WWE Evolve 9/9/2026

WWE Evolve 9/9/2026

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/wwe-evolve-922026.html

Note - WWE fired a bunch of Evolve wrestlers last week including Zena Sterling, Anya Rune, Wendy Choo, Adriana Rizzo, Braxton Cole and PJ Vasa. The cuts come off as very weird since some of these people were on Evolve and/or WWE LFG and since the LFG coaches really thought these people were good. It doesn't really make sense for them to feature people who are getting cut, but they do. Bubba Ray Dudley hyped up Zena a lot, but I never really saw it in the ring. I didn't like Anya's gimmick and didn't see the money in her. Wendy had been around forever and was probably the best worker on Evolve, so her getting fired was a surprise. I find Rizzo to be entertaining and am surprised they couldn't find a role for her. I thought Cole was doing well and I don't think he would have been cut if he had been around a few years ago. PJ was doing okay in my opinion, but it was clear they didn't think she was doing enough as they ripped her constantly on LFG and never pushed her on Evolve. 

We are at the Performance Center. Robert Stone and Blake Howard are on commentary. 

The Mog Squad talk. Max says it's a special night as its an ID Showcase. CJ says they dominate tonight. Ball says their opponents are cooked. CJ says what they did to Rourke happens tonight vs their opponents. Max says Ball will start the gauntlet tonight. They then do a group celebration.

Gianna Capri vs Anya Rune

AR was fired last week. AR has a new entrance video.

GC pump kicks her to start. GC hits corner spears. AR back elbows her. AR pump kicks her. GC bangs her head off the buckles. AR is curbstomped into the bottom buckle. AR hits crossface shots and elbows.

AR hits her in the gut and GC flying back elbows her. GC overhead kicks her. AR hits back elbows. AR high kicks her then sliding forearms her. AR hits a hadouken and they do a light graphic for it, which may be a first. AR kind of does a reverse ddt and wins.

Thoughts: It was fine. GC got some offense in and AR made her comeback to win. GC looked decent as usual. WWE did a light graphic for AR's hadouken which is something new.

Sloane Jacobs can't believe Anya won in the back. She says Nikkita Lyons, her best friend, is on vacation. She says Lyons has a message for Skylar Raye and says she will go viral for the wrong reasons.

PJ Vasa (who is now fired) comes in and says she's here to collect her favor. Sloan says there isn't one because they lost. PJ says she's coming to declaw the big cat.

Chazz Hall hypes up Rourke, Cap Jones, Sam Holloway and Marcus Mathers ahead of their match. Kale Dixon walks through them, shoves them and heads to the ring with his girl Alix Brooks.

Adriana Rizzo (also now fired) interviews Kale and Alix in the VIP Lounge. She asks what they are doing here. Kale says Evolve is severely lacking in stardom so they are here. Kale says they will watch indy wrestlers fight over the biggest loser and that p!ssed them off. Alix says people love hot people on TV and says they will give the world a reason to tune in. Rizzo then takes the mic from them and says onto the gaunt.

In 2 weeks, there's a Women's Showcase Special.

Team Gauntlet Series - The Mog Squad (Max Abrams, CJ Valor, Santi Rivera and Jacari Ball) vs WWE ID 1.0 (Aaron Rourke, Cappuccino Jones, Marcus Mathers and Sam Holloway)

Leg 1 - Jacari Ball vs Aaron Rourke

Ball waistlock takedowns AR. AR rolls him up for 2. Ball slams him down for 1. AR flips out using the ropes. Ball hits euros and forearms. AR goes up and over, flips and dropkicks him. AR exploders him for 2. 

Ball leapfrogs and dropkicks him. AR is sent into the ropes throat first. Ball hits elbow drops. Ball karelin's lifts him a few times for 2. Ball hits mounted shots. AR lariats and leg lariats him. AR dropkicks himn off the apron. 

AR pump kicks him outside. AR then has words for Kale Dixon at the VIP Lounge. Ball pump kicks AR in the ring. AR hits a top rope molly-go-round and pins him.

Leg 2 - Aaron Rourke vs CJ Valor

We join this in progress. CJ hits shots on him, throws him and hits shoulder throws. AR short arm lariats him for 2. CJ chinlocks him. CJ hip throws him for 2. CJ stomps him. AR rolls him face first into the buckles. 

AR running euros him. CJ sits up top and AR handstand headscissors him down. AR dropkicks him. AR forward handspring forearm him. Kal throws a pillow at AR as he goes up top. CJ sweeps AR on the ropes and pins him.

Leg 3 - CJ Valor vs Sam Holloway

Sam facekicks CJ down to start. Sam slams him and 2nd rope elbow drops him for 2. Sam misses a corner splash and CJ exploders him. Sam's head is banged off the buckles and CJ boots him in the corner.

CJ foot chokes him. CJ spin kicks him in the gut and flying shoulders him for 2. CJ hits shots on him in the corner. Sam hits forearms. Sam double underhook suplexes him into the buckles. Sam goes for a chokeslam but CJ codebreakers him. CJ then tries an armbar.

CJ backrolls Sam into a german for 2. Sam sitout chokeslams CJ and pins him.

Leg 4 - Sam Holloway vs Santi Rivera

We join this in progress. Santi butt drops Sam's back and chinlocks him. Santi uppercuts him and enzugiri's him down in the corner. Sani bottom rope codebreakers Sam for 2. Sam back body drops him then dropkicks him. Sam hits a sitout chokeslam and pins him.

Leg 5 - Sam Holloway vs Max Abrams

Max has his medical mask on and he has tape on his nose underneath. He gets on Sam's back with a sleeper. Max comes off the top runs into Sam's hand and his mask falls off. Cutler James runs in and pump kicks Sam. Max over the back fameassers Sam and pins him.

Leg 6 - Max Abrams vs Marcus Mathers

MM runs in and Max hits punches on him. Max misses a corner splash and his mask falls off. MM slams him into an elbow drop. MM knocks him down twice and 2nd rope diving stunners him. Max flying back elbows him.

Max puts his mask back on. MM hook kicks him and Max goes out. MM tope con hilos The Mog Squad outsie but not Max. 

We go to break and return. Max double axe handles MM. We cut to the back and Shido Ash is beating up Cap Jones in the back. Max springboard kicks MM. Max's nose may be bleeding. MM top rope spanish flies Max for 2. MM top rope 450's Max and The Mog Squad try to distract the ref on the pin. The Mog Squad are then ejected.

Max double axe handles a distracted MM. MM superkicks Max. MM 2nd rope moonsaults into a superkick. Max over the back fameassers MM. Max pins MM.

Timothy Thatcher says there's nobody left on WWE ID 1.0 and says The Squad win...but It's GAL comes in and says to put him in.

Leg 7 - Max Abrams vs It's GAL

Gal lariats and facekicks Max. Gal dropkicks him and enzugiri's him in the corner. Gal iconoclasm's Max. Max jumping knees Gal. Gal overhead throws Max and spinning lariats him. Gal misses a springboard dropkick. Max running headhunters Gal. Gal blue thunders Max and pins him.

Thoughts: Sam vs CJ was the best leg here as those two worked well together. I hope Max's nose is okay. Gal coming in as a substitute was a big surprise and nice a nod to Gal and his face run. We had a lot going on here with Kale, Shido Ash and Cutler James getting involved in various ways which should lead to something. As always with gauntlets, it was a bunch of shorter matches so they could only be so good, but it was a decent bout in the end.

Gal hugs Rourke and Mather after, capping off his storyline of being on his own. All 3 then do Gal's muscle pose.

Harley Riggins says Gal is despicable and he'll cool his @ss off.

Overall thoughts: The opener was fine and one of Rune's better showings. She's been fired though, so it doesn't mean much. The gauntlet was alright. They had some surprises and built up a couple of future matches out of it, so that worked. The show was fine as a whole. I'd give this a 6 out of 10 overall.