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WWE Evolution is now in the books and the show was what you would expect. It was a lukewarm pay per view with good matches and bad ones. There was also one disastrous booking decision, as you would expect on any main roster pay per view, but interestingly (and unfortunately enough) it had to do with NXT, which was particularly galling to see.
Hopefully, it won't do too much damage going forward.
The card did an admirable enough job in putting on a show, certainly compared to the many lackluster main roster pay per views this year. Let's now take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the pay per view. Who gained the most and who lost on this "historic" occasion?
Winner: Nia Jax
Nia Jax was one of the favorites going into the battle royal and for good reason. She has unfinished business with Ronda Rousey. Rousey will badly need credible challengers going forward and Nia Jax is one. Her size and strength will at least make her appear a threat, even though her chances of dethroning Rousey are zero.
Still, the two of them also had a good match at Money in the Bank back in June, so we should expect to see another one going forward, whether at Survivor Series in November or at TLC in December. It's a welcome enough diversion in the calm before the storm of WrestleMania season to begin in January.
After being absent on Raw for a few months following her match with Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules in July, this win put Nia Jax back into place as one of the key players in the red brand's women's division.
Let's just hope that the two of them don't have a bunch of long promos together going forward.
Winner: Toni Storm
As expected, Toni Storm won the Mae Young Classic last night, defeating Io Shirai in the final. Her victory legitimizes her as the ace of the NXT UK women's division and it was to be expected for that reason alone. Her having the most difficult path to the final was also a key indication that she was going to win.
While the match could have gotten more time to really deliver everything it could have, both women proved themselves on the biggest stage they had yet seen. Deciding to hold the final at Evolution was a nice touch that added a lot to the show.
Where Toni Storm goes from here is anyone's guess. We know the results of a UK women's title tournament that has yet to be aired, but what happens afterward? Regardless of that, Toni Storm is going to get top billing across the pond.
Loser: The NXT women's division
Now we get into the big blight of the show.
Kairi Sane was cheated out of the NXT Women's Championship, and the result is that the NXT women's division is a wasteland.
Shayna Baszler had already done everything there was to do in NXT. Her getting the title back, with the assistance of her friends, means that many, many people are now not going to get a chance to shine on the yellow brand. Instead, we look set to see a repeat of what went on before, only this time on steroids.
Compared to the numerous directions the division could have gone, it's a terrible choice, reeks of nepotism, and it leaves a bad taste in the viewer's mouth that loomed over the entire pay per view.
This was easily one of the worst booking decisions of the year and the worst the NXT Women's Championship has ever been treated in its entire history.
Winner: Becky Lynch
By far, the biggest winner of Evolution was Becky Lynch. In defeating Charlotte Flair on such a grand stage, she cemented herself as champion in the most spectacular, satisfying fashion.
Becky Lynch has set SmackDown on fire as champion and it was absolutely the right decision to keep her on top.
Now there are many possibilities open for the blue brand's women's division going forward into the end of the year and WrestleMania season. While the supporting cast is relatively weak, one name stands out as one that Becky Lynch should ultimately clash with - Asuka.
Asuka would need some rebuilding, to be sure, but the possibility is there, and it's an exciting one.
With the NXT women's division being uncharacteristically poor, the SmackDown women's division has now emerged as the leading light in the company, and it's thanks to Becky Lynch being on top as the champion.
