By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 8)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed April 23, 2025, on Tubi in the United States and YouTube.com internationally
Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone provided commentary. I will reiterate what I wrote from the first episodes — the curtains at the Performance Training Center 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.
* GM Stevie Turner came out and said she has a huge announcement! Before she could say more, Swipe Right and Zayda Steel came to the ring to dance-techno music. Drako Knox was in the VIP lounge and looked annoyed. Brad Baylor got on the mic and boasted that they are all future superstars. Stevie said since Jackson Drake is in the ring, his match is happening… right now!
1. Jackson Drake (w/Vanity Project) vs. Sean Legacy. Sean hit a dropkick. Drake hit a powerslam. Legacy hit a standing moonsault, then a flip dive to the floor at 1:30. The ref ejected the rest of Vanity Project (the name of the full faction of Drake, Baylor, Ricky Smokes, Bryce Donovan and Zayda Steel.) [C]
Back from commercial, the commentators argued over which one of them said “Vanity Project” first, which led to the name change. Legacy hit some running back elbows and a German Suplex at 4:00, then a missile dropkick. Drake hit a Lethal Injection. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Sean hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall at 7:00. Jackson Drake hit a Poison Rana for a nearfall. Legacy put Drake on his shoulders and hit his twisting suplex for the pin. Good action.
Sean Legacy defeated Jackson Drake at 9:03.
* Kylie Rae cut a promo outside. She said hi to Wendy Choo and said she isn’t afraid to confront her and face her again… next week!
* Backstage, Keanu Carver and Harlem Lewis confronted each other. Stevie Turner came up to the them and told them they will be in the ring next week… as teammates! They are facing Swipe Right!
2. Zara Zakher vs. Aria Bennett (w/Layla Diggs). They shook hands before the bell. Standing switches to open, and Aria hit some armdrags. Zara hit a top-rope crossbody block at 2:30. Aria hit a Frankensteiner for a nearfall, then an enzuigiri and a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Zara hit her backflip-into-a-stunner for the pin.
Zara Zakher defeated Aria Bennett at 3:56.
* Chuey interviewed Zara at ringside. The lights went out. When they came back on, a stuffed bear was in the ring. On it was a note that read, “Kylie, I accept.”
* The Vanity Project was back at ringside. Baylor said he got off the phone with his “mom and dad’s lawyer,” and they have every right to be in the VIP section. [C]
3. Carlie Bright (w/Kendal Grey) vs. Kalyx. WWE ref Jessika Carr is the masked Kalyx, but her whole vibe and look is like a female version of Abyss. (This is a great way to let Carr wrestle but not be seen as a ‘wrestling ref’ like Danny Davis when I was a kid.) Carlie hit a dropkick. Kalyx hit a clothesline and a hard back elbow. Bright tried an Octopus Stretch, but Kalyx shrugged her off. Bright got a rollup out of nowhere for the flash pin. Okay. Bright and Grey celebrated the win.
Carlie Bright defeated Kalyx at 2:25.
4. Bryce Donovan vs. Timothy Thatcher. Again, Bryce is maybe 6’2″ or 6’3″ and appears to be a bit taller than Thatcher. Thatcher hit a European Uppercut and he hip-tossed Donovan, sending him to the floor and we went to a break at 1:08… [C]
Back in the ring, Thatcher had Donovan tied up on the mat. Vanity Project was still in the VIP lounge and were cheering on Bryce. Donovan hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 3:00. Robert Stone noted that Bryce was trained by Curt Hawkins at Create-A-Pro. Donovan hit some elbow drops and he tied up Thatcher with a rear-naked choke. They got to their feet; Thatcher hit a European Uppercut. They brawled to the floor and Donovan shoved Timothy into the ring post. Back in the ring, Donovan hit a suplex for a nearfall at 6:00, then a bodyslam. Thatcher hit a headbutt and an enzuigiri, then a double-underhook suplex. Swipe Right popped to their feet to create a distraction, and it allowed Donovan to hit a Black Hole Slam for the pin. Good match. Vanity Project celebrated in the ring. Backstage, Stevie Turner, Harlem and Keanu watched a screen of the celebration.
Bryce Donovan defeated Timothy Thatcher at 7:36.
Final Thoughts: These Evolve episodes are a guilty pleasure of mine. The Vanity Project are so good at being unlikable. The two big matches that book-ended the show were both pretty good. Thatcher was a good choice to be a vet to bring back to work with the younger guys. I didn’t know Kalyx was Jessika Carr; I hadn’t seen her wrestle before so it never really struck me how much taller (she is only 5’8″ but seemed taller!) and thicker she appears to be than the average female wrestler.
This episode clocked in at 46 minutes, on par with the prior episodes.
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