By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 47)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed February 11, 2026, 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’ve also noted that the background has changed in this latest taping, as more video screens are hanging on the walls in the background, and the room is a bit darker, too.
* Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair spoke backstage. Kendal said she’s been really busy, bouncing back and forth from Evolve to NXT.
1. “Swipe Right” Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor (w/Jackson Drake) vs. Eli Knight and Mike Cunningham. Mike is no longer a goofy redhead! His hair is dark black, and he’s looking a bit like a goofy Chuck Taylor. Tate Wilder was in the VIP lounge. Smokes opened and threw Cunningham to the mat. Mike dropkicked Baylor. Eli tagged in at 1:30 and stomped on Smokes’ left arm and targeted it. Eli splashed onto him for a nearfall. Baylor backed Eli into his corner and hit some chops. Cunningham tagged back in at 3:00 and hit a flying back elbow on Smokes. Baylor knocked Mike off the ropes to the mat. [C]
When we returned from the commercial, Swipe Right was working over Cunningham in their corner. Smokes hit a spear through the ropes. Baylor applied an abdominal stretch and grabbed Ricky’s wrist for added leverage. Stone was irritated with Tate Wilder for pointing out the cheating. Eli got the hot tag and hit a top-rope double missile dropkick at 5:30. He hit some clotheslines and a double Lionsault Press for a nearfall, then a Michinoku Driver on Smokes for a nearfall.
Eli missed a moonsault. Smokes hit a dropkick, and Baylor got a nearfall on Eli. They set up for Super Swipe, but Cunningham tripped Smokes. Cunningham tagged back in. Eli hit a German suplex, and Cunningham hit a Fame-asser on Smokes for a believable nearfall at 8:00. Baylor nailed a flying knee on Eli. SR now hit the Super Swipe (team uranage) for a believable nearfall on Eli, but Cunningham made the save, and everyone was down. Eli and Ricky traded punches. Eli hit a European Uppercut. They all battled in a corner. In a cool spot, Eli hit a double stomp off of Ricky’s back and immediately hit a moonsault onto Baylor. Nice!
Mike hit a top-rope flying back elbow, but Brad hit a neckbreaker over his knee. Eli hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread on Brad, who rolled to the floor. Eli hit a flip dive to the floor, but he crashed onto Mike! Swipe Right pulled Eli into the ring. Ricky hit a flying stomp to Eli’s chest for the pin. That was a lot of action, and they were given plenty of time to let that develop. I’ll point out that while he was at ringside, Drake never interfered.
“Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes defeated Eli Knight and Mike Cunningham at 11:51.
* Drake got on the mic and boasted that they are on a roll. Drake admitted he owes Cappuccino Jones a favor, so he’ll get a title shot in three weeks at Succession II. That brought out Harlem Lewis, who said he also has earned a title shot and he wants a title shot at Succession II as well. Brooks Jensen came out and attacked Lewis from behind. He was wearing a big knee brace on his right leg, and I think that’s new.
* Backstage, Nikkita Lyons and Arianna Grace said they felt like they were hallucinating. Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs came up to them again; they want to trade locker rooms with them. They talked about when Grace and Lyons visited a psychic a few weeks ago. (This is competing with the Kylie Rae-Wendy Choo scary doll for worst storyline in Evolve history.)
* Kam Hendrix and the PC heels were working out in the weight room, and they were scheming. Hendrix said they should be in a 10-man tag against the ID babyfaces.
2. It’s Gal vs. Aaron Rourke. This was set up last week. Trill London was now in the VIP lounge. Both guys are from the Northwest, and I’m sure they’ve at least shared a locker room. Basic reversals early on. Rourke dove through the ropes onto Gal at 1:30 and slapped him on the butt. Stone didn’t think that was “called for.” They got back into the ring, and Gal dropped him throat-first on the top rope, then hit a discus clothesline for a nearfall at 3:00.
Gal flexed; Aaron fired up and hit some forearm strikes. Gal hit a running boot for a nearfall. Rourke had a tiny cut on his back. He clotheslined Gal and hit a superkick at 4:30. Rourke hit a Frankensteiner and a running buttbump in the corner for a nearfall. Gal caught Rourke coming off the ropes and hit a double-knees move for a nearfall at 6:00. They fought on the ropes in the corner. Gal hit a Sunset Bomb out of the corner, then “Over the Rainbow” (a Molly-go-round) for the pin! Decent action; I felt that could have gone either way.
Aaron Rourke defeated It’s Gal at 6:41.
* A video highlight package aired for Tyra Mae Steele. This is gonna be her year! [C]
* Wendy Choo approached Kali Armstrong. Wendy said therapy worked for her, so maybe it could work for Kali? Kali responded by punching Wendy and said, “That’s all the therapy I need!”
3. Kendal Grey (w/Wren Sinclair) vs. Karmen Petrovic for the Evolve Women’s Title. Rosenberg said the “wrestling media is starting to talk about Kendal Grey. She’s becoming ‘that person.'” Standing switches to open. Karmen hit a running Blockbuster for a nearfall. Kendal flipped Karmen to the mat and tied up the left arm. Karmen hit a running bulldog. She got a rollup at 3:00. They hit stereo crossbody blocks and collapsed.
Karmen applied a Sharpshooter at 4:30, but Kendal eventually got to the ropes. Kendal went for a cross-armbreaker, but Karmen blocked it. Kendal nailed a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 6:00. Kendal came off the ropes, but Karmen caught her with a superkick, then a tornado DDT out of the corner for a nearfall. Karmen hit a spin kick to the ear. She climbed the ropes, but Kendal hit an Angle-style toss from the top rope to the mat. She hit the “Shades of Grey” (Divorce Court armbreaker) and scored the pin. I liked that.
Kendal Grey defeated Karmen Petrovic to retain the Evolve Women’s Title at 7:49.
* PJ Vasa came out of the back, and she wants a title shot at Succession II!
Final Thoughts: I know this product isn’t for everyone, but I really, really enjoyed this episode. The opening tag was given plenty of time to develop. I enjoyed the main event, and Kendal is just making everyone look really good. I like both Gal and Rourke a lot, but there was an intangible missing in that match that I can’t quite put my finger on. I think Gal needs to be a more explicit heel, because we all know that Rourke is an amazing babyface when given the chance.
But give me this show every week — no, I don’t care about the PC guys, and the Nikkita and Grace stuff isn’t working for me, but it’s a harmless side story. The good definitely outweighed the bad this week.
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