Greetings! It’s time for another session of eWrestlingNews Your View!
We just stepped into the world of WWE EVOLVE last night (see results here). The first impression lasts, was yours a positive one, or maybe you’re thinking about not tuning in for the next episode?
Today’s query thrown your way is “What impressions did the first episode of WWE EVOLVE leave you with?”
Would love to hear your views, use the comments section to share your thoughts.
And the answer from my end…
It seemed like just another episode of NXT Level Up, with no distinct elements to it. To be straightforward, it didn’t impress me much.
With WWE already flooding us with endless content, spending all my time trying to watch every bit of it feels unreasonable. Apart from mainline shows, one has to keep up with pay-per-views, WWE LFG and many others. EVOLVE simply seems to be a reincarnation of the same idea we’ve seen many times, presenting a new cast donned in purple.
It does have a low-budget feel to it. Maybe that’s intentional, to cut down expenses (considering they did mass tapings) or to create a unique identity. However, in my perspective, it doesn’t create a positive distinction that keeps me hooked. It just seems different, nothing more.
It reminds me more of watching an indie federation’s low-rent broadcast. If that’s your taste in wrestling and you enjoy its roots, there can be some appeal. I, however, do not share that preference and hence it doesn’t earn any brownie points from me. To be blunt, even if these same wrestlers performed the same matches in front of a packed Raw arena, it wouldn’t move me.
The reason? This show is about wrestlers who haven’t even made it to NXT yet. Many of them are quite raw, their characters are likely to change, and a good number of them might not progress to the NXT roster, let alone Raw or SmackDown. It becomes tough for me to invest in yet another group of fresh faces when there are countless names to keep track of, many of whom are being sidelined, in the existing rosters.
The talent didn’t astound me. They all seemed to be novices trying their luck in wrestling and character development, struggling as they do so. If I have to watch a show of this caliber, I would rather see WWE LFG, which offers some behind-the-scenes insight. From what I see, EVOLVE is simply NXT Level Up’s idea of SmackDown.
I’ll tune in every week, but I don’t know if I’ll actually ‘watch’ it, if you get what I mean. It’s likely that I end up skipping through the matches and focus more on the characters’ development and the evolution of the yet-to-be established championship.
Kudos to Peter Rosenberg and others who are exploring various roles here. It’s refreshing to see WWE availing opportunities for fresh talent.
I’m not sure if this will attract any new fans who just happened to stumble upon Tubi. Nonetheless, as long as WWE is being paid to produce it, it benefits them, and it gives the wrestlers more screen time and a platform to reach higher. With that perspective, it’s not a bad concept, but I wouldn’t necessarily term it as good in terms of actual entertainment value yet.
These are merely my thoughts. Would love to hear your opinions too! Comment down below!