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WWE Evolution 2: A Long-Awaited Return for Women’s Wrestling

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Women’s wrestling has undergone numerous transformations; remember the Attitude era and the Diva era. This weekend marks a new phase as we witness the return of _Evolution 2_, the second women’s wrestling event from World Wrestling Entertainment.

In 2018, seven years after their initial appearance on WWE’s Raw, “Evolution 2” celebrates another significant milestone for the world of wrestling. Exactly ten years ago, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks first entered the ring, igniting what is now recognized as a transformative period in the wrestling industry. Over the past decade, women’s wrestling has experienced a rollercoaster ride, advancing steadily but with occasional setbacks.

The making of Evolution

Back in early 2015, I, Vince McMahon – once the chair at WWE – echoed the voices on X, then known as Twitter. The call was #GiveDivasAChance, a movement ignited by fans who yearned for more screen time for our incredible women wrestlers. Their plea came after a brief 30-second tag team match featuring them on an episode of our flagship program, Raw, sparked widespread demand.

Prior to 2016, WWE’s female wrestlers were referred to as “Divas” instead of simply wrestlers, similar to their male counterparts. This label served a dual purpose: it aimed to attract an expanding audience of young girls and women with the glittery pink butterfly championship, while also catering to the traditional male demographic with a more sexualized image. The matches were brief, such as the 30-second tag team match in 2015, and primarily involved hair pulling, open-handed slaps, and occasional bouts like the bra and panties matches.

The landscape of professional wrestling wasn’t always what it is today. In the mid-1900s, trailblazers like Fabulous Moolah and Mildred Burke opened doors, as depicted in the movie “Queen of the Ring”. Later on, during the 80s, the Jumping Bomb Angles and Wendi Richter, together with Cyndi Lauper, pushed boundaries by popularizing the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling connection. The late Joanie “Chyna” Laurer, Trish Stratus, and Lita demonstrated that female wrestlers could embody both sexiness and toughness during the “Attitude Era” of the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, after the creation of the Divas championship in 2008, a more toned-down style of wrestling dominated for nearly a decade.

Around the time #GiveDivasAChance emerged, there was a significant transformation happening, starting on the independent wrestling scene and moving to NXT, WWE’s training ground where performers like Lynch, Flair, and Banks (formerly Mercedes Moné) were delivering extended, skillful matches that both fans and wrestlers themselves demanded. It seemed this was what we were to continue experiencing, as suggested by McMahon on social media. There were indeed positive advancements: In 2016, the Diva branding was abandoned, and its championship was decommissioned, replaced by a legitimate women’s title of equal status with the men’s (there are now 10 women’s titles across WWE and its affiliate brands). Women secured the headliner spot for WWE’s premier event, WrestleMania 35, in 2019, and they have since participated in most of WWE’s iconic match types, such as the Royal Rumble, Hell in a Cell, and Money in the Bank ladder matches. Lastly, their own dedicated pay-per-view, Evolution, was launched in 2018.

What Evolution 2 means for women’s wrestling

The asterisks denote certain milestones that weren’t typical, such as a man winning the inaugural women’s Money in the Bank match. He climbed up the ring and retrieved a briefcase with a contract for a championship title, which he then dropped to a female competitor. A rematch was arranged after public outcry two weeks later.

At that time, WWE’s partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prohibited women from competing. This event, named Evolution, served as an alternative programming. Now, women are allowed to wrestle in the kingdom, most recently in June, amid ongoing debates about WWE pulling out due to instability in the Middle East. Despite controversy, such as the detention of a charter flight of WWE staff in 2019 and the alleged assassination of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate, WWE has persisted with operations in the Kingdom.

It might be because of this that WWE didn’t find a need for another Evolution event, despite most pay-per-views being annual occurrences. However, that changes next week as Evolution 2 will take place in Atlanta, Georgia.

Similar to the campaign #GiveDivasAChance, supporters have been advocating for a sequel essentially since the original was released. The fact that things have remained largely unchanged is evident, as women’s wrestling segments are frequently the first to be trimmed, numerous female performers have been released from their contracts during routine layoffs, and even with the introduction of additional women’s championships, these titles aren’t consistently defended.

It’s clear that Evolution 2 is crucial, despite being seemingly overlooked amidst a crowded pay-per-view lineup boasting six supercards within seven weeks. No contests were revealed until just over two weeks prior to the event, with two of these matches featuring multiple women, including a battle royal. At this moment, it appears that the Women’s United States championship will not be defended during the show, which is surprising given that a women-exclusive pay-per-view should primarily focus on more intricate storylines and an increased number of women’s matches.

The second edition of “Evolution” occurs during the same weekend when All Elite Wrestling (AEW), one of WWE’s main rivals, hosts its major event, “All In,” which streams on Prime Video. It is interesting to ponder if “Evolution 2” is being deliberately positioned against “All In” yet again, potentially undermined by the clash with “All In” and Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour in a nearby stadium. The audience overlap between wrestling fans (often referred to as ‘marks’) and Beyoncé’s fanbase, the ‘Beyhive,’ may not be complete, but as WWE’s audience becomes more diverse and increasingly dissatisfied with its conservative leanings, while favoring AEW’s progressive approach, the intersection is larger than one might expect. With WWE shifting to Netflix earlier this year and a growing interest in women’s sports, “Evolution 2” is ideally situated to capture another slice of that audience. If only WWE would provide it an opportunity.

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2025-07-12 16:06

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