Tag: Aaron Rourke

New men’s WWE Evolve Champion crowned

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

On March 18, 2026, Aaron Rourke defeated Jackson Drake to crown himself the brand new men’s WWE Evolve Champion.

On the March 18 episode of Evolve, Rourke defeated Drake with a Molly-Go-Round. While Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes interfered and tried helping their Vanity Project member, Drake, Rourke overcame all adversities to win the title.

The win tonight marked Rourke’s first reign as the Evolve champion. Announced as a WWE ID recruit in November 2024, Rourke has finally made his mark on the roster. Known to be inspired by WWE legends Lita and Trish Stratus, Rourke is now a champion.

Drake was the inaugural Evolve Champion and held the title for 301 days. In his lengthy reign, Drake made a total of 12 title defenses.

Three more wrestlers revealed as WWE ID prospects

Posted on by Josh Nason

Thursday night saw three more wrestlers get the WWE ID tag with more to come this weekend.

During a Wrestling Open show in Worcester, Massachussetts, Aaron Rourke got the designation which genuinely seemed to take him by surprise as seen below.

For the last six years, the 28-year-old has been a regular on the Northeast U.S. indie circuit and is a product of the Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy owned by Pat Buck and Brian Myers.

Later in the night, another talent on the Wrestling Open show got the news in Brad Baylor. A two-year pro, Baylor was trained by former WWE and WCW wrestler Paul Roma. He is also a Northeast U.S. regular, teaming frequently with Ricky Smokes.

Jackson Drake was also given the designation Thursday during a Fire Star Pro Wrestling event in North Carolina of which he’s the champion. He’s been a pro for seven years, taught by Cam Carter and LaBron Kozone.

Here’s where more WWE ID prospects will be announced this weekend:

  • Friday at Chaotic Wrestling in Andover, Massachussetts
  • Sunday at Northern Crown’s Show IV in Toronto, Canada
  • Sunday for Memphis Wrestling in Memphis, Tennessee