(WWE via Getty Images)
WWE Evolution 2025 returned for the first time in seven years with another star-studded lineup of women’s wrestling action. Closing out the blockbuster PLE weekend, the women of the WWE had the ring rocking inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
All but two of the women’s WWE titles were on the line this Sunday night, including the two most prized possessions of the women’s ranks. In a continuation of one of the more storied, long-running rivalries of the past decade, former Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley fought her heart out to nearly earn the first victory of her career against her now-fellow former titleholder, Iyo Sky. Yet despite the pair’s most taxing battle yet, it was the Money In the Bank briefcase-holder, Naomi, who spoiled the night.
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Despite losing her No Holds Barred match against blood-rival Jade Cargill earlier in the show, Naomi showed up determined to leave Sunday evening with gold. The new Women’s World Champion perfectly picked her moment after Sky and Ripley pulled out practically every stop imaginable. It was a sensational match that had me asking the question the whole time: “How the hell is this going to end?”
I love the surprise of a moment like this, especially to conclude an epic showdown on a night like this. Naomi’s cash-in shocker was perfect for the setting, though it does prevent the match from being perfect — because Sky vs. Ripley was right on the cusp of that until Naomi completely undermined the entire story between two forever rivals. But aside from that, this was overall awesome.
In truth, WWE Evolution 2025 had one of the best book-end combinations of matches in recent WWE memory. The night opened with Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria battling it out for Lynch’s Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Lynch came out victorious after an absolute high-speed car-chase of a match. All three went 100 miles per hour as soon as the bell rang. The pace was off the charts for this one, and the crowd went crazy throughout the whole thing. Although I again didn’t personally love this finish either, it really fit the style this epic triple-threat match displayed. A perfect rating wouldn’t upset me here; I just felt that a high-impact ending with more juice would have been nice.
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In the WWE Women’s Championship match, “WWE SmackDown” superstar Tiffany Stratton dealt Trish Stratus a loss in her return to singles action. Similar to Gunther vs. Goldberg on Saturday Night’s Main Event, the match probably overdelivered in terms of expectations, but not by much. It served its purpose and was a solid display for each, resulting in Stratton scoring another successful defense.
What happens next is where the real intrigue lies, as Stratton now has to worry about Cargill, while Stephanie Vaquer goes on to challenge Naomi. “La Primera” continued her megastar ascent with a win in the 20-woman Battle Royal. It was everything you’d kind of expect out of a match like that on this card, but it got all the right people over.
If this show ended without a single title change, it would’ve been a pretty big bummer — despite a vocal contingent of the internet wrestling community despising a potential Sky loss. But WWE Evolution 2025 wound up having everything, not just with its ending, but throughout. And thanks to the performers and crowd, it felt like a massive deal. With that in mind, it might be malpractice for WWE to not continue with future Evolution events. I give WWE Evolution 2025 a crown score of: 👑 8/10. 👑
MVP: Stephanie Vaquer
I’m going to mention the word “aura” again for our next award, but I’m using it now too. Vaquer has accrued so many aura points in such a short amount of time that it should be studied. She couldn’t feel like more of a must-see attraction if she tried, and an imminent title run has never been more of a guarantee. As soon as she made her entrance for the Battle Royal, the vibe was instant, “Oh yeah, it’s her night.” And it was indeed. Vaquer kicked all the ass, and will likely continue to for a very long time.
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Uncrowned Gem of the Night: Charlotte Flair
How does she do it? For portions of months, Flair is the most hated wrestler on the planet — then she gets paired with the super-over Alexa Bliss and slips into a nicely likable meta version of herself. Opposites attract, folks. They have something here, and Flair has an aura. What she and Bliss have right now wouldn’t work with any other character contrasting with Bliss. We’ve seen that in the past with all pf Bliss’ previous pairings.
Match of the Night: Lynch vs. Valkyria vs. Bayley
OK, this can’t be a surprise for any faithful Uncrowned reader to see me pick the triple-threat match. (Technically, the main event was one too, though.) Seriously, toss a dart between the opener and main event at WWE Evolution 2025. For me, the energy in that first match was just insane, and it fit like a glove with how the match unfolded. This was a “we’re proving this is why we’re here” type of match.
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I’m sure I’ll get weird reactions for this, but it honestly felt like an AEW match in WWE — and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Best Spot of the Night: Flair saves Bliss from a Zaria spear
The frenemy story of the Bliss and Flair pairing is the magnet for their team, and it’s all playing out in real time, fairly rapidly. Despite their loss in the Fatal 4-Way tag-team match, Flair, the heel character, saving Bliss, was that beautiful mid-match arc we only see every now and then.
WWE Evolution 2025 full card results and highlights:
Relive WWE Evolution 2025 with Uncrowned’s live blog below:
