The first-ever all-women’s WWE pay-per-view show was well-booked, well-executed (for the most part) and seemingly well received by the wrestling community.
There were a number of memorable moments and one spectacular match
- Trish Stratus & Lita def. Mickie James and Alicia Fox via pinfall
- Nia Jax wins the 20-Woman Battle Royal
- Toni Storm def. Io Shirai via pinfall to win the 2018 Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Bayley and Sasha Banks def. The Riott Squad via pinfall
- NXT Women’s Championship – Shayna Baszler def. Kairi Sane (c) via submission to win the title
- SmackDown Women’s Championship – Becky Lynch (c) def. Charlotte Flair to retain the title (Last Woman Standing)
- Raw Women’s Championship – Ronda Rousey (c) def. Nikki Bella via submission to retain the title
- The Fans That Watched Seemed To Enjoy the Event
The energy from the crowd throughout the event was electric. From the opening match to the main event, fans were fully engaged. That excitement seemed to spill on to social media as well. The hashtag #WWEEvolution was trending No. 1, per the broadcast, throughout the stream. Here is what many in the wrestling community were saying immediately after the event ended:
Becky and Charlotte just made the match. #WWEEvolution
— Chris Manning (@LD2K) October 29, 2018
Which was your favorite match at #WWEEvolution?
— WWE (@WWE) October 29, 2018
What a show. What a night. Ladies, y’all did that. #WWEEvolutionpic.twitter.com/zUpcBvNjsU
— Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) October 29, 2018
From top to bottom, everyone was spectacular at #WWEEvolution
— Wolfgang (@WolfgangYoung) October 29, 2018
No one was topping Becky – Charlotte tonight, but they damn sure followed it & did so in excellent fashion. Respect! @RondaRousey@BellaTwins #WWEEvolution
— Sean Waltman (@TheRealXPac) October 29, 2018
If you didn’t watch #WWEEvolution, you missed a great WWE event! Solid matches, intense moments, legendary returns and a history making night for women’s wrestling. Kudos to all involved! Enjoyed the hell out of it.
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) October 29, 2018
That said, the engagement numbers on YouTube were low after the show ended. How low? Even the most-viewed video generated numbers that were fewer than what we see for clips posted after episodes of Raw or Smackdown.
That doesn’t mean Evolution was a failure. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It means the WWE Universe still hasn’t fully plugged into the Women’s division. Truthfully, that may never happen. However, there is seemingly a large enough audience to continue to not only nurture the division but to expand.
The Women’s Roster Needs To Grow and The Ladies Need Their Own Weekly Show
The WWE should grow its female roster by at least six new female Superstars, and the women should receive their own weekly show.
Right now, the Women’s division is still a little too small to sustain an entire show by itself without a ton of repetition. If just a few talents are added, like Kairi Sane, Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Toni Storm, Bianca Belair, and Nikki Cross, it would plant an excellent foundation for a new weekly program.
Charlotte and Becky Cement Their Status as Legends
This show kicks ass. I hope Ronda rips Nikki’s arm off and wears it as a hat to close the show. #WWEEvolution
— Nick Hausman (@WIncRebel) October 29, 2018
The Last Woman Standing Match between Charlotte and Becky was the greatest women’s match I’ve ever seen and one of the best ever regardless of gender. It had drama, more spots, and bumps than I can name off the top of my head and tremendous storytelling by both women.
How can ANYONE get back to their feet after THAT?!
This #LastWomanStanding Match is absolute mayhem! #WWEEvolution @BeckyLynchWWE @MsCharlotteWWEpic.twitter.com/plWr3nG06M
— WWE (@WWE) October 29, 2018
I legitimately didn’t know who would win, and while I have all the respect in the world for Charlotte’s artistry, seeing Becky Lynch retain her title felt fitting. She has really found herself as a heel, though she draws cheers on the level of a beloved babyface.
Her character and the delivery of every line and hardcore move in the ring is superb.
Their grueling match was seemingly for anyone who ever questioned whether or not female WWE Superstars could participate in this kind of a bout.
This wasn’t an example of safe booking, it was just an excellent segment of the show.
Nikki Bella Can Work
Alabama Slam by Nikki @BellaTwins!
https://t.co/ePt5TzD6sU pic.twitter.com/Hpl9XJZX3e
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) October 29, 2018
It’s easy to forget how much Nikki Bella has improved as an in-ring performer. We see her most of the time (if you watch the show) on Total Divas, but before her neck injury, Nikki had grown to be more than serviceable in the ring.
Heading into her match with Rousey, we didn’t know if Nikki was going to get destroyed in a squash match that lasted all of seven minutes. What we saw instead was an intelligently booked match that had Nikki gain an upper hand thanks to her sister Brie’s interference, which served to somewhat level the playing field with Rousey.
Once this piece of the story was told, and Rousey was reduced to a human level, so to speak, Nikki showed off a number of impressive maneuvers. A springboard enziguri, a Bella Slam and a Rack Attack were performed excellently. While she obviously didn’t win, Nikki still reminded us that she’s a professional and more than capable of pulling her weight.
Ronda Rousey Is A Legit Main Event Star
The entire #WomensDivision has reason to celebrate tonight. #WWEEvolution pic.twitter.com/8JOGPQ8esT
— WWE (@WWE) October 29, 2018
Rousey gets better with every match. From facial expressions to in-ring chatter, it seems she eliminates a new weakness every time you see her. She was phenomenal in this match. Her strength and athleticism never cease to amaze me, and most importantly, her selling was on point.
She can easily headline any card in the promotion’s pay-per-view lineup, and no one can say it’s because she’s being given a leg up.
Source: Forbes.com