By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 15)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed June 11, 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 prior 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.
* The show opened with footage of the men’s four-way last week, won by Jackson Drake, to become the inaugural Evolve champion. We then went to the arena, and the five members of The Vanity Project came out of the back. Ricky Smokes took the mic first and boasted “we told you so!” They run Evolve, just like they said they would.
* We saw a video of Lince Dorado backstage, speaking in perfect English. (Did he ever get a chance to ever speak when he was in WWE in the past?) He wants to get his hands on the Vanity Project.
* We saw Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe backstage. Lee said, “The original is always better than the sequel”…
* Cappuccino Jones and Jack Cartwheel spoke backstage. He said Wes Lee “is sleeping on Cappuccino Jones, and that’s a dangerous thing to do.”
1. Zayda Steel and Nikkita Lyons vs. Layla Diggs and Masyn Holliday. Diggs and Holliday did a dance together, showing they are a tag team. Masyn wore a pink outfit that had just one pant leg. Zayda opened against Layla. Masyn quickly got in and twisted Zayda’s left arm. Layla hit a flipping senton on Nikkita at 2:00. She hit a powerslam and a standing moonsault; she’s quite athletic! Masyn hit an elbow drop on Zayda for a nearfall. Nikkita distracted Masyn, allowing Zayda to attack from behind, and they worked over Masyn in their corner.
Zayda hit a tornado DDT on Masyn for a nearfall. Nikkita choked Masyn in the ropes and kept her grounded. Leyla got a hot tag at 6:30 and hit a HARD scissors kick to the back of Zayda’s head! She hit a double-underhook suplex on Steel for a nearfall. Diggs hit a standing moonsault, and Holiday hit a splash. All of a sudden, Chantel Monroe came out of the back and provided a distraction at ringside. Nikkita, who was on the floor, kicked Masyn in the head, allowing Zayda to get a rollup for the cheap pin; Zayda also got a foot on the ropes for added leverage, too. What was Chantel doing out there?
Zayda Steel and Nikkita Lyons defeated Masyn Holliday and Layla Diggs at 7:49.
* We had a video package to introduce us to Troy Underwood. He talked about how much he loves lifting weights. He announced a name change! He is now known as Jamar Hampton. [C]
* Natalya was looking at her phone backstage. Kali Armstrong came up to her and defiantly told her that she didn’t need any help last week. Natalya said she definitely did, and she needs to learn to swallow her pride and accept help when it’s needed. They are teaming up next week! (This isn’t going to end well…)
2. Jamar Hampton vs. It’s Gal. Gal has a great physique, but he’s much smaller than Hampton. I personally don’t feel like the LFG clips really showed us if someone is ring-ready or not, so I consider this my first time seeing Hampton wrestle. A lockup to open, and Gal ducked into the ropes to cause a break. They had a test of strength that Hampton won. Gal applied a leg lock around the neck, and he did some push-ups at 1:30, so Hampton did push-ups on Gal’s back a few seconds later.
Jamar hit a dropkick to the face for a nearfall. Gal hit some basic punches and he twisted the left leg in the ropes. Gal applied a half crab at 5:00. Jamar sold the pain in his leg as he hit a punch, then a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. Gal hit a twisting powerslam move and got the pin. Good showing by Hampton.
Jamar Hampton defeated It’s Gal at 6:29.
* Chuey Martinez interviewed Marcus Mathers in a sit-down chat backstage. A nice video package. They sure are milking his debut, really building up the excitement for it. (I’ll reiterate that Mathers vs. Mike Santana a couple of weeks ago at “Expect the Unexpected” is the best indy match I’ve seen this year.) [C]
* Perpetual nomad Jordan Oasis, with his backpack across his shoulders, talked about himself and how he’s “chasing a dream, chasing a shot.” He “lives on a bus, Greyhound to Greyhound, city to city.”
* Next week, Zayda and Nikkita will team up to face Natalya and Kali Armstrong. And it’s already time for the main event!
3. Cappuccino Jones (w/Jack Cartwheel) vs. Wes Lee (w/Tyriek & Tyson). We got the big-time-feel ring intros. I love that. Standing switches and a feeling-out process to open. Jones hit a dropkick at 2:00, and that surprised Wes. Cappuccino nailed a flip dive to the floor. Back in the ring, Lee was in charge and hit a basement dropkick, and he kept Jones grounded. He hit a spinning leg lariat for a nearfall at 5:30 and was frustrated he didn’t win. Rosenberg said it appears Wes isn’t fully “dialed in” and focused on getting the win.
Jones fired up and hit some clotheslines and a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. This has been really good, and one of the better Evolve matches so far. Jones hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Tyson hopped on the apron but Jones punched him. Jack ran through the ring and dove onto Tyriek. The ref ejected all three cornermen. Meanwhile, Wes hit a running double knees to the face for a nearfall, but he missed a 450 Splash at 9:00.
Jones nailed the Decaffinator (swinging neckbreaker) for a believable nearfall! Jones missed the top-rope Froggy Brew elbow. Wes got a rollup with his feet on the ropes, but the ref saw it. Rosenberg said it showed signs of desperation. Wes hit a superkick to the base of the neck, then a handspring-back-axe kick for the pin. That was really, really good. Tyson and Tyriek returned to celebrate the win with Wes.
Wes Lee defeated Cappuccino Jones at 10:28.
Final thoughts: A very good main event and a strong hour of wrestling. I’ve noted that this taping feels different than the first one. It’s not just that they stopped using the “VIP lounge” in every match… there is a significant push of the WWE ID prospects and a de-emphasis of the unknown guys (specifically men) who appeared in the first 3-4 episodes and haven’t been seen at all in this latest taping. This episode clocked in at 52 minutes; most episodes have ranged between 45 and 52 minutes.
Be the first to comment