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WWE EVOLUTION ON-SITE REPORT
OCTOBER 28, 2018
UNIONDALE, N.Y. AT NASSAU COLISEUM
REPORT BY CHRIS B. FROM LONG ISLAND, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
-This was a legit sellout with the only seats curtained off behind the TitanTron.
-Huge pop for Beth Phoenix and Renee Young when they were announced. Lilian Garcia got a nice ovation, too, when people heard her voice and saw her there.
-Rhea Ripley was impressive live in the pre-show match
-Opening with Trish and Lita vs. Alicia and Mickie was very smart. As lackluster of a reaction got on TV the past few weeks, they got solid cheers and pops because they were wrestling and not talking. Lita looked like a million bucks and even with the mistimed botched save (Alicia was way off and the crowd booed her mistiming) at the end it was a fun match.
-The Women’s Battle Royal was a show-stealer live. There were some great moments including The IIconics getting immediate comeuppance, the old guard vs. the current women, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville eliminating some women before Mandy threw her out. The biggest pops were for Ivory’s efforts, Carmella’s dance break with Ivory (with R-Truth cheering on from crowd), Tamina battling Nia, and the biggest pop was for Ember Moon vs. Asuka with really loud “NXT” chants. The ending was great with Zelina Vega and Nia and, even though everyone was rooting for Ember, Nia got a huge pop at the end. Ember and Nia were way over with the crowd. My second favorite battle royal in recent memory with All In topping it slightly.
-The Mae Young Classic finals was up next and was kind of a comedown match at the beginning, but the crowd gave Toni and Io some nice oohs and ahs and some praise/respect. By the mid-way point through the end, the crowd couldn’t help but get into it.
-Riott Squad vs. Sasha & Bayley & Natalya were up next. Nice pops for the faces on the entrances but not quite as loud or raucous as the Trish & Lita opener or the battle royal. This match felt more like a standard TV match because they have faced off so many times so for me it was good but not special. I feel like this match or some variation of it has been on for months and could still be on months from now, so it’s kind of hard to get excited about it one way or the other. It also got a little clunky before they got to the ending sequence, which was fine for what it was.
-Up next was Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Title. Awesome promo package to tell their story for those in the crowd who might not have been familiar. Shayna just has a real heel presence that makes it so easy to boo her, while Kairi has a real babyface presence that makes it so easy to cheer her. It’s just the great booking of NXT standing out even more for all the right reasons when directly juxtaposed with the previous WWE match that has suffered from poor or lackluster main roster booking.
-Even though Kairi and Shayna were less known and the crowd had some quiet spots, there was a solid foundation there in the storyline presentation that they won over the crowd handily by the end. Very solid finish that kept Kairi looking great in defeat and made Shayna look like a real strong force to be reckoned with.
CHECK OUT THE “WWE EVOLUTION” POST-GAME CALL-IN SHOW WITH GREG PARKS INCLUDING AN ON-SITE CORRESPONDENT AND GREG’S ANALYSIS OF EACH MATCH
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-Or search “Wade Keller” on your podcast app of choice
-The Last Woman Standing Match between Becky and Charlotte really reawakened the crowd to where it was during the first two matches, where everyone was excited from the promo package through to the final bell… Charlotte got a very mixed reaction during her entrance with some Woos but also some boos. Plus heavy heavy boos in Jo Jo’s announcements… Becky got a 100 percent pure baby face reaction and was the loudest pop of the night so far. No question about it, this crowd loved Becky as if she were Rey Mysterio in 2006 (or Nakamura in 2017). Seriously it was that loud…
-As for the match, this was a solid slugfest and it made sense given their animosity for each other and the Last Woman Standing stipulation. The table spot in the corner didn’t go right the first time but Charlotte more than made up for it with her improvisation on the second try. Very well done and the crowd ate it up like nothing happened… The ladder spot with stomps into the figure-eight seemed a little heelish from Charlotte but at this point she was the heel in the crowd’s mind anyway. It also looked like the ref slightly kicked the chair over to becky to help them break the hold and get to the next part of the match… That was a great false finish with Charlotte emerging from the piled on chairs, and a very satisfying finish. I also love how Charlotte didn’t automatically fix the table that was used in the finish earlier in the match and that she just patiently waited to fix it later. Awesome match.
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-Main event time! My prematch prediction was the UFC 4 Horsewomen coming into play… Before the show there were a lot of women and even some men wearing Bella merch. They got a loud mixed reaction here. Surprisingly not all good… Huge pop for Ronda when her music hit. Second loudest pop behind Becky (Ronda was close, but Becky was in fact louder.)… During the vocal intros a lot more boos for the Bellas than their entrance. Ronda got a loud pop again… During the match it was a little quiet at first by main event standards. Charlotte and Becky clearly had the most energy and it might have been smarter to have Charlotte and Becky close the show… A “Cena’s Bedroom” chant started in the area where we were sitting and I’m hoping it didn’t make TV. The crowd was not as engaged in this as the Last Woman Standing match…
-I think the problem is Nikki wasn’t really built up as a credible threat to Ronda and people were just waiting for Ronda to dominate and win. I wouldn’t put the blame on Ronda or Nikki here but rather the booking (again)… Finally towards the middle of the match a “Let’s Go Ronda / Let’s Go Nikki” chant started and the crowd finally woke up a little. The spot where Ronda lifted both Bellas and took them out was solid and drew a good reaction… The crowd had a massive pop for the ending especially when Ronda locked in her signature armbar. The middle of her matches just need more seasoning so that people are waiting for the finish only…
-Overall this was a solid show, especially the first two matches and last two matches. They stood out the most with Becky and Charlotte the clear match of the night.
-The final live part of the show was around 10:22 p.m. so this was a pretty crisp show by WWE standards these days that didn’t overstay its welcome. It ended with all the women coming to the front of the stage in addition to Triple H to take in the moment one last time.
If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
NOW CHECK OUT THIS RELATED REPORT: WWE EVOLUTION RESULTS 10/28: Keller’s PPV report on Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella, Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, plus battle royal, Trish & Lita’s return to ring, Mae Young Finals, Baszler defense
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