The WWE is without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest professional wrestling organisation in the world today...I mean OK they regard themselves as a sports entertainment company (VINCE MCMAHON doesn't like the term wrestling) but that's all just semantics really. Over the past few years they've claimed (By they I mean STEPHANIE MCMAHON) to try to push women's wrestling further into the spotlight; push for that talent equality that so many of their roster genuinely deserves, and in all fairness they have come on in leaps and bounds. Gone are the days of JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER talking about puppies and acting like the pervy uncle everyone dreads at family gatherings...gone are the days of the bra & panties matches, the mud wrestling, the strip-contests and more importantly, the idea of the women being regarded as Divas and eye-candy...what we have now are a group of women breaking down walls and barriers and really achieving not only for WWE, but for women in wrestling in general.
In the past short couple of years alone we've had the first ever women's MONEY IN THE BANK ladder matches, the first ever women's HELL IN A CELL match, an all-women traditional 5-On-5 SURVIVOR SERIES match and even the first ever 30-Woman ROYAL RUMBLE...incredibly ground-breaking stuff and stuff they should all be so very proud of given where the division was not too long ago! This naturally has led us to here; EVOLUTION...the first EVER all-women's WWE Pay-Per-View, a historical moment in WWE and an astounding accomplishment given all of the aforementioned...BUT...there's a catch; the whole debacle that is Saudi Arabia. As you're probably aware WWE have already hosted an event in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, putting on the GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE...but it's been viewed by fans and women's rights advocates as more than a touch hypocritical, even going as far as shameful. You see, women aren't allowed to do practically anything in Saudi Arabia, it's 2018 and only recently they were finally ALLOWED to drive...so to perform in a wrestling ring wearing not much compared to Arabian standards? NO CHANCE IN HELL! Despite this, WWE went ahead with the event and left the women's division behind, literally, and it didn't go down all too well. Doing this once is bad enough, but to go ahead and go BACK to do the up-coming CROWN JEWEL? That's beyond hypocritical and highly questionable. Evolution has now merely been seen by many as a PR stunt to paper over the cracks that is clearly WWE caring more about the big money deal they're getting from Saudi Arabia, as opposed to REALLY caring about pushing the women's division like they intended. The question now being, DO they really mean it, or are they doing it all for public image, as opposed to doing it because they damn well should? Only the quality of this PPV may tell...
In the past short couple of years alone we've had the first ever women's MONEY IN THE BANK ladder matches, the first ever women's HELL IN A CELL match, an all-women traditional 5-On-5 SURVIVOR SERIES match and even the first ever 30-Woman ROYAL RUMBLE...incredibly ground-breaking stuff and stuff they should all be so very proud of given where the division was not too long ago! This naturally has led us to here; EVOLUTION...the first EVER all-women's WWE Pay-Per-View, a historical moment in WWE and an astounding accomplishment given all of the aforementioned...BUT...there's a catch; the whole debacle that is Saudi Arabia. As you're probably aware WWE have already hosted an event in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, putting on the GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE...but it's been viewed by fans and women's rights advocates as more than a touch hypocritical, even going as far as shameful. You see, women aren't allowed to do practically anything in Saudi Arabia, it's 2018 and only recently they were finally ALLOWED to drive...so to perform in a wrestling ring wearing not much compared to Arabian standards? NO CHANCE IN HELL! Despite this, WWE went ahead with the event and left the women's division behind, literally, and it didn't go down all too well. Doing this once is bad enough, but to go ahead and go BACK to do the up-coming CROWN JEWEL? That's beyond hypocritical and highly questionable. Evolution has now merely been seen by many as a PR stunt to paper over the cracks that is clearly WWE caring more about the big money deal they're getting from Saudi Arabia, as opposed to REALLY caring about pushing the women's division like they intended. The question now being, DO they really mean it, or are they doing it all for public image, as opposed to doing it because they damn well should? Only the quality of this PPV may tell...
TRISH STRATUS & LITA def. MICKIE JAMES & ALISHA FOX
The WWE in all fairness put some effort into the initial set-up of the PPV's opening ceremony, with HALESTORM's own LZZY HALE and ALICE COOPER guitarist NITA STRAUSS performing like they had done for WRESTLEMANIA. Their song "Evolution" was played while the new modified entrance screen showcased a montage of all the female talent that made this PPV possible, and it was all delivered with conviction...a bit too much fret-wankery from Strauss for me personally but it was an intense start leading us to the opening match, and what a way to kick things off this was! TRISH STRATUS and LITA are two of THE most iconic women in WWE history and are forever incredibly loved by fans, and tonight they've teamed up against MICKIE JAMES and ALICIA FOX in place of an injured ALEXA BLISS. The two Hall Of Fame legends got a huge pop from the crowd as they made their way to the ring and this allowed Mickie & Fox (Who had Bliss with them at ringside) to react so well in their heel persona's. Lita and Trish lapped up crowd chants of "You've Still Got It" by an already boisterous crowd and got it they indeed still have! Lita with her classic Moonsault, Trish with a sequence of headlock take-downs and an incredibly nostalgic face-off with long time rival Mickie James made for some great fan-service. Mickie and Fox tried abandoning the match at one point but the legends were having none of it, throwing them back in and doing well as a team, even including some unique double-team offence highlighting their in-ring chemistry. It WAS a standard tag-team affair as far as set-up and delivery goes, and it did have a slight timing-botch regarding a clear 3-count pin-fall courtesy of a late Fox breakup, but with Trish securing the win after some "Stratusfaction" and a swift "Chick Kick" she ensured the crowd were cheering very early on and this set an impressive tone for the whole night ahead. [3/5]
Evolution 20-Woman Battle Royal (Winner: Nia Jax)
As if already seeing two bona fide Hall Of Fame superstars wasn't enough, then the Battle Royal was probably about to blow your mind, with a sheer plethora of stars, past and present sharing the same ring for what was a surprisingly enjoyable match. NAOMI is the first to enter as she fills the Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum with her trademark glow, but the names that follow are astounding. Joining modern day superstars such as LANA and ZELINA VEGA were the likes of MARIA KANELLIS who despite only literally a few short months ago had a baby, is in impressive ring-shape...THE UNDERTAKER's real-life wife MICHELLE MCCOOL made an appearance to huge applause but probably the most impressive was the in-ring return of 54 year old ALUNDRA BLAYZE, who hadn't stepped foot in a WWE ring since 1995! The match started off with THE IICONICS BILLIE KAY and PEYTON ROYCE doing their traditional berating of the their opponents while they came down as the final entrants, but the old-guard were having none of it, swiftly eliminating them merely seconds after the bell rang. This in turn led to an even more iconic face off, as the legends turned to face the young blood, descending into an old-vs-new brawl. The legends didn't get too much chance to shine however as MANDY ROSE and SONYA DEVILLE start picking them off one-by-one, but that tactic doesn't last very long as Mandy shocks everyone by eliminating her team mate Sonya, playing into the every woman for herself stipulation. CARMELLA has a brief dance-break with IVORY or all people which entertained the crowd, but the main aspects of this match were built around NIA JAX, TAMINA, ASUKA and EMBER MOON...Nia and Tamina paid a fitting tribute to ROMAN REIGNS who has only recently (And shockingly) been sidelined with Leukemia, using their impressive size and strength to go on a rampage. Ember Moon FINALLY got her receipt for Asuka after a brilliant face-off by eliminating her old nemesis, following what was a bitter rivalry in NXT, though it could have been played out more, hopefully this can be revisited somewhere down the line. She also rather shoddily eliminated Tamina, but she didn't have enough left in the tank to overcome Nia who threw her over the top to become last woman standing, earning herself a shot at the RAW women's championship. Overall the match had it's entertaining moments, (Including a RIDICULOUS 8-woman Suplex) but a lot of it did feel rushed, with several of the veterans spending very little time in the ring and purely making up numbers. [2/5]
MAE YOUNG CLASSIC 2018 FINAL: TONI STORM def. IO SHIRAI
For those of you that follow WWE Network programming you'll likely be familiar with the successful MAE YOUNG CLASSIC Women's tournament, pitting off incredibly talented women from around the world in a traditional tournament, a bit like the old KING OF THE RING set-up, with the aim of finding the next big WWE female superstar. Last year KAIRI SANE emerged victorious after defeating SHAYNA BASZLER in the 2017 final (That'll come into play later tonight) but now it's all about New Zealand's TONI STORM (Who reached last years Semi-Finals) and Japan's IO SHIRAI, both of whom have been lighting up the tournament with some seriously impressive matches. With plenty of strong-style striking from Io and some incredible aerial displays including a stunning Moonsault off the top turnbuckle to the outside of the ring, even connecting REY MYSTERIO's very own "619" at one point, it seemed Io would follow in Kairi Sane's footsteps, but Toni was having none of it and put up a brilliant fight of her own, even delivering a brutal looking German Suplex onto the hard ring apron, before eventually knee-blocking a potential match winning second Moonsault, and delivering a second "Storm Zero" of her own to claim the 3-count and pick up the win. After coming so close last year, the emotion and relief was so plain to see on Toni's face following this victory, crying tears of joy having finally had her moment, made all the more touching by TRIPLE H and Stephanie McMahon being on hand to present her with her trophy. It was a genuinely nice moment for a well-deserving hard working young superstar in the making and she has the charisma to achieve great things in WWE. Commiserations for Io...though I highly doubt we've seen the last of her. [4/5]
NATALYA, BAYLEY & SASHA BANKS def. THE RIOTT SQUAD
Truth be told this was probably the least anticipated match on tonight's whole card, and that's saying something for an event that includes a Battle Royal! It's not that the 6 women in question are incapable of delivering a match it's just that, of everything going on tonight, this just feels like a generic RAW tag-team affair you'd find on any given Monday night. The main narratives running through the match were mostly centered around the seemingly eternal story line regarding BAYLEY and SASHA BANKS friendship issues, and a lot of tribute spots for the three babyfaces. There was some early teamwork between NATALYA and Sasha delivering a "Hart Attack" on LIV MORGAN, in memory of her late father JIM "THE ANVIL" NEIDHART...before RUBY RIOTT and co (Dressed as horror icons for Halloween) did some traditional heel work, cutting the ring in half, making quick tags and picking their opponents apart one by one. This was to be another moment of celebration however as after Bayley puts her body on the line to protect Sasha from a top-rope splash, we saw Natalya lock-in an impressive DOUBLE "Sharpshooter" on both Riott and SARAH LOGAN, before Bayley paid homage to the late MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE with his trademark Top-Rope Elbow Drop, and Sasha finished off using the late EDDIE GUERERO's famous "Frog Splash" to secure the win. It was a typical affair with a lot of the spots set up for nostalgia pops from the crowd, and while a solid tag-match, it didn't directly benefit the PPV with any real importance. [2/5]
NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: SHAYNA BASZLER def. KAIRI SANE
This...was awesome...how do you pick a crowd up after a generic tag-match? You give them not only the first time ever for an NXT Title being defended on a main-roster WWE PPV...but you give them one of the most heated rivalries contained within it to boot! KAIRI SANE and SHAYNA BASZLER have history; Sane defeated Baszler at the 2017 Mae Young Classic final, but while it was Baszler who first got her hands on the NXT Women's Championship, who would be the one to take if off her? You guessed it, Sane, back at the SUMMERSLAM TAKEOVER show in August. This made it personal for Baszler who has since become even more malicious and callous in the way she conducts her matches...who even knew that was possible? The former MMA star and certified submission magician was relishing this match against the Pirate Princess and wasted no time applying a beat down and her uniquely brutal limb-breaking offense on Sane. Sane is a plucky young fighter however and has a Championship to defend and more that stood her ground, applying stiff strikes of her own with her never give up attitude. Following a scuffle on the outside of the ring though, Sane managed to back-drop Baszler into the crowd, disrupting Baszler's MMA accomplices MARINA SHAFIR and JESSAMYN DUKE...the two didn't take long to get involved and after some sly interference unnoticed by the referee, Duke managed to stun Sane with a kick to the side of the head, allowing Baszler to lock in her lethal Kirifuda Clutch, eventually passing out Sane and rendering her unconscious. Unable to continue, the referee called for the bell and declared Baszler the winner by technical submission, and as a result not only the new NXT Women's Champion, but the first ever 2-time NXT Women's Champion. This, added to the fact she's already a dangerous competitor, and also the entourage of her MMA cohorts, NXT's women's division is officially on notice. They could dominate the division for the foreseeable future and completely change the landscape of the women's division as we know it...things just got exciting. [4/5]
SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: BECKY LYNCH def. CHARLOTTE FLAIR
If you want to look at feuds in WWE's women's division...Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane is one thing...but BECKY LYNCH and CHARLOTTE FLAIR not only have one of the most heated rivalries across ALL brands right now, with the most organic in-ring chemistry, but such incredible investment from the fans; they just damn near blew the roof off! With even more history to be made, the Irish Lass-Kicker Becky Lynch was set to defend her SMACKDOWN Women's Championship against The self proclaimed Queen, Charlotte Flair, in WWE's first ever Last Woman Standing match. Their confrontations and scraps had become so fierce that no mere pin-fall victory was going to settle this score...they were looking to break each other and were willing to do so by any means necessary for that Championship Becky has so grown to love. In a blistering bout that saw the two women bring out Kendo Sticks, steel chairs, tables and even a ladder, they beat the living shit out of each other trying floor one another for a 10-count. You'd never have guessed that they were former best friends, this is beyond just some belt at this point! There were numerous agonizing moments including Flair locking her patented "Figure-8" onto Becky through the rungs of the ladder, providing everyone with a visual tap-out! Becky WOULD have lost the match if this had been a different stipulation! Flair even drove Becky through a table via a modified Swanton Bomb off the top turnbuckle...but Becky can give as good as she gets, hitting Flair with a thunderous body slam onto the ladder, jarring her lower back, as well as driving Flair through an announce table with a diving leg drop off of another ladder! There was a moment where Becky seemingly had enough however and tried to leave with her title, but this match wasn't going to end without a winner, Flair dragged her back to the ring, where after what can only be described a sequence of pure carnage, Becky managed to counter a trademark Flair Moonsault and power bombed her through a table onto the floor outside. Flair was vocally in pain but tried her best to get to her feet, but ultimately couldn't as the referee reached the 10-count, declared Becky had defeated Flair. The crowd were absolutely LOVING this, not only for the chaos, but because Becky is just SO incredibly over with the crowd these days that no matter how WWE direct her or push her, the cheers from the crowd are deafening. Becky is still SmackDown Women's Champion at the end of not only the match of the night, but arguably a contender for match of the YEAR...and it's exactly how it should be, she truly IS Relent-Lass. [5/5]
RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: RONDA ROUSEY def. NIKKI BELLA
There is nothing that, realistically, could ever have topped that last match, but if anyone can keep a crowd pumped, it's the baddest women on the planet; RONDA ROUSEY. The former UFC Champion and legit Olympic medalist has made quite the impact in the WWE since her WrestleMania debut, with an impressive undefeated run, resulting in her very quickly and very impressively getting her hands on the Raw Women's Championship. However if she's the biggest name in women's mixed martial arts, then it's easy to argue that the biggest name in women's professional wrestling over the past several years has to be her opponent tonight; NIKKI BELLA. The former Diva's champion turned reality star was at the top of the mountain as part of a power couple with her real-life partner JOHN CENA, and she (for the exception of Stephanie McMahon of course) ruled the roost. The trouble was the sheer contrast in generations and styles...Nikki claims to have paved the way for the current women's evolution in wrestling, while legit-badass Ronda merely regards her as a fame hungry leech who only got to where she was by sleeping with Cena, and will do anything to get her face in front of a camera, (Talk about a scathing opinion! Christ!) leading us to tonight's main event. Ronda starts off the match naturally confident and easily toying with Nikki, outclassing her by a country mile...but that all changed when Nikki's sister BRIE BELLA started to get involved distracting Ronda. As good as she is, the tactical 2-on-1 approach behind the referee's back eventually got the better of Ronda and for a long period Nikki was on top of this match! Hitting Ronda with an impressive Alabama Slam and scoring a near-fall following her trademark "Rack Attack 2.0" signature, things were looking shaky for the Raw Champ...but resilient as always Ronda managed to claw her way back into the match despite the numbers game, at one point incredibly hoisting up not only Nikki but also Brie onto her shoulders at the same time with a jaw dropping show of strength, for a modified Samoan Drop, before eventually hitting Nikki with an almost botched-looking suplex off of the turnbuckle, holding on for the arm bar. Naturally Nikki tapped out and the crowd popped huge for the ever-smiling Ronda, who, with her Championship still in tact, celebrated with a curtain call at the top of the stage with the rest of the women's roster, in an act of unity, accomplishment and above all pride. These women surpassed every single expectation here tonight and every single one of them deserves the utmost respect for well and truly putting women's wrestling on the map. There's still work to be done, WWE need to start giving more of them decent stories to work with for a start, no more best-friends bullshit...these are competitors and they have just proven to the world that, give them the platform to shine upon and damn will they shine....or...glow in Naomi's case but again, semantics. The whole Saudi Arabia deal casts shade on all of the good that's come out of tonight's show, and sadly will no doubt still be the main talking point, and that's a damn shame, Evolution is step one; the REVOLUTION needs to start here. [3/5]
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