The WWE has been making a concerted effort to increase the profile of its female wrestlers in recent years. That push will go to a new level in October, when the company puts on Evolution, a new pay-per-view event that will exclusively feature women.
The event is scheduled to take place on Oct. 28 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, a venue that has previously hosted major WWE events.
Women Playing Larger Role in WWE
The move comes at a time when the promotion has put women’s wrestling front and center in its major shows, allowing matches featuring female superstars to headline main events. With the signing of Ronda Rousey earlier this year, many would argue that the most important star in WWE is now a woman.
That has resulted in more and more high-profile events for the women’s roster. Earlier this year, that culminated in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble headlining the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January.
“Three years ago, our fans demanded a change with the hashtag, #GiveDivasAChance, and an evolution started,” WWE executive vice president Paul “Triple H” Levesque said after Evolution was announced. “Since that time, our female Superstars have over-delivered in every opportunity presented to them, and I expect nothing different during our first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event.”
In order to pull off Evolution, WWE will be digging deep into their roster of women’s wrestlers. That means that not only will members of the main rosters on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live be represented, but there will also be appearances from wrestlers in NXT and NXT: UK, as well as some WWE Hall of Famers.
McMahon: Evolution Honors Women’s Wrestling Trailblazers
The official announcement of the pay-per-view came on Monday’s episode of Raw. Stephanie McMahon, who serves as the Monday Night Raw commissioner on-screen and the company’s chief brand officer behind the scenes, announced the first details of the event, including the name.
“It’s an honor beyond description to be the one who gets to make these announcement,” McMahon told ESPN. “To announce the first ever all-women Royal Rumble match, and now the first ever all-women pay-per-view. To be able to honor the memories and legacies of all those women who have paved the way…to represent them and this shared passion in what we do and what we love and what we’re all capable of, to me, it really demonstrates this moment of equality, not only for them, but for all of the young girls and women around the world.”
With the event still several months out, it remains to be seen who will feature in the headlining matches at Evolution. It makes sense to expect stars like Rousey, Nia Jax, and Charlotte Flair to play major roles, and Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita have already been booked for the event.
McMahon plans on taking a leading role in organizing Evolution, and has lofty goals for the event.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make it as big and as successful as it can possibly be,” she told ESPN. “I’m hoping, at any rate, that this is going to be the WrestleMania of the women’s division.”