WWE Evolution

I said an all womens ppv was a bad idea. Not because I don't believe women can perform, not because I don't believe women can draw, but because I feared it would fail and ultimately damage the "Revolution".

I'm getting the impression I was right, this whole thing was counterproductive and not the demonstration of how far womens wrestling has come at all.

Allow me to break it down.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Mickie James & Alicia Fox

Entirely pointless predictible nonsense, I think little miss Bliss got off lucky not being able to be a part of this garbage fire.

Womens Battle Royale

Womens battle royales were staples of the divas age. Management didn't believe women could draw or have decent matches so they'd stuff as many as they could in a ring at a time and hope for the best. Having one at this ppv seemed a bad call and made even worse by the fact that instead of utilising the NXT or Performance centre talent pool they filled the numbers out with "Legends" most of whom couldn't wrestle in their prime let alone now. The match was unremarkable, generic and the ending was unexpectedly poor.

Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad

With no actual story, no purpose to the match and it basically being what you'd frequently see on RAW each week there was little interest here. The Riott Squad have been used as nothing but jobbers for a longtime now and against the thrown together team of Bayley/Sasha and Natalya this was about as interesting and unpredictible as a stale fart.

Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm

One of the problems with WWE is it's generic western wrestling, compare Shirai and Storms matches in Japan and the comparison is heartbreaking. The two ladies had a passable match here, but it demonstrated that western tame wrestling is so inferior and so neutered that these ladies couldn't show what they can really do.

Kairi Sane (c) vs. Shayna Baszler

I'm a Baszler fan, in fact I'm a huge Baszler fan so I was looking forward to this. The match was passable though a tad short.

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Last Woman Standing Match)

Lynch and Flair tore the house down once again in the match that SHOULD have been the entire events main event. It delivered on every front and though it could have been better they still put on a clinic in there. It did however show once again that the WWE failed miserably in their attempt to turn Lynch heel.

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nikki Bella

Where would I even start on this one? So Evolution was set to demonstrate how far womens wrestling has come, how it's gone from the divas 3 minute matches to bouts that rival the mens. So why did they think that putting the talented but green Rousey vs the useless diva Nikki Bella would be a good idea let alone the actual main event of the entire show? Did the match exceed my expectations? Not even slightly, it was a terrible mess of a bout that did nothing for anybody and closed the first ever womens ppv on a seriously low note.

So did Evolution deliver? Absolutely not. No surprises, no debuts, no returns, a main event that is the most counter productive thing I've seen in the industry for years and very few actual logical matches.

The Good:

Lzzy Hale

A few decent spots

Shayna Baszler

The Bad:

Beth Phoenix on commentary

Michelle McCool and all the other girls who shouldn't have been there

Counter productive battle royale

That bronco buster

Lots of botches

Moronic choice of main event

Absence of the UK NXT Womens championship

The Little Mix show theme

Things I Learnt From This PPV:

Yacht users are by definition pirates

WWE still have absolutely no clue what they're doing

I don't see another womens ppv anytime soon

I don't understand why Renee Young is getting praised for her announcing

The fact that Flair has been champion 7 times to Lynchs 2 says everything you need to know about WWE booking

A very good event no real stand out match for me. But no match that I would say was weak either. A Solid night of good wrestling. In a division that gets stronger with every event. To be able to watch it with my daughter felt special to.

WWE Evolution 2018 was more than just a pay-per-view - it was a groundbreaking moment in wrestling history. Held on October 28, 2018, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York, it was WWE's first-ever all-women's PPV event, and it delivered on every level. 💥

From the opening bell to the emotional main event, every match showcased the strength, skill, and heart of the women's division. Superstars from the past, present, and future came together to create something unforgettable. Legends like Trish Stratus and Lita returned to the ring, receiving thunderous ovations as they teamed up against Mickie James and Alicia Fox. The nostalgia was real, and the energy was electric. ⚡

One of the standout matches was the Last Woman Standing match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, which was an instant classic. 💪💔 These two pushed their limits in a brutal, hard-hitting battle that left fans speechless. It was storytelling, emotion, and violence at its best - a match that truly raised the bar for women's wrestling in WWE.

The Mae Young Classic Final also shined, with Toni Storm defeating Io Shirai in a highly competitive showdown that proved the future of women's wrestling is in great hands. 🌟

And then came the powerful main event - Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the Raw Women's Championship. Despite criticisms before the match, both women delivered a strong performance, with Ronda showing her dominance and Nikki proving she belonged on that big stage. 💣👊

Evolution wasn't just an event; it was a message. A message that women wrestlers can headline, can steal the show, and can be just as big - if not bigger - than their male counterparts. The crowd was electric, the matches were memorable, and the atmosphere was full.