As WWE prepares for the second edition of its all-women’s pay-per-view, Evolution, on July 13, the company’s promotional strategy has drawn sharp criticism, leading to accusations that the event is being used as a tool to disrupt the professional wrestling market rather than to maximize its own success.
The discussion gained traction on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, where Garrett Gonzales and Dave Meltzer analyzed WWE’s perplexing approach to marketing the show. Gonzales pointed out the disparity in promotion compared to Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is scheduled for the same weekend in Atlanta.
“The Evolution show just seems to be so, so poorly promoted. And I’m sure some of it is because they’re promoting multiple events the same weekend… but I just… I can’t imagine… Saturday Night’s Main Event is the big event for the weekend, not the pay-per-view. Like, I can’t imagine why you’re promoting the show the way they’re doing and expecting it to be like, this success.”
Meltzer went a step further, suggesting the unusual scheduling is a deliberate, aggressive business tactic, a throwback to well-known strategies employed by the company to stifle competitors.
“Why would you do a pay-per-view the same weekend you’re doing a Saturday Night’s Main Event? Other than… we know why.”
To support the idea of a chaotic strategy, Meltzer revealed that Evolution was originally booked for July 5 at the Mohegan Sun before being moved. This change, he argued, is indicative of a plan that isn’t focused on creating the most successful standalone event.
“And it’s funny because… that show… to show what I mean by that… that show was booked for July the 5th. That show was booked for, you know, Saturday night — this weekend — tomorrow. I think maybe they looked at it and went, ‘Well, that’s not really a great night for a PLE.’ And it’s not… but the fact that that was their original night, they did book the Mohegan Sun for that show months ago, and then they moved it. So that just tells you… that’s just the reality of everything as well.”
The perceived lack of focused promotion comes despite Evolution featuring a significant lineup of matches. The card includes a Women’s World Championship bout between IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley, a WWE Women’s Championship defense by Tiffany Stratton against Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, and a multi-team match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
This move to stack a weekend with three major events in the same city—including NXT The Great American Bash—has led analysts to believe the goal is less about optimizing ticket sales for any single show and more about dominating the wrestling calendar, limiting opportunities for any rival promotion to run a successful event in the same timeframe. Whether this strategy ultimately benefits or hinders the legacy of Evolution remains a point of contention.
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