SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE TV REPORT
APRIL 23, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED ON TUBI
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone
Interviewer: Chuey Martinez
-A recap of recent events involving Swipe Right, Timothy Thatcher, and Sean Legacy aired.
-Evolve “Prime Minister” Stevie Turner came out to say she was on the verge of finalizing a huge announcement, when she was interrupted by Swipe Right and entourage, who are now collectively known as The Vanity Project. Brad Baylor obnoxiously introduced Zayda Steel, Jackson Drake, Ricky Smokes, and a stone-faced Bryce Donovan. He said they’d take over Evolve.
Turner said she makes the rules around here, and told Drake he’d have his match against Sean Legacy right now.
(1) JACKSON DRAKE (w/Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes & Zayda Steel & Bryce Donovan) vs. SEAN LEGACY
Legacy started with some high impact maneuvers, followed by a picture-perfect dropkick. Drake briefly took over before his arrogance left an opening for Legacy, He hit a beautiful somersault over the top rope onto Drake. All of The Vanity Project started getting some shots in before the referee ejected them from ringside. [c]
Back from the break, the two continued battling in the ring, with Legacy taking the advantage with his power. A series of kicks into a German suplex and a missile dropkick off the top rope garnered a two-count. Jackson began working on Legacy’s black eye and came back with a Lethal InJacktion for a two-count. They traded big blows in the middle of the ring before Drake connected with a big clothesline.
Drake delivered a basement dropkick to Legacy’s eye, sending him reeling out of the ring. A rewind rana from Drake got a near fall. Out of frustration, Drake went back to the eye. Legacy finished off Drake with a Shambles.
WINNER: Sean Legacy at 10:58.
(Miller’s Take: This was fantastic. Lots of fast-paced, innovative offense. At nearly 11 minutes, they both really had time to shine and stepped up to the plate. If you blinked, you missed something.)
-“Earlier today”, Kylie Rae smiled and waved hi to Wendy Choo. She said she wouldn’t let Wendy’s darkness overcome her and challenged her to a match next week. [c]
-Harlem Lewis and Keanu Carver met in an Evolve Face-Off segment. Lewis said they both know the Evolve Championship tournament will come down to the two of them, but he’s going to win. Carver disagreed. Stevie Turner stepped between them and told them she was putting them in the ring together next week. The grins disappeared from their faces as she elaborated that they would be teaming together against Swipe Right. Carver said she just signed their death warrant and Lewis better not get in his way. See Femi & Williams & Evans vs. Darkstate to take a wild guess how this one is going to turn out.
(2) ZARA ZAKHER vs. ARIA BENNETT (w/Layla Diggs)
The match started with a handshake between the ladies, followed by a series of quick rollup pin attempts. Bennett showed off incredible athleticism with a quick cartwheel during a criss-cross. The smaller Zakher hit a cross body for two. She backflipped to avoid a clothesline from Bennett and hit her Control Z cutter (out of nowhere) for the three-count.
WINNER: Zara Zakher at 3:58.
(Miller’s Take: Quick and exciting. They crammed a lot of action into that one. Bennett has a great look and is extremely agile. Bennett is a little firecracker. The Control Z is her unaltered version of an RKO.)
-Chuey Martinez caught a winded Zakher at ringside after her victory. She barely got two words in before the lights momentarily went off. When they came back on, a teddy bear was perched on the ring apron. Zakher pulled a note out from the stuffed animal’s bow around its neck and opened it up. It read, “Kylie, I accept”.
-The Vanity Project was in the VIP lounge. When Martinez asked what they were doing there, Baylor said he had talked to his mom and dad’s lawyer, and he said that even though they were kicked out of ringside, they had every right to be in the VIP lounge. [c]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “Wrestling Coast to Coast” with Chris Maitland and Justin McClelland, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(3) CARLEE BRIGHT (w/Kendal Grey) vs. KALYX
Bright came out by herself, but then went back and dragged out a reluctant and disinterested Grey to be in her corner. Bright looked very apprehensive at the bell. The masked Kalyx took control early with vicious power moves. Bright fired back with some ineffective forearms. Grey began taking some interest in the match and tried firing up Bright. Kalyx lifted her into a fireman’s carry, but Bright slipped down her back with a sunset flip for the pin. Bright hugged Grey and called her “bestie”. Grey seemed to be warming up a bit to her.
WINNER: Carlee Bright at 2:33.
(Miller’s Take: It’s no big secret that Kalyx is referee Jessika Carr under a mask. The Kalyx character seems to be a female version of Abyss…silent, but with a mean streak a mile wide. This match was purely to further the storyline of the evolving (no pun intended) friendship between Bright and Grey.)
-The Vanity Project was shown still in the VIP lounge, acting like idiots.
(4) TIMOTHY THATCHER vs. BRYCE DONOVAN
Thatcher took control early with some stiff European uppercuts. Donovan rolled to the outside as they cut to a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Thatcher had Donovan twisted up like a pretzel as The Vanity Project continued to make their presence known in the VIP lounge. Donovan came back with a kick to the arm that missed by a mile, but Thatcher sold it anyway. That was bad. Donovan caught his opponent with an elbow off the ropes for a near fall. They took the action outside the ring, where Donovan shot Thatcher into the ring post.
Donovan clumsily tried to suplex Thatcher into the ring, but Thatcher fell sideways and just kind of rolled over the top turnbuckle. I think the phrase Jim Ross used to say was “bowling shoe ugly”. A Donovan suplex earned him another two-count. After a double-underhook suplex by Thatcher, Swipe Right could no longer contain themselves and jumped up on the ring apron. A distracted Thatcher then fell victim to a black hole slam by Donovan for the win.
WINNER: Bryce Donovan at 9:30.
(Miller’s Take: That was clunky. As much as Robert Stone tried to hype Donovan as the muscle of The Vanity Project, he’s simply not very good in the ring. At 9:30, that match went about 8 minutes too long. Thatcher is a fine wrestler, but I think he’d have had a better match with a broomstick.)
-In the back, Stevie Turner said to herself, “These boys are going to be trouble.” Harlem Lewis and Keanu Carver approached her, and Lewis said, “Not for long.” Carver said he was going to “beat the brakes off them boys”.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This show started with a bang and finished with a whimper. Swipe Right is pure gold. Just their existence makes you want to see somebody beat the living hell out of them. I’m interested in the Rae vs. Choo match next week. Smiley Kylie and the Annabelle doll come to life, Wendy Choo, make for quite the contrasting pair. Bryce Donovan needs to be kept strictly in a bodyguard position with not much to do except stand around looking menacing. He pulls that off much better than anything he does in the ring.