WWE Evolution was Fantastic
Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey klink their titles together in celebration of their monumental performances. Courtesy of the WWE.
By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt)
October 29, 2018
Evolution was Fantastic
Evolution was not perfect, but despite what the show ended up being, what Evolution could have been, and how Evolution should have been promoted, this show was unforgettable and helped introduce anyone who isn’t a believer, to how great the female roster can be.
I think what we saw was a show that deserved more from its managers and from the company putting on the show, but ended up being so fantastic BECAUSE this roster is so talented, enthusiastic, and strong.
Match of the Night: Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair
I think the WWE finally sees how great Becky Lynch is at executing her character. She’s not “too mean”, she’s not out to get Charlotte, and she’s not taking advantage of her peers. Becky Lynch and her character are looking out for herself.
It's a thought that gets forgotten when parents try to teach their children lessons. It's a notion that gets lost on us, as adults, as we try to focus on being good to everyone around us. It's the thought that gets some of us stuck in a rut, unable to claw out. Unable to claw out because we were too focused on what everyone else was doing before we focused on our own success.
Becky’s victory was a moment of triumph for the performer but felt like the fans had done enough booing and cheering to help the WWE realize who should be champ. It was amazing to see it all happen because it felt like they building up Charlotte to be our underdog champion. Obviously, her legacy and lineage work against that.
Becky is the true underdog. She had never won the NXT Women’s Championship. Becky was also immediately thrown off of the main Raw roster, once WWE had the chance. Maybe its not a slight to Becky or even in other fan’s eyes, but it was. Regardless of how anyone feels, Becky’s climb to the top has made SmackDown Live the premier destination for Women’s wrestling. And beyond that simple idea…Women’s wrestling now goes through Becky.
Ronda Rousey Pulls off a Pretty Good Main Event
Ronda Rousey was all very strong in her main event bout with Nikki Bella. It wasn’t even close to ‘match of the night’ (Lynch and Flair), but for two ‘okay’ wrestlers, it was a great story and lasted well beyond the amount of time I would have guessed for that match.
There were obviously some shenanigans and of course, there were a few botches. But overall, all we really need is something believable. Nikki will never come close to beating a UFC fighter, but they found a few different ways to keep this match going.
If you’ve ever played Batman Arkham Asylum, it felt like Nikki Bella was Batman and Ronda Rousey was Mr. Freeze. In the video game, Mr. Freeze is unbeatable, so they had to develop a way to fight Freeze, without direct confrontation. You could use bombs, sneak up on Freeze, set up traps, but you could never do the same thing twice. For this match, it looks like Nikki just ran out of traps to set for Rousey.
Again, not perfect here, but I respect Rousey a little bit more (as has been the case for each of her previous matches) and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
The Future is Bright, NXT and Mae Young Classic Stars Shine
If Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair weren’t ‘match of the night’, then you could easily make the argument that Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler pulled it off. Beyond that, Io Shirai and Toni Storm were right behind them.
It’s no secret that the WWE has a hold of three of the best Japanese female wrestlers in the game right now. Even though Asuka seems to be unable to pull herself to the top of the mountain, Kairi Sane and Io Shirai are enough to instill confidence that the WWE is progressing in the right way.
While it is difficult for the WWE Universe digest, these wrestlers deserve a chance to show us what they can do, and it starts with us letting them be themselves. They can’t be themselves when their traversing language barriers. The next level of women’s wrestling is right under the WWE’s nose. Are they aware enough to sniff it out? And will they take a chance on letting these ladies connect to the audience in a new way?
On the winner’s side, Baszler and Storm offer a far less perplexing story. We know these two ladies are already destined to own their respective brands (NXT and NXT UK) and neither will be long for the WWE main roster. Winning on this night was one thing, but they both have background and talent level that will ensure we see them next year and the few years following.
Regardless of who you want to say is better, out of all 4 of these ladies, they all represent the future of this division and the future of this company. That future is in great hands.
Finally, What’s Next for the Women’s Wrestling
Hopefully, it's tag titles. You could tell last night how desperately they need to add more drama to these matches. Drama is easy to come by when you’ve got the potential for gold.
But why do you need more drama? The WWE only does 2-3 women’s matches per show? Well, its because this show should be a sign for future programming. I think the audience proved last night that another women’s show is the next step. And not just once a year. If this is to take place once a month or join the weekly schedule, the WWE has enough talent to pull it off.
And with shows like Netflix’s GLOW building a fandom, the WWE would be silly not to take advantage of this. Even if it was just another PR stunt, which this show was clearly booked to be just that, the WWE would be stupid not do it.
My final thought would be to relay the fact that I loved this show. If you haven’t watched it, you’re doing yourself a disservice. And if you’ve made the decision not to watch it because of what it is, just know that you’re falling behind in regards to what society is becoming and should be. Its never too late to stop being an asshole (You’ll probably still be seen as one, but you can stop anytime).
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