By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 51)
Taped in Orlando. Florida at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed March 11, 2026, on Tubi in the United States and YouTube.com internationally
Peter Rosenberg and Blake Howard 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 we have more video screens hanging on the walls in the background, and the room is a bit darker, too. Again, Tubi lists this as “Season 2, Episode 2.”
* All the wrestlers were at ringside, and Robert Stone was in the ring. Stone introduced Timothy Thatcher as the new GM of Evolve. Robert said Thatcher is going all around the world, scouting talent for WWE. Thatcher got on the mic and said he appreciates everyone around the ring, “but I’m no general manager.” Instead, he declared, “I’m the foreman of Evolve!”
Thatcher said Jackson Drake and Kendal Grey will each have one more title match here. If they win, their respective title will be vacated, and a new champion will be determined. He said Kendal Grey will face Tyra Mae Steele tonight. Harlem Lewis came out of the back. He wants the final match against Jackson Drake before Drake leaves for NXT. Thatcher said he expected Lewis to interrupt him, so he had a match ready for him.
* Backstage, Kendal Grey was lacing up her boots and said Evolve helped her find her footing, and this place will forever be her home.
1. Harlem Lewis vs. Sam Holloway. Again, if you haven’t seen Holloway yet, he’s comparable to Matt Morgan. He’s a big guy! Lewis charged at the bell, and they immediately brawled. Sam hit a bodyslam, then another one. Lewis hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor. Sam crotched him around the ring post at 1:00! Ouch! In the ring, Sam hit a springboard elbow drop for a nearfall. Sam nailed a Pump Kick.
Lewis hit some punches to the ribs in the corner, but Sam hit a shotgun dropkick for a nearfall at 3:00. Harlem hit a dropkick and a second-rope elbow drop, Sam threw him across the ring, with Harlem landing stomach-first. Sam hit a twisting uranage for a believable nearfall, then a double-underhook suplex into the corner for a nearfall at 5:00, but Lewis got a foot on the ropes. Lewis hit a jumping knee to the chin, then a clothesline to the back of the neck and a bodyslam and a Jackhammer for the pin. Nonstop action.
Harlem Lewis defeated Sam Holloway at 5:52.
* A new vignette for Luca Crucafino. He is essentially doing AEW’s Angelico’s laid-back dancer-in-the-club gimmick. (How do you go from being an attorney to a club-hopping partier? Is he going to find Adam Rose in the discotheque?)
* In the locker room, Tyra Mae Steele was pumping herself up about her title match later against Kendal Grey.
2. Harley Riggins (w/Cam Hendrix) vs. Trill London. Trill is a lot like TNA’s BDE… he’s lanky, thin, but talented. Riggins wore his Diesel tribute gear. Trill hit some armdrags to open. He hit a second-rope Whisper In The Wind (yes, the commentators called it that.) In the ring, Riggins hit a German Suplex at 2:00. Harley hit a tilt-a-whirl slam, and he applied a leg lock around Trill’s neck. Trill hit some back elbows and a senton, then a basement dropkick for a nearfall. Hendrix distracted the ref. Harley crotched Trill in the corner and hit a TKO stunner for the tainted pin.
Harley Riggins defeated Trill London at 3:46.
* Chuey tried to interview the heels at ringside. Cam said they are in the “ass-kicking business” and they do whatever they want. Dante Chen emerged from the back and said he welcomes the ID talent and, “you guys don’t represent the PC.” Dante and Cam agreed to a match next week!
* Thatcher was in the back. Aaron Rourke approached and flirted with him. Rourke said Jackson Drake doesn’t deserve to leave here as champion. He was upset that The Vanity Project left in the middle of a 10-man tag a few weeks ago. Rourke said he feels like he represents Evolve. “It’s time I step up to be the leader,” Rourke said. He asked to get the match against Jackson Drake. Thatcher agreed! It will be Rourke vs. Jackson Drake next week!
3. Kendal Grey vs. Tyra Mae Steele for the Evolve Women’s Title. In the VIP lounge were Wendy Choo and Laynie Luck. Tyra immediately threw Grey to the mat and tied Kendal in some holds. Grey hit a basement dropkick on the knee and got a nearfall at 2:00. Tyra hit a hip-toss and whipped Kendal into a corner a couple of times. Tyra Mae hit a spinebuster and a baseball slide dropkick that sent Kendal to the floor at 3:30. [C]
Back from the break, Tyra Mae hit some shoulder thrusts into the corner and slammed Kendal to the mat for a nearfall, and she applied an STF. She hit a gutwrench suplex at 6:00, then two more! She sat on Grey’s back and cranked back on her head. They hit mid-ring crossbody blocks and were both down at 8:00. Kendal hit some running back elbows and a German Suplex. Kendal hit an Exploder Suplex and was fired up, hitting a DDT out of the corner for a nearfall at 9:30. Tyra Mae hit an Angle Slam for a nearfall, then a release German Suplex. They traded rollups. Kendal hit a “Shades of Grey” (leaping Flatliner) for the pin!
Kendal Grey defeated Tyra Mae Steele to retain the Evolve Women’s Title at 11:07; the belt will now be vacated.
* Kendal got on the mic and thanked the fans for supporting her since day one. She handed the belt to Thatcher, patted the Evolve logo on the screen, and headed to the back. We then had a video package of her ‘Evolve career’ to close out the show.
Final Thoughts: I’m glad that Kendal won, as I wouldn’t have Tyra Mae Steele in the top-tier of contenders here. A good match, but Kendal is just clearly a better worker at this point. Lewis and Holloway had a really good match for the allotted time. I can’t say that Harley Riggins does much for me yet. The episode clocked in at about 50 minutes.
Be the first to comment