# WWE Evolution
**WWE Evolution** is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (later premium live event) produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) featuring only women's matches. The first edition, held on October 28, 2018, at NYCB LIVE, home of the [Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum](https://www.edgepedia.org/nassau-veterans-memorial-coliseum) in Uniondale, New York, was the first all-women's pay-per-view in WWE history; a second edition, [Evolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/evolution) 2, followed on July 13, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First edition | Sunday, October 28, 2018, 7 p.m. ET, NYCB LIVE, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view) |
| Announcement | Stephanie McMahon announced it on Monday Night Raw, July 23, 2018, as the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view) |
| Participants | Over 50 women, "then, now and forever," including every woman on the roster, Hall of Famers, and legends[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view) |
| 2018 main results | Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nikki Bella; Becky Lynch beat Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing Match; Shayna Baszler reclaimed the NXT Women's Title; Toni Storm won the 2018 Mae Young Classic[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2018) |
| Broadcast | Streamed live on WWE Network and available on pay-per-view worldwide[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view) |
| Second edition | Evolution 2, Sunday, July 13, 2025, Atlanta, Georgia; Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to win the Women's World Championship[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2025) |
| Attendance | The 2018 event was held in front of a sold-out crowd, with millions more watching on WWE Network[4](https://corporate.wwe.com/f/docs/press-releases/03252019_266.pdf) |
## Announcement and background
On the July 23, 2018 episode of Monday Night Raw, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon announced the formation of WWE Evolution, an all-women's exclusive pay-per-view event for Sunday, October 28, at 7 p.m. ET from NYCB LIVE in New York. "On October 28, over 50 women, then, now and forever, will participate in an event called Evolution, and that event — I am privileged to announce — will be the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view," McMahon said on the broadcast.[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view)
The announcement capped a period of change in WWE's presentation of women. In early 2015, the viral hashtag #GiveDivasAChance spread after a women's tag team match on Raw lasted only 30 seconds, and former WWE chairman [Vince McMahon](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-mcmahon) responded, "We hear you. Keep watching." Until 2016, WWE called its female performers "Divas," whose matches were short and whose championship was a pink butterfly-styled title; in 2016 the Divas branding was retired and replaced by a women's championship with a design on par with the men's.[5](https://time.com/7301889/wwe-evolution-2-womens-wrestling/) Paul "Triple H" Levesque, then WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative, tied the event directly to that shift: "Three years ago, our fans demanded a change with the hashtag, #GiveDivasAChance, and an evolution started. Since that time, our female Superstars have overdelivered in every opportunity presented to them."[1](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view)
[Ronda Rousey](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronda-rousey), the former mixed-martial-arts fighter and first female UFC champion, had joined WWE on a permanent contract in early 2018, bringing further publicity to the women's division ahead of the event.[6](https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/download/2958678/2958679/Koch_Wrestling_PhD_Upload.pdf)
## The 2018 event
The card combined championship matches from WWE's brands with tournament and showcase bouts: title defenses of the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Women's Championships, the finals of the 2018 [Mae Young Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/mae-young-classic), and a Battle Royal with a future Women's Championship opportunity at stake.[7](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/article/wwe-evolution-match-card-wwe-network?sf200960766=1) The show opened with a hard-rock musical performance by [Halestorm](https://www.edgepedia.org/halestorm) singer [Lzzy Hale](https://www.edgepedia.org/lzzy-hale) and Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss, backed by a highlight reel of the female Superstars who made the event possible.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2018)
**Championship outcomes.** In the main event, Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey overcame [Nikki Bella](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikki-bella), withstanding everything her veteran opponent threw at her. SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch defeated [Charlotte Flair](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-flair) in a Last Woman Standing Match. [Shayna Baszler](https://www.edgepedia.org/shayna-baszler) reclaimed the NXT Women's Title from Kairi Sane in a controversial victory; that match was the first defense of the NXT Women's Championship on a WWE pay-per-view.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2018)
**Tournament and undercard.** [Toni Storm](https://www.edgepedia.org/toni-storm), after a semifinal exit from the 2017 Mae Young Classic, defeated Japanese icon Io Shirai in the hard-hitting final to win the 2018 all-women's tournament. [Nia Jax](https://www.edgepedia.org/nia-jax) outlasted Superstars from WWE's past, present, and future to win the Women's Battle Royal and earn a future Women's Championship opportunity. In the opener, Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita defeated [Mickie James](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickie-james) and Alicia Fox, and Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Natalya teamed to defeat The Riott Squad.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2018)
The card mixed legends, established stars, NXT wrestlers, and tournament talent without allowing any one generation to dominate the show, and the event has been described as a love letter to WWE women's wrestling.[8](https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=1&nr=203308)
## Place in the women's evolution
Evolution arrived as part of a broader run of firsts for WWE's women's division in the late 2010s, which included the first women's [Royal Rumble match](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-rumble-match), [Hell in a Cell](https://www.edgepedia.org/hell-in-a-cell), Money in the Bank ladder match, and Elimination Chamber match, alongside new women's tag team titles.[8](https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=1&nr=203308) The following year, three of WWE's top female stars headlined WrestleMania 35, the biggest wrestling event of 2019, and women's tag-team titles were unveiled in the same year.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09593535231173236)
The event also carried a scheduling asterisk. The event was staged as an alternative offering at a moment when WWE's early relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia barred women from performing in that country; those restrictions were later lifted, and women have since wrestled there.[5](https://time.com/7301889/wwe-evolution-2-womens-wrestling/) A critical discourse analysis of the event's color commentary by Amber Hill-Cann and Viv Burr found that female wrestlers on the broadcast faced contradictions and challenges similar to those of other sportswomen, particularly those in strength-based sports.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09593535231173236)
## Evolution 2 (2025)
No second installment followed for seven years, even though most WWE pay-per-views, or premium live events, are annual; fans online had called for a second event since the first.[5](https://time.com/7301889/wwe-evolution-2-womens-wrestling/) Evolution 2 took place on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2025)
The 2025 card's headline result came in the main event, where Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank contract mid-bout to capture the Women's World Title in a Triple Threat Match against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley. Other results included WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton overcoming WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, Stephanie Vaquer winning a Battle Royal to earn a world title bout at WWE Clash in Paris, Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch retaining against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria in a Triple Threat Match, NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne defeating Jordynne Grace, WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez surviving a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match, and Jade Cargill defeating Naomi in a No Holds Barred Match with Bianca Belair as special guest referee.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2025)
## References
1. [Stephanie McMahon announces WWE Evolution, the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view set for Oct. 28, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/stephanie-mcmahon-announces-wwe-evolution-pay-per-view)
2. [WWE Evolution 2025 results, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2025)
3. [Historic all-women's Evolution pay-per-view takes WWE by storm, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/2018)
4. [WrestleMania to Feature First-Ever Women's Main Event, WWE Corporate press release (PDF)](https://corporate.wwe.com/f/docs/press-releases/03252019_266.pdf)
5. [WWE Evolution 2 Marks a Bittersweet Moment for Women's Wrestling, Time](https://time.com/7301889/wwe-evolution-2-womens-wrestling/)
6. [Koch, Wrestling PhD thesis, Universität Bielefeld (PDF)](https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/download/2958678/2958679/Koch_Wrestling_PhD_Upload.pdf)
7. [WWE Evolution match card, previews, start time and more, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wweevolution/article/wwe-evolution-match-card-wwe-network?sf200960766=1)
8. [WWE Evolution 2018, CAGEMATCH Events Database](https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=1&nr=203308)
9. [Hill-Cann, Amber and Burr, Viv (2024). "As tough as she is beautiful": Discourses of female professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment's "Evolution", Sage Journals](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09593535231173236)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › WWE promotion and brands › WWE livestreaming events, 2016–present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license