By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 26)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed August 27, 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.
* First, some bad news to report. Three WWE ID prospects — Aaron Roberts, Ice Williams and Jordan Oasis — have reportedly been released from their contracts. Williams hadn’t been on TV much, but I saw a lot of promise in him (I still do!). I admittedly hadn’t heard of Roberts before he got his ID contract; he is like a young One Man Gang, and I, too, am surprised by this cut. He has looked particularly good in Chicago-based AAW this year. Oasis had never jumped out at me in the handful of matches I saw him in before he got his ID contract; he got saddled with this “I’m a nomad, living on buses, going from town to town” gimmick that sure didn’t get over. I wish all three of them well.
* The show opened with footage of the feud between Jordan Oasis and Brooks Jensen.
1. Kendal Grey vs. Wendy Choo. They immediately went to the mat, with Choo applying a headlock. Grey hit a fireman’s carry at 2:00 and targeted the left arm. She hit a second-rope crossbody block and a basement dropkick, and she was fired up. Choo choked her in the ropes and snapped Kendal’s neck between her ankles, then hit a running kick in the corner for a nearfall at 5:00. Kendal hit a short-arm clothesline and a running back elbow. Choo went for the Dirt Nap (Cobra Clutch sleeper), but Grey escaped.
Choo hit some suplexes. Grey hit a powerslam for a nearfall at 8:30, and she went for a cross-armbreaker; Choo rolled her over for a nearfall. Grey came off the ropes, but Choo caught her and hit a uranage. She reapplied the Dirt Nap, but Grey flipped over to put pressure on Wendy’s shoulders and got the flash pin! The commentators agreed they weren’t even sure if Grey was conscious and knew she had won. Strong showing here by both women.
Kendal Grey defeated Wendy Choo at 9:21.
* We heard from Ice Williams, who said he gave Sean Legacy six months to prove he could be the star of Evolve. He said he’s been chilling in the back, and he’s been dominating in his hometown of Las Vegas. (Again, Ice was unfortunately among the latest cuts. This is a great promo that is going to waste.)
* We saw the challengers for the women’s title backstage and preparing for the bout.
2. Jordan Oasis vs. Brooks Jensen. An intense lockup. Robert Stone said Oasis needs to “get over it” about Jensen walking out on him during a tag match. Oasis targeted the left arm early on, and he hit a senton for a nearfall at 1:30. Oasis dove through the ropes and barreled onto Jensen. In the ring, Jensen tied up the right arm, and he pushed Oasis shoulder-first into the turnbuckles and got a nearfall. Oasis fired back with a backbreaker over his knee and a suplex at 5:30. He hit his rolling cannonball onto Brooks’ back as Jensen was in the ropes and got a nearfall. Jensen hit a clothesline in the corner that dropped Oasis, then a mid-ring clothesline for the pin. Okay action.
Brooks Jensen defeated Jordan Oasis at 7:14.
* Chuey Martinez interviewed Brooks at ringside. Chuey said he may have just earned a title shot. The crowd booed Brooks as he started to speak. Brooks said that Oasis can pack up, hit the bus, and head to the next town. Brooks said he has his eyes on Evolve champion Jackson Drake.
* The Vanity Project were hanging out backstage. Jackson Drake wasn’t concerned about Jensen. He said they are young, good looking, and running Evolve. Prime Minister Stevie Turner walked in and said there are a lot of challengers. Drake said he doesn’t care who she puts in front of him, as he will put them all down. [C]
* Masyn Holliday and Layla Diggs talked backstage. Who will they call out for a match? Masyn suggested she wants to face Kylie Rae!
3. Kali Armstrong vs. Nikita Lyons vs. Chantel Monroe vs. Karmen Petrovic for the Evolve Women’s Title. All four fought at the bell; no tag rules in this one. Kali is so strong; she easily scooped up the tiny Karmen and bodyslammed her. We had a big submission spot with all four women. Kali hit a powerslam on Petrovic. Suddenly, all four were down. Nikita hit a German Suplex then a Tiger Driver (flipping powerbomb) for a nearfall at 2:30. Karmen hit an Eat D’Feat on Chantel that didn’t quite land the way they wanted it to. Karmen hit a spinning kick to Kali’s face for a nearfall, but Chantel made the save. All four women were down again.
They did a Tower of Doom spot out of the corner at 5:00. (Again, why does Nikita, who was on the bottom, also collapse?) She tried some nearfalls on each opponent. Karmen tied Kali in a modified Tarantula in the ropes. Karmen and Chantel fought on the floor at 6:00. Kyle Rae ran up and shoved Chantel. Nikita dove onto both Kylie and Chantel. Kylie and Chantel brawled to the back. Karmen got in the ring and tried to steal a pinfall on Lyons. Nikita hit a Samoan Drop on Karmen, but she missed a Vader Bomb because Armstrong pulled Karmen to the floor. Kali jumped in the ring and she ran the ropes to pick up speed, and she nailed a big shoulder tackle and pinned Nikita. Good action.
Kali Armstrong defeated Nikita Lyons, Karmen Petrovic, and Chantel Monroe in a four-way to retain the Evolve Women’s Title at 7:40.
Final Thoughts: A good episode and a step up from some recent weeks. I’ve written it before, but I am all-in on the Kali Armstrong push. She has the size, the look, the charisma. The four-way was well put together. That said, I had already forgotten that Kylie Rae had an issue with Chantel Monroe. I think casual viewers will have forgotten too. I’m also really into what I’ve seen from Kendal Grey. The in-ring work is there. Now she just needs to connect with the fans.
It sure is tough to watch these episodes and see Ice Williams and Jordan Oasis and know that they have lost their WWE contracts. Again… I am not trying to bash Oasis. But I made a list last fall of 35 wrestlers who should receive ID contracts. Eight of them (Marcus Mathers, Jack Cartwheel, Brad Baylor, Ricky Smokes, Sam Holloway, Zayda Steel, Zara Zakher, Kylie Rae) wound up getting contracts. Meanwhile, when I read that Aaron Rourke, Jackson Drake, It’s Gal, Ice Williams, and Sean Legacy all got ID’d, I thought those all made sense, as I liked what I had seen from each of them. But Oasis was a head-scratcher — he had the size but had never earned a “good match” score from me. All that said… I hate to see anyone lose their job, and I hope he keeps pursuing his dreams. This episode clocked in at 49 minutes.
I believe the reason why Ice Williams, Aaron Roberts and Jordan Oasis parted ways with the WWE–especially the ID program–is because they also work for KnokX Pro which has been in hot water as of late due to the Raja Jackson/Syko Stu incident. It’s also the reason why KnokX Pro is no longer a company that is WWE ID affiliated.