WWE Evolution

[MVP RULZ]

Just me that actually liked the show on here? I thought it was way better then I expected going in to it

The opening Tag Match was sloppy at times but given the late change to the match and 2 workers who haven't been active for over a decade now It was expected to be a bit clunky but Lita and Trish got their Greatest Hits in and really that's all anyone wanted especially once Bliss was removed from the match and any semblance of meaning went out of it.

I thought the Battle Royal was good by usual battle royal standards and the booking of it was fine

None of the nostalgia trip entries over stayed there welcome and it was mainly left to the active roster to carry the load at the end.

Fine with Nia winning and they can do the Rousey feud without Bliss hanging around in the background this time.

Mae Young Classic final could of been given a bit more time but I still enjoyed it, for a lot of people this was probably the 1st time seeing both women and as an introduction to both it was fine, they can do a longer match in NXT or at a takeover in the future.

Thought it was set up for Sasha to finally do the turn by losing the match and just snapping but in the end it was just routine win for her team though Sasha seemed off her game somewhat and didn't look to be having fun

Nothing match on the whole and the wrong team won IMO

The 3 Title matches for me all delivered the goods 

Good timing putting thevl belt back on Baszler and the introduction properly of the horsewomen stable sets things up going forward with a pissed off Kairi going after Shayna and her stable mates

Charlotte and Becky was brilliant and I was super invested in it, sure some of the acting was a bit laughabe from Charlotte but it was a good old school brutal match which it needed to be given whats happend the past 2-3 months between them.

Rousey once again surpassed my expectations for a match and Nikki had her best showing ever maybe?

Just about the right interference levels from Brie for it not to get silly but enough that it was clearly distracting Ronda and was easily the best tool to use to have the match go longer without Rousey looking weaker.

For me it was just a fun show maybe starting at 11pm and ending around 2.30 for us helped as it never seemed to drag at all like most WWE PPVs when they go long into the night.

I also thought the crowd were really hot for most of it which helped as a poor crowd can drag a great show down but can also pull a show up.

Like I said i thought it was a very enjoyable show and has set the stage well for what I'm sure will be future women's PPVs

 

[PunkStep]

10 hours ago, air_raid said:

At least 10? Given how long the semis were I'd be confused as anything if this wasn't the case.

Look what you did!

[tiger_rick]

13 minutes ago, MVP RULZ said:

Just me that actually liked the show on here? I thought it was way better then I expected going in to it

I haven't watched it and most probably won't but the review I read was very positive.

[I Bent My Wookie]

I had it on on the background while doing some work last night and really bloody enjoyed it. Didnt feel overly long or a slog and was entertaining and everything had a purpose. Good effort.

[The Dart]

I fell asleep just after the MYC finals and will watch the rest this evening.  But what I saw I really enjoyed.

[Jon-Carr_92]

It was decent for what it was. Certainly worth staying up for. But I was laughing when they showed the Crown Jewel promo and plugged it later on. You must wonder how Renee Young and Beth Pheonix must have felt while Micheal Cole was running through the card.

[BomberPat]

As an aside to the celebrating of Stephanie, and acting like WWE weren't directly responsible for how badly women were treated for so long, they put a video up on YouTube calling Sara Amato "the unsung hero of the Women's Evolution".

Now, I'm always happy to see Sara given her dues, but coming from WWE, if she's "unsung", it's their fault for not singing about her.

It reminds me of the politician's apology, "mistakes were made" rather than "I made a mistake". Acting as if mistakes just happen, without any individual agency or responsibility.

[Mr.Showtime]

I skimmed through most of the matches but it seemed half-decent. The crowd also sounded pretty into certain bouts - Becky/Charlotte and the battle royal final stretch, for example, I really liked the last woman standing match, it was fun. As had been mentioned here before, I think a 2-minute main event would have been a great big-time moment for the show. The fans got Becky/Charlotte right before it, they didn't need to see the Bellas pissing around with Ronda for ages, really. But it was fine.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

3 hours ago, MVP RULZ said:

Just me that actually liked the show on here? I thought it was way better then I expected going in to it

 

Not at all. Not only did it massively over deliver its probably the best WWE PPV I've seen all year.

First off, the crowd was IMMENSE. Everyone knows women and kid heavy crowds are the best and this definitely one of them. Trish and Lita almost got Crush Gals level heat in the opener and they remained hot all night. They were quite (but invested) for the MYC final but that's understandable. There was one dud on the card in the battle royal but everything else was at least decent, the way the card built with the final three title matches gave it a great feel of momentum, no dead spots. I know WWE plunder matches aren't for everyone but Lynch/Flair was great for what it was, crazy bumps, great shit talking, raw emotion and a perfect finish. The NXT title match was cracking and even the main was a good finely structured match. And yes, I was impressed by Nikki Bella's work in the match. There was some grind in the 'rest' holds and submissions and a lot of stiffness to boot. I don't particularly love the Bella's still being in this spot but they are a hugely entertaining heel act.

The MYC final was too short and had some silly non-selling in it but  otherwise was good while it lasted. That's easily the best Io has looked so far, she dropped the showboating and there was a good mix of flying and bomb throwing. The opening tag was a nice crowd pleaser that was better than it had any right to be and even the Raw trios match was solid with a great finish.

Despite all that though there is some big negatives coming out of this show for me. I would have like to have seen another angle set up for the main roster, some kind of interaction or just something happening during the closing stage celebrations. And gosh the battle royal. I mean NIA JAX? Jax vs Rousey again? It was awful the first time (the match itself was fine) but even worse it means that Bayley and Sasha Banks will likely continue doing next to fuck all on Raw. And if you wanted an idea of Asuka's current standing, well it's somewhere below Tamina Snuka. Honestly, I don't know how you can push an evolution in women's wrestling when the best worker on the main roster -by a country mile- is going to complete waste. Asuka/Rousey? Haha no it's not happening. That's why I worry about girls like Shayna Baszler and Io Shirai and even Bianca Belair in the long run, I doubt they reach even near their potential on the main roster. Vince has his vision of who should be heavily featured and its very narrow. The pushing of the shitty Saudi Arabia show also left a bad taste.

So yeah, it ended up a great show despite perhaps being cynically thrown together. Just can't help feeling cautious (to say the least) going forward.

 

Oh also, some great outfits on this show. That extra bit of effort is really appreciated.

[Snitsky's back acne]

A decent show I thought.

Credit to Mickie James who was the absolute workhorse of that opening match. Nice bit of nostalgia to kick things off.

Ivory looked great. No Melina or Victoria? Considering they are both still semi-active you would have thought they would get a call to work the show. Have either of them been critical of WWE or something? Disappointed Nia won. If it wasn't Asuka [RIP] then Ember would have been a great choice. Crowd really seemed in to her winning and you would think the plucky babyface eliminating her long time rival, the sneaky heel who hid the entire match and then the two behemoths would have been the way to go but evidently not.

Disappointed with how short the MYC final was but they did the best with the time they had. Io impressed with her springboard based offence and, as has been said, Toni is an absolute star in the making. Vince has always tended to heavily favour/push the blondes so you have to figure that sits well for Toni.

Six woman match was what it was. Oh no, they're teasing Sasha/Bayley again... will they ever pull the trigger on it? 

Enjoyed Kairi/Shayna. Both play their roles so well - Kairi is frickin adorable you just cant help but root for her and Shayna is just a nasty sadist. Not sure she 'needs' Duke and Shafir but putting them with Kairi and Io as they have been on NXT house shows should only help the latter two with their development in the ring if nothing else.

Really enjoyed the Last Woman Standing match and so glad they went with the Becky win. I bet both of them will be feeling that match today.
Ronda/Nikki was decent and the right person won. Rousey still sells a bit too much for my liking but she does it well and it did make sense.

Overall, there have certainly been far worse shows.

[DCW]

Skimmed through it and thought it was grand. Lita/Trish tag was sloppy, but Micky was the only competent worker involved so twas to be expected, Cool seeing Alundra Blayze, Ivory and Molly again. Why they persist with clumsy, can't cut a promo Nia Jax, I'll never know. Crowd were very into Becky vs Charlotte and it was a fine match with the right result. Rousey is dull as fuck lately, and I had no intention of hearing Brie mode scream 'cmon Nicole' in her annoying, half wit voice during the main event, so steered well clear. Perfectly acceptable stuff overall.

Them running all this 'WWE is pro women" and plugging the womens group whilst also trying to flog a show in Saudi Arabia was completely tone deaf, and 100% reassuringly Vince.

[Snitsky's back acne]

3 hours ago, DCW said:

Why they persist with clumsy, can't cut a promo Nia Jax, I'll never know.

She is related to The Rock.

[TildeGuy~!]

Cutting to The Rocks mum doing her best Stu Hart impression in the front row after Nia’s promo was hilarious.

[The King of Old School]

Yeah, enjoyed most of it. I actually liked the battle royal too.

One thing i could have done without was everyone coming on stage at the end, i could have lived with it had Becky appeared at the end to attack Ronda or something. The closing shot of them clinking belts together was rediculous.

[HarmonicGenerator]

Thought the show got better as it went on. The first half felt a bit too novelty/exhibition-y for me, but things picked up once we got to the matches with a bigger story/rivalry behind them. Baszler’s the best heel in all WWE, Becky’s probably the best baby face even if she’s not meant to be, and Rousey could (should?) be their biggest star. Thinking about it that way, that says some good things about their women’s roster. Evolution is a mystery, but it was also a decent few hours.