WWE Evolve June 24th 2026 Succession III

It’s Evolve time, and not just any Evolve time, it’s Evolve’s Succession III: Revenge of the Developmental as we’re onto a pretty big show with some debuts, a double title match, and more! But first lets catch up with the greater WWE space.

Main Event – Impact – Smackdown – AAA – Raw – NXT

But we have some walk and talk as Aaron Rourke, with Cappuccino Jones, Marcus Mathers, and Sam Holloway as Rourke says he has his backup against the Mog Squad and Rourke OWNS Succession. We now have Max Abrams getting misted down backstage by his Mog Squad’s CJ Valor, Santi Rivera, and Jacari Ball saying that Rourke and ID 1.0 are ‘chopped’ and like ‘old smart phones’ while the Mog Squad are ‘AI powered glasses.’ Cool. Abrams is taking over and when he wins the title he’s starting Hot Boy Summer. Now it’s Sloane Jacobs and Nikkita Lyons posing and its time for Lyons to win her first WWE title. Choo lets us know that this title means everything to her and she’s not going to lose to somebody obsessed with social media, in fact, her next post will just be her standing tall with the title.

Beakers! Moves! Dramatic music that’s new! It’s Succession III: Rise of the Mog!

Wendy Choo (c) vs. Nikkita Lyons (w/ Sloane Jacobs) – Evolve Women’s Championship

Background: Wendy won the title in a gauntlet match that had Nikkita have the most eliminations in, and since then Lyons is claiming to be the uncrowned champ. Choo has gone through a few gimmick transformations in Evolve but is currently a sort of savvy babyface vet who is nonplussed with the absurdity and silliness of Lyons and her stooge, Jacobs. Sloane took a long road back to WWE as she was in the same class as Roxanne and is now serving as Lyons somewhat loyal minion, but Sloane stole a pin against Wendy to get a title shot and Lyons didn’t take kindly to it. Still, it’s theoretically 2v1. Wendy is in purple, Nikkita is in black, red, and gold while Sloane blesses her with a crystal before the match.

The Match: We cut to the VIP Lounge as we have Kendal Grey, Kali Armstrong, and…Zena Sterling. Big lockup to start and the both of them push each other around the ring before we get a kitchen sink knee and Wendy cranks in a headlock. Lyons breaks free and tries a big headkick but Choo ducks…before falling to the legsweep. Peter Rosenberg is ranting about Swagu or something and I might need to block him out. Choo blocks a grounded punch from Lyons with an armbar attempt and then reverses to her Dirt Nap (grounded cobra clutch) but Kita flips out only for Wendy to get her with a Thesz press and some ground and pound. Lyons reverses and gets her own as this has been pretty aggressive so far. Both ladies trade some wristlock reversals before Lyons hits a sunset flip that Choo rolls into a dropkick. A corner sequence has Wendy hit a headscissors to send Lyons to the outside, but when Choo tries to follow her head gets bounced on the apron, but now it’s Lyons turn for petard hoisting as she goes for the split-legdrop and whiffs which sets up a Choo baseball slide to send Lyons to the floor. Wendy keeps up the pace with a cannonball off the apron and then tosses the Divine Feline back in but Sloane Jacobs distracts Choo which lets Lyons get a big head kick and we go to break. Back inside and Lyons is working Choo over but her suplex is turned into an inside cradle that Lyons quickly breaks and then it’s more strikes and a snap suplex before Lyons hits the split-legdrop for 2. Choo tries to recover but eats a boot and Lyons goes to the second-rope…only for Wendy to trip her up and gets a rope-hung DDT. Commentary talks about how Kendal Grey has had battles with Choo and is cheering her on from the VIP Lounge as she made her big moment at Succession a year ago and is the fastest-rising star. Why I do think that WWE might be high on this Kendal Grey lady! The DDT doesn’t get a cover but both ladies trade strikes from the knees to a standing position and Choo finally hits a series of clotheslines and then a hammerlock lariat before a handspring clothesline to the corner sets up a Yakuza kick and then a running neckbreaker for 2 as the champ is showing out. Choo tries for a full-nelson slam before Lyons reverses to her own and Choo lands a victory roll into a STF and then an attempt at the Dirt Nap (that was slick!) but the bigger Nikkita just picks up Choo and spins her into some sort of sidewalk slam and then hits an Overdrive of all things for 2. Nikkita picks up Choo for a slam attempt but Wendy slips out and tries the hammerlock lariat again that Lyons ducks, but the challenger runs into a full-nelson slam and the Dirt Nap regardless. Wendy can’t quite complete the s-grip though and Lyons rolls outside and sends Wendy into the steps. Back in and Lyons takes her time going to the top rope and Choo recovers and cuts her off. Both battle on the top before Lyons lands a super Michinoku driver but it only gets 2.9 and Nikkita is shocked. Lyons goes for the Tiger Driver but Wendy reverses into a huracanrana for 2.8, but Lyons drops Choo with a right and it’s time, it’s time, it’s Vader Bomb time! Choo catches Nikkita on the second bounce though and turns it into a powerbomb and immediately rolls that through for a third Dirt Nap attempt and the fingers are clasped. Sloane grabs the belt and tosses it inside before distracting referee Vicky D’Errico from a desperate Lyons who taps to Wendy. Choo notices and breaks the hold to go after Sloane as the ref tries to get this all-sorted, and now we have Laynie Luck running down to go after Jacobs as Nikkita is back to her feet, title belt in hand. Choo turns around and almost gets clocked but ducks the shot and a schoolgirl gets 2.8 as Vicky tries to get the belt out of the ring…and now Nikkita notices Sloane’s crystal which has been left behind. Nikkita grabs the crystal, Wendy goes for another Dirt Nap, and Lyons spikes Choo in the face before a spinning hook kick and that’s 3.

***¼

Just a TAD overbooked, but both ladies worked hard, if a bit too fast. Still, I do appreciate some quality cheating and we sure got some. This is the best Lyons has ever looked in a singles and her win is well-deserved.

Post-match we have Nikkita celebrating in the ring as commentary is weirdly putting Lyons over as a babyface for cheating to win a title.

We get a bit of Evolve hagiography as commentary puts over all the former Evolve champions who have made NXT and even Mania (did you know Drew held the Evolve championship back in the day?). Robert Stone puts over how Evolve is the place for rising stars and how careers are made!

And of course next week we get Special Guest GM…KevOnStage and here’s Chuey Martinez to interview him in the VIP Section. Kev puts over his wrestling fandom for years and now we have It’s GAL to interrupt and say that Kev needs some help, and why not peek at GAL’s peaks as It’s GAL is tired of nonsense like Cutler James ambushing him the other week, so Kev says that if It’s GAL wants Cutler James, next week he’s got Cutler James. It’s GAL doesn’t seem super happy about this and walks away.

Uh, isn’t It’s GAL a face now?

And now we have some debuts for Evolve, and first up we have.

Kai Kavari vs. Kale Dixon

Background: Kai Kavari is the closest thing Evolve has to a house jobber. He’s small, he’s kind of annoying, he gets destroyed. Kale of course was last seen on NXT partnering with Uriah Connors, but Connors betrayed him for BirthRight. He’s a long-haired athletic guy who had some bad injury luck and is a bit of a goof but has some legit athletic credentials.

The Match: Kai foils a few lockups by Dixon and then knocks him down with a shoulder before Kai cranks in a hammerlock that Kale breaks by driving to the ropes and then a lifting inverted DDT before some corner stomps and a clothesline before Kale dances a bit which lets Kai strike back but Kale drops him with a thrust kick for 2 and then a running chop to the back and then Kale gets a sleeper that Kai breaks free from and Peter Rosenberg makes spinach jokes about Kale. Kavari hits a springboard back elbow to drop Kale and then a few running strikes keep up the aggression. Dixon tries a suplex but Kai floats over and a mysterious blonde woman distracts Kai enough for Dixon to hit 96 (discus elbow) for 3.

*¼

Oof. Yeah, okay, so if you want to debut somebody in a big showcase for them, why would Kai Kavari take 75% of the match and then Kale does whatever before a distraction lets him win? Dixon never really impressed me but this was a horrible way to come back. Quarter star to Kai actually looking okay, is he supposed to be the star out of this?

Now we have some sort of spooky video package of some lady in shadows talking about how she’s fear and how she’s death and she’s the voice in your mind and the nightmare you cannot wake up from. You cannot plan for the unknown, you cannot escape the unknown and you must fear the unknown.

Another spooky gimmick, huh?

Anyway, we have the Mog Squad make their entrance but KevOnStage says that the only thing that makes them think they look better is that he’s bald and they aren’t, and next week, the six-man between Jacari, CJ, and Santi against Cappuccino, Marcus Mathers, and Holloway will be elimination rules

Aaron Rourke (c) vs. Max Abrams w/ The Mog Squad (Jacari Ball, CJ Valor, Santi Rivera) – Evolve Championship

Background: So Max Abrams started as Mike Cunningham before revealing himself to be a Vanity Project ripoff fan and exposing himself as the vain and sadistic Max Abrams who is gonna be a big star and is using Evolve to get there, yadda yadda and how Rourke is a stepping stone in his master plan. In what is shockingly topical for WWE, the Mog Squad are evil looksmaxxing (ugh) zoomer dirtbags. Rourke is our fabulous, underdog, blue collar (of sorts) champion, overlooked he came up to conquer the last preening pretty boy champ of Evolve and is looking to show Max that this time will be no different. Max is in white and sunglasses while Rourke is in multicoured, very neon, gear.

The Match: We get Harlem Lewis over in the VIP Section by his lonesome when the bell rings and a super hot start as Rourke immediately backs Max to the corner and stomps away and then Max gets some…decidedly looser stomps before the champ chops Max down and sends him flying into the opposite turnbuckle where Abrams powders and Rourke follows with a pescado on all of the Mog Squad. Abrams uses this to beat on the champ a bit, but back inside Rourke immediately gets a flapjack and then a basement dropkick that sends Max bouncing around the ring. Rourke poses a bit and stomps away before keeping the work on Max with chops in the corner. Abrams pratfalls off of that as Aaron does a Flair strut to a chorus of woo’s. More speed from Rourke to evade some chicanery from the Mog Squad, but Max distracts the ref and Rourke gets tripped on the apron before Abrams follows with a running blockbuster. Max stomps away as Chuey Martinez interviews Harlem Lewis who puts over the threat of the Darned Numbers Game (™). Harlem says he respects Rourke as a tough guy but Aaron has never pinned Lewis and never will, and we have a Max suplex as we go to break. We’re back with Aaron Rourke fighting to his feet but he collapses into the corner and Abrams hits a big missile dropkick for 2.6. Max tries his Main Objective (leapfrog bulldog) but Rourke catches him for an Electric Chair facebuster and Rourke takes a breather. Max tries to capitalize with a corner charge but runs into the Samoa Joe-style Ura-nage and then a shotgun dropkick and Rourke fires up with a kip-up into a handspring but he’s still shaky and Max drops the champ with a flying uppercut and Rourke goes to the top but gets caught posing and Rourke takes him down with an avalanche scoop powerslam for 2 and Rourke is still hurt. Aaron tries to get to the top-rope but Max holds onto a foot so Rourke settles for some stomps and tries the split-leg moonsault but Max evades and Rourke tweaks his knee on the landing. Abrams sends Aaron face first into the buckle but when trying to go in Aaron gets Max with a kick and slowly climbs again, letting Max crotch the champ into a jumping neckbreaker for 2. Max stomps away as Rourke gets to his feet and asks Max if that’s the best he’s got. Both guys slug away and trade boots and then both duck shots before Max gets a jumping knee and Rourke fires off a superkick but the challenger collapses onto Aaron for a 2 count. Both guys get to their feet but Max drives Rourke into the corner, and when Aaron goes for another one of his big kicks out of the corner Max ducks and we have a ref bump. Rourke gets the visual pinfall after a pump kick but when the Mog Squad slide in to menace Rourke, we get Harlem Lewis for backup! But as the Mog Squad backs down, Braxton Cole comes in to yank Lewis outside for a brawl. Rourke drops Max with a superkick in the chaos and takes down Jacari Ball and Santi Rivera, but CJ Valor drops Rourke with a title shot, but the ref isn’t recovered yet and this lets Rourke kick out at 2.9. Max calls in the Mog Squad for another beating but now ID 1.0 come in to clear the ring and they all brawl ringside and we finally reset to Max and Rourke. Abrams puts Aaron on the top rope and both of them duke it out while Max tries a superplex but he gets gourdbusted down and Rourke fires up for the Molly-Go-Round and that’s 3.

**½

Pretty disappointing as they once again went to the well with a ton of overbooking. But while the work of Nikkita and Wendy was good and crisp, it’s really clear why Max Abrams needs a ton of outside interference to keep a match interesting. Abrams is a good bumper and can play the bumbling fool, but he can’t work a full-length singles match and he was exposed pretty badly here. Rourke remains very good, good babyface fire, energetic, athletic, good at selling. He’s a worthy champion.

Post-match Rourke celebrates while we get Cappuccino Jones and Marcus Mathers and Jacari Ball and Santi Rivera stare each other down as apparently Sam Holloway was inadvertently injured by the ringsteps during the brawl and medical checks on him while the Security Dorks come out there and flatten the Mog Squad and then beat up ID 2.0 with a variety of judo moves.

WHAT TWIST! The security dorks are mean jerks!

Overall this was probably the weakest Succession with duplicate agenting in both big matches and a weaker challenger than normal plus, that utterly bizarre Kale Dixon segment, and some weak debuts along with tremendously unhinged and annoying commentary from Peter Rosenberg and Blake Howard, Rosenberg can’t decide if he’s a heel or a face and Blake is either bland or just kind of weird. Still, a decently fun show for what it was as we creep towards the next wave of challengers for our champions.

So next week will have KevOnStage as the guest GM with the Mog Squad vs. ID 1.0 in a six-man elimination tag, Kale Dixon addressing the audience, and then Braxton Cole vs. Harlem Lewis in a no DQ match. Actually some big stuff and maybe something important, as always thanks for reading and keep on succeeding!