WWE Evolve September 23rd 2026

Welcome to a women’s showcase for Evolve where a big title defense where Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons faces Skylar Raye, but before we get to that, let’s catch up on what happened in the greater WWE universe

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

And we start with Skylar Raye who lets us know it’s the first all-women’s showcase in Evolve history and that tonight is the night. She won LFG season 2 and that’s a big deal but it’s not a guarantee of longevity. She needs to live up to those champions of Evolve’s storied past, Kali Armstrong, Kendal Grey, Wemdy Choo (bit awkward there), and even Nikkita Lyons who reinvented herself in Evolve. But Skylar Raye is the shooting star and she’s going to make that splash and be NEWWWWW!

Flips! Posing! Glaring! Chemistry! Strikes! It’s Evolve!

Sloane Jacobs makes her entrance to one of the most generic club themes I’ve ever heard ever and she starts by letting us know that this all-women’s Evolve is only possible because Nikkita Lyons is the greatest champion of all time and Sloane runs down the accolades and does the obnoxious shill routine. Jacobs says we’re getting Lyons in the main-event, but now Sloane is going to take care of an Issue…and PJ Vasa (coughs awkwardly) makes her entrance.

Sloane Jacobs vs. PJ Vasa

Background: Sloane is an annoying heel sycophant who is continually pushed around by Nikkita, the champ. PJ is a big scary south pacific heel monster who uh…well Evolve is taped and PJ has been released. Sloane is a pale redhead who is notably cowering at PJ’s entrance and Vasa is big, bad, and she’ll bodyslam your mom or something like that.

The Match: Sloane immediately ducks a strike and tries for a sleeper but PJ backs her into the buckles and tosses her over the shoulder and then bludgeons the stooge down. Vasa with a clothesline and the fans chant about the odds of homicide towards Jacobs but the redhead gets a headscissors slam into the buckle…but tries a crossbody and eats a slam, but she goes for a Vader bomb that Sloane cuts that off and stomps PJ in a tree of woe before choking PJ in the ropes and we go to a break. Back and we have Sloane with a double-jump springboard elbow for 2. They trade shots and PJ gets the advantage before Sloane stumbles into a body attack and then a few clotheslines and hits a corner charge and then a Samoan drop for 2. PJ picks up Sloane again who slips out but can’t get a whip, but turns PJ’s attempt into a float-over and then a victory roll (with the ropes) for 3.

**

Well, I think both played their characters well, match didn’t overstay its welcome either. I don’t quite know who is face or heel (in the match, PJ face, Sloane heel) but with Vasa leaving and Jacobs building up her put-upon stooge vibes, dunno.

Post-match PJ flattens Sloane with a spear and says Nikkita has no help, ruh-roh.

Now we have Alix Brooks and Kale Dixon backstage (wait wasn’t this a women’s showcase?) complaining about Aaron Rourke costing Kale a match against Ulka and they complain the jacket Rourke put on Alix had fleas and how itchy they are. They say Aaron crawled out of a bingo hall and they have a new plan, which is to target the former champ.

This acts depth as arrogant attractive people make Theory and Maxxine look like Shawn and Sherri.

Commentary runs down the card a bit and now Zena Sterling (uh oh) makes her entrance to boos and tells them to CUT HER MUSIC. This is the real Zena and she thought she had to be nice and smile and be cute. Just like Skylar Raye right now. But this did nothing for Zena, who was disrespected and talked down to, so now this is the REAL Zena who has always been superior, and she talks trash in Ukrainian. Zena will be in the VIP section tonight watching two inferior women compete for a title that belongs to her. More slavic trash-talk and that’s it.

…and that might be it, what a rough promo, don’t talk trash while you sound like you’re crying folks.

And now Anya Rune (oh no) and she’s saying that people doubt how kawaii and u~wu she is (sp?). But despite that, she is still her and she belongs and she is the main-character. She needs her fans and their energy and she’ll unlock her potential.

Woof. Okay, I get the gimmick but oh boy. Err, given the night, girl, no.

We have a clip of Vanta the Unknown making her appearance earlier this month costing Laynie Luck a chance at the Evolve Women’s title.

Vanta the Unknown vs. Veronica Haven

Background: Vanta has been cutting SPOOKY promos about fear and doubt and is a big, jacked up platinum blonde lady who is VERY flexible (get your mind out of the gutter) and has a face paint stripe and an all-black outfit. Veronica is very small and is part of the women’s ID program, she’s bounced between heel and face and was last a stooge of Gianna Capri, she basically exudes Evanescence energy and is the Fallen Angel but hasn’t really done much in the ring or otherwise. Respect to Vanta being announced from The Void.

The Match: Lockup into wrist control for Vanta but Veronica flips out before Vanta uses her standing cartwheel (I am not a gymnast enough to explain it) to reverse and then takes down Veronica into a headlock, Haven reverses but Vanta pulls the hair to break and Veronica fires off a headscissors that Vanta does a front walkover to counter. Veronica is spooked but she strikes back and Vanta is stumbling backwards and then a whip turns into a Haven float-over and a taunt…but Vanta knocks her down and then tosses her to the apron and Veronica gets a rope-assisted gamengiri but Vanta snaps the arm on the ropes, stomps away, and posts Veronica before a 2 count. Vantas settles for a keylock (as a rest hold?) but Veronica flips Vanta over before The Unknown does some impressive gymnastics and returns to the keylock but Veronica gets up again…and Vanta uses the ropes to do a tiger feint into a weak clothesline before Haven uses the ropes for a schoolgirl but Vanta rolls through and gets an arm-trap armbar for the top (commentary calls it the Singularity).

*

Oh boy this did not work for me. I’m not saying either are incapable, but Vanta the Unknown, who is taller, more muscular, and set up with a series of spooky promos and vignettes, wrestled an entirely evasive style against the absolutely tiny and unimpressive Veronica Haven. Vanta is clearly very agile and acrobatic, and I get the point of her continually countering out of stuff, but these evasions being set up by Veronica elbowing out of holds and forcing Vanta to her feet cuts the legs out of a character built up with some mystery and intrigue. I’ll put this over as a learning curve situation but this should have been a squash or at least against somebody more credible than Veronica Haven who I don’t think has won a single match on Evolve.

Post-match Laynie Luck runs out and Vanta pulls out a series of impressive evasions before Laynie takes her down before Vanta slips up and drops Laynie with a clothesline (that is once again, VERY weak).

We run down the history of Evolve Succession and show some clips and October 14th is the next one, Succession IV: Live Free Succeed Hard…and maybe don’t tell us that somebody will be challenging Nikkita at the event, who uh, has a title match next.

Next week we’ll get Harley Riggins vs. It’s GAL for the spot against Harlem at Succession for the belt, and also Braxton Cole vs. Elijah Holyfield.

And we now have Kali Armstrong putting over the FIRST all-women’s Evolve special and she talks about being the first Evolve’s women’s champion and what it did for her and how much it taught her and she puts over the division and the legacy of the title. Armstrong babyfaces it up and says the locker room is great and she’s watching and the division is in good hands. Kali puts over Evolve and how she’s looking forward to facing the women here in a few months.

Wow that was insanely babyface. I liked it!

Nikkita Lyons (c) w/ Gianna Capri vs. Skylar Raye – Evolve Women’s Championship

Background: Nikkita is our arrogant hippie influencer kickboxing powerhouse heel champion.Skylar is a spunky, undersized former cheerleader who won the title shot (in somewhat dubious fashion). And since Sloane has been taken out, Nikkita recruits Gianna Capri to do her introduction which she flubs in comedic fashion.

The Match: Nikkita immediately takes Skylar over for an armbar and keeps on the arm before Skylar uses agility to counter and Nikkita complains in the ropes. A headlock from Lyons grinds Skylar down but Raye uses a foot to the knee to break and gets a facelock that Lyons powers out of so Skylar settles for a shotgun dropkick and then a weak run-up knee for a cover and then Skylar cranks in her own chinlock but Nikkita uses power to block the takeover so Skylar springboards with it to complete the takeover. Raye blocks the headscissors evasion and Lyons finally breaks with an international and Skylar counters a Bossman Slam into another headlock. Lyons gets to her feet again and Skylar tries another springboard but Nikkita counters that into a back suplex and then unleashes some strikes in the corner on the smaller Raye but a corner charge is evaded by Skylar and Nikkita posts herself and eats a crossbody off the apron and we go to a break. Back in and Nikkita catches a Skylar dropkick for a slingshot into the ropes and now some stomps and a rope press before a splits-legdrop and a choke on the ropes and then a foot choke in the corner before a whip into a Samoan drop for 1.5. Dragon Sleeper by Lyons and that’s worked for a while before Raye finally kicks out, flips over and gets a rollup…but Lyons runs Skylar’s throat into the ropes and tries for another hold and then catches Skylar’s crossbody for a tree of woe…and Lyons misses a kick and stumbles before Skylar turns that into a crossbody for a double-down. Both slug it out and Skylar does shockingly well and then runs over Nikkita with a series of shoulderblocks (?!) and then a corner charge, stomp.and handspring kneedrop gets a cover. Skylar tries a tornado DDT but Nikkita shoves Raye off and gets a powerbomb (called incorrectly as a Tiger Bomb by Blake Howard, that fool) for 2.7. Lyons tries a Vader Bomb but whiffs and now Skylar gets the tornado DDT for 2.8. Skylar tries to capitalize but runs into a Nikkita kick and Lyons goes for an actual Tiger Bomb (seriously Blake) but Raye turns that into a rana for 2.9. Skylar runs the ropes and ducks a Lyons strike and lands a headscissors facebuster and goes up but misses Starstruck (frog splash) and Nikkita’s Divine Alignment (spinning hook kick) gets 3.

***

Okay…well, this was much, MUCH better than I expected. I have a few quibbles but for their relative level of experience this was quite good. There was some sloppiness, but Skylar was a scrappy, spunky, energetic agile babyface, Nikkita was the big heel brawler powerhouse, and they did a lot to make stuff like headlocks and weardown holds matter before they got into the big strike fest. Very good agenting, solid work by all, very impressed. Good job ladies.

Post-match Nikkita gets jumped by Wendy Choo (uh oh) and eats the Dirt Nap and passes out.

So, this was maybe not the girl power showcase you’d hope for, as 50% of the acts showcased have since been released by WWE and sometimes the taping schedule of Evolve really takes the starch out of the program given my status as a smark (and yet again, who is watching Evolve that doesn’t follow this news?). Still, I like the idea and with NXT maybe struggling with its future crop of women’s stars it is nice to show who might be a person down the line.

Next week we got some chud dudes doing whatever (It’s GAL vs. Harley Riggins and Braxton Cole vs. Elijah Holyfield) but nevermind that, keep on reading, keep on writing, and keep on evolving my Evolvemaniacs.