karmen with slams and then offers Kali a hand up. Karmen tries to break up the lovefest with a kick but Kali ducks and Tyra holds Karmen in place for Kali Connection (The Pounce!!!!) and that’s 3 as Karmen is ELIMINATED. Kali and Tyra work over Laynie with strikes but the ID champ elbows out and throws knees and then whips Kali to the ropes where Wendy pulls her outside but Kali immediately whips her into the steps and goes back to stomp out Luck with Tyra. Sloane Jacobs is next and she cuts off Kali with a big kick, dropkick to Tyra, and a double-team kick/tornado DDT to take down Kali and Tyra…but TMS just fires back but gets caught in the corner with Sloane for a headscissors turnbuckle slam and then a quick cover, and then Sloane reaches out to Laynie as I guess it’ll be the white ID ladies versus the Black athlete ladies…uh oh. But Sloane immediately turns on Laynie and gets a Gannosuke Clutch (?!?) for 3 and Laynie Luck is ELIMINATED. Sloane goes to dap up Tyra and Kali…and they immediately stomp her down and it’s another assisted Kali Connection for 3 and Sloane Jacobs is ELIMINATED. Tyra and Kali hype each other up and now Wendy slides back in with an O’Connor roll on Tyra, and after the kickout by TMS she uses the momentum to uppercut Kali. Choo slips out of a powerslam and tries the Dirt Nap (cobra clutch) on TMS but Kali breaks that up and both athletes stomp out the vet and then hit a double vertical suplex…and two minutes are up and it’s Nikkita Lyons. Big Kat Kita throws kicks at everybody and then a snap suplex on Tyra…but Kali cuts that off and both of the athletes beat down Lyons and they call for ANOTHER assisted Kali Connection, but it’s the rule of three and Lyons pulls Tyra into it and TMS gets plastered. Armstrong is confused and gets dropped with a kick and Nikkita takes advantage with a spinning heel kick on Tyra and that’s 3 and Tyra Mae Steels is ELIMINATED. Kali and Nikkita slug it out until Lyons hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors (?!) but goes up for a Vader Bomb and Wendy cuts that off, but they tangle on the top and Kali gets up and it’s a tower of doom for a triple down as PJ Vasa is next as we hit a break. We come back with PJ Vasa destroying everybody with corner splashes and a Black Hole Slam on Kali for 2.9. Choo tries throwing hands and Nikkita helps with a double boot but they try a double suplex but PJ reverses and gets them both. Fireman’s carry on Kali but Armstrong slips out and gets a big scoop powerslam (?!) and then tries for the Kali Connection again, but Tyra Mae Steele cuts her off, yelling at her about getting her eliminated and they throw hands before Kali turns around and it’s a Nikkita superkick for 3 and Kali is ELIMINATED. It’s Lyons, PJ, and Wendy left as they trade shots until they focus on blasting PJ, and Choo and Nikkita both get covers and try a double-team submission on The Issue. PJ Issues up and whips both into each other, but she misses a charge and goes outside and Nikkita nails Wendy with a tiger bomb for 2.8. But PJ slides back in, and when Lyons tries another Tiger Bomb, PJ backdrops out, now Wendy tries the Dirt Nap on Vasa, but Vasa is JUST TOO BIG and drives Choo into the corner. Vasa with a Samoan drop on Choo and then she goes up for a second-rope splash and whiffs, Wendy with a headscissors driver, Nikkita with the leg drop for 3 and PJ Vasa is ELIMINATED! It’s just Wendy and Nikkita and both throw hands, we run the ropes with strikes but Lyons gets a spinning Michinoku Driver for 2.7 but runs into some kicks from Choo in the corner and it’s another Dirt Nap attempt, Lyons snapmares out but Choo gets her full nelson slam for 2. Both women are pretty gassed but Choo goes up but barely gets any lift and gets snatched out of the air on a crossbody and Lyons gets a spinning release slam and then a Vader Bomb for 2.9. Big Kat is confused and irate and she talks trash as she picks Wendy up and goes for the roundhouse heel kick but Choo ducks and it’s another Dirt Nap but we get the Bret counter to break, tiger bomb attempt but Wendy gets a huracanrana and that’s 3.

***¾

Okay this was a blast. So basically it’s the Japanese Rumble with no over the top eliminations. I can see this working as long as they agent something well, 8 women might be too much but maybe not, or perhaps longer breaks, regardless, this gimmick match was super fun and set up a lot of future stuff. Also I called Wendy winning cause I am smart, I am smart, s-m-r-t smart! Congrats to Wendy and we have a lot of ways to go here. I am grading this match on a curve as they’re basically doing beta-testing for a new gimmick match and I really, really, REALLY see this matches potential, they’ve sold me on it. Now for my rankings (in order of elimination).

Karmen Petrovic: D- Yeah I uh, wouldn’t be buying Karmen stock right now. She didn’t look totally terrible, but she didn’t look that special and at this point, what are we doing. Not even the best kicks in the match…yeowch.

Laynie Luck: D, she’s sorta scrappy I guess, I dunno, some people are here to lose, I don’t quite get picking up a talent who I don’t really see making the main-roster at all, but she at least feels like she’ll be here in 6 months unlike other talent.

Sloane Jacobs: C+, i don’t know if this makes sense, but I wish she was around to be Jacy Jayne’s goon instead of her actual goons, she gets how to heel a bit and seems like she can be one of those people that is on TV and makes the stars look good but isn’t a total drag to watch. Good place!

Tyra Mae Steele: C- putting her in the same match with Kali as buddy was not a great place for her, Kali is just so more natural and fluid, TMS isn’t toast or anything, and she looked like…a more comfortable worker just being part of this, but she also looked a lot less special. Look, the upside is there, but she sorta felt like a generic wrestler throwing armdrags in this match and uh, who needs that?

Kali Armstrong: B+ not her best performance I’ve seen, but I think she might have been keeping it a bit easy with the callup around here. Kali is something special even if you might not totally see it just in this match, but hey, sometimes it’s not all about her and she can still contribute to matches even if she looks a bit like a chump in. Strong outing and obviously clear why she’s getting moved up.

PJ Vasa: B-, she’s a big nasty heel who works like a big nasty heel. She needs more flavor, she needs more variety, but I have no issue (see what I did there?) with PJ and where she is, obviously not ready for the belt yet, but the monster pipeline for women is very limited and it’s possible with time she could be the best American monster woman’s heel ever.

Nikkita Lyons: A- okay Lyons is Good Now Actually, yes, they had her go longer, but hey, she pulled it off. Lyons always looked awkward and weird in the ring, but she’s tightened up her execution, improved her cardio, and she can kinda go? I don’t know if the gimmick and the in-ring are totally married, but I don’t know if that matters. She did well, and while I have not liked her in the past, she deserves respect here.

Wendy Choo: A, I mean she carried this thing, it was her baby, this match could have been a disaster and while it wasn’t just her, it was clear that Choo was calling stuff, interfering when needed to keep stuff rolling, just a really, really good performance from somebody who I doubt will ever make the main-roster, but hey, she’s keeping this ship afloat and she did super well. The idea that this silly gimmick might have a future exists cause of what Wendy did here.

And post-match we have THE FOREMAN Timothy Thatcher out here to give Wendy the belt and the Evolvemaniacs are going wild.

And with that, I hope you Evolvemaniacs are going wild too as we finish another fantastic (okay work with me) episode of Evolve, good on Wendy! Good on Brooks!

Thanks for watching and I’ll catch you next time.