By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
WWE Evolve (Episode 78)
Taped in Orlando. Florida, at the WWE Performance Center
Streamed September 16, 2026, on Tubi in the United States and YouTube.com internationally
Blake Howard and Rob Stone provided commentary. Tubi lists this as “Season 2, Episode 29.”
* Harlem Lewis looked into the camera and talked about his match later.
1. Kale Dixon (w/Alix Brooks) vs. Ulka Sasaki. I’ve seen Japanese star Ulka just a few times total. They opened with some basic standing switches, and Kale knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Alix grabbed Ulka’s ankle at 1:30, and Kale knocked him to the floor. He put Ulka on the apron and hit some blows to the chest, then Ulka’s back, and continued to beat up Sasaki on the floor. In the ring, Kale hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:00.
Kale hit a Buzzsaw Kick and got a nearfall. Ulka finally hit a flying kick. He hit some quick kicks to the ribs and a flying forearm, then a roundhouse kick to the ear for a believable nearfall at 5:00. Sasaki applied a sleeper, but Dixon quickly escaped. Kale hit an Angel’s Wings. Aaron Rourke came to ringside and annoyed Alix! Aaron’s presence distracted Kale! Sasaki got a rollup and flipped his body over for added leverage for the pin. Passable action.
Ulka Sasake defeated Kale Dixon at 5:39.
* Backstage, Marcus Mathers, Sam Holloway and It’s Gal were talking. Sam and Marcus thanked Gal for “stepping up” last week and joining Team 1.0 in the tag gauntlet. Braxton Cole (who has since been released) walked up and sneered at them. They nearly came to blows, but Cole walked away. [C]
* Another vignette for Vanta the Unknown. She has her eyes set on taking out Laynie Luck! Vanta noted she’s younger, faster, and fresher.
* Harley Riggins was stewing in the locker room. He’s irritated that he’s “on the sidelines” and not in the main event. “I’ll be watching the title match really close, because I got next,” he said.
2. Elijah Holyfield vs. Milosh Jovic. Our first time seeing Jovic! He’s white and has short, trimmed hair. He’s Serbian. He looks like he has 2% body fat. Standing switches to open, and Elijah knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Holyfield backed him into a corner and hit some punches to the ribs, then he hit a suplex at 1:00. Jovic hit a dropkick and a flying back elbow, but Holyfield hit a spinebuster. He hit a straight punch to the jaw for the pin! Yeah, it really was that short.
Elijah Holyfield defeated Milosh Jovic at 1:34.
* Adriana Rizzo (also since released) interviewed Holyfield at ringside. He said his whole life is about being the best. He has his eyes set on the Evolve Title. Braxton Cole came to the ring. The crowd jeered and taunted him. Marcus Mathers ran out and attacked Braxton from behind! Security had to separate them.
* A vignette aired to tell us more about Cutler James. I am just not convinced “he wants this.” I don’t see the fire in his belly.
* Back to the arena, Sloane Jacobs introduced Nikkita Lyons. Nikkita said these “peasants” don’t deserve a concert from her. She noted that next week is an all-women’s show, and she’ll be the headliner! (I am hating Sloane as a cheerleader and Nikkita superfan. She should be in the role of trying to be sneaky and undermine Lyons). Skylar Raye came to the ring and made her case for earning a title shot next week. That brought out PJ Vasa (also released) to throw her name out as a challenger. Nikkita suggested that Sloane face Vasa next week; Sloane thought that was a terrible idea! She rolled to the floor, but Vasa punched her. In the ring, Skyler knocked Lyons down, and Nikkita scampered off.
* Backstage, Elijah Holyfield looked into the camera and warned Mathers to stay out of his business, or he can get knocked out, too!
* Riggins approached Evolve Foreman Timothy Thatcher, who wants a title match. He reiterated, “I got next.” Thatcher said he doesn’t want any “disruptions” in a championship match tonight, and told Riggins not to walk to ringside and not to sit in the VIP lounge, either!
3. Harlem Lewis vs. Cutler James for the Evolve Men’s Title. An intense lockup to open; Cutler has a slight height advantage. Cutler kept a headlock in place. Lewis hit a second-rope missile dropkick, then he clotheslined Cutler to the floor at 3:00. On the floor, Cutler hit a backbreaker over his knee [C].
Back from the break, Cutler was in charge, and he hit an Irish Whip, then another. Cutler hit two more backbreakers over his knee. Harlem tied Cutler around the ring post. (Where is the selling of his back? He’s taken multiple backbreakers!) Harlem tied Cutler in a crossface at 6:00, but James was able to get up and turn it into a sideslam, and they were both down.
Cutler popped him up and hit a European Uppercut to the back. He hit a clothesline and a gutbuster over his knee at 7:30. He hit the spinning, release Razor’s Edge; Harlem rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned. On the floor, Cutler charged, but he struck the ring post shoulder-first. In the ring, Cutler hit another backbreaker over his knee! He stomped on Harlem. However, Harlem scooped him up and hit a Jackhammer for the pin.
Harlem Lewis defeated Cutler James to retain the WWE Evolve Men’s Title at 9:08.
Final Thoughts: For the most part, since Evolve debuted, the more talented, more experienced ID talents have carried the bigger, clunky PC musclebound guys to good or passable matches. Well, we saw tonight what happens when you have two clunky PC musclebound guys going toe-to-toe. You get a clunky, plodding main event. Harlem’s refusal to sell multiple backbreakers was just baffling. I don’t get it. Who is training him? Didn’t he learn that being a good babyface involves the art of selling?
If that was, say, Eddie Kingston in there, he would have been crying, muttering under his breath, and fighting for his life, and the crowd would have been hanging on every moment, feeling every one of those backbreakers with him, and urging Eddie to come back and loudly chanting his name. Instead, you wind up with a sanitized, straightforward match devoid of any drama. Never once did I hear a “Harlem! Harlem!” chant. And Cutler is such a big athlete who clearly knows the moves, but does them without any passion. I keep pointing out that he has copied Claudio Castagnoli’s offense (the European Uppercuts, the Giant Swing), but he does the moves without any passion or urgency behind them.
The episode clocked in at a mere 44 minutes.
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