WWE Evolve results (7/2): Vetter’s review of Lince Dorado, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro vs. “The Vanity Project” Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes, Layla Diggs vs. Jin Tala

By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

WWE Evolve (Episode 18)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed July 2, 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 Lince Dorado, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde coming together to take on The Vanity Project.

1. Jamar Hampton vs. Edris Enofe. This match was set up last week. Hampton (f/k/a Troy Yearwood) has a significant size/thickness advantage and he knocked Enofe down early on. He hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 1:30. Enofe applied a sleeper, then switched to a leg lock around the neck. Hampton hit a back-body drop at 4:00 and a dropkick, then a running splash to the mat for a nearfall. Enofe snapped his head across the top turnbuckle, and he immediately hit a neckbreaker for the pin. Basic but fine.

Edris Enofe defeated Jamar Hampton at 5:47. 

* Backstage, Prime Minister Stevie Turner talked to Lince Dorado. She said it was fantastic that Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde are here, as those two joined them on-screen. Lince said, “I brought my pack” to take on The Vanity Project. [C]

* Another pre-taped video package of Cappuccino Jones and Jack Cartwheel hanging out backstage. They’ve settled on a team name of “Adrenaline Drip.” They’re shooting for the Evolve Tag Team Titles.

2. Jin Tala vs. Layla Diggs. Tala (f/k/a Leigh Laurel) is definitely a suspect as the person attacking NXT female wrestlers backstage, but I think it could be Diggs. A quick tie-up; they hopped to their feet and shook hands, as they are both babyfaces. Gin snapped the left arm over the top rope, and she targeted the arm. Layla hit an axe kick to the back of the neck for a nearfall at 4:00. Tala applied an armbar submission hold on the mat while cranking back on the neck, and Diggs tapped out. Merely okay.

Jin Tala defeated Layla Diggs at 4:33.

* Chuey Martinez interviewed Tala at ringside. She said she’s been kicking ass. When Chuey asked her to elaborate, she snapped at him, saying she’s getting wins, then told him to “keep up.” He seemed taken aback by the way she just talked to him.

* In the locker room, the five members of The Vanity Project talked about their big match later. (Why is Zayda Steel in there?)

* Back to the ring, where Stevie Turner has a table set up, and it’s time for a contract signing! Kali Armstrong came out first, title belt around her neck; she’s not dressed to wrestle. Natalya then came out, also in her regular clothes. Kali said Natalya is a “living legend” and she immediately signed the contract. Natalya has a chip on her shoulder. She called Kali “the difference maker” in Evolve, but added that Kali “has been nothing but rude to me.” Kali started to talk, but Natalya said, “Cry me a river!” Kali said, “Evolve is Kali Armstrong’s show.” Natalya responded that Kali is “Selfish.”

Natalya stood up and said she’s been carrying the division on her shoulders for 18 years, and said Kali is a “selfish, spoiled brat,” and she signed the contract. They stood up. Kali swung and missed; Natalya put Kali in a Sharpshooter, and Kali tapped out. “You know how hard it is to apply a Sharpshooter when you’re wearing heels and a $5,000 Louis Vuitton jacket?” Stone asked. That match will be next Wednesday!

* Backstage, Timothy Thatcher told Sean Legacy he put himself in a no-win situation last week when he tried to run a gauntlet against the Vanity Project. Thatcher said he fears no man, and he’s going to challenge Keanu Carver! [C}

* In the gym, Keanu Carver lifted some weights and vowed to beat up Thatcher. That match will also be next Wednesday!!!

Chantel Monroe was backstage and called herself “The reflection of perfection.” She was quite conceited. She said the title would soon be around “her perfect, little waist.” Just like that, it’s time for the main event!

3. Lince Dorado and “LWO” Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde vs. “The Vanity Project” Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes (w/Bryce Donovan, Zayda Steel). Lince and Smokes opened, and Ricky dropped him with a shoulder block. Robert Stone made a reference to one-hit wonder band LFO; Rosenberg noted that The Vanity Project wasn’t born when that song was on the radio, and that disgusted Stone. Both Wilde and Toro got in and beat up Baylor. Joaquin hit a Lionsault at 2:30. Jackson entered and hit some quick kicks on Wilde, then he twisted his left hand and fingers.

The Vanity Project worked over Wilde in their corner. Smokes hit a big boot to the chest for a nearfall at 4:30. Lince got a hot tag and chopped Drake, then hit a spinning heel kick to the jaw and an enzuigiri, then a German Suplex! He hit a Lethal Injection, then a flip dive to the floor on Jackson! Drake got his feet up to block a moonsault. Del Toro hit a springboard crossbody block and a twisting neckbreaker, and those two traded rollups. Jackson dropped Cruz throat-first on the top rope, and TVP began working him over. Drake hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall on Cruz.

Wilde hit a superkick; Smokes hit a jumping knee to the chin. Baylor got in and hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Wilde. Cruz hit a springboard dropkick on Baylor at 9:00. Del Toro hit a kick in the corner on Drake. Dorado tagged in and hit a Frankensteiner, flipping Drake onto both his teammates! Del Toro and Wilde hit stereo dives to the floor on Swipe Right. In the ring, Dorado hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press to pin Drake! A high-energy match that just kept going. Robert Stone wondered if Dorado just became No. 1 contender after pinning Jackson Drake.

Lince Dorado, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde defeated “The Vanity Project” Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes at 10:07.

Final Thoughts: A really good main event. The Vanity Project are all young, but they are working multiple matches every week, and it just shows. They are all so polished and sharp in the ring. In comparison, the first two matches felt much like watching an NJPW Young Lions match. They weren’t bad… they were just basic. Jin and Jamar clearly have worked just a few matches in front of a crowd, and it shows. But that’s the whole point of Evolve, right?

* I continue to be impressed by Kali Armstrong. She really didn’t stand out at all in her NXT-LVL Up matches, but she has clearly emerged as the top of this women’s division. She came across quite well in that verbal back-and-forth with Natalya. The episode clocked in at 50 minutes; they’ve generally been between 45-53 minutes.

WE VALUE YOUR PRIVACY

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