Pressure Mounts for all women’s PLE
Women’s Evolution @ STate farm Arena, ATL
Jonathan Vitayatanagorn - July 7, 2025
Seven years after its historic debut, WWE Women’s Evolution returns to the PLE calendar—not as a nostalgic one-off, but as a statement about how far the women’s division has come. Since 2018, WWE’s female superstars have gone from fighting for airtime to consistently headlining major events, delivering match-of-the-year contenders, and leading storylines that rival the men’s division in both skill and storytelling.
Scheduled just one day after SNME XL, the event faces lagging ticket sales and soaring expectations. Now, WWE’s female athletes must step into the spotlight under immense pressure. Can they deliver a show that silences the doubters and elevates the division to new heights? 1 night, 7 matches.
Tiffany Stratton (C) vs Trish Stratus - Smackdown Women’s Championship
After forming a tag team in Elimination Chamber 2025, Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus find themselves in match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship belt. Tiffany Stratton proving that she can beat
Prediction: Tiffany Stratton def. Trish Stratus (retains Smackdown Women’s Championship)
Jade Cargill vs Naomi - No Holds Barred Match
(photo: WWE.com)
The bitter rivalry between Jade Cargill and Naomi reaches its boiling point at WWE Evolution 2025 in a 'No Holds Barred match. This stipulation perfectly fits their feud’s violent escalation, allowing both women to bring out their most brutal sides. Steel chairs, kendo sticks, tables, you name it. Cargill defeating Naomi is likely as it provides a false closure between her and Naomi. But this victory isn’t the closure Cargill thinks it is. With Tiffany Stratton and her SummerSlam title defence, Naomi’s loss sets the stage for her ultimate revenge—a potential Money in the Bank cash-in at SummerSlam that could leave Cargill shocked and dethroned on WWE’s biggest stage of the summer.
Prediction: Jade Cargill def. Naomi
Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Way
Prediction: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss win WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
John Cena hitting CM Punk with his signature Attitude Adjustment at King of the Ring 2025 (photo: WWE.com)
Jacy Jayne (C) vs Jordynne Grace - NXT Women’s Championship
Prediction: Jordynne Grace def. Jacy Jayne
A Double Turn: Heel becomes babyface, babyface becomes heel
This subtle moral blurring has laid the groundwork for a potential role reversal. Cena may be the villain on paper, but his legacy, presence, and undeniable impact on WWE have made it increasingly difficult for fans to truly hate him. Even in hostile environments, crowds find themselves cheering the man they once jeered. Meanwhile, Rhodes’ trajectory carries the warning signs of a familiar WWE narrative. His relentless pursuit of redemption and the company’s effort to position him as the heroic face could be tipping into dangerous territory—the dreaded “Super-Cody” syndrome. This phenomenon mirrors John Cena’s own polarizing run during his prime, when his constant victories and squeaky-clean image led fans to grow weary and eventually turn on him.
Ironically, the same cycle that once consumed Cena may now be targeting Rhodes. If WWE chooses to lean into this, SummerSlam could mark a stunning shift: Cena reclaiming his role as the respected hero fighting and aligning with the WWE Universe, and Rhodes succumbing to the same obsession and arrogance that fans once despised in Cena himself.
This wouldn’t just redefine their characters—it could reshape the entire landscape of WWE heading into the fall.
Seth Rollins Cash-In (under the assumption that Cena loses the title)
Another potential game-changer in this matchup is the presence of Seth Rollins and his faction.
Rollins and Rhodes once tore the house down during their WrestleMania 38 trilogy, a bitter feud that saw Rhodes return to WWE and defeat Rollins three times in a row. Though their animosity cooled when they found themselves aligned as uneasy allies in the fight against The Bloodline, the cracks in their relationship have never truly healed.
Should Rhodes finally defeat Cena and finish his story at SummerSlam, Rollins could strike in the aftermath, cashing in his Money In The Bank contract to shatter Rhodes’ moment of glory. This wouldn’t just rob Cody of his long-sought redemption—it would reignite one of WWE’s most compelling modern rivalries. Rollins vs. Rhodes II for the Undisputed Championship could dominate the fall season, while Cena exits gracefully from the main event picture, having passed the torch to two of WWE’s top stars.
Roman Reigns???
While Roman Reigns is currently away filming Street Fighter, his presence in WWE is never fully gone. And if Reigns were to make a surprise return at SummerSlam, it wouldn’t be to involve himself in the Cena vs. Rhodes main event—it would be to settle unfinished business with Seth Rollins.
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns’ rivalry isn’t just a loose thread—it’s an ongoing saga that’s been simmering ever since the infamous Shield breakup. For years, Rollins has been one of the few superstars unafraid to stand toe-to-toe with The Tribal Chief during his historic title reign. But their bad blood escalated to new heights at WrestleMania 41, where Rollins aligned with Paul Heyman in a shocking turn of events.
This betrayal left Reigns with unfinished business. However, Reigns might not be the only one gunning for Rollins. CM Punk, still seething from his King of the Ring loss, could also make his presence felt. Picture the scene: Punk’s music hits as Rollins prepares to cash in, distracting him just long enough for either Rhodes or Cena to recover—or for Reigns to strike. The chaos could set up a dream scenario for WWE fans—a Survivor Series with Punk, Reigns and allies like LA Knight, Sami Zayn or Penta against Rollin’s faction, with Paul Heyman caught in the middle of the storm once more that he created.