SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE EVOLVE REPORT
APRIL 30, 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 last week’s highlights was shown.
-After Peter Rosenberg and Robert Stone introduced the show, they went to a pre-tape with Kylie Rae. She said this was a little hard for her to talk about, but the teddy bear that Wendy Choo gave Zara Zakher last week is her son’s teddy bear, which has been missing for weeks. She said she may be sleep deprived from her son being up crying all night, but this has gone too far, and it ends tonight. No smiley Kylie here. She was intense and pissed off.
(1) ZAYDA STEEL (w/Bryce Donovan) vs. LAYLA DIGGS (w/Aria Bennett)
Steel got the upper hand early, but Diggs cartwheeled and flipped her way out of Steel’s grasp. She armdragged Steel into the corner and hit a beautiful handspring into a shoulder block. Steel whipped Diggs into the ropes, but she did a twisting flip over the top rope and landed on her feet on the apron. I’ll have to back that up a few times to figure that one out. She hit a spinning slam into a standing shooting star press for a two-count.
Steel hit a codebreaker on Diggs as she was halfway through the ropes for a near fall. She whipped Diggs into the ropes and followed up with a knee lift. After a bit of posing, she slapped Diggs in the face, who responded by tackling her and throwing fists. Steel quickly took back control and grounded her opponent with a submission hold. Diggs came back with a brief flurry of offense, but eventually fell to Steel’s ZDT.
WINNER: Zayda Steel at 4:52
(Miller’s Take: This was a bit sloppy in spots, but Diggs shows some promise with her athleticism. Steel is a decent heel, but she needs to find something to make herself stand out as more than just another pretty blonde.)
-A spot aired for WWE Worlds Collide, featuring AAA lucha libre (their wording, not mine) and Money in the Bank, both to be held in Los Angeles. [c]
(2) TYSON DUPONT & TYRIEK IGWE vs. AARON ROURKE & FREEDOM RAMSEY
Rourke has an interesting look and seems to have been inspired a bit by “Exotic” Adrian Street. The announcers identified him and his partner as WWE ID talent. Rourke got manhandled early on, but got a tag to Ramsey, who didn’t fare much better. Ramsey tagged himself in, and they hit a double dropkick on Igwe. Rourke hit a handspring into the corner with a double open-handed slap to the chest. Igwe was unhappy, and Rourke was beaten on for a while.
Rourke finally made the hot tag to Ramsey, who cleaned house with some great offense. He climbed the second rope and screamed “freedom” as he jumped off, but his mouth landed squarely against Igwe’s fist as he landed. Igwe yanked him up by the arm, and Dupont hit him with the Heart Stopper for the victory.
WINNERS: Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe at 4:28
(Miller’s Take: Not much more here than a chance for some ID wrestlers to get some exposure and T&T to show off their dominance.)
-A spot aired for WWE Takeover Perth. [c]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(3) KYLIE RAE vs. WENDY CHOO
An uncharacteristically angry-looking Rae entered the ring first. Choo’s eye cover said “dirt nap”. Rae bolted after Choo at the bell but was quickly taken down by Choo. Rae fought back and put Choo down a couple of times, but Choo rose, a la Undertaker, and flashed a sinister grin at her. Rae landed a kick to the head, then spotted her son’s teddy bear in the corner and started after it, but got caught by Choo before she could retrieve it.
Some back-and-forth blows followed, with Rae getting the best of Choo. Rae locked in a cross-face that John Cena should study. Choo escaped but ate a hard boot from Rae. Choo hit a brainbuster for a two-count. Choo crawled to the corner and grabbed the teddy bear as Rae looked distraught. Rae looked on in utter horror as Choo ripped the head off the stuffed animal.
Rae lost it and began pounding Choo mercilessly and floored her with a discus right fist to the face. She picked up the teddy bear and cried, “No, no, no,” as if it were her own son’s head that had been ripped off instead of that of a stuffed bear. In a camera angle that WWE is getting good at, an evil-looking Choo rose over Rae’s shoulder. She locked in the Dirt Nap and put her to sleep. After the win, Choo drew a frown on Rae’s face with a black marker. Rosenberg said somberly, “Wow, she’s turned Kylie Rae’s smile upside down.”
WINNER: Wendy Choo at 8:04
(Miller’s Take: Oh, good Lord, where do I start? I liked the idea of this match, and even the idea that it was Kylie’s son’s teddy bear, but then it got ridiculous. If my daughter’s mom saw someone rip the head off my daughter’s teddy bear, she wouldn’t be worried and crying over a stuffed animal; she’d be worried about going to jail over beating the dog snot out of the perpetrator. Choo did her bit perfectly, but Rae’s over-the-top bad acting was too much.)
-A spot aired for Stephanie’s Places
-Chuey Martinez conducted a sit-down interview with Kali Armstrong. She talked of what it would mean to her to become the first Evolve Women’s Champion. She said she wanted to be a role model and show kids it’s possible because she was once just a kid from the streets of Englewood, CA.
(4) KEANU CARTER & HARLEM LEWIS vs. SWIPE RIGHT (w/The Vanity Project)
Smokes & Baylor pranced while Carter & Lewis hate-tagged each other. This looks like an extreme mismatch on paper, but it’s going to tell the story of the sneakiness of Swipe Right being able to overcome two very large men who don’t like each other. After suffering some powerful offense from their foes, Swipe Right was able to effectively double-team Lewis. A hot tag was eventually made to Carver, who pulverized Smokes & Baylor.
Lewis hate-tagged himself in after Carter double-pounced Swipe Right into the next calendar month. Carver and Lewis simultaneously lifted their opponents into a powerslam and Boomslang for a double pin. After the match, Carver & Lewis got in each other’s faces as the referee tried to keep them separated.
WINNERS: Keanu Carter & Harlem Lewis at 5:53.
(Miller’s Take: That was what it should have been. Swipe Right looked like little kids in the ring with Carter & Lewis. Actually, they’d look like little kids in the ring with almost any grown men. Swipe Right is just so delightfully unlikeable, that even a one-minute squash match would have been satisfying to see.)
-In the back, Stevie Turner was approached by Gallus, who told her they wanted them next week. She mentioned a match between them and Swipe Right, and they clarified that they wanted a fight. They wanted Carter & Lewis next week.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Serviceable outing for Evolve this week, but I really could have done without the bad and ridiculous overacting by Kylie Rae. I enjoy any chance I get to see Wendy Choo, but Rae’s antics overshadowed Choo’s mystique. I would also drive 100 miles to see anybody beat the hell out of Swipe Right, so that was good. My money is definitely on Kali Armstrong becoming the first Evolve Women’s Champion. Chuey Martinez looks like they handed a microphone to some dude off the streets and told him to go inside and conduct interviews.