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The inaugural WWE Evolution pay-per-view managed to live up to all its hype and not only was the show a major hit but by the end of a historic evening in New York City, WWE Evolution surely did establish itself as one of the best WWE PPV's of all time.
Much to the credit of all the women who took part in Evolution on and off-screen as well, the first ever all women's WWE pay-per-view surely had its legendary moments and had several ups and fewer downs in overall as well.
The WWE Universe was certainly in for a treat tonight, as fans not only in New York but all around the globe were patiently waiting to witness the return of some of their all-time favorite female superstars of all time, much like they did during the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match.
In general, there were no surprise returns during the show but there were indeed several shocking moments that took underwent during the entire pay-per-view. With that said, we now take a look at some of the most surprising moments from Evolution:
#5 Maria Kanellis returns to in-ring action
It'll be fair for us to start this list with someone who has been around in WWE TV for a while now but only as a valet/manager and not as an active wrestler. Former Impact Knockouts Champion, Maria Kanellis last competed in the ring way back in the year 2016 during her first and only reign as Knockouts Champion, while she was under contract with Impact.
Maria, who made her return to the WWE in 2017, alongside her debuting husband Mike Kanellis, has been acting as the on-screen manager for the former Ring of Honor Superstar. However, following the Kanellis' recent return to WWE TV as part of the 205 Live brand, Maria Kanellis went on to shock the world at Evolution when she made her return to in-ring competition.
With both her husband and her newly born daughter in attendance, Maria put up an outstanding performance in the ring for someone who has been inactive from in-ring competition for all these years.
#4 Io Shirai kicks out from the Stormbreaker
The second edition of the WWE Mae Young Classic came to a conclusion today. Japanese sensation Io Shirai, who, as expected, in her first year in the WWE has already been super impressive, went head-to-head against last year's semi-finalist Toni Storm in the this year's highly anticipated, mouthwatering finals clash.
Toni Storm and Io Shirai started off the match with a lot of back-and-forth between each other, as they traded some stiff shots early on into the match. As the bout gradually progressed, the pace of the match slowly and steadily started rising as well. Midway through the match, Toni Storm, out of absolutely nowhere, caught her opponent with an absolutely devastating Stormbreaker, only for Io to kick out at two.
This, in particular, was not only one of the biggest moments of the match but was one of the biggest moments of the entire night, given that the Stormbreaker is one of the most protected finishing maneuvers in the business and has done wonders for Toni Storm throughout the MYC II. However, to see Io Shirai kick-out of it at 2 was certainly incredible!
#3 Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir get physically involved in the NXT Women's Title match
Heading into Evolution, the NXT Women's Title rematch between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler was one of the highly anticipated matches of the show. The bad blood between the two ladies has taken this rivalry to the very next level, as the feud which initially started at last year's Mae Young Classic finale was all set to write another intense chapter in this heated rivalry.
Kairi Sane, who won the NXT Women's Title by defeating Baszler in the first place, had the odds stacked against her in tonight's rematch. Not only did 'The Queen of Spades' come into this match as the heavy favorite but also had a few friends at ringside in the form of newest NXT recruits Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
After connecting with a massive crossbody to the outside, Sane tossed out Baszler into the crowd where her fellow MMA Horsewomen Duke and Shafir were seated and thanks to Sane's insane actions, all three of the Horsewomen got taken out at once midway through the match.
However, Shafir and Duke, obviously, did not buy this sort of actions from Kairi Sane, as they decided to make their presence known behind the referee's back.
With Kairi Sane momentarily taking care of both ladies, a smooth kick from Jessamyn Duke eventually did wonders for Baszler, who finally got the Rare-Naked Choke in on Sane, who much to everyone's disappointed passed out and eventually led to the crowning of a brand new NXT Women's Champion.
#2 Charlotte Flair refuses to quit as she rises up from the debris
After being dominated by Charlotte in the early goings of the match, Becky Lynch started to show some of that straight fire, as she eventually started a comeback into her Last Woman Standing Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
After taking all sorts of punishment from Flair, it was Becky's turn to repay the favor to the former SmackDown Women's Champion. Considering how sadistic and mean Becky Lynch has become in recent weeks, 'The Champ' decided to take things just a bit too far in her title defense against Flair. But hey, under a stipulation like this everything is fair and square!
Having experimented almost everything, Becky Lynch was somehow unable to keep Charlotte Flair down for the 10-count and in order to do so, what did 'The Lass Kicker' do? She put a ton of ringside debris on top of Flair and buried 'The Queen' just so she can stay down for a 10-count.
However, much to Charlotte's credit, the former two-time SmackDown Women's Champion refused to stay down at all costs, as she made her way out of the stacked debris that was on top of her and made her way back to her feet, as a phoenix rises from her ashes, before a 10-count.
#1 Becky Lynch goes sky high against Charlotte Flair
Having experimented almost everything and after having hit Charlotte Flair with almost every single object available inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Becky Lynch was somehow unable to keep 'The Queen' down for a 10-count.
Not only did Becky use steel chairs, kendo sticks, tables, stairs, and ton of debris to beat up Charlotte but 'The Lass Kicker' also used her own damn title belt to brutally beat up her opponent, who despite taking one of the worst beatings I've ever seen on WWE TV, kept coming back for more.
There was apparently no quit in Charlotte Flair, as a frustrated Becky Lynch, who by this point had tried almost everything to keep Flair down, used one last small (or big I'd rather say) trick to add further damage to The Queen's already wrecked torso.
After successfully nailing Charlotte down with her title, Becky placed the former on top of the German announce table and placed a ladder and eventually climbed on top of it to put an end to Charlotte Flair. Becky, much to everyone's surprise. eventually took flight and put Flair through the table after connecting with one of the most wicked Double Leg Drops' I've ever witnessed.
A holy moly moment indeed!
