The sports entertainment giant WWE held its first-ever all-women PPV on the evening of October 28. This landmark event featured only the women competitors from the company. There are seven matches on the card for the event, which took place at NYCB Live in Uniondale, New York, and you can check out the full results here.
While the show is all said and done now--and you can check out the results here--GameSpot's wrestling buddies, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring had a few opinions about the matches and PPV as a whole. They reviewed every match for the evening, and here were their opening remarks before Evolution started.
Mat Elfring: I am extremely excited for this PPV. The booking of the card is dynamite, with only a couple of weak spots lingering, mainly the Battle Royal. I really wish Smackdown got another bout on the card though. Regardless, it will be great to see Becky Lynch get another PPV win and finally, people who don't watch NXT will get to see how great the Kairi Sane/Shayna Baszler battles have been.
Chris E. Hayner: This is the PPV we've deserved for a while now. It's the PPV the women of WWE deserve. I'm so glad it's finally happening, and the card alone makes it one of the better WWE shows of the year, on paper at least. It would be great if there was more Smackdown representation or the legit Sasha Banks vs. Bayley feud we all want, but what we're getting is still incredible. I also want to point out that WWE has made this event feel extra special by giving it a unique stage design, rather than the repurposing of the Raw and Smackdown sets we get every month. Like Wrestlemania, this is a massive show--it deserves to be treated that way.
Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Alicia Fox & Mickie James
Chris: This went from two singles matches I couldn't wait for to a tag team match I was excited by to another tag team match that was disappointing, thanks to an untimely injury to Alexa Bliss. That said, this match beat my expectations by a long shot. Trish and Lita don't look like they've lost a step in their years away from the ring, and their opponents--Mickie James and Alicia Fox--more than held up their end of the bargain. At least, until they didn't. I spent most of the match thinking how much Fox has improved in her time hanging out with Bliss and James. However, she was too slow in breaking up a pinfall, leading the ref to claim a three-count was only a two.
Outside of that though, this was a hot opener to the show. Would I have preferred Alexa to be competing in the match? Absolutely, she's--for my money--the best heel in all of WWE. But, for the most part, Fox, James, Trish, and Lita worked hard and put on a decent match with one badly blown spot.
6/10
Mat: I'd like to say first that I'm very much about Alicia Fox's recent hat choices. However, they really don't affect the outcome of the match. Anyway, this started out like a "greatest hits" record. Trish and Lita hit their familiar spots, while Mickie and Alicia played the "fall guys" to the heroes of the story. But who didn't enjoy watching Trish and Mickie go at it one more time? Anyways, it--pun intended--evolved from there, and we got a pretty solid match. There wasn't as much ring rust from Lita this go around, which was real nice. There was a rough moment at the end with Alicia mistiming a spot, which should have led the ref counting to three. Regardless, it was a solid way to open up the show, but it would have been even better if Alexa Bliss has not of gotten injured.
6.5/10
Battle Royal
Mat: I'm so happy everyone got an entrance for this, even if they were shortened. The IIconics delivered one of their patented "we're rad, you suck" promos before stepping into the ring. Thank you, Billie and Peyton. However, from there, it was more of the same for a Battle Royal, and much like Battle Royals before, everyone got a fun little spot. Sometimes, things were a bit… less than perfect. For me, one of the highlights was seeing Nia Jax and Tamina team up to toss people around the ring and dominate everyone. While I was heavily pulling for Asuka to win, the outcome was fine and dandy. I waited for Nia to turn heel, like a dope, after her win. Why was I waiting for that though? Maybe I just want Nia and Tamina to beat everyone up, together. Like, how cool would it be if they came out on Raw together and decided to just roll through the entire division, like two Braun Strowmans. That would be so rad. Wait… What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the Battle Royal was fine. Better than I thought it would be.
5.5/10
Chris: This match was stacked, and so much of the joy for me came from the entrances. Seeing Molly, Alundra, Ivory, and the rest make their way to the ring was exciting. Plus, WWE was smart enough to give the IIconics microphones, so they could talk their way to the ring. As for the match itself, it was a battle royal. Some good stuff, a few sloppy spots, a couple of moments where people waited around for something to happen. If you ever doubted Nia was going to win this one, seek help. It was pretty clear, I thought. In the end, a serviceable battle royale that won't be remembered as anywhere near the match of the night--but battle royals never are. Still, it was good to see the likes of Michelle McCool, Ivory, and the rest still being able to deliver--at least on a limited basis like this--in the ring.
5.5/10
Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai (Mae Young Classic 2018 Finals)
Chris: It's rare that we get wrestling matches in WWE that are not WWE-style. WWE tends to spotlight those that have gone through the system and work more mainstream styles of wrestling, rather than indy. That's what this was, though. Noth Toni and Io are now signed to WWE, but they threw out the best they had for this match and it was the exact kind of match I love. Hard-hitting, lots of throws, not based on a silly storyline. I wish WWE would give us this type of match more often, but I'll take whatever I can get.
8.5/10
Mat: This match was a gateway drug to indie wrestling. It felt like something you'd seem more in NJPW or ROH rather than a WWE event. Additionally, this is going to be a bout that's tough to follow, as Storm and Shirai put on one hell of a clinic. Even though the match barely broke the 10-minute mark, it filled up its slot with a ton of amazing spots. Because of how WWE was promoting this match, Storm winning was pretty predictable, but nonetheless, I would love to see more matches paced like this one and featuring a more non-WWE style.
8/10
Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad
Mat: After riding the high of the Mae Young Classic final, you're going to need a bit of a palate cleanser before moving on to another big match. That's exactly what this match was. You have your fan favorites taking on the villains. Question: Was Natalya in this match? I only remember seeing Bayley and Sasha in the one corner. This 100% felt like it was building up the Riott Squad. They worked really well as a team in this one while Sasha, Bayley, and Natalya were just three people who happened to be in the same corner. The match was also a bit too long for my liking. Plus, Natalya spent nearly half the match laying on the ground, outside of the ring. I would have rather had five more minutes added to the Mae Young Classic final. Now, can Sasha just turn heel already and fight Bayley again?
3/10
Chris: This is as close to a "filler match" as you're going to get on Evolution. Yes, there should be Women's Tag Team Championships on the line. Yes, we should be witnessing an epic Sasha vs. Bayley feud coming to a head. Yes, Liv Morgan has gotten better, and the Riott Squad is fun to watch. Yes, Natalya is… there? She's definitely there, even if she spent most of the match getting knocked down on the outside. Unfortunately, there's nothing about this match that screams must-see. Instead, it feels like a match loaded with people who are being misused. If the crowd reaction to Bayley's entrance doesn't tell you all you need to know about how WWE is dropping the ball with her, nothing will.
3/10
Kairi Sane (c) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Championship)
Chris: The thing about Shayna Baszler is I never expected her to be all that good. She arrived in the wake of the Ronda Rousey hype machine and it felt, to me, like WWE was trying to capitalize on that. She's more than proven herself in NXT, though, and did so again tonight on a bigger stage. This match with Kairi Sane was their best yet and was the perfect showcase of what's happening down in NXT for those who aren't watching--seemingly everyone in the live audience. There's something special happening on that show and you're all missing out. Both of these women are going to be amazing additions to the main roster one day.
9/10
Mat: That was one hell of a match. It was obvious from the get go that the audience in attendance doesn't watch NXT as they weren't excited about Sane revealing her NXT Women's Championship from a treasure chest. Oh well, their loss. This match played out near perfectly and was the most entertaining match of the evening, thus far. While I am a huge Sane fan, Baszler stole the spotlight here. She worked Sane's arm the entire match, many times in a very brutal fashion that was hard to watch. Baszler is an intimidating and scary force, and that played out exceptionally well throughout the match. Even though the finish involved outside forces--Baszler's friend kicked Sane--it was still an incredible match.
9/10
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Last Woman Standing Match for the Smackdown Championship)
Mat: This is the first time--in this piece--I get to mention my love for Becky Lynch. There, now that's out of the way. I'm not always the biggest fan of a Last Man (or Woman) Standing matches as they tend to get a bit too ridiculous. And this contest had a bit of a slow start, with a couple of sloppy spots, but then something magical happened: this match got bonkers as hell. Charlotte and Lynch are damned maniacs, hitting each other with chairs, throwing a ton of chairs into the ring, slamming each other onto chairs, and just creating a beautiful, chaotic mess. I thought following the NXT Women's Championship match was going to be new impossible, but somehow, Charlotte and Lynch did the impossible. This was one of the best women's matches in the history of WWE.
9.5/10
Chris: Wow. I don't know what else to say but wow. The feud between Charlotte and Becky has been a bit stunted due to the crowd's inability to boo Becky Lynch, which is a shame. She's really come into her own as a heel and deserves the vitriol. Thanks to this match, though, none of that matters. These two delivered a completely insane bout that was easily the best of the night thus far, which is saying something on a card this great. Everyone in WWE--men and women--could learn something from this match. The fact that these two are still relatively new to the main stage blows my mind because this is the kind of match you'd expect to ring veterans to work hard on. Is it the best women's match in WWE history? No, my vote still goes to Sasha vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. But this gave it a run for its money.
9.5/10
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nikki Bella (Raw Championship)
Chris: It was what it was. This was the exact match I think most of us expected. These two put on a fine match with plenty of shenanigans thanks to Brie Bella, and closed the show with another strong win for Rousey. What's unfortunate is that this was the main event. There were two other title matches that blew it out of the water and deserved that slow. WWE views the Bellas and Rousey as their biggest female stars, though. So there's only so much you can do. That said, I'm ready for Ronda and Nia Jax to go at it again.
6/10
Mat: There was no way Rousey and Nikki Bella were going to top the two previous matches, simply because they're not on the same level as the previous four competitors. The battle between Nikki and Ronda is exactly what you'd expect. Brie jumped in plenty of times to help Nikki out, but in the end, Ronda won. It needs to go that way, so Ronda can face Nia Jax for the title. Anyway, Rousey isn't the most gifted in-ring performer, but she's getting there, and she's fun to watch, and that's all that matters. I'm not expecting her to put on Becky Lynch or Charlotte-level matches. She delivers a good in-ring story here, overcoming the odds, and it's was a fun watch. It shouldn't have been the main event though.
5.5/10
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