Fantasy booking the entire WWE Evolution PPV match card

Stephanie McMahon announced on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw that WWE will hold its first-ever all-female pay-per-view, Evolution, in New York on 28 October.

So far, no matches for the event have been confirmed but we already know that four titles will be on the line – the Raw Women’s Championship, the SmackDown Women’s Championship, the NXT Women’s Championship and the NXT UK Women’s Championship – and that the winner of the 2018 Mae Young Classic will be crowned.

It has also been revealed that over 50 women from WWE’s past, present and future will feature on the PPV, with Hall of Famers Trish Stratus, Lita and Beth Phoenix already confirmed for the event.

As for the possibility of Women’s Tag Team Championships, Stephanie told Sky Sports this week that WWE is "keen on implementing [them] as soon as we are able to", so it’s not totally out of the question that they could be introduced soon.

But will they arrive in time to feature at Evolution? Will Stephanie compete on the show? Who will appear in the main event? How many matches will take place?

With three months still to go until the PPV, let’s play fantasy booker and take a look at a possible match card for the historic show.

#9 Battle Royal (winner receives title opportunity)

Bayley could enter the Raw Women's title picture by winning the Battle Royal

First up, the show has to have a Battle Royal, doesn’t it? It’s mathematically impossible for Stephanie McMahon to announce that over 50 women will appear on the PPV and for there not to be some kind of multi-person elimination match.

This could feature up to 30 women and include lots of face-offs from WWE’s past and present, with the winner earning a future Raw or SmackDown Women’s Championship opportunity.

Some of the big names in the match from the main roster could be Bayley, Natalya, Ruby Riott, Lana and Carmella, while former stars including Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, Brie Bella and Torrie Wilson could appear along with NXT performers like Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai.

#8 Asuka vs. Nikki Bella

Asuka lost both of her recent SmackDown Women’s Championship matches against Carmella, so it’s possible that she will remain out of the blue brand’s title picture from now until Evolution takes place at the end of October.

If that is the case, it would feel like a waste to have a Superstar of her calibre take part in a Battle Royal or another multi-woman match on the show, especially considering that she has proven herself to be one of WWE’s best female performers in one-on-one matches.

There are loads of possible opponents who "The Empress of Tomorrow" could face in a marquee singles match, but let's go for Nikki Bella, simply because she was part of the tag match that kick-started the ‘#GiveDivasAChance’ craze and she deserves to be featured in a good spot on this historic match card.

#7 Ember Moon & Nia Jax vs. The IIconics (Women’s Tag Team Championships)

The IIconics are destined to be Women's Tag Team champions

Okay, so it hasn’t been officially announced, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising if WWE decides to introduce Women’s Tag Team Championships as we get closer to Evolution, with the inaugural champions being crowned at the PPV.

If that does happen, there could be a series of qualifiers on Raw and SmackDown Live in the build-up to the show, with semi-final matches taking place at the Super Show-Down event in Melbourne on 6 October.

That way, The IIconics could get a big win in front of their Australian fans against Absolution, while Ember Moon could team up with the woman who introduced her to Raw, Nia Jax, to defeat Alexa Bliss and Mickie James, with both winning teams earning a shot at the tag titles.

#6 Alexa Bliss & Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus & Lita

Following their Women’s Tag Team Championship semi-final defeat against Nia Jax and Ember Moon at the Super Show-Down, Alexa Bliss and Mickie James could turn their attention to the Evolution PPV by issuing a challenge to Hall of Fame duo Trish Stratus and Lita.

Mickie has already teased on social media that she wants to face her former rival at the event, and the addition of Alexa and Lita to the fold would make it even more must-see.

Of course, this is assuming that Alexa has lost her Raw Women’s Championship by this point and that a Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament even takes place. But hey, we’re fantasy booking here!

#5 Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley (Mae Young Classic final)

With two weeks to go until the 32-woman Mae Young Classic is filmed, only 19 competitors have been confirmed for the tournament and we still don’t know who will face who in the early-round matches.

That makes it very difficult to predict who will be in the final, but we’ll have an educated guess that Io Shirai – the 28-year-old Japanese star who is widely considered one of the best female wrestlers in the world – will make it all the way.

As for her opponent, Rhea Ripley only competed for a combined 11 minutes in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, defeating Miranda Salinas before losing to Dakota Kai, but she still made a big impression, so perhaps 2018 could be her breakout year.

#4 Toni Storm vs. Jinny vs. Killer Kelly vs. Isla Dawn (NXT UK Women’s Championship)

It’s anybody’s guess at this stage who will challenge for the NXT UK Women’s Championship at Evolution.

At the recent United Kingdom Championship Tournament, fans got their first glimpse of the NXT UK women’s division when Toni Storm defeated Killer Kelly and Isla Dawn in a Triple Threat match.

For the simple reason that Jinny was also supposed to be in the match but couldn’t compete because of an injury, let’s predict that she’ll be added to the mix in a Fatal 4-Way match when WWE crowns the division’s inaugural champion in October.

#3 Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane (NXT Women’s Championship)

Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women's Championship from Ember Moon

While there are some exceptions, one-on-one NXT Women’s Championship rivalries often span multiple TakeOver/PPV events, and that will surely be the case with Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane.

The two WWE up-and-comers will do battle over the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV in August, reviving a feud that began when they met in the final of the Mae Young Classic in 2017.

Regardless of who wins the match next month, don’t be surprised if the rivalry continues into the Evolution PPV in October.

#2 Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Becky Lynch has won eight SmackDown Live matches in a row

With James Ellsworth gone from WWE, Carmella’s chances of retaining her SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam have drastically decreased.

That means #1 contender Becky Lynch looks like the favourite to enter the Evolution PPV with the blue brand’s title, making it a very real possibility that she could soon do battle with her long-term friend and fellow Four Horsewoman, Charlotte Flair.

There wouldn’t be any need for either woman to turn heel in the build-up to the match. It could just be two friends going head-to-head in a guaranteed classic to determine who is the best of the best from the SmackDown Live women’s division.

#1 Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women’s Championship)

If Ronda Rousey defeats Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam, she is likely to be the strongest holder of a women’s title in WWE heading into the Evolution PPV, making her the early favourite to headline the event.

Of all the possible opponents who she could face, there have been plenty of suggestions for Stephanie McMahon over the last few days, and even rematches against Nia Jax and/or Alexa, but it would be nice to see the first-ever women’s PPV feature a much-anticipated first-ever match to close the show.

Sasha Banks is long overdue a Raw Women’s Championship storyline – she hasn’t had a one-on-one title opportunity in almost a year – and a match against Ronda would open up the possibility of a Four Horsewoman vs. Four Horsewoman stand-off just a few weeks before Survivor Series.