By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 2)
Taped February 7, 2025 in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed March 12, 2025 on Tubi in the United States and YouTube.com internationally
Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone provided commentary, and they immediately turned to Stevie Turner, who said Riley Osborne vs. Oro Mensah and Kylie Rae vs. Zara Zakher will air tonight. It’s Gal sat in a VIP section with Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright; the women were not happy to see him.
I will reiterate what I wrote last week — the curtains are dropped, making the venue seem smaller and more intimate. There are only two or three rows at ringside, so we only have maybe 150 or so people present.
* We had quick vignettes on each of the two guys in the first match.
1. Harlem Lewis vs. Braxton Cole. My first thought is Braxton, who wore a plain dark blue singlet, looks a lot like a young Jack Swagger, but shorter, or a bit like Chris Nowinski. Harlem punched him at the bell and he tossed Braxton around, and hit a twisting powerslam for the pin! Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!
Harlem Lewis defeated Braxton Cole at 1:11.
Chuey Martinez interviewed Lewis at ringside, who was confident he can beat anyone. Out came Keanu Carver, who argued with Lewis. Carver won a similarly quick match last week. Gal rolled into the ring and told Keanu that they will fight next!
2. Keanu Carver vs. It’s Gal. Keanu slammed Gal into the corner and hit some shoulder blocks, then an overhead release fallaway slam! Gal hit an enzuigiri. Carver hit a D’Lo-style Sky High powerbomb for the pin. Equally quick.
Keanu Carver defeated It’s Gal at 1:19.
* We had a vignette on Kylie Rae to introduce her. She’s just happy to be here! Taking the long road to get here has made her appreciate it more. They went to a commercial break. [C]
* Please… more of them between segments, not in the middle of matches! You cannot fast-forward.
* Peter went over to interview Carlee and Kendal… and he was interrupted by Zayda Steel, who was irate that she doesn’t have a match. We then saw a vignette to introduce viewers to Zara, who stressed she is the “petite powerhouse,” which is certainly an accurate moniker.
3. Kylie Rae vs. Zara Zakher. I’ve seen a fair amount of Zara already between her appearances in GCW and some shows up and down the West Coast, and the commentators acknowledged she has toured Japan. They traded quick reversals on the mat. Kylie went for a crossface, but Zara immediately got a foot on the ropes. The commentators noted that Kylie “is older” (I believe she is 33) and wondered if this is her last chance to break out. Zara hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 2:30.
Kylie hit a rolling cannonball in the corner for a nearfall. The cameras focused on Zayda, who was screaming and still irate she’s not in this match. Zara hit some clotheslines and forearm strikes, then a spinebuster for a nearfall. Kylie spun Zara to the mat and applied a crossface. She hit a superkick. Zakher got a rollup out of nowhere for the clean pin. I liked that.
Zara Zakher defeated Kylie Rae at 5:12.
* Chuey interviewed Zara at ringside, and Zara put over Kylie as a top-tier talent. She shook Kylie’s hand and hugged her. Zayda hopped over the ring apron and yelled at Zakher. Out of the back came Wendy Choo, still looking possessed. She handed Kylie a stuffed bear and a note. Why?
[C] Again, they went to break just before the match began, which is preferable to in-match breaks!
4. Wendy Choo vs. Aria Bennett. Bennett is a Black woman with long black braids; she was a college gymnast and apparently was in WOW wrestling. This is my first time seeing her. Aria did some flips to get away from Wendy, but Choo speared her as Aria was doing a hand stand! (Seems like a bad idea!) Wendy snapped Aria’s neck between her ankles, and she hit a running kick in the corner at 1:30. Choo hit a uranage and she applied the Dirt Nap (sleeper on the mat). The female ref checked on Bennett and called for the bell. Aria showed a lot of athleticism.
Wendy Choo defeated Aria Bennett at 2:06.
* Brinley Reece walked up to Kendal and Carlee and said she has a match next week.
* In a pre-taped, sit-down interview backstage, Javier Bernal talked to Luca Crucafino. Javier apologized to Luca for what he said last week. (Um, I don’t think it aired!) Javier is coming back from an injury. Luca told Javier he wasn’t thinking about him, because he doesn’t see Javier as a threat. Javier is really trying to be a babyface here; it’s not clicking for me right now but let’s see how it goes. Javier challenged Luca to a match next week.
* A video package aired to highlight the WWE ID program. When we came back, Jack Cartwheel, Sean Legacy and Cappuccino Jones were now in the VIP section; they won the main event of last week’s debut episode. Kali Armstrong came up and yelled at them.
5. Oro Mensah vs. Riley Osborne. I had forgotten about Riley; he’s been off TV for a while! This is a first-time-ever singles match. Stone and Rosenberg talked about Riley’s in-ring experience. Basic reversals to open, and they traded armdrags. Riley hit a dropkick at 3:00. Mensah hit a springboard dropkick. [C] I stopped my stopwatch during the break.
Back from commercial, Riley hit a huracanrana at 4:30. Oro hit a spin kick to the jaw. Oro came off the top rope but Riley caught him with a dropkick. Riley hit a plancha to the floor at 6:30. In the ring, Riley hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Oro hit a flipping faceplant for a nearfall. Oro held onto Riley’s wrist and hit a rolling Koppo Kick for the pin. Good match; you can tell those aren’t trainees!
Oro Mensah defeated Riley Osborne at 8:48.
* Swipe Right ran out of the back, looking terrified! The cameras went backstage, where Gallus was destroying everything, as the show faded to black.
Final Thoughts: A strong main event as expected from those two. With them both coming from the UK scene, I guess I’m a bit surprised they hadn’t had a match against each other before. Zara-Kylie was good, too; I think people who haven’t seen Zara will come away impressed.
The main criticism I saw of last week’s episode was of the backstage promo by Swipe Right, saying it looked so minor league. I wouldn’t argue with that criticism.
I know everyone is saying this is an extension of NXT LVL Up, but I am comparing it to the early NXT on the WWE Network, where you would have episodes like this, with six or seven matches in an hour.
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