WWE EVOLUTION 2025
JULY 13, 2025
STATE FARM ARENA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Watch: Peacock/Netflix
WOMEN’S INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
BECKY LYNCH DEF. LYRA VALKYRIA (c) & BAYLEY
All-action three-way that at times didn’t even feel like a WWE match. You can tell the chains are off this time and the roster is being given free license to put on the best show they can. There was a good mix throughout the match of all three wrestlers working together with creative spots and pairings breaking away to keep things fresh.
It was a lot longer than I expected and did the desperation save at 2 stuff a bit too much but I liked what we got and the finish was the kind of creative spot that was dotted throughout the match.
Lynch stealing the pin on Bayley means that her feud with Lyra Valkyria is probably extending to another singles match which is such a hallmark of the Triple H era, every natural ending has to get kicked another 6 weeks down the road I guess. I don’t hate it and Valkyria beating Lynch will eventually be a big win for her but a match like this and the chance to beat two Horsewomen in one night felt like a better opportunity to make Valkyria a legitimate player in the women’s division. ***½
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
JACY JAYNE (c) DEF. JORDYNNE GRACE
Very good match. Jordynne Grace is one of the most fun wrestlers in the world in my eyes. Her offence is unique but she always hits it perfectly, even when shes pulling out something brand new. This match was almost entirely Grace getting her stuff in and it was all the better for it.
For her part, I really liked Jayne’s performance. She was a bump machine and emoted enough to make Jordynne Grace feel like the biggest threat in the entire company. Jayne isn’t a superworker or anything but she’s got a great sense of when to pick her moments and is the kind of champion who can take an ass-kicking to elevate her opponents while escaping with the title.
Monroe turning on Grace wasn’t a shock, but I’m surprised it happened so quickly and without the title changing. Grace vs Monroe as a title feud felt like an easy option but NXT is never straightforward when it comes to booking the NXT women’s title. If either Grace or Monroe is getting called up soon, then the feud can easily be set up to write someone off so they can get the belt later in the year, but I do wonder what’s next for Jayne with the babyface side of her division a little light on credible names. ***¾
WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
JUDGMENT DAY (c) def. KABUKI WARRIORS ALEXA BLISS & CHARLOTTE FLAIR, ZARIA & SOL RUCA
Strong multi-tag that never hit supreme heights but did enough to remind us what these belts can produce. The key spot was the Zaria/Ruca miscommunication which has been happening lately, not sure if they split or they wave it off like previous issues.
Ruca got a bit of shine and the crowd was very receptive, I think she’s got a big chance to get over as soon as she’s moved up to the Main Roster especially if they let her and Kelani Jordan play the hits for a random SmackDown crowd.
The finish was a tad flat, the hot tag for Flair was the peak but things broke down until Rodriguez simply powerbombed Ruca for the win, probably could’ve done more but it was a good match regardless. Not sure I would’ve kept the titles on the Judgment Day but they’re probably doing a Liv Morgan jealousy angle to set up a feud with Raquel or Roxanne. ***½
WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
TIFFANY STRATTON (c) DEF. TRISH STRATUS
Good match as I expected in the preview. Trish came back and looked like she hadn’t missed a step.
I liked the steady progress from respectful wrestling to Stratus laying down the marker and really taking the match to Stratton, she wanted to show the young gun that this wasn’t just an old-timer coming back but a legend wanting another world title.
The match ended with Stratus overextending and being caught out by Stratton with the newer, younger star being able to outlast the legend and capitalise on her mistakes. This was a pretty major win for Stratton who boasts wins over some of the biggest names in the WWE, I haven’t seen the company go this heavy handed for a new top star since Charlotte Flair dethroned Nikki Bella. ***½
NO HOLDS BARRED
JADE CARGILL DEF. NAOMI
I will undoubtedly be much lower on this than everyone else. I get it, women doing plunder is still a spectacle to a lot of people and they actually did some good spots but I have been embroiled in the fires of Dump Matsumoto, Bull Nakano, and deathmatch Risa Sera so women going through tables alone isn’t enough to interest me these days.
I knew Jade would win since Naomi is Ms. Money in The Bank so this was a safe babyface win as Cargill is heated up for a big title match off the back of winning the Queen of The Ring.
Personally, not sure the purpose of Bianca Belair being special referee for a No Holds Barred match, it was probably their way to get her involved in the all-women’s show since she’s one of their elite tier women but she didn’t really add anything. **
#1 CONTENDER BATTLE ROYAL
Does anyone actually enjoy battle royals? They’re never like good matches or anything new, the only real interest is what kind of booking happens. Luckily there was something worth discussing from this one.
First off was the strong showing for Lash Legend. For my money, Legend is one of those prospects who can carry WWE for the long-term. She’s tall, she can throw a damn good strike, she’s agile, and she’s got a very natural charisma, if it was up to me she’d be on the MR already but instead they’re letting her develop more. She got so much attention in this that there’s no way the fans didn’t take notice, not only was she credited with eliminating Nikki Bella but she got the visual spot of lifting up Nia Jax and just barely missing out on the win. It was the kind of solid “hey we like this wrestler they’re important” booking that used to make WWE tick before Vince lost his mind so it’s good to see it back.
Stephanie Vaquer winning was one of the more logical picks after she got a full entrance. She’s been rushed into big spots since signing from CMLL and I wouldn’t be shocked to see her win whichever title she challenges for at Clash in Paris, even if not it’s her chance to have a high-end match to prove she’s a top-tier wrestler on her brand. N/R
WWE WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
NAOMI DEF. RHEA RIPLEY & IYO SKY (c)
As I mentioned in the preview big match Rhea Ripley is a great worker, we haven’t seen that side of her nearly enough but this match proved that when she needs to pull out all the stops she can still go. Her and Sky have a very natural dynamic of the grounded, power-based wrestler vs the genius of the sky, it’s an inherently intriguing clash of styles and personalities.
They pulled out every trick in the book for this one with big move kickouts, a ref bump setting up an Iyo crowd dive and the surprise Money in the Bank cash-in to close the show with a great, memorable match.
I may be reading too much into it but Rhipley getting a visual pinfall on Sky and Naomi pinning Sky to win the title isn’t too promising for my hopes of Iyo staying an important part of the division after dropping the title, this definitely indicates she’ll be moved aside for a Ripley/Naomi chase.
I knew Naomi would cash-in and win soon but I didn’t expect it to be at Evolution and for this title. First off, she’s a SmackDown wrestler who now holds the Raw title, her main feud are with Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill who she will now be separated from. I’m interested to see how they do it, Vaquer has a title shot from the battle royal win so they could maybe do Naomi vs Iyo at SS, then Naomi vs Vaquer before working Ripley back in, that or there’s a draft coming sooner than we all think and the brands are about to be shaken up.
This was definitely the right way to end Evolution; it was the kind of shock value moment WWE has been pulling out of the hat to kickstart its momentum recently. The great match elevated Rhea and Iyo before the cash-in made Naomi the central focus, very useful ending to the show that sets us up for SummerSlam and Clash in Paris soon after. ****
FINAL THOUGHTS
Evolution is a show aimed at me and people like me, from the nods to icons of the past like Ivory or Jacqueline who carried the division through some weaker periods to the mix of current stars, NXT stars, and the odd legend mixing it up on the card. I thought a lot of people were foolish coming in to doubt the card because to a lot of the roster this is a second WrestleMania and they proved it, every match on this card had the AEW mentality of trying to steal the show. This wasn’t your standard WWE PLE, nor was it your standard WWE show at all. The women pushed the boundaries of the limits set on this roster and went all out in every match to make their mark while the hot crowd played along. If you like women’s wrestling, then you’ll enjoy this show regardless of the three-letter moniker on the ticket, let’s just hope this convinces WWE to make this an annual show, or at least once every two years to avoid burnout.
