By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 16)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed June 18, 2025, on Tubi in the United States and YouTube.com internationally
Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone provided commentary. I will reiterate what I wrote regarding 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 there were maybe 150 or so people present.
* Footage aired of Natalya Neidhart saving Evolve Women’s champion Kali Armstrong from a beatdown. They will team up tonight!
1. Zayda Steel and Nikkita Lyons vs. Kali Armstrong and Natalya. Again, I consider Kali to be a great mixture of Jaida Parker and Bianca Belair, and she was a great choice to be the first champion. Kali and Nikkita opened. Nattie got in and tried to go for a Sharpshooter but it was too early. Zayda tagged in, but Nattie rolled her up for a nearfall at 1:30. Rosenberg talked about her and TJ Wilson training the next generation. Nikkita backed Natalaya into a corner and hit some punches, and the heels worked Neidhart over in their corner.
Lyons hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Kali finally got a hot tag at 6:00 and she hit clotheslines on each heel, then spears into the corner. She hit a spinebuster on Zayda for a nearfall, then a spinebuster and a flying shoulder tackle, but Natalya made a blind tag! Natalya applied a Sharpshooter and Zayda quickly tapped out; Stone pointed out that it was basically over after Kali nailed that flying shoulder tackle, and Natalya ‘stole’ the win from her teammate.
Natalya Neidhart and Kali Armstrong defeated Zayda Steel and Nikkita Lyons at 7:25.
* Backstage, Prime Minister Stevie Turner spoke to Sean Legacy and Timothy Thatcher. Legacy wants to be No. 1 contender; Turner said so does everyone else (true!) Legacy offered to take on the Vanity Project in a gauntlet. Turner acknowledged that if he can do that, he’ll be the No. 1 contender.
* Elsewhere backstage, Chuey Martinez interviewed Jordan Oasis, who talked about the hours and hours he’s spent on buses, and he wants Jackson Drake. Marcus Mathers (making his Evolve debut!) came up and challenged Jordan to a match.
* To the women’s locker room, where Zara Zakher and Kendal Grey began arguing. They agreed to settle it in the ring!
2. Marcus Mathers vs. Jordan Oasis. Mathers came out to some generic skateboard rock song; it’s somewhat similar to his music intro on the indy scene. Oasis has a significant height and overall size advantage. Standing switches to open, and Oasis knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Mathers hit a shotgun dropkick and a flying forearm into the corner. Oasis hit a fallaway slam for a nearfall at 1:30. He hit some bodyslams and a spine kick.
Mathers hit a twisting top-rope crossbody block, but Oasis hit a backbreaker over his knee and a brainbuster for a nearfall at 3:30. An onscreen graphic noted that Mathers regularly competes in GCW and Beyond Wrestling. (I love this!) Mathers hit his Ospreay-style heel hook kick to the jaw, then the flip dive to the floor, and that popped the crowd. He rolled Oasis back into the ring and nailed the top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. That was a pretty flawless debut.
Marcus Mathers defeated Jordan Oasis at 5:03.
* They shook hands afterwards, but then Keanu Carver ran into the ring and beat up both of them. Keanu got on the mic and said it “took two ID clowns to stop me from becoming champion,” so he’s going to destroy them all and send them back to the bingo halls!
* We saw a vignette for Tate Wilder, who is a ‘modern day cowboy.’ He’s coming soon!
* Next week, we’ll have Wendy Choo vs. Kylie Rae in a last woman standing match, plus Zara Zakher vs. Kendal Grey, after their argument earlier in the show.
* Next up is the gauntlet!
3a. Sean Legacy vs. Ricky Smokes in the first stage of a gauntlet match. This is kicking off our gauntlet. Legacy hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall and was a ball of energy; Stone said he’s going to burn out before he can win all three matches in the gauntlet. Smokes hit a spear for a nearfall at 2:00, and he grounded Legacy. Sean hit a German Suplex. Legacy put Smokes across his shoulders and hit his twisting suplex for the pin. [C]
Sean Legacy defeated Ricky Smokes at 3:39.
3b. Sean Legacy vs. Brad Baylor. Brad jumped in and attacked and we’re underway! Sean hit a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 1:30. He missed a flying kick in the corner, and Baylor immediately hit a TKO stunner for a nearfall. Brad targeted the knee and struck it. Sean hit a suplex but sold the pain in his knee. Sean nailed a flip dive to the floor at 4:30. In the ring, Brad hit a second-rope superplex, but Legacy rolled through it and got the flash pin! Baylor sat up, shocked that he just lost!
Sean Legacy defeated Brad Baylor at 4:46.
3c. Sean Legacy vs. Bryce Donovan. Bryce jumped in, nailed a Mafia Kick that took off Legacy’s head, and scored the pin. Yep, it was that quick.
Bryce Donovan defeated Sean Legacy at 0:06 to end the gauntlet match.
* Jackson Drake hopped in the ring and stomped on Legacy. Lince Dorado ran into the ring to make the save. He brought some help! Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde ran into the ring and helped beat up the Vanity Project until the Vanity Project scampered to the back.
Final Thoughts: As I thought about last week’s episode over the past week, I wondered if we had started a new taping, as there was no sign of any of the recent NXT cuts. Not a single one of the recently departed appeared in either the ring or a backstage commercial. So, I was actually a bit surprised to see Keanu Carver hit the ring. It now makes me wonder if they have edited episodes to eliminate matches where two recent cuts had fought each other. (For instance, if Javi Bernal took on Riley Osborne or Oro Mensah. I can see a world where a match like that is recorded and left on the editing floor.)
Anyhow, all the matches were topnotch. Natalya somehow didn’t really come across as a heel as she got in and stole the win; she came across as trying to be a helpful mentor, even though Kali didn’t want that help. I have never been a big fan of gauntlets for this very reason — I hate seeing Ricky Smokes lose that decisively, and that was bound to happen in a gauntlet.
No complaints from me, but this episode aired with just a single commercial break. (They are usually three-ish minutes long so that was a nice surprise.) The episode clocked in at 47 minutes.
Please note that Evolve doesn’t show up live streamed on Youtube in Australia on the WWE channel. They only add it 18 hours later or thereabouts.
Just curious? Keanu Carver wasn’t released, so why was it a surprise for him to come to the ring? I may have misconstrued your comment? You mentioned not showing released wrestlers.