WWE Evolution

WWE Evolution

Long Island, NY - October 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the RAW Women's Champion was Ronda Rousey, while Becky Lynch held the SmackDown Women's Championship. The NXT Women's Champion, meanwhile, was Kairi Sane.

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, Renee Young, and Beth Pheonix

The show began with Stephanie McMahon's narration, but thankfully segued quickly to the words of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and the Bellas (among others), the women who deserve the most credit for the Renaissance of women's wrestling, all hyping tonight's historic event. We then cut to a ripping guitar solo and performance by Lzzy Hale (of Halestorm) and Nina Strauss. I would've liked to see some in-ring highlights spliced into the performance but whatever, it was fine.

Opening up the show was our RAW brand tag, Trish Stratus and Lita teaming up to take on Mickie James and Alicia Fox (subbing in for Alexa Bliss, who cut a promo knocking the babyfaces for their age). I'm not sure if the cosplay idea came through (the heels were sporting Wizard of Oz-inspired garb), but it didn't matter - the crowd was enthused for this show and willing to overlook the fact that the Aggression Era talents were moving more than a touch slower and with less finesse than in their prime. The James/Stratus showdown drew a great reaction and it was particularly fun to see them deliver the kind of sequences they did during their feud in 06' - when the sloppiness or telegraphed transitions didn't matter because they were going for it at a time when that just didn't happen. Lita, the least polished worker of the bunch, did a better job playing the face-in-peril than she did getting the shine, eating some particularly brutal kicks from James. The faces ended up back with the upper hand not too long after, Lita hitting her big moonsault and Stratus delivering the Stratusfaction and a Trish Kick. I was a bit surprised how little Alexa Bliss was involved in this match as it was rumored that this feud would continue beyond this show, with Lita and Trish potentially teaming up at  one of the next big shows, but there were really no signs of that based on what happened here. Not a great match, but a good enough opener. (2.5/5)

The Bellas were interviewed backstage (and booed by the live crowd). Nikki dedicated her match against Ronda Rousey to her Rousey's mother, naming her an honorary member of the Bella Army. The Bellas are so much better as heels.

The 20-Woman Battle Royale was next, a future WWE Women's Championship match on the line. Among the competitors were a number of former stars including Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, and Alundra "Madusa" Blayze. Without the element of surprise that helped make the first women's Royal Rumble so much fun, this was just your average battle royal - though there some nice spotlight moments for The Ilconics, Carmella, Nia Jax, and, most encouragingly, Ember Moon (who has done little of note since being brought up to the Raw brand earlier this year). The aforementioned McCool, Maria Kanellis, and Ivory got a few moments to shine too, but none of the ex-stars seemed like they had a real chance of winning - which is kind of a missed opportunity because that could've been a fun way to go with this match, especially if you would've had Layla around. I'm also not sure why they didn't throw an NXT talent in there (as they did at the Rumble). The competitors brought their best to this match, but it was largely uninspired in the layout. Inoffensive, but nothing special. (2/5)

The finals of the Mae Young Classic followed with Io Shirai taking on Toni Storm. The commentators and video production crew did a great job of selling these two as "can't miss" future mega-stars, though, let's recall, they did the same for Asuka and she was basically a non-factor in the royal and hasn't been pushed as anything special since Mania season. This was the best match of the night up to this point, but it was clear that much of the live audience was unfamiliar with either competitor and weren't emotionally invested in the outcome - which was confounded by the fact that this was a straight-up babyface/babyface presentation, a battle of two athletes who respect each other and weren't going to cut corners to attain the prize. Thehe big spots were merciless and brutal and drew great reactions but it was clear during the flat post-match celebration that the audience had not been on the same journey as the participants (not even bothering to give Storm the same "You Deserve It" chant that they gave Nia Jax less than 20 minutes earlier). On a technical level, this was better than the opener, but it was far from the "show stealer" that many desired this to be. (3/5)

A six-woman tag match followed as Natalya, Sasha Banks, and Bayley teamed up to take The Riott Squad - Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan. As I haven't been following Raw for months, I didn't really know what to expect here. Ruby Riott was featured well enough last year against Charlotte, but the other two haven't really had the same PPV exposure as singles competitors. This match was a pleasant change as Morgan and Logan came out of this looking vicious, even in a losing effort (a booking decision I'm not sure I stand behind as the Squad should be booked as being practically unbeatable as a unit). It was also nice to see a crowd actually respond in a major way to Bayley and Banks, the two performers who might deserve the most credit for the groundswell of internet and "smart fan"support that led to the WWE Women's Revolution years ago. There were some incredible moments in this, including an awesome shine segment from Bayley that ended with her going to the well one too many times and getting dropkicked ribs-first into the corner post. I've seen hundreds, probably even thousands, of corner spots in my lifetime, but it was one of the best executed (and best sold) versions of it that I can recall. Not all was as good as that, though - Banks attempted a front-flip cannonball move onto the Riott Squad, got caught awkwardly, and then thrust into the barricade in a great spot that was just slightly off in execution. Then, Bayley saved her from a splash from the top rope by lying on top of her in a move that was meant to show how much the two have reconciled but came off as corny. I mean, instead of diving on Banks to protect her from the blow, why not shove your opponent off the top rope? These hiccups aside, the finish was a crowd pleaser, but as I mentioned above, I don't agree with it. As deserving of credit as the babyfaces were for what they've all contributed to the genre of women's wrestling in the WWE, there was likely more mileage in them losing this match than there is with them having their hands raised. All in all, a better-than-average match, but not that much better. (3/5)

The NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane defended her title against Shayna Baszler next. I liked their match from a few months back, but I found this one to be even better - just an incredibly physical match with great striking, Baszler applying submissions that looked like they were legitimately debilitating, and the crowd actually buying into the face/heel dynamic. I also liked that they were light on the false finishes, this match standing as an epic but not over-relying on non-stop finisher spamming. Instead, the biggest spots of the match seem to come in transitions, not the "my turn/your turn" style that was once (and arguably still is) the template for WWE main events. Kairi Sane's gimmick may still rub people the wrong way, but I enjoy the sheer "Japan-ness" of it. This gimmick doesn't make sense to me and that's okay. I thought it was a Final Fantasy-meets-Sailor Moon thing, but as Michael Cole explained, she actually is a sailor. Whatever the case, if you're going to deliver the best top rope-to-the-floor splash of the year, I'm going to root for you. Baszler, meanwhile, is almost as Miz-level of heelishness now. She is thoroughly unlikable. I love how she plays by the rules - technically - but not in the spirit of fairness. For example, the move where she bends her opponent's hand back and then stomps on the elbow? There may be nothing in the rules against, but intentionally injuring your opponent? "Its just not done" as they say. Baszler doesn't care though. She's from the world of MMA, where breaking your opponent's nose and jaw isn't a workplace accident, it's the goal of the game. Here, without asking, Baszler's like-minded posse jumped in and made the Queen of Spades (a nickname they really really should consider changing) even more despicable. This was a great pro-wrestling match and maybe even a candidate for my annual Top 10 WWE Matches of the Year column. (3.5/5)

Next up, the SmackDown Women's Championship Match with Becky Lynch defending against Charlotte. The crowd was 100% behind Lynch (not a surprise). I was vociferous opponent of keeping Charlotte "face," but by this point in the storyline, I'm just hoping the WWE stops tinkering altogether and just lets these women "do them." Tonight was a great example of what that would look like as Charlotte, the unpopular "face," got great heat just doing her usual shtick while Lynch got big pops even as she "worked heel," grabbing at weapons left and right and maybe most importantly, not playing the "dumb good guy." There was so much in this match that I enjoyed - Becky dishing out some super stiff kendo shots early, Charlotte delivering a back suplex onto an ECW-style bed of chairs, and the late-game psychology of Ms. Flair attacking Becky's knee with the ladder to soften her up for the Figure 8. Speaking of the Figure 8, I recall seeing the move for the first time in 2014 or so and adoring it and I remain its biggest fan. Does Charlotte adding a bridge to the move actually make it more painful for her opponent? Does it really add to her leverage? I'm not sure - but what I do know is that it symbolizes a raising of the stakes and an "upping of the ante" and when her opponent is someone like Becky, who knows how to sell that added drama, it makes for a great moment. Into the crowd they went and like Austin and The Rock in their prime, they didn't just go out and stagger around aimlessly, they found a way to make this "filler" stretch entertaining via a heated exchange of chest chops and punches. They returned ringside and the table-smashing ensued, Lynch and Charlotte finally allowed to perform the spots and use the props that they'd probably been prevented using in the past because they were reserved for "the boys." While I've seen plenty of folks knocking Mike Chioda's referee work, and it was very distracting at points, I wasn't so appalled by it that I couldn't enjoy the effort and moments that Lynch and Charlotte put into this. I mean, how can anyone really shit on a match that ends with a top rope powerbomb through a table on the floor? (4/5)

Main event time - Ronda Rousey defending the RAW Women's Championship against Nikki Bella. Like the previous bout, this match had a "big fight feel," largely due to Rousey still feeling a bit like a big deal (though, not as big as when she debuted last January) and Nikki Bella, despite her inauspicious start, growing into being one of the best all-around performers in the division, a competitor who isn't going to outwrestle anyone, but will get her character over and get mileage out of doing the little things right. Brie Bella, meanwhile, is not as adept a competitor, but has quietly improved as a manager/sidekick both as a face - with Daniel Bryan - and with her sister. Nikki's control segment was pretty great too, Brie getting involved to keep Rousey at a disadvantage and Nikki infusing basic offense with the right amount of heeling (the headscissors into a push-up routine) and viciousness (Nikki ramming Rousey head-first into the post). Hell, they nailed an abdominal stretch segment too and Rousey continues to demonstrate skills beyond her years - her selling really on-point as Nikki managed to dominate a lengthy stretch of the bout. Rousey's comeback didn't make 100% sense, but it doesn't matter the same way "Hulking Up" didn't matter as long as it felt deserved - and after all that Nikki and Brie tried to do to her, it felt absolutely deserved to see Rousey go into Beast Mode and just toss Nikki around the ring. There were some obvious moments of spot-calling and cooperation, but there were also unexpected/perfectly executed transitions - including an Alabama Slam and Rousey connecting with some sort of small package off the top rope that looked devastating. A very, very good main event and a nice feather in the cap for Nikki Bella, who now has quite a few matches on her resume that rank among the best the WWE's division has ever had. (3.5/5)



With a Kwang Score of 3.07-out-of-5, the first women-only WWE PPV was a good/borderline great show. When the event was announced, I was confident that it could be the best WWE show of the year and while I'm not sure it earned that recognition - even in a down year like 2018 - the performers don't deserve any of that blame. The legs of this show were cut out weeks ago when they opted to relegate some of their bigger name talent, like Nia Jax, Asuka, and Carmella, to a meaningless battle royal, when they chose to build the show around a Rousey/Bella feud that exceeded expectations but still drew loads of criticism from fans craving something bigger for Rousey, when they limited the mainstream appeal of their own show by so prominently featuring NXT talent over their own main roster call-ups like Ember Moon. For all these faults in the planning and promotion of this show, the show still worked because while this was treated like a "lesser" show, the performers treated it like their WrestleMania and that enthusiasm shined through (even if the barrage of video packages made this point at least five times too many by the end of the night).

I've always categorized a 4-star match as being a "must watch" or, at the very least, a "should watch," a match that leaves a mark on you after you've viewed it, one worth talking about after. Lynch/Charlotte earned that distinction by very likely being the most hardcore match the WWE will ever allow two women to perform. Beyond even that, though, it felt like the perfect encapsulation of the months-long feud these two have been engaged in, the singular match that represents the entire story of this rivalry. With the crowd refusing to play along with the heel/face dynamic the company clearly wanted them to buy into, Flair and Lynch have had the difficult task of forging ahead by eschewing the good guy/bad guy labels and making this a clash where both sides can be seen as faces and heels. Lynch is no longer insulting the crowd, but her attempts to literally walk out on her title defenses isn't heroic. Charlotte's run as a babyface hasn't been great, but here, knowing the crowd isn't going to back her no matter what she does (and she took some seriously sympathetic bumps in this match), she wisely brought back the fierceness and focus that we'd see in her matches with Sasha Banks years ago. Charlotte doesn't do "happy go lucky" babyface well - few do - but like her old man, she shouldn't need to change everything about her act to be well-received by the fans. Nothing smells worse than desperation and Charlotte's attempts to court the audience have been hard to watch. In this match, she didn't bother and kept her intensity and intentions on winning back a championship and, lo and behold, the confidence and character that deserves to be the centerpiece of the division returned.

The main event wasn't quite as great, but it exceeded my (and many others') expectations. If this was Nikki Bella's swan song, she's leaving on one of the best matches of her career. Calling Rousey the best rookie in WWE history would be going too far, but she's considerably better in the ring than she has any right to be. Plenty of world class athletes have stumbled in the spotlight, but Rousey is delivering with less and less crutches. Reviewers claiming this match was nothing more than another "smoke and mirrors" act should be reminded that all wrestling falls into that category. I don't doubt that, in time, Rousey will be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone on the roster, including more polished workers like Sasha Banks or Asuka, but just like a true WWE male star needs to be able to put on a good match with anyone from AJ Styles to Baron Corbin, what Rousey and Bella executed was incredibly impressive. For a rookie and a "bikini model who can't work," their match was my second favorite bout of the night on a card that featured a large number of great workers.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand