WWE Evolution 2018
Uniondale, NY
Nassau Coliseum
10/28/18
The WWE Women's Revolution (or Evolution) has been going on for three years now and along the way, there have been many milestones the women have reached and although I would prefer if those milestones were reached more organically and didn't have the big public display with all the women in the ring having to bow to Stephanie McMahon just so she can pat herself on the back, it's still cool to finally see women doing stuff that in the past we could only imagine them doing in the WWE. This year has probably been the most important of the three years of the women's revolution as they had their first Royal Rumble match, first Elimination Chamber match, four matches on the WrestleMania card that featured women, and most importantly the signing of the most high profile name in women's sports Ronda Rousey and to close out the year WWE announced their first ever all-female PPV that would feature women from the past, present, and future of the WWE. With all that I have mentioned above, it would seem like this whole Women's Revolution concept is all rainbows and gumdrops and everything is going great and there are zero problems going on, well that's exactly what WWE wants their sponsors and the casual fans to think but the more die-hard wrestling fans such as myself know that there is always more to the story than what WWE wants to be revealed.
The truth that WWE doesn't want you to know is that in the midst of promoting this women's revolution and promoting that the company is being more progressive, they made a ten-year multi-million dollar deal with Saudi Arabia, a country that not only treats their women like shit but is responsible for heinous acts of murder against anyone who has views or opinions that are different than them whether it be a woman, a homosexual or even a journalist as highlighted by the recent murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Despite all the propaganda showing that the country is changing under the rule of the new prince, in reality, it is still the same as it has always been and will never change. The fact that WWE thinks that them going over there is going to be the one thing that brings change to that country is both laughable and sad at the same time as it shows just how much the WWE bubble has cut off people's perception of how the rest of the world outside of the WWE works. They think because they were able to have women wrestle on a show in Abu Dhabi that one day it will happen in Saudi Arabia but the reason the women were able to wrestle in Abu Dhabi was that the country had already progressed to that point before WWE got there and it had nothing to do with WWE changing them.
I had to go into all of the Saudi Arabia stuff so that I can say that the real reason they are putting on their first all-female PPV is probably only 20% because they want to reward the women for all the hard work they have done and approximately 80% because they had to do something to smooth over the backlash they got from fans who were rightfully outraged at the hypocrisy that WWE would make a deal with a country where women can't be on the shows and then turn right around the next night and be all about being pro women and talking about a Women's Revolution. You don't need to look any further to see how the higher-ups view this show than by looking at the build-up for the show or should I say lack thereof. If you compare the build and promotion for this show to the build-up and promotion for WWE's Crown Jewel show that is happening in Saudi Arabia (which is happening only five days after this show) you will see a great discrepancy between the two. A lot of the women on the card were just thrown into a battle royal or a tag match that had zero build instead of being booked in feuds with meaningful stories that would lead to big-time matches on this show. Thankfully we do have the three championship matches and the MYC finale that does have some importance to them and have been booked fairly well and should be able to carry the show even if the rest of the card is severely lacking.
You would think a show like this would be the launching point for women to have more PPVs of their own so they wouldn't have to share the card with the male talent, but don't get your hopes up on that happening as Triple H has gone on record saying he doesn't want this kind of show to happen all the time. If you ask me the real reason they don't want to go all in on having more all-female PPVs is that they are afraid (and rightfully so) that if they do that then a portion of their fanbase wouldn't care to watch the men only PPVs, because as time goes on more and more fans (including myself) are becoming disinterested in what many of the men on the WWE main roster are doing (mostly due to terrible booking) and have become so invested in the women that they only care to watch their matches and segments.
Nassau Coliseum
10/28/18
The WWE Women's Revolution (or Evolution) has been going on for three years now and along the way, there have been many milestones the women have reached and although I would prefer if those milestones were reached more organically and didn't have the big public display with all the women in the ring having to bow to Stephanie McMahon just so she can pat herself on the back, it's still cool to finally see women doing stuff that in the past we could only imagine them doing in the WWE. This year has probably been the most important of the three years of the women's revolution as they had their first Royal Rumble match, first Elimination Chamber match, four matches on the WrestleMania card that featured women, and most importantly the signing of the most high profile name in women's sports Ronda Rousey and to close out the year WWE announced their first ever all-female PPV that would feature women from the past, present, and future of the WWE. With all that I have mentioned above, it would seem like this whole Women's Revolution concept is all rainbows and gumdrops and everything is going great and there are zero problems going on, well that's exactly what WWE wants their sponsors and the casual fans to think but the more die-hard wrestling fans such as myself know that there is always more to the story than what WWE wants to be revealed.
The truth that WWE doesn't want you to know is that in the midst of promoting this women's revolution and promoting that the company is being more progressive, they made a ten-year multi-million dollar deal with Saudi Arabia, a country that not only treats their women like shit but is responsible for heinous acts of murder against anyone who has views or opinions that are different than them whether it be a woman, a homosexual or even a journalist as highlighted by the recent murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Despite all the propaganda showing that the country is changing under the rule of the new prince, in reality, it is still the same as it has always been and will never change. The fact that WWE thinks that them going over there is going to be the one thing that brings change to that country is both laughable and sad at the same time as it shows just how much the WWE bubble has cut off people's perception of how the rest of the world outside of the WWE works. They think because they were able to have women wrestle on a show in Abu Dhabi that one day it will happen in Saudi Arabia but the reason the women were able to wrestle in Abu Dhabi was that the country had already progressed to that point before WWE got there and it had nothing to do with WWE changing them.
I had to go into all of the Saudi Arabia stuff so that I can say that the real reason they are putting on their first all-female PPV is probably only 20% because they want to reward the women for all the hard work they have done and approximately 80% because they had to do something to smooth over the backlash they got from fans who were rightfully outraged at the hypocrisy that WWE would make a deal with a country where women can't be on the shows and then turn right around the next night and be all about being pro women and talking about a Women's Revolution. You don't need to look any further to see how the higher-ups view this show than by looking at the build-up for the show or should I say lack thereof. If you compare the build and promotion for this show to the build-up and promotion for WWE's Crown Jewel show that is happening in Saudi Arabia (which is happening only five days after this show) you will see a great discrepancy between the two. A lot of the women on the card were just thrown into a battle royal or a tag match that had zero build instead of being booked in feuds with meaningful stories that would lead to big-time matches on this show. Thankfully we do have the three championship matches and the MYC finale that does have some importance to them and have been booked fairly well and should be able to carry the show even if the rest of the card is severely lacking.
You would think a show like this would be the launching point for women to have more PPVs of their own so they wouldn't have to share the card with the male talent, but don't get your hopes up on that happening as Triple H has gone on record saying he doesn't want this kind of show to happen all the time. If you ask me the real reason they don't want to go all in on having more all-female PPVs is that they are afraid (and rightfully so) that if they do that then a portion of their fanbase wouldn't care to watch the men only PPVs, because as time goes on more and more fans (including myself) are becoming disinterested in what many of the men on the WWE main roster are doing (mostly due to terrible booking) and have become so invested in the women that they only care to watch their matches and segments.
While this show may not be important to the management of WWE it is very important, very special, and very deserving of all the women who will be working on the show as this is such a long time coming. I fully believe that every single woman on this show will see this as an opportunity to show all their doubters and critics why they deserve more shows that are all female and despite the lack of build, I'm sure every woman will kick ass and give everything they have in order put on one hell of a show and give WWE no choice but to make all female PPVs a more frequent occurrence.
Not only is this show special to the women on the show and women wrestlers all over the world, but it's also special for the fans and supporters of women's wrestling. The fans who have become so invested in not just the female characters they see on tv every week but the real women who play those characters. The fans and supporters of women's wrestling are just as passionate about the women succeeding and being on an equal playing field as the women in the WWE are themselves so for us, this show is a big deal as it's a step in giving us what we have wanted and what the women in WWE have deserved for years.
Between this show and watching the MYC, I have been on a women's wrestling high for the past couple of months and I hope it doesn't stop with this show. Despite my reputation online I do get invested in the women's wrestlers for their personalities and awesome talent and not just because they are attractive (even though I do still have my wrestling crushes and have no problem letting everyone know who they are). I have got more invested in matches during the MYC than I have the majority of the men's matches all year. I'm super excited about this show and can't wait for the women to show the world why it's their time and they will no longer take a backseat to anyone and that they can put on a show that is just as good if not better than the guys can. Now with all of that out of the way let's get to the review.
The show opens with a musical performance from Lizzy Hale and Nia Strauss, I honestly could have done without the singing as I believe the song Lizzy sang was made up just for this show and it wasn't that great but Nia's guitar playing was badass and was a cool way to start the show.
Match #3
Toni Storm def Io Shirai via Pinfall (2018 Mae Young Classic Finals)
In order to read my thoughts on this match, you have to check out my review I did for the Mae Young Classic which you can find here https://mythoughtsonprowrestling.blogspot.com/2018/10/wwe-mae-young-classic-ii-2nd-round.html
In the commercial break before this match, we get an ad for Crown Jewel and as upset as the Saudis got about seeing 10 seconds of women during an ad at Greatest Royal Rumble was just as upset as I was for seeing an ad for Crown Jewel on this all women's show.
Not only is this show special to the women on the show and women wrestlers all over the world, but it's also special for the fans and supporters of women's wrestling. The fans who have become so invested in not just the female characters they see on tv every week but the real women who play those characters. The fans and supporters of women's wrestling are just as passionate about the women succeeding and being on an equal playing field as the women in the WWE are themselves so for us, this show is a big deal as it's a step in giving us what we have wanted and what the women in WWE have deserved for years.
Between this show and watching the MYC, I have been on a women's wrestling high for the past couple of months and I hope it doesn't stop with this show. Despite my reputation online I do get invested in the women's wrestlers for their personalities and awesome talent and not just because they are attractive (even though I do still have my wrestling crushes and have no problem letting everyone know who they are). I have got more invested in matches during the MYC than I have the majority of the men's matches all year. I'm super excited about this show and can't wait for the women to show the world why it's their time and they will no longer take a backseat to anyone and that they can put on a show that is just as good if not better than the guys can. Now with all of that out of the way let's get to the review.
The show opens with a musical performance from Lizzy Hale and Nia Strauss, I honestly could have done without the singing as I believe the song Lizzy sang was made up just for this show and it wasn't that great but Nia's guitar playing was badass and was a cool way to start the show.
Match #1
Trish Stratus & Lita def Mickie James & Alicia Fox w/ Alexa Bliss via Pinfall
Trish Stratus & Lita def Mickie James & Alicia Fox w/ Alexa Bliss via Pinfall
If you know me (and you should if you've been reading my reviews) you can imagine how bummed out I was that Alexa had to be taken out of this match due to a concussion, but it was still nice that she could be at ringside and I have no problem with Foxy being her replacement as Foxy is freaking awesome and so damn entertaining that I can't help but smile when she is on my screen. It actually made more sense to have Foxy in there that way the match could be between four women who were around long before the Women's Revolution started and helped pave the way for where the women are now. I was really surprised that this match was on first, but perhaps Trish and Mickie asked for it to be first so their kids could watch them before having to go to bed. I also wonder if Alexa not being in the match changed the placement of the match on the card. I loved the Alice in Wonderland theme that Alexa's team had with their gear and let's face it Alice never looked better, this would be the first of quite a few really cool costumes we would see throughout the night, it was as if the women decided to celebrate Halloween early. Nice to see Lita wore a mesh shirt like you would see Team Extreme wear back in the day and she also had a more PG version of the thong sticking out of the pants.
Right from the start, the fans were going crazy for this match and that kind of reaction would be a constant throughout the night. It was nice to hear a more female-centric crowd than you would usually hear and it made the crowd reaction sound a bit different but regardless of how it sounded it was loud and that was great to hear. Early on we get a flying headscissors from Lita and then a poetry in motion as Lita ran off Trish's back and delivered a clothesline to both Mickie and Foxy in the corner. Trish comes in and hasn't missed a step as she is delivering some hip tosses and snapmares before slapping Foxy in the face and pointing over to the corner telling Foxy to tag Mickie in.
Mickie comes in and the two women trash talk each other until Trish hits a big forearm and we get a strike exchange in the middle of the ring. Mickie's bumping and selling throughout this match were both hilarious and great as she was bumping all over for her opponents. We get a cool spot in the corner where Trish attempts the Stratusphere but Mickie catches her (if this spot were not in the PG era we would definitely get a callback to the crotch grab at WrestleMania 22) and pulls her up to the top with her where they fight it out and this would lead to Trish hitting a top rope hurricanrana. Mickie rolls to the outside to regroup and while they do Trish and Lita fake a diving attempt and Foxy steals the show again as she falls back and is wildly kicking her legs like a turtle on it's back trying to get upright. The heels try to leave but Trish and Lita stop them and roll Mickie back into the ring where Foxy accidentally kicks her after Lita moves out of the way. Lita goes up for the moonsault but Alexa comes in and yanks her down.
The heels work over Lita until Trish comes in and they hit an assisted hurricanrana. Mickie is quickly able to get back in control after hitting a neckbreaker on Lita and Foxy follows up with a northern light suplex. Lita makes a comeback and hits a reverse DDT and is finally able to make the hot tag to Trish and Foxy tags Mickie back in. Trish hits a couple of really nice deep headlock takeovers and then a sit-out spinebuster for two. Trish lays in several chops before Mickie kicks her and rolls her up for a two count. Mickie looks to set up for the Mickie DDT but Trish reverses and hits the Stratusfaction which is broken up by Foxy who almost misses her cue to break up the pin. Lita hits the Twist of Fate on Foxy and then hits the moonsault on both of her opponents. Mickie gets to her feet and Trish is waiting on her with the Chick Kick (which Mickie sells hilariously as she freezes before falling to the mat) to pick up the win.
This was a great way to start the show as it was so much fun. After this match I want Trish to have another run even if it's for only six months to a year as she can still go and hasn't missed one step. Lita looked a lot better here than she did in the Rumble match and her moonsault was way better. The heels did a great job of stooging around and bumping their butts off to make Trish and Lita look like a million bucks. This match was exactly what it needed to be and started this show off on a high note. Rating: ***
Match #2
Nia Jax last def 20 Women (Battle Royal)
I was so happy that all the women got their own entrance as I hate battle royals where the participants are already in the ring and you can't tell who all is in the match. It was so cool to see women like Alundra Blayze & Ivory walk down the aisle one more time. I missed Cory Graves commentary when Mandy Rose came to the ring. I still can't believe Torrie is 40+ years old and still looks like she is in her 20s.
It was pretty obvious that when the IIconics were cutting the promo that they were gonna be ganged up on, but that didn't mean it wasn't any less great especially since it was only the women legends (and Maria) that did it. We get a rehash of the WrestleMania battle royal spot where all the women teamed up against the NXT women, but this time all the women teamed up against the legends (and Maria who they forgot is currently on the roster) and it was a battle of the past against the present and the future which gave me goosebumps to watch. Molly Holly was the first elimination as she was tossed over by Mandy and Sonya while attempting a headlock/headsiccors takeover on both women, I'm sure Mandy is glad her streak of being the first eliminated is over with. Mandy and Sonya then set their sights on Kelly Kelly and eliminate her with a front suplex and a couple of kicks. Torrie tries to throw Sonya out but only gets her to the apron and then Mandy comes up and pushes Torrie over and she lands on the apron as both women fight it out on the apron Mandy hits a running knee to eliminate Torrie. Just when it looks like Mandy and Sonya are going to be a dominant force to be reckoned with in the match, Mandy pushes Sonya off the apron and eliminates her, this makes Sonya so mad she kicks poor Torrie who is trying to get to her feet.
Alundra hits a clothesline on Naomi and Asuka only to turn around and be picked up and eliminated by Nia. Maria takes it to Nia with a chop block and then a DDT. Maria attempts to eliminate Nia but Tamina grabs her from behind only for Maria to hit her with a jawbreaker an then a bronco buster. Nia grabs Maria and easily eliminates her. Zelina hits the running knees on Tamina who is still out in the corner and then tries to do something with her but eats a superkick for her troubles. Tamina hits a Samoan drop on Carmella who rolls under the bottom rope. Nia and Tamina face off and then do the Roman Reigns "hoowaah" pose before delivering a beating to all of the other women in the ring. Nia and Tamina go back to facing off and Lana gets in the middle of them trying to get them to not fight and when Tamina pokes her she slaps Tamina and then delivers some leg kicks on Nia that are not phasing her one bit and then the Samoans hit her with a double headbutt before Tamina eliminates Lana. Nia slams Tamina and then Asuka comes over and unleashes kicks on Nia and this leads to a quadruple suplex spot and everyone is laid out except Ivory.
Carmella rolls back in the ring and it's time for a dance break and she is joined in the dance break by Ivory and you can tell Carmella has broke character and is genuinely having fun. Mandy comes from behind and tries to eliminate Ivory but she is able to hang on. Carmella comes from behind and eliminates Mandy as Ivory holds the rope down. Mandy had a good showing in this match and up to this point had the most eliminations. All the women who were out are back on their feet and Dana hits a handspring back elbow on Ember but is eliminated shortly after with a front suplex by Ember. Carmella tries to hurricanrana Michelle McCool but she uses her strength to power Carmella back up and sit her on the top rope where she is close to being eliminated but eventually gets back into the ring. Ember goes for a springboard crossbody on Michelle but she sticks that long leg of hers up and boots Ember right in the face. Ember blocks a powerbomb attempts and backdrops Michelle to the apron and kicks her off to eliminate her. Asuka and Naomi are working well as a team against Tamina as Asuka hits a codebreaker and Naomi hits her with a dropkick. Naomi runs at Tamina and is backdropped over the top and eliminated.
Ivory hits a facebuster on Asuka while Ember hits a DDT on Nia. Carmella attempts a flying headscissors but it ends up being a botch, thankfully Ember is able to hold onto to her and turn it into something so props to her and good job on commentary for covering for Carmella. Carmella runs at Ember in the corner and is backdropped and eliminated. Tamina gets her time to shine as she crushes Ember in the corner and then fights it out with Ivory who she has set up on the top rope. Ivory comes off the top with a crossbody on Tamina and then goes up for something else but is hit from behind and knocked over the top rope to the apron, Asuka blocks a kick and hits a dragon screw in the ropes and then connects with a hip attack to knock Ivory to the floor. Asuka and Ember face off and Asuka lands a strike combo followed by a pop-up knee, Asuka goes for another running hip attack but Ember moves and Asuka gets caught in the ropes where Ember hits her with a superkick and then eliminates her. Ember stops a superkick from Tamina and runs at her but is slammed with a swinging sidewalk slam. Tamina levels Nia with a superkick before turning her attention back to Ember who uses her speed to outsmart Tamina and eventually hits her with the Eclipse and then eliminates her.
It's down to Ember and Nia and the crowd is now fully behind Ember. Nia swats a charging Ember away and then tosses her across the ring. Nia picks Ember up and looks to eliminate her but she lands on the apron. Ember locks her leg around Nia and tries to use leverage to get Nia out when out of nowhere Zelina shows back up as she was never eliminated as she had rolled out the ring earlier and pushes both women over and thinks she has won the match but both of them were able to hang on and are still in the match. Zelina turns around is face to face with Nia as she tries to plead with her but Nia grabs her by the hair only for Zelina to rake the eyes and jump on her back but Nia uses her power to lift Zelina up and press slam her over the top to the floor. We are back down to Nia and Ember, Ember hits her with a dropkick and tries to clothesline Nia over but it's not working and then Nia hits a chokeslam on Ember and throws her out to win the battle royal.
Battle Royals are usually either a big hit or a big miss and I can happily say this one was a big hit and was tons of fun to watch. I thought pretty much everyone in the match had their time to shine and be the center focus. This was probably Tamina's best performance of her entire career and I also was surprised to see Mandy of all people get so many eliminations. We even got shades of killer Asuka which we haven't seen in months as she has been relegated to a comedy character tagging with Naomi. I was very surprised to see Ivory last as long as she did and much like Trish in the first match, it doesn't look like she has lost a step. There were a lot of memorable spots and some unique ways that people got eliminated. As far as battle royals go this was definitely one of the best that I have watched in a long time and was miles better than the WrestleMania battle royal, great job by all 21 women in this match. Rating: ***1/4
Nia Jax last def 20 Women (Battle Royal)
I was so happy that all the women got their own entrance as I hate battle royals where the participants are already in the ring and you can't tell who all is in the match. It was so cool to see women like Alundra Blayze & Ivory walk down the aisle one more time. I missed Cory Graves commentary when Mandy Rose came to the ring. I still can't believe Torrie is 40+ years old and still looks like she is in her 20s.
It was pretty obvious that when the IIconics were cutting the promo that they were gonna be ganged up on, but that didn't mean it wasn't any less great especially since it was only the women legends (and Maria) that did it. We get a rehash of the WrestleMania battle royal spot where all the women teamed up against the NXT women, but this time all the women teamed up against the legends (and Maria who they forgot is currently on the roster) and it was a battle of the past against the present and the future which gave me goosebumps to watch. Molly Holly was the first elimination as she was tossed over by Mandy and Sonya while attempting a headlock/headsiccors takeover on both women, I'm sure Mandy is glad her streak of being the first eliminated is over with. Mandy and Sonya then set their sights on Kelly Kelly and eliminate her with a front suplex and a couple of kicks. Torrie tries to throw Sonya out but only gets her to the apron and then Mandy comes up and pushes Torrie over and she lands on the apron as both women fight it out on the apron Mandy hits a running knee to eliminate Torrie. Just when it looks like Mandy and Sonya are going to be a dominant force to be reckoned with in the match, Mandy pushes Sonya off the apron and eliminates her, this makes Sonya so mad she kicks poor Torrie who is trying to get to her feet.
Alundra hits a clothesline on Naomi and Asuka only to turn around and be picked up and eliminated by Nia. Maria takes it to Nia with a chop block and then a DDT. Maria attempts to eliminate Nia but Tamina grabs her from behind only for Maria to hit her with a jawbreaker an then a bronco buster. Nia grabs Maria and easily eliminates her. Zelina hits the running knees on Tamina who is still out in the corner and then tries to do something with her but eats a superkick for her troubles. Tamina hits a Samoan drop on Carmella who rolls under the bottom rope. Nia and Tamina face off and then do the Roman Reigns "hoowaah" pose before delivering a beating to all of the other women in the ring. Nia and Tamina go back to facing off and Lana gets in the middle of them trying to get them to not fight and when Tamina pokes her she slaps Tamina and then delivers some leg kicks on Nia that are not phasing her one bit and then the Samoans hit her with a double headbutt before Tamina eliminates Lana. Nia slams Tamina and then Asuka comes over and unleashes kicks on Nia and this leads to a quadruple suplex spot and everyone is laid out except Ivory.
Carmella rolls back in the ring and it's time for a dance break and she is joined in the dance break by Ivory and you can tell Carmella has broke character and is genuinely having fun. Mandy comes from behind and tries to eliminate Ivory but she is able to hang on. Carmella comes from behind and eliminates Mandy as Ivory holds the rope down. Mandy had a good showing in this match and up to this point had the most eliminations. All the women who were out are back on their feet and Dana hits a handspring back elbow on Ember but is eliminated shortly after with a front suplex by Ember. Carmella tries to hurricanrana Michelle McCool but she uses her strength to power Carmella back up and sit her on the top rope where she is close to being eliminated but eventually gets back into the ring. Ember goes for a springboard crossbody on Michelle but she sticks that long leg of hers up and boots Ember right in the face. Ember blocks a powerbomb attempts and backdrops Michelle to the apron and kicks her off to eliminate her. Asuka and Naomi are working well as a team against Tamina as Asuka hits a codebreaker and Naomi hits her with a dropkick. Naomi runs at Tamina and is backdropped over the top and eliminated.
Ivory hits a facebuster on Asuka while Ember hits a DDT on Nia. Carmella attempts a flying headscissors but it ends up being a botch, thankfully Ember is able to hold onto to her and turn it into something so props to her and good job on commentary for covering for Carmella. Carmella runs at Ember in the corner and is backdropped and eliminated. Tamina gets her time to shine as she crushes Ember in the corner and then fights it out with Ivory who she has set up on the top rope. Ivory comes off the top with a crossbody on Tamina and then goes up for something else but is hit from behind and knocked over the top rope to the apron, Asuka blocks a kick and hits a dragon screw in the ropes and then connects with a hip attack to knock Ivory to the floor. Asuka and Ember face off and Asuka lands a strike combo followed by a pop-up knee, Asuka goes for another running hip attack but Ember moves and Asuka gets caught in the ropes where Ember hits her with a superkick and then eliminates her. Ember stops a superkick from Tamina and runs at her but is slammed with a swinging sidewalk slam. Tamina levels Nia with a superkick before turning her attention back to Ember who uses her speed to outsmart Tamina and eventually hits her with the Eclipse and then eliminates her.
It's down to Ember and Nia and the crowd is now fully behind Ember. Nia swats a charging Ember away and then tosses her across the ring. Nia picks Ember up and looks to eliminate her but she lands on the apron. Ember locks her leg around Nia and tries to use leverage to get Nia out when out of nowhere Zelina shows back up as she was never eliminated as she had rolled out the ring earlier and pushes both women over and thinks she has won the match but both of them were able to hang on and are still in the match. Zelina turns around is face to face with Nia as she tries to plead with her but Nia grabs her by the hair only for Zelina to rake the eyes and jump on her back but Nia uses her power to lift Zelina up and press slam her over the top to the floor. We are back down to Nia and Ember, Ember hits her with a dropkick and tries to clothesline Nia over but it's not working and then Nia hits a chokeslam on Ember and throws her out to win the battle royal.
Battle Royals are usually either a big hit or a big miss and I can happily say this one was a big hit and was tons of fun to watch. I thought pretty much everyone in the match had their time to shine and be the center focus. This was probably Tamina's best performance of her entire career and I also was surprised to see Mandy of all people get so many eliminations. We even got shades of killer Asuka which we haven't seen in months as she has been relegated to a comedy character tagging with Naomi. I was very surprised to see Ivory last as long as she did and much like Trish in the first match, it doesn't look like she has lost a step. There were a lot of memorable spots and some unique ways that people got eliminated. As far as battle royals go this was definitely one of the best that I have watched in a long time and was miles better than the WrestleMania battle royal, great job by all 21 women in this match. Rating: ***1/4
Match #3
Toni Storm def Io Shirai via Pinfall (2018 Mae Young Classic Finals)
In order to read my thoughts on this match, you have to check out my review I did for the Mae Young Classic which you can find here https://mythoughtsonprowrestling.blogspot.com/2018/10/wwe-mae-young-classic-ii-2nd-round.html
In the commercial break before this match, we get an ad for Crown Jewel and as upset as the Saudis got about seeing 10 seconds of women during an ad at Greatest Royal Rumble was just as upset as I was for seeing an ad for Crown Jewel on this all women's show.
Match #4
Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Natalya def The Riott Squad via Pinfall
Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Natalya def The Riott Squad via Pinfall
Riott Squad makes their way to the ring first and Renee tells us that they are cosplaying as horror movie legends Leatherface (Sarah), Jigsaw (Ruby), and Pennywise (Liva). I'm glad Renee told us who they were supposed to be because before I had a chance to register who they were Ruby had already popped Liv's balloon and Sarah had removed the shirt, so at first I just thought Ruby and Sarah were dressing in their best because it was a special night and I didn't even have time to see Liv carrying the balloon when I was watching live so had it not been for commentary I would have had no clue they were cosplaying as horrors legends. If you're going to do something cool like that keep it up at least until you get in the ring so all the fans can see, don't stop the cosplay at the top of the ramp. I also noticed during the match that Liv's tongue was red instead of the usual blue which was a nice touch to go with the Pennywise cosplay. We got a quick moment where Michael Cole went into Monday Night Raw mode as he had to do his "It's Boss Time" when Sasha made her entrance and that just made me groan as I don't want to hear Monday Night Raw Michael Cole, especially on this show.
This has nothing to do with this match but I didn't know where else to put it but here since this was the first match she announced, I have to at least mention JoJo's dress as it was just WOW and she all I'll say is that she looked AMAZING on this night.
There was a spot early in the match where Nattie goes for a drop down but Liv stops and takes the time to lay down in front of Natalya and give the innocent little angel pose only to get smacked in the face by Nattie. We then see Nattie and Sasha pay tribute to the Anvil by hitting a Heart Attack. Bayley comes in and is a house of fire at first but when she goes to hit one of her baseball slide kicks under the bottom turnbuckle she is intercepted with a dropkick to the ribs by Sarah in a really nice spot. We got a lengthy portion of the match where Riott Squad were cutting the ring off and working Bayley over while making constant tags and doing everything they can to prevent Bayley from making the tag. The Riott Squad actually have some double team moves for this match including an assisted senton backsplash.
Bayley is finally able to make a tag to Sasha and this leads to a nice sequence with Sasha and Ruby. Sasha and Bayley hit their Bank Statement/Bayley to Belly combo on Ruby which leads to Liv breaking up a pinfall by shoving Sasha into Bayley. Sasha dives out of the ring onto the Riott Squad and although it wasn't the cleanest looking dive it worked out as Sasha was caught and sent into the barricade. The Riott Squad then hit a doomsday device move but instead of a clothesline Liv comes off the top and slams Sasha down by her hair. There was a nice storytelling spot where Ruby is looking to come off the top onto Sasha but Bayley lays on top of her to protect her and ends up taking the brunt of a top rope senton splash, this was a nice spot from a storytelling perspective but logically it didn't make sense, why didn't Bayley just knock Ruby off the top that way neither of them would've got hit.
Natalya locks in a double sharpshooter which sounds cool in concept but once she actually has to put it on it looks really awkward. Liv breaks the double sharpshooter with a Liv Breaker. Liv springs off the middle rope and drives both feet into the back of Natalya. Natalya catches a charging Liv in a powerbomb and then Bayley hits her with a diving elbow and Sasha follows with a frog splash and that is enough to put Liv away and give the babyfaces the win.
The babyface team may have won the match but the MVPs of the match were definitely the Riott Squad, the trio worked better as a team on this night than I have ever seen them before and I loved that they were actually using tag match psychology. I think on this night Liv and Sarah were able to show that they were just as good as the babyfaces in this match who are usually the ones to get all the praise and they were even able to step out of Ruby's shadow and be on equal footing with her. If I had to pick the one member of the Riott Squad that stood out in this match it has to be Sarah Logan as she looked really strong and I even said in a chat that in a few years Sarah is going to be the one who is overlooked by WWE that the fans are going to rally behind like they have for Becky Lynch.
Going into this match I wasn't expecting more than your usual Raw 6 woman tag match that we see every week, but I was wrong about that because this was a really good match and completely different than the usual Raw match where it seems like they are just going through the motions sometimes. This could be the best 6 person tag match in WWE this year. Rating: ***1/2
This has nothing to do with this match but I didn't know where else to put it but here since this was the first match she announced, I have to at least mention JoJo's dress as it was just WOW and she all I'll say is that she looked AMAZING on this night.
There was a spot early in the match where Nattie goes for a drop down but Liv stops and takes the time to lay down in front of Natalya and give the innocent little angel pose only to get smacked in the face by Nattie. We then see Nattie and Sasha pay tribute to the Anvil by hitting a Heart Attack. Bayley comes in and is a house of fire at first but when she goes to hit one of her baseball slide kicks under the bottom turnbuckle she is intercepted with a dropkick to the ribs by Sarah in a really nice spot. We got a lengthy portion of the match where Riott Squad were cutting the ring off and working Bayley over while making constant tags and doing everything they can to prevent Bayley from making the tag. The Riott Squad actually have some double team moves for this match including an assisted senton backsplash.
Natalya locks in a double sharpshooter which sounds cool in concept but once she actually has to put it on it looks really awkward. Liv breaks the double sharpshooter with a Liv Breaker. Liv springs off the middle rope and drives both feet into the back of Natalya. Natalya catches a charging Liv in a powerbomb and then Bayley hits her with a diving elbow and Sasha follows with a frog splash and that is enough to put Liv away and give the babyfaces the win.
The babyface team may have won the match but the MVPs of the match were definitely the Riott Squad, the trio worked better as a team on this night than I have ever seen them before and I loved that they were actually using tag match psychology. I think on this night Liv and Sarah were able to show that they were just as good as the babyfaces in this match who are usually the ones to get all the praise and they were even able to step out of Ruby's shadow and be on equal footing with her. If I had to pick the one member of the Riott Squad that stood out in this match it has to be Sarah Logan as she looked really strong and I even said in a chat that in a few years Sarah is going to be the one who is overlooked by WWE that the fans are going to rally behind like they have for Becky Lynch.
Going into this match I wasn't expecting more than your usual Raw 6 woman tag match that we see every week, but I was wrong about that because this was a really good match and completely different than the usual Raw match where it seems like they are just going through the motions sometimes. This could be the best 6 person tag match in WWE this year. Rating: ***1/2
Match #5
Shayna Baszler def Kairi Sane (c) via Submission (NXT Women's Championship)
Shayna Baszler def Kairi Sane (c) via Submission (NXT Women's Championship)
Shayna uses her power to push Kairi in the corner and then sweeps the leg sending Kairi down on her butt which did not sit well with Kairi so she decides to return the favor and does the same to Shayna. Kairi catches the leg of Shayna and takes her down but Shayna is back up and attempts to lock in the Kirifuda Clutch but Kairi is able to break her grip. Kairi hits a wheelbarrow stunner and a Sliding D that sends Shayna out to the apron where Kairi hits her with a big double stomp. Kairi uses her agility to dodge Shayna and then delivers a chop on Shayna near the steps. Kairi tries to hit another Sliding D but Shayna gets her boot up to block it and then sends Kairi into the steps.
Shayna gets Kairi back into the ring and starts to go to work on the arm hitting her in the corner with running knee strikes. Shayna hits a gutwrench facebuster on Kairi for a two count. Shayna bends the arm back and stomps on it and this causes Kairi to cry out in agony. Kairi rolls up Shayna out of nowhere but she kicks out and then goes right back to work on the arm and snaps it backward in a really sick looking move. Shayna is getting really confident now as she begins to play around with Kairi. Both women exchange forearms until Shayna kicks the bad arm of Kairi. Kairi follows Shayna into the ropes and hits her with a running forearm and Shayna returns the favor by following Kairi in and hitting her with a running knee. Shayna runs off the ropes again and Kairi drops her with a spinning back fist before Kairi drops to the mat as well out of exhaustion.
Kairi rolls over and locks Shayna in the Anchor but her injured arm prevents her from being able to have it locked in fully and Shayna is able to easily get out of it and take control back after kicking her in the arm. Kairi tries to block out the pain and starts beating on Shayna in the corner. Shayna reverses a whip into the corner and then Kairi explodes out of the corner with an Interceptor and then a running shoulder attack into the corner followed by the flipping neckbreaker for a two count. Kairi hits the Alabama Slam and then looks to go up top for the Insane Elbow but Shayna cuts her off and grabs Kairi by the injured arm and locks in a key lock and while the hold is applied she hangs her in mid-air, Shayna releases the hold and Kairi drops to the floor. Shayna rolls Kairi into the ring and attempts a suplex but Kairi counters it into a DDT. Kairi goes back up top but this time Shayna rolls out of the ring so Kairi changes her plans on the fly and hits a beautiful crossbody to the outside onto Shayna.
Shayna charges at Kairi but she gets backdropped into the crowd where a group of the NXT women are sitting, unfortunately for Kairi, one of those women is Shayna's fellow MMA Horsewoman Jessamyn Duke who doesn't take kindly to this as she grabs Kairi by the hair but Kairi takes care of that in quick fashion as she hits her with a spinning back fist. Kairi rolls Shayna back in and for a third time goes up top and once again she is unable to hit the elbow as another one of the MMA Horsewomen Marina Shafir interferes but she gets a back fist as well just like Jessamyn did. The distraction by Marina allows Shayna to recover and lock in the Kirifuda Clutch but in a callback to the finish of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV Kairi rolls back to try and get a pinfall but this time Shayna kicks out. Kairi performs an O'Connor roll but Shayna kicks her off and right into a big kick from Jessamyn who is still at ringside. Kairi falls right into the arms of Shayna who locks in the Kirifuda Clutch and this time Kairi is unable to escape and ends up passing out.
I liked this match a lot as the arm work was great and Kairi did a great job of selling it, I loved the arm hanging spot as that was really unique and the rest of Shayn's assault on the arm looked nasty as well. Really good way to keep the Insane Elbow strong as Shayna did everything she could to prevent Kairi from hitting it and was successful as she was never able to hit it the entire match and although she hit Shayna with everything she had she was never able to deliver the killer blow to put her away. Kairi gave Shayna everything she had and Shayna had to resort to getting help from her friends in order to beat Kairi. Kairi has become the thorn in Shayna's side as she is the one woman in NXT Shayna hasn't been able to beat cleanly. Really good action and storytelling in this match.
Rating: ****
We now officially have all four of the MMA Horsewomen introduced and in storylines so that means we're one step closer to having the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen match. I'm really interested to see what happens with the NXT women's division now that Shayna is champ once again and is more dangerous than ever before now that she has her friends as backup. It's interesting to see what the women do at NXT Takeover: WarGames, as all the NXT tv episodes have been taped up to Takeover and nothing, was announced for the women as they had to get this match over with before they could announce something, I'm guessing we either get another rematch or Kairi finds two friends to help her face Shayna, Jessamyn, and Marina.
Shayna gets Kairi back into the ring and starts to go to work on the arm hitting her in the corner with running knee strikes. Shayna hits a gutwrench facebuster on Kairi for a two count. Shayna bends the arm back and stomps on it and this causes Kairi to cry out in agony. Kairi rolls up Shayna out of nowhere but she kicks out and then goes right back to work on the arm and snaps it backward in a really sick looking move. Shayna is getting really confident now as she begins to play around with Kairi. Both women exchange forearms until Shayna kicks the bad arm of Kairi. Kairi follows Shayna into the ropes and hits her with a running forearm and Shayna returns the favor by following Kairi in and hitting her with a running knee. Shayna runs off the ropes again and Kairi drops her with a spinning back fist before Kairi drops to the mat as well out of exhaustion.
Kairi rolls over and locks Shayna in the Anchor but her injured arm prevents her from being able to have it locked in fully and Shayna is able to easily get out of it and take control back after kicking her in the arm. Kairi tries to block out the pain and starts beating on Shayna in the corner. Shayna reverses a whip into the corner and then Kairi explodes out of the corner with an Interceptor and then a running shoulder attack into the corner followed by the flipping neckbreaker for a two count. Kairi hits the Alabama Slam and then looks to go up top for the Insane Elbow but Shayna cuts her off and grabs Kairi by the injured arm and locks in a key lock and while the hold is applied she hangs her in mid-air, Shayna releases the hold and Kairi drops to the floor. Shayna rolls Kairi into the ring and attempts a suplex but Kairi counters it into a DDT. Kairi goes back up top but this time Shayna rolls out of the ring so Kairi changes her plans on the fly and hits a beautiful crossbody to the outside onto Shayna.
Shayna charges at Kairi but she gets backdropped into the crowd where a group of the NXT women are sitting, unfortunately for Kairi, one of those women is Shayna's fellow MMA Horsewoman Jessamyn Duke who doesn't take kindly to this as she grabs Kairi by the hair but Kairi takes care of that in quick fashion as she hits her with a spinning back fist. Kairi rolls Shayna back in and for a third time goes up top and once again she is unable to hit the elbow as another one of the MMA Horsewomen Marina Shafir interferes but she gets a back fist as well just like Jessamyn did. The distraction by Marina allows Shayna to recover and lock in the Kirifuda Clutch but in a callback to the finish of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV Kairi rolls back to try and get a pinfall but this time Shayna kicks out. Kairi performs an O'Connor roll but Shayna kicks her off and right into a big kick from Jessamyn who is still at ringside. Kairi falls right into the arms of Shayna who locks in the Kirifuda Clutch and this time Kairi is unable to escape and ends up passing out.
I liked this match a lot as the arm work was great and Kairi did a great job of selling it, I loved the arm hanging spot as that was really unique and the rest of Shayn's assault on the arm looked nasty as well. Really good way to keep the Insane Elbow strong as Shayna did everything she could to prevent Kairi from hitting it and was successful as she was never able to hit it the entire match and although she hit Shayna with everything she had she was never able to deliver the killer blow to put her away. Kairi gave Shayna everything she had and Shayna had to resort to getting help from her friends in order to beat Kairi. Kairi has become the thorn in Shayna's side as she is the one woman in NXT Shayna hasn't been able to beat cleanly. Really good action and storytelling in this match.
Rating: ****
We now officially have all four of the MMA Horsewomen introduced and in storylines so that means we're one step closer to having the Horsewomen vs Horsewomen match. I'm really interested to see what happens with the NXT women's division now that Shayna is champ once again and is more dangerous than ever before now that she has her friends as backup. It's interesting to see what the women do at NXT Takeover: WarGames, as all the NXT tv episodes have been taped up to Takeover and nothing, was announced for the women as they had to get this match over with before they could announce something, I'm guessing we either get another rematch or Kairi finds two friends to help her face Shayna, Jessamyn, and Marina.
Match #6
Becky Lynch (c) def Charlotte (Smackdown Women's Championship - Last Woman Standing Match)
While this match may not have technically been the main event of the show, for a lot of fans it was the match they were most looking forward to as it had the best build out of all the matches on the show. This has turned into one of the best feuds of the year despite the fact that once again the WWE screwed up the heel and face dynamic of the feud because they were stubborn and wouldn't listen to the fans, if they had they would know that the fans didn't want to boo Becky and there was nothing the WWE could have her do that would change that fact, especially when Becky is going against Charlotte (who is way better as a heel than she is a babyface). The fans have clearly turned against Charlotte as they now see her being WWE's most prized possession and their booking of her has been way too strong and the fact that she has been booked at the expense of other hot acts (Asuka) has not sit well with the fans. Becky has been on fire since she turned on Charlotte at SummerSlam her promos and the new I don't give a shit about anyone attitude has been brilliant, she is a lot like the modern-day version of Stone Cold Steve Austin as she is supposed to be bad but the fans love everything she does and have thus made her into an anti-hero.
I like how this match started where instead of doing the usual lockup spot both women go right after each other but because they know each other so well they are countering and dodging each other's moves until Charlotte finally shoves Becky down onto her butt. We get some more countering of moves until Becky takes Charlotte down with a clothesline and then hits her with a trio of leg drops. Charlotte counters a European uppercut into a neckbreaker and then goes up top but is thrown off by Becky. Becky hits a Bexploder and then tries for a crossbody off the middle rope but Charlotte moves out of the way and then levels Becky with a big boot that keeps Becky down for a 4 count. Becky sends Charlotte face first into the turnbuckle and then tosses her out of the ring.
Becky follows Charlotte out and looks under the ring for a kendo stick which she proceeds to hit Charlotte with, Charlotte finally is able to grab hold of the stick and tries to get it away from Becky but is kicked in the gut as the kendo stick goes flying. Becky grabs a chair from under the ring as does Charlotte and both women start throwing chairs into the ring and thankfully this isn't ECW or else the crowd would be throwing every chair they could get their hands on into the ring. Once there are about twenty chairs in the ring Charlotte decides to grab a table but Becky stops her by leaping off the steps and hitting her with a forearm. Charlotte hits her own exploder on the outside before going back to setting up the table only to once again be stopped by Becky who hits her in the back with a chair. Becky rolls Charlotte back in the ring and biels her onto the pile of chairs. Becky arranges the chairs in the middle of the ring and looks to hit a Bexploder onto the pile but Charlotte blocks it and slams Becky onto the pile with a back suplex now both women are down. Charlotte rolls out of the ring while the referee keeps counting until Becky gets to her feet at the count of 8.
Charlotte slides a table into the ring and tries to get back in the ring but is met with a springboard kick knocking her back down to the floor. Becky sets the table up while Charlotte makes her way back into the ring where she is slammed with a uranage onto the chairs. The referee gets to the count of 8 and as Becky sees Charlotte fixing to get to her feet she goes back on the attack Becky lays Charlotte up on the table and goes up top but is stopped and as she falls off Charlotte puts the boots to her before laying Becky on the table, Charlotte comes off the top with a moonsault but the table doesn't break. Both women are down as the referee starts his count and as Charlotte gets to her feet she sets the table back up as Becky gets to her feet. Charlotte lays Becky back on the table and goes up top again where she hits a flipping senton splash and this time the table breaks.
Becky and Charlotte are both down in the broken heap of the table and as the referee gets to the count of 9 both women get to their feet only to collapse right back down. Charlotte rolls outside and this time she grabs a ladder and slides it into the ring only to get slammed on it moments later. Becky goes for another slam but Charlotte escapes and takes her down with a chop block. Charlotte traps Becky's legs in the ladder and locks in the Figure 8 with Becky's legs tied up in the ladder, Becky is able to grab a chair and smash it into the knee of Charlotte to get her to break the hold. Becky rolls out of the ring to stop the referees count and Charlotte follows her to the outside. Becky shoves Charlotte into the steps and tells the referee to count and as Charlotte gets to her feet Becky runs her into the ring post. Becky grabs her title and tries to leave through the crowd but Charlotte follows her and the women fight it out amongst the crowd. As they make their way back toward ringside we see Sam Roberts just casually standing around which I found kind of funny.
Charlotte throws Becky back over the barricade and then starts to tear apart the announce table as she looks to be getting ready to throw Becky through it, as she is tearing the table apart she gets a bit careless and flings one of the monitors and I thought at first it was going to hit someone in the crowd but luckily it just landed somewhere at ringside. Charlotte pulls out another ladder and sets it up next to the announce table, Becky grabs her title and hits Charlotte with it and then lays Charlotte across the announce table before climbing the ladder where she comes off with the Dublin Jam sending Charlotte crashing through the table. Becky gets back to her feet at the count of 7 while Charlotte barely makes it back up at the count of 9. Becky delivers some strikes to Charlotte and then stacks every piece of furniture she can find on top of her to prevent her from getting to her feet, but that doesn't work as Charlotte makes it back to her feet at the count of 9.
Charlotte stares at Becky with a look of anger and hatred which leads to Becky backing up and pleading with Charlotte. Charlotte grabs the kendo stick and beats the living shit out of her with it before cutting her in half with the spear. Charlotte drags Becky around ringside and then sets up the table that she tried to set up on the outside early on in the match. Charlotte lays Becky on the table and goes up to the top looking to put her through the table with a moonsault, but Becky gets to her feet and powerbombs Charlotte off the middle rope through the table at ringside. Charlotte crawls and tries to get to her feet but just like a baby deer her legs are slipping and sliding and she is unable to make it to her feet before the count of 10 and with that Becky Lynch is the Last Woman Standing and is still the Smackdown Women's Champion.
I knew this match was going to be good but I didn't expect it to be as brutal as it turned out being as these two beat the crap out of each other. There were so many memorable spots in this match that are sure to be remembered for a long time to come. I think both women did a great job of showing the toll the match was taking on them both from pain and from an exhaustion. I liked that they had Becky win the match in the same way she lost her title to Alexa back at TLC 2016 that was a nice callback. The fact that they let Becky get the win over Charlotte at the first all women's PPV must mean they see a lot in the future for Becky as usually, nobody dominates Charlotte on PPV like Becky did in this match. Overall this was one hell of a match and big congrats to both women for putting on such a great match. Rating: ****
It was announced the next night on Raw that Becky will be facing Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series and that is a match I have been wanting to see since Ronda signed as it will be the battle of the armbars.
Before the main event we go to commentary where Cole and Renee have to run down the matches for Crown Jewel and the look on the faces of both Renee and especially Beth spoke for everyone watching this show as they weren't having any of this shit and if looks could kill Vince McMahon would be a dead man.
Becky Lynch (c) def Charlotte (Smackdown Women's Championship - Last Woman Standing Match)
While this match may not have technically been the main event of the show, for a lot of fans it was the match they were most looking forward to as it had the best build out of all the matches on the show. This has turned into one of the best feuds of the year despite the fact that once again the WWE screwed up the heel and face dynamic of the feud because they were stubborn and wouldn't listen to the fans, if they had they would know that the fans didn't want to boo Becky and there was nothing the WWE could have her do that would change that fact, especially when Becky is going against Charlotte (who is way better as a heel than she is a babyface). The fans have clearly turned against Charlotte as they now see her being WWE's most prized possession and their booking of her has been way too strong and the fact that she has been booked at the expense of other hot acts (Asuka) has not sit well with the fans. Becky has been on fire since she turned on Charlotte at SummerSlam her promos and the new I don't give a shit about anyone attitude has been brilliant, she is a lot like the modern-day version of Stone Cold Steve Austin as she is supposed to be bad but the fans love everything she does and have thus made her into an anti-hero.
I like how this match started where instead of doing the usual lockup spot both women go right after each other but because they know each other so well they are countering and dodging each other's moves until Charlotte finally shoves Becky down onto her butt. We get some more countering of moves until Becky takes Charlotte down with a clothesline and then hits her with a trio of leg drops. Charlotte counters a European uppercut into a neckbreaker and then goes up top but is thrown off by Becky. Becky hits a Bexploder and then tries for a crossbody off the middle rope but Charlotte moves out of the way and then levels Becky with a big boot that keeps Becky down for a 4 count. Becky sends Charlotte face first into the turnbuckle and then tosses her out of the ring.
Becky follows Charlotte out and looks under the ring for a kendo stick which she proceeds to hit Charlotte with, Charlotte finally is able to grab hold of the stick and tries to get it away from Becky but is kicked in the gut as the kendo stick goes flying. Becky grabs a chair from under the ring as does Charlotte and both women start throwing chairs into the ring and thankfully this isn't ECW or else the crowd would be throwing every chair they could get their hands on into the ring. Once there are about twenty chairs in the ring Charlotte decides to grab a table but Becky stops her by leaping off the steps and hitting her with a forearm. Charlotte hits her own exploder on the outside before going back to setting up the table only to once again be stopped by Becky who hits her in the back with a chair. Becky rolls Charlotte back in the ring and biels her onto the pile of chairs. Becky arranges the chairs in the middle of the ring and looks to hit a Bexploder onto the pile but Charlotte blocks it and slams Becky onto the pile with a back suplex now both women are down. Charlotte rolls out of the ring while the referee keeps counting until Becky gets to her feet at the count of 8.
Charlotte slides a table into the ring and tries to get back in the ring but is met with a springboard kick knocking her back down to the floor. Becky sets the table up while Charlotte makes her way back into the ring where she is slammed with a uranage onto the chairs. The referee gets to the count of 8 and as Becky sees Charlotte fixing to get to her feet she goes back on the attack Becky lays Charlotte up on the table and goes up top but is stopped and as she falls off Charlotte puts the boots to her before laying Becky on the table, Charlotte comes off the top with a moonsault but the table doesn't break. Both women are down as the referee starts his count and as Charlotte gets to her feet she sets the table back up as Becky gets to her feet. Charlotte lays Becky back on the table and goes up top again where she hits a flipping senton splash and this time the table breaks.
Becky and Charlotte are both down in the broken heap of the table and as the referee gets to the count of 9 both women get to their feet only to collapse right back down. Charlotte rolls outside and this time she grabs a ladder and slides it into the ring only to get slammed on it moments later. Becky goes for another slam but Charlotte escapes and takes her down with a chop block. Charlotte traps Becky's legs in the ladder and locks in the Figure 8 with Becky's legs tied up in the ladder, Becky is able to grab a chair and smash it into the knee of Charlotte to get her to break the hold. Becky rolls out of the ring to stop the referees count and Charlotte follows her to the outside. Becky shoves Charlotte into the steps and tells the referee to count and as Charlotte gets to her feet Becky runs her into the ring post. Becky grabs her title and tries to leave through the crowd but Charlotte follows her and the women fight it out amongst the crowd. As they make their way back toward ringside we see Sam Roberts just casually standing around which I found kind of funny.
Charlotte throws Becky back over the barricade and then starts to tear apart the announce table as she looks to be getting ready to throw Becky through it, as she is tearing the table apart she gets a bit careless and flings one of the monitors and I thought at first it was going to hit someone in the crowd but luckily it just landed somewhere at ringside. Charlotte pulls out another ladder and sets it up next to the announce table, Becky grabs her title and hits Charlotte with it and then lays Charlotte across the announce table before climbing the ladder where she comes off with the Dublin Jam sending Charlotte crashing through the table. Becky gets back to her feet at the count of 7 while Charlotte barely makes it back up at the count of 9. Becky delivers some strikes to Charlotte and then stacks every piece of furniture she can find on top of her to prevent her from getting to her feet, but that doesn't work as Charlotte makes it back to her feet at the count of 9.
Charlotte stares at Becky with a look of anger and hatred which leads to Becky backing up and pleading with Charlotte. Charlotte grabs the kendo stick and beats the living shit out of her with it before cutting her in half with the spear. Charlotte drags Becky around ringside and then sets up the table that she tried to set up on the outside early on in the match. Charlotte lays Becky on the table and goes up to the top looking to put her through the table with a moonsault, but Becky gets to her feet and powerbombs Charlotte off the middle rope through the table at ringside. Charlotte crawls and tries to get to her feet but just like a baby deer her legs are slipping and sliding and she is unable to make it to her feet before the count of 10 and with that Becky Lynch is the Last Woman Standing and is still the Smackdown Women's Champion.
I knew this match was going to be good but I didn't expect it to be as brutal as it turned out being as these two beat the crap out of each other. There were so many memorable spots in this match that are sure to be remembered for a long time to come. I think both women did a great job of showing the toll the match was taking on them both from pain and from an exhaustion. I liked that they had Becky win the match in the same way she lost her title to Alexa back at TLC 2016 that was a nice callback. The fact that they let Becky get the win over Charlotte at the first all women's PPV must mean they see a lot in the future for Becky as usually, nobody dominates Charlotte on PPV like Becky did in this match. Overall this was one hell of a match and big congrats to both women for putting on such a great match. Rating: ****
It was announced the next night on Raw that Becky will be facing Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series and that is a match I have been wanting to see since Ronda signed as it will be the battle of the armbars.
Before the main event we go to commentary where Cole and Renee have to run down the matches for Crown Jewel and the look on the faces of both Renee and especially Beth spoke for everyone watching this show as they weren't having any of this shit and if looks could kill Vince McMahon would be a dead man.
Match #7
Ronda Rousey (c) def Nikki Bella w/ Brie Bella via Submission (Raw Women's Championship)
Ronda is in control for the opening minutes of the match as she throws Nikki around and plays around with her even teasing the armbar early letting Nikki know that she could lock it in at any time but isn't ready to yet as she wants to punish her some more. Nikki is pissed as she doesn't like being embarrassed. Nikki rolls out of the ring and Brie distracts Ronda long enough for Nikki to push her into the ring post and as Ronda gets up Brie runs her into it again before Nikki rolls her back into the ring and applies a chin lock. Ronda works her way out of the hold only to be taken down with a knee to the gut and thrown back out of the ring. Nikki sends Ronda into the barricade and ring apron before rolling her back into the ring for a two count. Nikki applies a headscissors and as Ronda struggles to escape Nikki decides it's time to do some push-ups. Ronda rolls out to escape the hold and just when it looks like Ronda will make a comeback Brie takes a cheap shot at her.
Nikki slams Ronda chest first into the ring post and then goes for a pin but only gets two. Nikki wears Ronda down some more this time with an octopus hold. Ronda throws Nikki off her back but runs into a back elbow and then eats a springboard kick from Nikki. Nikki drives her shoulder into the mid-section of Ronda in the corner and then sets her up on the top where she attempts a superplex but is pushed down by Ronda. Ronda is distracted by Brie long enough for Nikki to run back up and attempt the superplex again but she is knocked down once again. Ronda dives off the top with a crossbody but Nikki moves out of the way and Ronda hits the mat hard. Nikki goes for a baseball slide but Ronda bridges up and Nikki slides under and out of the ring. Nikki rolls back in the ring where Ronda catches her leg and rolls through looking for a Samoan drop but Brie gets on the apron and climbs the rope so Ronda grabs her as well and now has both Bellas up on her shoulders and she slams them both down with the twisting Samoan drop.
Ronda is really fired up now and lands a big kick to Nikki's gut before firing away with punches in the corner. Ronda hits a judo throw and tries to get in some shots on Nikki but she is covering up her face. Ronda is tossing Nikki all over the ring and thinks about some more corner punches but Nikki begs off so Ronda just slaps her. Ronda is seen and heard calling the next spot very loudly as she then tosses Nikki across the ring with a suplex. Nikki rolls out of the ring and tries to escape through the crowd but Ronda stops her and throws her back into the ring. Brie hits Ronda with a forearm and by this point, Ronda has had enough of her interfering so she grabs her and throws her over the announce table. Ronda gets back in the ring and is hits with an Alabama Slam for a two count. Nikki moves out of the way as Ronda charges at her and sends her shoulder first into the ring post and then hits her with the Rack Attack 2.0 but that still isn't enough to end the match as Nikki is in complete dismay that Ronda kicked out of that. Nikki is looking to come off the middle rope but Ronda meets her up there and takes her down with a small package looking move and then she locks in the armbar which Nikki taps out to instantly.
This match was better than I expected as going into the show I didn't think these two would put on a main event quality match but they definitely exceeded my expectations. One thing I like about Ronda is that even though she is billed as the baddest woman on the planet and has this complete badass aura around her, in her matches she doesn't mind being the one that takes the beating and is able to have a back and forth match and doesn't have to stay on offense for majority of the match, that is one reason why I enjoy watching her matches way more than anything Brock Lesnar has done in the past few years. Nikki gained so much respect from me in this match as she was put in this high profile situation of being in the main event and she did a terrific job of delivering a main event heel level performance. I will even give Brie props as her interference spots were all done really well and I feel like given what has happened the past few months with her in matches, perhaps this is the role she is best served as just being Nikki's manager/back up. I actually wouldn't mind seeing a rematch between Nikkie and Ronda in the future which is a complete 180 of what I thought about this match going into this show. Rating: ***3/4
You can still tell Ronda is learning about how things work in WWE from a production standpoint as after the match she goes and celebrates with her husband and then she just stands at ringside for a minute before someone tells her to get back into the ring and then once she gets in the ring and holds the belt up she wants to leave the ring again but you can tell someone tells her to wait and she actually asks what they are waiting for and then you can see her being told to leave the ring. That was just a funny little moment that shows she is having to learn on the fly as for anyone else that would be something they would be taught down in NXT. The show goes off the air with all the women posing at the top of the ramp.
This was such a great show as there was nothing bad or even meh on the entire show, all of the matches felt different and were great in their own way and every single woman busted their butt to make sure this show would be remembered for a long long time. Whether the WWE has another all women PPV or not this show will go down as one of WWE's greatest and most refreshing PPVs in quite a while. Show Rating: A++
WWE Evolution Match Ranking
7. Trish Stratus & Lita vs Mickie James & Alicia Fox
6. 21 Woman Battle Royal
5. Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Natalya vs The Riott Squad
4. Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella
3. Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane
2. Becky Lynch vs Charlotte
1. Toni Storm vs Io Shirai
Ronda Rousey (c) def Nikki Bella w/ Brie Bella via Submission (Raw Women's Championship)
Ronda is in control for the opening minutes of the match as she throws Nikki around and plays around with her even teasing the armbar early letting Nikki know that she could lock it in at any time but isn't ready to yet as she wants to punish her some more. Nikki is pissed as she doesn't like being embarrassed. Nikki rolls out of the ring and Brie distracts Ronda long enough for Nikki to push her into the ring post and as Ronda gets up Brie runs her into it again before Nikki rolls her back into the ring and applies a chin lock. Ronda works her way out of the hold only to be taken down with a knee to the gut and thrown back out of the ring. Nikki sends Ronda into the barricade and ring apron before rolling her back into the ring for a two count. Nikki applies a headscissors and as Ronda struggles to escape Nikki decides it's time to do some push-ups. Ronda rolls out to escape the hold and just when it looks like Ronda will make a comeback Brie takes a cheap shot at her.
Nikki slams Ronda chest first into the ring post and then goes for a pin but only gets two. Nikki wears Ronda down some more this time with an octopus hold. Ronda throws Nikki off her back but runs into a back elbow and then eats a springboard kick from Nikki. Nikki drives her shoulder into the mid-section of Ronda in the corner and then sets her up on the top where she attempts a superplex but is pushed down by Ronda. Ronda is distracted by Brie long enough for Nikki to run back up and attempt the superplex again but she is knocked down once again. Ronda dives off the top with a crossbody but Nikki moves out of the way and Ronda hits the mat hard. Nikki goes for a baseball slide but Ronda bridges up and Nikki slides under and out of the ring. Nikki rolls back in the ring where Ronda catches her leg and rolls through looking for a Samoan drop but Brie gets on the apron and climbs the rope so Ronda grabs her as well and now has both Bellas up on her shoulders and she slams them both down with the twisting Samoan drop.
Ronda is really fired up now and lands a big kick to Nikki's gut before firing away with punches in the corner. Ronda hits a judo throw and tries to get in some shots on Nikki but she is covering up her face. Ronda is tossing Nikki all over the ring and thinks about some more corner punches but Nikki begs off so Ronda just slaps her. Ronda is seen and heard calling the next spot very loudly as she then tosses Nikki across the ring with a suplex. Nikki rolls out of the ring and tries to escape through the crowd but Ronda stops her and throws her back into the ring. Brie hits Ronda with a forearm and by this point, Ronda has had enough of her interfering so she grabs her and throws her over the announce table. Ronda gets back in the ring and is hits with an Alabama Slam for a two count. Nikki moves out of the way as Ronda charges at her and sends her shoulder first into the ring post and then hits her with the Rack Attack 2.0 but that still isn't enough to end the match as Nikki is in complete dismay that Ronda kicked out of that. Nikki is looking to come off the middle rope but Ronda meets her up there and takes her down with a small package looking move and then she locks in the armbar which Nikki taps out to instantly.
This match was better than I expected as going into the show I didn't think these two would put on a main event quality match but they definitely exceeded my expectations. One thing I like about Ronda is that even though she is billed as the baddest woman on the planet and has this complete badass aura around her, in her matches she doesn't mind being the one that takes the beating and is able to have a back and forth match and doesn't have to stay on offense for majority of the match, that is one reason why I enjoy watching her matches way more than anything Brock Lesnar has done in the past few years. Nikki gained so much respect from me in this match as she was put in this high profile situation of being in the main event and she did a terrific job of delivering a main event heel level performance. I will even give Brie props as her interference spots were all done really well and I feel like given what has happened the past few months with her in matches, perhaps this is the role she is best served as just being Nikki's manager/back up. I actually wouldn't mind seeing a rematch between Nikkie and Ronda in the future which is a complete 180 of what I thought about this match going into this show. Rating: ***3/4
You can still tell Ronda is learning about how things work in WWE from a production standpoint as after the match she goes and celebrates with her husband and then she just stands at ringside for a minute before someone tells her to get back into the ring and then once she gets in the ring and holds the belt up she wants to leave the ring again but you can tell someone tells her to wait and she actually asks what they are waiting for and then you can see her being told to leave the ring. That was just a funny little moment that shows she is having to learn on the fly as for anyone else that would be something they would be taught down in NXT. The show goes off the air with all the women posing at the top of the ramp.
This was such a great show as there was nothing bad or even meh on the entire show, all of the matches felt different and were great in their own way and every single woman busted their butt to make sure this show would be remembered for a long long time. Whether the WWE has another all women PPV or not this show will go down as one of WWE's greatest and most refreshing PPVs in quite a while. Show Rating: A++
WWE Evolution Match Ranking
7. Trish Stratus & Lita vs Mickie James & Alicia Fox
6. 21 Woman Battle Royal
5. Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Natalya vs The Riott Squad
4. Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella
3. Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane
2. Becky Lynch vs Charlotte
1. Toni Storm vs Io Shirai
