'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Well, it's in the books, done, finito - we've finally saw what a WWE all-women's pay-per-view looks like and history was definitely made at Evolution!
The first ever all-women's WWE pay-per-view emanated from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as Uniondale, New York, hosted the historic event where just shy of 40 women featured on an incredible card where only female Superstars compete.
We saw the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships defended, as well as the NXT Championship. The Mae Young Classic reached its culmination, and we saw a huge battle royal as well as the first ever Last Woman Standing Match in WWE.
One of the most incredible things about this pay-per-view was how important everything felt. Almost every match was high stakes, with every belt on the line. Even the NXT UK Women's Championship was defended in a dark match before the show.
It's also worth mentioning the production of this event - it felt very different to most other WWE pay-per-views. We had a new stage set up and metal guard rails - with cyan and magenta themed decor. This felt like WWE meeting NXT somewhere in the middle, and that just made it all the more special!
But was it a hit or a miss? I'm giving you the rundown and grading the entire card and looking at what went well and what did not.
So, Evolution was historic, but was it good? Let's find out...
Trish Stratus & Lita vs Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
Match: Talk about a really fun match to start off the pay-per-view! Even if it wasn't exactly as billed. Due to injury, Alexa Bliss would be replaced by Alicia Fox. The crowd had a huge part to play in making this match what it was - and that was a really entertaining encounter! We saw a Lita Moonsault, a Stratusfaction, and some great nostalgic moments between Trish Stratus and Mickie James. No surprises in who won, though, with Lita and Trish Stratus taking home the W.
Verdict: This, for me, was the perfect way to start the pay-per-view. Not the match I'd have chosen, but a fun one full of entertainment. Okay, maybe it wasn't THE crispest match ever, but Mickie James made Lita and Trish look like stars - and both of the Hall of Famers didn't look like they'd missed a step. A hot start to Evolution! It was a shame Bliss couldn't be a part of it, though, and it seemed like a last minute decision with Mickie James doing most of the legwork for her team.
Grade: B-
Number One Contender's Battle Royal
Match: Before we got to the match, we had a plethora of entrances to get through. While it was time-consuming, it was also really nice to see every woman get their platform on such a historic night. The opening was great with the IIconics cutting a great promo that saw everyone else fling them out of the ring immediately, then some nice past vs present face-offs.
Sonya and Mandy dominated before Mandy eliminated her own partner, and there was nostalgia aplenty here. Ember Moon made a definite impact in getting to the final two, even after Zelina Vega thought she'd won. Moon would be thwarted by Nia Jax, though, who would go on to become number one contender.
Verdict: These battle royals are always a bit of a lottery. They can be very awkward purely due to the logistics of getting rather petite people over the ropes, or vice versa - but this was great, too! Some really fun moments - including a dance break with Ivory joining Carmella. With so many moving parts, though, this was actually executed pretty nicely!
Grade: B
Mae Young Classic 2018 Final
Io Shirai vs Toni Storm
Match: WWE built this match perfectly with some neat video packages, one even featuring a quote from ourselves. For the casual fans, it really added some background. Needless to say, though, the crowd was still hot for this with "Io" chants ringing out. The match started out respectfully with a handshake but was then packed with non-stop action. The end sequence saw Io Shirai hit a sunset flip and roll Storm up for a near fall. Shirai followed up with the double knees in the corner and went for the moonsault but Storm got her knees up, hit a second Storm Zero and picked up the win!
Verdict: Well, I think everyone expected a classic here and it did not disappoint. While the pacing was quite slow and methodical, both women grew into the match and left it all in the ring. What may have been less predictable than the match quality, though, was the result. This one was impossible to call right until the finish, but Toni Storm came out the victor! Some may say the match felt rushed at the end, some will say it had great urgency - but the match overall was undoubtedly great!
Grade: B+
Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya vs The Riott Squad
Match: This was the only match on the card with no real prize or consequence, but that didn't stop all six women leaving it all in the ring. Natalya and Liv Morgan had a great exchange to open the contest up with some really nice storytelling and cool nuances. Natalya had both Riott and Logan in a Sharpshooter simultaneously at one point and Bayley lay on top of Sasha to take a bullet for her, so to speak. The end saw a wonderful three-woman move with tag after tag seeing Natalya and Bayley soften up Morgan before Banks hit the Frog Splash for the win!
Verdict: Let's just say this was not the smoothest of matches, but it wasn't bad at all. All six women got the spotlight they deserved during this match and it was a nice showcase match - sadly it just had no real stakes and didn't quite live up to the standard or expectations set by the previous matches.
Grade: C
NXT Women's Championship Match
Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler
Match: This match was always going to be a classic. For any Mae Young Classic or NXT fans, it would have come as no surprise when Sane and Baszler put on an absolute clinic. This was slow and methodical, then fast-paced and aggressive, just on a loop from start to finish.
This felt like a battle, it felt like a match neither woman could afford to lose and Baszler would almost rip the NXT Champion's arm out of the socket while holding her from the top rope by the arm and dropping her to the outside. Baszler's work on Sane's fingers was genius, too, and Sane's crossbody from the top rope to the outside stole the show up until this point. This match blew everything away.
Sane would launch Baszler into the crowd before Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke would try to interfere - only to fall to the NXT Women's Champion, but a Duke cheapshot after a load of near falls would see Baszler choke out Kairi Sane to become the first ever 2x NXT Women's Champion.
Verdict: There isn't much I can say about this match apart from it was undoubtedly the match of the night until this point - leaving the main roster Championship matches with a huge standard to live up to. This was brutality, it was storytelling, and it was incredible ability. This was women's wrestling.
Grade: A
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Last Woman Standing
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair
Match: This was most likely the most anticipated match of the night for a lot of people - and it didn't disappoint. The crowd showed no signs of fatigue when both these women took to the ring with huge chants for Becky Lynch almost silencing the commentary. As you'd expect, the storytelling in this match was phenomenal.
It wasn't long before the action left the ring and Lynch went to work on Flair with a kendo stick before the pair would launch steel chairs into the ring at each other from opposite ends of the ring. Both women would attack each other with chairs before Lynch was planted on a bed of chairs with a back suplex before Flair would suffer a similar fate.
Then came the tables! Charlotte went for a moonsault through a table but it didn't break, so Becky ended up back on the table for the exact opposite - a senton bomb through the table! Becky, though, would reply by slamming Charlotte onto a ladder, but an innovative Flair would trap Lynch's leg in he ladder and try remove The Lass Kicker's ability to stand, before locking in Figure 8 through the ladder.
The fight then spilled out into the arena with Flair and Lynch exchanging chops in amongs the WWE Universe. The fight ended up back at ringside with Lynch placing Flair on the announce table and landing a leg drop through the table on her opponent.
Flair would get back up though and, even after being buried under a pile of chairs and pieces of table, rise again. It looked like Flair had turned the momentum as she put Lynch on a table and went for a moonsault from the top rope to the outside through a table, but Lynch would instead catch up on her opponent and deliver her, via powerbomb, through the table for the win!
Verdict: A completely different match from the NXT Championship Match but every bit as good! Both Flair and Lynch showed just why this rivalry has kept everyone on the edge of their seats as of late, and why they're both at the top of their game in WWE. An instant classic - and one with plenty of rewatch value! There's a reason the crowd gave these ladies a standing ovation. Probably just sneaked match of the night.
Grade: A
WWE RAW Women's Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella
Match: This one was a bit of a slow starter as you'd expect. Slow and methodical with Rousey playing mind games with Nikki Bella. Bella would show signs of frustration in between being ragdolled by the RAW Women's Champion - but only until Brie Bella had her say and allowed the tides to change. Rousey ate some ringpost thanks to Brie while the referee's back was turned but couldn't captalise.
Ronda Rousey made Nikki Bella look like a viable threat through some nice selling before lifting Nikki Bella AND Brie Bella on her shoulders, slamming both with a HUGE rolling Samoan drop.
Rousey would lay out Nikki and make a beeline for Brie, but the champion would then pay for it by running right into an Alabama Slam for a near fall, then eating some ringpost and then the Rack Attack - but Rousey still kicked out at two. Rousey then locked in the Armbar from a unique setup rolling off the top rope to pick up the win and retain her RAW Women's Championship.
Verdict: This match was put in a pretty compromising position in following two outstanding matches - but it still delivered a really fun and entertaining match. Of course, it wasn't match of the night, it was never going to be, but it was a really good end to the pay-per-view and more than met the expectations.
Grade: B
Overall PPV verdict: Well, what a great show! For me, Evolution really surpassed all expectations and provided some incredible moments. A hot crowd throughout, amazing matches and really well paced, timed and ordered. While I think the SmackDown Championship match should have headlined and ended the PPV, I can see why it didn't. No flags here, I'm just glad this event lived up to the hype, and I hope it's only the first and not the last!
Overall PPV grade: A-
What did you think of Evolution? Let us know in the comments.
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
