WWE Evolution 2025

The first 'Evolution' was a historic and long overdue event that showcased the ever expanding horizons of women's wrestling in the perfect way; an all-women's wrestling card. I had hoped it would be a semi-regular event going forwards, but WWE failed to do this, which is honestly a shame. Finally, however, a second event was announced, and I for one was very excited, particularly when some of the matches were announced.

It was the trio of Becky Lynch, Lyra Valkyria, and Bayley, who had the prime position of opening the card, with their triple-threat match for Lynch's Women's Intercontinental Championship. The rivalry that has developed over the last few months between these three women has been one or the most interesting and entertaining feuds on television, in my opinion. I couldn't wait to watch this one unfold, and I genuinely wasn't sure who was going to win. The match was slick, it was intense, and it was exactly the way you want to start a big show. These women went out there and put on a classic of women's wrestling. The energy from all involved was tremendous, and there were a number of really great sequences that had me very hyped up. The finish was also one of the slickest I've ever seen - I absolutely loved it.

With the unenviable task of following that incredible opening match was the NXT Women's Championship match, with Jacy Jayne defending her title against Jordynne Grace, with their respective comrades in their corners. I had a feeling this would end in shenanigans, and that's exactly what happened. The match to that point had been solid, with a couple of good false finishes, but the ending is what really stood out. It should set up some of the future NXT rivalries for the next few months. I really think this match went a long way to legitimise Jacy Jayne, and also went further in showing how big a star Grace will be in the next few years.

Next up was the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship fatal-4-way match, which saw The Judgement Day defend against The Kabuki Warriors, Zaria and Sol Ruca, as well as the frenemies team of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. There was a lot of potential for this to be one of the highlights of the night, if not match of the night, which seemed to have been claimed early by the opener. This one started fast and fun, with lots of action early doors. The pace never relented, and all four teams space to showcase themselves and their movesets. I also thought this match did a lot to further the various subplots surrounding each team, which I really appreciated. The ending came a little out of nowhere, but I didn't mind it too much.

The fourth match of the evening was Tiffany Stratton's defence of her WWE Women's Championship against the legendary Trish Stratus. I felt like this was the most predictable match on the card, however, I also felt like it would be a solid match regardless. And solid really was the word. Trish once again proved that, even at 49 years old, she can still go - which in turn has gone great lengths to show the men in charge of WWE that women do not "age out" of pro-wrestling by their late thirties. I adore Stratus, who looked as classy and smooth as ever, but this was as much a celebration of Stratton's ability as it was Trish's longevity. Tiffany was more than a match, and was able to further cement herself as one of the true stars of today.

Next up was one of my most anticipated matches of the evening, which saw Jade Cargill take on Naomi in a 'No Hold's Barred' match. Naomi has been on fire of late, thanks to the genius decision to reinvent her character with a much darker twist. Meanwhile, Cargill has improved month upon month, and seems destined for stardom. I enjoyed the absolute carnage that ensued when the bell rang for this match, Naomi in particularly seemed to be very much up for the action. She provided most of the creativity for the various spots, and looked very much in her element. The result was as I had expected, but the way the two women got there was a lot of fun.

This was followed by the Evolution battle royal to determine who would receive a championship match at the upcoming 'Clash In Paris' event in September. Battle Royals always feel a little random at first, but once the match got down to the final few, it was great. There were some creative eliminations, some surprises, and lots of fun moments. The winner felt like the best possible choice, and sets up a huge title match in a couple of months in France. I honestly can't wait for it.

At last, it was time for the main event of Evolution; the Women's World Championship match, which saw champion Iyo Sky defend her title against Rhea Ripley. I was so excited for this match - it oozed star power and talent. It was the only appropriate choice to end the night's action, and I was sure it would live up to the billing. The match had a big fight feel to it, and developed a little more gradually, like the great world title matches of old. I personally enjoyed it a lot. Some of the sequences and counters in this match were gorgeous - these really are two of the best wrestlers in the world. This was one of the best women's matches I've ever seen, if not the best. I thought the opening match couldn't be beaten, but this one topped it. The ending was shocking, it was thrilling, and it very much worked. What a way to end the night.

Overall, this has to be up there amongst the best shows of the year for me. It was absolutely brilliant from top to bottom - these women once again proved that not only do they belong on the big stage, they thrive upon it. Every match had something going for it, and every match delivered. I was blown away by the first and last bouts in particular, which were legitimately classics in their own right. Not only did this event blow the previous iteration out of the water, it blew a lot of WWE's other premium live events of the last couple of years out the water along with it.