Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon kicked off Monday Night Raw this week with a special announcement. On Oct. 28 the company will hold its first-ever all-women pay-per-view event called Evolution at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
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Following the announcement commentator Michael Cole added that four matches have already been determined for the show. The Raw Women’s Championship, SmackDown Women’s Championship and NXT Women’s Championship will all be defended along with the finals of the second Mae Young Classic tournament.
Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, gave an exclusive interview with ESPN prior to the announcement, shedding some light on how the event came to be and what else fans can expect.
“Three years ago, our fans demanded a change with #GiveDivasAChance,” Levesque said. “Everything that’s happened since then has come from that demand — their insistence on seeing that change. Once given the [chance], they have taken every opportunity and not only knocked it out of the park, but hit a grand slam.”
“You can expect to see the best of all brands — that’s Ronda (Rousey), Charlotte (Flair0, Alexa (Bliss), Sasha (Banks), Carmella, Nia Jax, Asuka, everyone — plus you’ll get to see Trish Stratus, Lita will be there, you’re going to see some legends,” he continued. “You’re also going to see stars of now and the future in Shayna Baszler and the women of NXT.”
WWE’s women’s division has made a number of historical firsts in recent years, including the first-ever women’s Iron Man match (Bayley vs. Sasha at NXT TakeOver: Respect), the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell match (Banks vs. Charlotte Flair in 2016) the first women’s Royal Rumble match and the first women’s Elimination Chamber match, both of which took place in early 2018.
The participants for the 2018 edition of the Mae Young Classic were announced back in June. The field of 32 women includes former Divas Champion Kaitlyn, standout independent wrestler Deonna Purrazzo, Japanese wrestling sensation Io Shirai and former Impact Wrestling competitor Mia Yim. Kairi Sane won the first Mae Young Classic in 2017, defeating now-NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler in September.
A pair of women’s matches have also already been announced for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view on Aug. 19 in Brooklyn, New York. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss will take on former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey while Becky Lynch will face SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella if she can beat the champ in a one-on-one match on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
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