story by editor-in-chief: Ashly Nicole

The Women Took Over: Evolution 2 Brings the Heat to Atlanta!

This past Sunday, the WWE Universe witnessed a seismic shift in power as Evolution 2 rocked the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. From bell to bell, the all-women’s premium live event delivered heart-pounding action, shocking twists, and unforgettable moments that proved, once again, that the women of WWE are not just keeping up, they’re setting the pace. With a stacked card featuring fatal 4-way tag team matches, an insane 1v1 match with a guest referee, a full on Battle Royal with an unexpected champ, and of course, the main event starring Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.
Evolution 2 wasn’t just a celebration of women’s wrestling, it was a full-blown showcase of dominance, passion, and next-level athleticism. The night was a rollercoaster of emotion and energy, from the tag team matches to building all the way to a historic main event that fans are still raving about, calling it one of the most iconic and memorable matches in WWE history! Some have even said it was WrestleMania main event worthy.

The night began with a drama filled three-way match consisting of “The Man” Becky Lynch, her former apprentice, Lyra Valkyria, and their mutual rival, Bayley. All three battled it out in a heated hate fueled match, where ultimately, Becky was able to successfully defend her World Championship Title, and walked away screaming and fuming at the end of the match.
Following that intense three-way was the first 1v1 match of the night, staring hall of famer and 7x Women’s World Champion, Trish Stratus facing off against her former Elimination Chamber teammate,
Tiffany Stratton. The two took on each other with plenty of close calls, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats, and Trish letting everyone know that she’s still got it, and this will not be her last fight. Trish put up such a good fight, but Tiffany did what Tiffany does and knocked the wind out of Trish with an Alabama Slam, followed by the Prettiest Moonsalt Ever, allowing her time to pin a 1, 2, 3, on the former World Champion and retaining her title, and the announce table noting, “it is indeed Tiffy Time at Evolution.”

Up next, fans were treated to an intense and mostly predictable Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Championship match that saw alliances tested, even though some were only out of convenience. This match starred four teams of two, and included superstars new and seasoned. We got to see new comer and proclaimed “Prodigy” Roxanne Perez with, formerly Liv Morgan’s, tag team partner, Raquel Rodriquez, veteran superstar Charlotte Flair with her partner of convenience, Alexa Bliss, The Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane, and NXT stars, Sol Ruca and Zaria. From the start of the match Charlotte Flair was already taking on whole tag team duos on her own, serving chops to both Roxanne and Raquel one right after another. While the tag team of Sol Ruca and Zaria weren’t as involved in this match as we would’ve liked to see, Kabuki Warriors Asuka and Kairi came back in the second half of the match with a vengeance. Asuka landing a german suplex to the towering legend, Charlotte Flair, and Kairi delivering a neck breaker to The Prodigy, Ronxanne Perez.
Despite the comeback from the Kauki Warriors, both teams of Charlotte and Roxanne got up swinging, going back to battle against each other! Roxanne’s partner stunning Charlotte with a neck crushing clothesline, and Roxanne quickly following up with her signature move, “Pop Rox”. Raquel used this opportunity to take Charlotte’s partner, Alexa, and throw her over the top rope and into the Kabuki Warriors, taking all three out in one swift move. Sol Ruca then tried to make one final comeback for her and Zaria, but was met with a Tejana Bomb by Raquel, and an immediate pin, securing Raquel and Roxanne’s victory as the reigning Women’s Tag Team Champions, in lieu of Liv Morgan’s absence due to her shoulder injury.

After that action packed Fatal 4-Way, another heated rivalry made their way to the ring, with a very controversial guest referee, the amazingly unhinged, Bianca Belair. This match was none other than Mrs. Money in the Bank herself, Naomi, vs her former best friend turned enemy, Jade Cargill. It was a No Holds Barred Match, meaning, there are no disqualifications, no count-outs, and no restrictions on the moves or holds that can be used. Essentially, anything goes, including the use of weapons and outside interference, which could spell bad news for either opponent if they’re not on their a-game at all times.
Bleacher Report described this match as an “absolute car crash”, that pushed both Naomi and Jade to their limits. Jade decided to try and secure the match by taking one of the $100,000 cameras and attempting to use it in an attack on Naomi, that sparking Naomi’s rage, resulting in her throwing Jade into the LED screen of the announce table, where we witnessed smoke and sparks shooting from the screen toward her. The two superstars continued their match with insane attacks, and unheard of moves, and in the end, Jade brought out a huge fan favorite, slamming Naomi through the coveted
slim-jim table, securing a win for Jade Cargill. While Naomi may have taken the fall, her night was from finished.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came in the Battle Royal, where a packed ring of veterans, rising stars, and returning legends battled for a future title opportunity. The result? A jaw-dropping victory by an unexpected NEW fan favorite, setting the stage for what’s sure to be a shakeup in the women’s division going forward. This monster sized match had a fully stacked roster that included the likes of legend Nikki Bella of the Bella Twins, Giulia, Ivy Nile, Chelsea Green and her secret hervice, and newly signed main roster superstar, Stephanie Vaquer. The beginning of this match all the way to the end was absolute chaos and a free for all, if both feet touch the ground outside of the ring, the wrestler is out of the match, and they instantly started dropping like flies. There was plenty of deceit, distractions, and brutal moves, taking many promising opponents out of the ring sooner than expected. By the end of the match, there were three powerhouses left in the ring, two of them towering over the third; Lash Legend,
Nia Jax, and new comer, now the underdog, Stephanie Vaquer. The three ended up being the last in the ring after Nia tossed Nikki Bella over the top rope, causing her to slip off the apron and landing with both feet touching the floor, automatically disqualifying her. Lash Legend and Stephanie quickly banned together to take out their biggest opponent, Nia Jax, as the two struggled to get Nia over the top rope, they eventually got her to the apron, landing several kicks and punches, and eventually Lash Legend utilizing Stephanie as a weapon, kicking Nia Jax off of the apron and onto the ground. Then there were two.
With Stephanie standing only at 5 feet 3 inches, and Lash Legend towering over her at 6 feet tall, everyone watching assumed it may have been over for new comer, Stephanie Vaquer, but in an insane turn of events, Stephanie managed to get Lash Legend to the outside apron of the ring, delivery her finisher, the devil’s kiss to Lash Legend, causing her to tumble to the floor next to the ring, making Stephanie the winner of Battle Royal, and earning her a title shot at the Clash in Paris event on August 31st.

All roads led to the night’s extremely anticipated main event: Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley. The reigning WWE Women’s World Champion, Iyo Sky, had been carving a dominant path as the high-flying, fearless leader of Damage CTRL. Her title reign had been marked by dazzling defenses and undeniable confidence, but standing across the ring from her was “The Eradicator” herself, Rhea “Bloody” Ripley; arguably the most physically imposing and psychologically intimidating force in the division. The match was billed as a true clash of styles: Iyo’s unmatched aerial offense versus Rhea’s unrelenting power and mind games. It was more than a title match, it was a legacy-defining match, and a true test of Iyo and Rhea’s friendship.
This history making main event was not only a rare collision between two of WWE's most elite Superstars, but it was built on mutual respect, shared history, and personal pride.

Iyo Sky, still soaring high as the WWE Women’s World Champion, entered the match not to defend her title out of obligation, but to test herself against one of the best, Rhea Ripley. The two have known each other for years, sharing locker rooms in NXT and mutual admiration as their careers skyrocketed side by side in the WWE Universe. While they have never been defined by a full-blown rivalry, the connection was real, and so was the competitive fire.
Rhea didn’t walk into Atlanta looking to prove a point or make a statement. She walked in with a simple goal, to take back the Women’s World Championship that Iyo promised to keep safe for her.
The opening stretch of the match reflected that mutual respect. Each Superstar stuck to their strengths, Iyo with her lightning-fast offense and aerial artistry, Rhea with her overwhelming power and cold composure. Counters were clean. Rope breaks were honored. It was the kind of match that reminded fans why both women sit atop the division.

Midway through the match, after a series of reversals that left both competitors catching their breath, Rhea offered a moment that the crowd had been waiting for; she struck Iyo’s signature pose, almost mimicking the champion’s emote with a sly smirk on her face. Whether it was a subtle jab or a light-hearted taunt, Iyo gave a very satisfied grin back at her opponent, and came back with a second wind.
The pace quickened again, and the tone shifted, as both superstars realized how difficult winning this match might be. Rhea responded with a punishing suplex combo, and the two traded momentum in a fierce back-and-forth stretch. Iyo hit the Over the Moonsault, but Rhea got the shoulder up just in time. Rhea attempted her signature Riptide, but Iyo managed to switch things up, getting out of every move and pin Rhea put her in.
While things were heating up again, Iyo attempted to spear Rhea, but Rhea quickly moved out of the way, leaving the official, Jessica Carr, to take the full impact of Iyo’s defense. The two continued to battle it out, but with no official in the ring, attempting to make any pins would not count for much. Jessica, or any official, missing from the ring didn’t seem to have an effect on the match, until Rhea finally made a winning pin on Iyo. The crowd counted beyond “3”, and an angry vengeful Rhea seemingly blacked out as she realized no one was there to officiate and name her the Women’s World Champion. At this realization, Rhea decided to take matters into her own hands, and the fight outside of the ring and into the audience! She threw Iyo over the barricade, and the two continued to fight around the arena; going up into the stands, landing punches and kicks on staircases, and Iyo fearlessly climbing a stack of road cases and diving 20 feet to the ground. Announcers exclaiming, “never more comfortable than when in the air. The genius of the sky, with [Rhea] Ripley in trouble! The highest risk superstar of them all!”, Iyo dove from the stack and landed a crossbody on Rhea, taking them both down.

The superstars head back to the ring as Jessica Carr “comes to” and gets back in the match herself. Rhea, now on the apron of the ring takes on an attempt at a sunset flip bomb by Iyo, but quickly deflects, only to be taken out seconds later by a powerbomb landed by Iyo outside of the ring. Iyo throws Rhea back into the ring, and again, takes to the sky, pinning Rhea with an over the moonsalt, but Rhea kicks out, leaving everyone, including Iyo, stunned. Rhea then attempts a spanish fly from the top rope and takes both herself and Iyo out, then the biggest twist of the evening happens. As Rhea and Iyo lay wreathing in pain in the middle of the ring, Naomi storms out into the arena, Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, and cashes in her contract for the Women’s World Championship title.
The main event 1v1 match instantly becomes a triple threat match, with Iyo and Rhea both at their physically weakest points of the night, Naomi has clearance to take full advantage of the situation. As the bell sounds, Naomi quickly uses the briefcase as a weapon to take out Iyo who was ready to attack, and throws Rhea out of the ring, slamming her into the pole on her way to the ground. Now that Rhea is out of the ring, Naomi uses this as leverage and goes for a split legged moonsalt, pinning Iyo for 3 counts, and claiming the Women’s World Championship title! The crowd, the officials, the announcers, Iyo and Rhea, could not believe it. Everyone went absolutely feral for the now new Women’s World Champion.

Michael Cole, surprised by what just happened, said, “the entire world thought Naomi was focused on [defeating] Tiffany Stratton in the WWE Women’s Championship! But tonight she shocked everyone…”
Corey Graves followed up with, “what an epic match up between Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley, who took each other to hell and back.” as Naomi claiming her new Championship title screams at an ecstatic crowd, “I TOLD YOU!”
It wasn’t betrayal. It wasn’t personal. It was timing. Strategy. Survival. Rhea’s attempt at redemption, Iyo’s defense of her now former title, and a match defined by mutual respect were all upended in an instant by a Superstar who knew exactly when to strike. This was more than a main event, it was a battle that raised the bar for every generation to come.