By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 25)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed August 20, 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. I’ll reiterate that the background has changed in this latest taping, as we have more video screens hanging on the walls in the background.
1. Kylie Rae vs. Chantel Monroe in a Women’s Title Eliminator Match. Chantel wore a new blue outfit. Kylie targeted the left arm at the bell, and she kept Chantel grounded. She hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 3:30. Monroe landed some punches in the corner. Kylie hit a dropkick and was fired up. Chantel hit a vicious neckbreaker in the ropes at 5:00, and she took control. Kylie hit some clotheslines at 7:00, then a buzzsaw kick. Monroe nailed an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Monroe snapped Kylie’s throat on the top rope, then hit a Lungblower move to the chin for the pin. A surprising outcome. Solid match.
Chantel Monroe defeated Kylie Rae at 8:28 to earn a title shot at the Evolve Women’s Title.
* Backstage, Keanu Carver reiterated he’s taking out all of the WWE ID talent and sending them back to the bingo halls!
* Backstage, The Vanity Project were in a bad mood, and Zayda Steel said her loss was all Bryce Donovan’s fault. Jackson Drake told Bryce he needed to “Fix it.”
* Prime Minister Stevie Turner spoke to Kali Armstrong backstage. Nikita Lyons walked up and said she wants a title shot. Turner set up a four-way for next week with all the competitors! It will be Armstrong vs. Lyons vs. Monroe vs. Karmen Petrovic.
2. “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes (w/Zayda Steel, Bryce Donovan, Jackson Drake) vs. Marcus Mathers and Aaron Rourke. Rourke has been criminally underused so far in Evolve. He’s not the biggest guy, but he sure knows how to tell a story in the ring. Smokes and Rourke opened, and I’ve seen them tie up multiple times on New England-area shows. Rourke hit a leg lariat. Mathers hit a tornado DDT at 1:00. Baylor jumped in and hit some European Uppercuts on Marcus. He hit a hard clothesline, and SR began working over Mathers. Baylor knocked Rourke off the apron, and Swipe Right continued to work over Marcus in their corner.
Rourke finally got a hot tag at 5:00 and hit a German Suplex on Baylor, and he was fired up. He hit a top-rope flying Meteora on Smokes for a nearfall, but he missed a split-legged moonsault. Smokes immediately threw Rourke face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Baylor hit a German Suplex on Mathers; Marcus hit a spin kick on Brad and got a rollup for a nearfall. Marcus hit kicks on each heel. Rourke hit a spear, then a corner moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Mathers hit a spinning powerslam for a nearfall on Baylor at 7:30. Smokes shoved Rourke to the floor. Bryce hit a cheap shot on Mathers! Swipe Right hit the Super Swipe (team uranage) on Mathers for the pin. Good action.
Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes defeated Marcus Mathers and Aaron Rourke at 8:21.
* We saw Jamar Hampton and It’s Gal doing a workout together, hitting the weights. Yeah, this is gonna be a fun oddball pairing.
* Kendal Grey is ready to take on Wendy Choo next week!
* We saw more footage of Harley Riggins and Jax Pressley, two new guys we were introduced to last week. They are both football players and have massive size. They are coming for Jack Cartwheel and Cappuccino Jones!
3. Ridge Holland vs. Sean Legacy. Holland dominated at the bell, and he kept Legacy grounded. Backstage, Tate Wilder was watching the match on a screen. Legacy hit a dropkick, then a stiff kick to the spine and a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 2:00. Holland hit a suplex. They got up and traded punches. Holland hit a Uemura-style Deadbolt (double-underhook suplex) at 3:30, and he took control. He hit a powerslam for a nearfall, and he applied a bear hug. Legacy escaped and hit some forearm strikes.
Legacy hit a DDT and some kicks, and a German Suplex at 6:00, and he was fired up. Holland hit a reverse bodyslam, dropping Legacy stomach-first. He hit another powerslam for a nearfall, and he was frustrated. Legacy hit a shotgun dropkick and a sideslam for a nearfall at 7:30. Holland hit a rolling cannonball in the corner, then a Doctor Bomb (gut-wrench powerbomb) for the clean pin. Decent action.
Ridge Holland defeated Sean Legacy at 8:20.
* Legacy walked backstage and was immediately confronted by Ice Williams! Ice shoved him and shouted, “I’m tired of you getting opportunities.”
Final Thoughts: A much better episode than last week. The ID tag match was strong, and you can really tell all four of those guys know each other well; all are based in the Northeast and routinely appear on the same shows. That said, WWE isn’t letting Rourke be himself — he’s a great character and “Evil Gay,” which sometimes is just a really beloved babyface. I think of how over Rico Constantino used to be… Rourke could be just that level of over.
A solid main event, but I cringed watching Holland hitting that Yuya Uemura-style Deadbolt… isn’t that pretty much how he broke Big E’s neck? The opener was merely okay. Kylie is so fun, and she just won the WWE ID Women’s Title, so I’m surprised she lost here. Monroe’s match was solid, but she hasn’t won me over yet. The episode clocked in at 48 minutes, and they continue to do a great job of getting so many people on TV in every episode.
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