WWE will run its historic first-ever women-only pay-per-view “Evolution” tonight at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The women’s division of WWE has come a long way from the bra-and-panties matches of 15-20 years ago and has grown into arguably a more popular brand of wrestling than what the men have been putting forth. 

Both the female performers and WWE fans alike have pushed for more and more exposure and equality to their male counterparts, eventually bringing us to this event. While it’s unfortunate that the Evolution occurs under the ugly shadow of the Saudi Arabia show lurking just a week away, this historic pay-per-view is undoubtedly a bright spot for the company. 

Betting odds have been released for the card. Check them out below:

Ronda Rousey (-900) vs Nikki Bella (+500) 

“The Baddest Woman on the Planet” and WWE Raw women’s champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title against former champ Nikki Bella. Rousey is 24-0 as a singles competitor since joining the promotion last year and, while she’s not quite Bill Goldberg just yet, should have no trouble picking up her 25th win vs Bella on Sunday. 

I can see this match ending one of two ways: a clean win by Rousey in an armbar or with Brie Bella interfering and causing a disqualification for Nikki. Either way, Rousey wins and retains her championship. 

Becky Lynch (-230) vs Charlotte Flair (+170)

The best of friends in real life, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair make for excellent kayfabe enemies and will go toe to toe once again on the big stage at Evolution. Lynch is still marking her course as the Smackdown women’s champion and I think WWE will let her continue on that path for a little longer. 

Charlotte has held both brands’ championships on numerous occasions and I don’t see the storyline benefits of taking the title off Becky Lynch at this juncture. Becky has been developing her heel character over the past couple of months and could be on the verge of becoming the female “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as fans like her more when she shows a bad-ass side. I’m picking Becky to retain her title.

Trish & Lita (-400) vs Alexa Bliss & Mickie James (+280)

Two of the women who helped lead the WWE out of the “Divas” era, modern women’s wrestling pioneers Trish Stratus and Lita (Amy Dumas) will return to the ring for this special event. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James will get the honor of standing across the ring from two WWE Hall of Famers in a match that nostalgia-hungry WWE fans will eat up. 

Trish and Lita are -390 favorites to win this match and I can’t envision a scenario where Alexa and Mickie don’t do the job in this one. 

Historic Women’s Battle Royal

A classic WWE move is to hold a battle royal to get as many performers on the card as possible.  Fans can expect to see a mix of current, NXT and nostalgia performers in this match, which will likely be early on the card. 

Sportsbook has listed odds for five potential winners: Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Asuka, Carmella and Naomi as well as accompanying Field odds. Nia Jax at +500 is certainly appealing as Vince loves having the larger-than-life athletes win these types of matches.