Evolution ran roughshod on Monday Night Raw in the height of their dominance for two years from 2003-2005. They briefly reunited in 2014 sans Ric Flair. During their time as a group, their feuds have been a mixed bag of brilliance and underwhelming.
At Unforgiven 2002, Ric Flair turned heel by attacking Rob Van Dam, aiding Triple H in retaining his World Heavyweight Championship. Moreover, Evolution was officially formed on the January 20, 2003 edition of Raw when Randy Orton and Batista assisted Flair and Triple H in attacking Scott Steiner.
Evolution went on to become one of the most successful factions in WWE history with all four men holding every singles male active title on Raw at Armageddon 2003. Ultimately, every faction has rivals to feud with, and whilst they have had some memorable feuds, some completely missed the mark.
10 Worst: Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash returned to WWE in April 2003 after his injury lay-off, and he had to choose whether he was on Shawn Michaels or Triple H's side as his two close friends were feuding. The Game made that decision for Nash by attacking him with a low blow.
At Backlash, The Game, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho defeated Nash, Chris Jericho, and Booker T. Nash and HHH would face in singles matches at Judgment Day and Bad Blood, the latter being a Hell in a Cell match. Unfortunately, Big Daddy Cool was not at his best when he failed to wrestle the World Heavyweight Championship away from Triple H in an underwhelming feud.
9 Best: Mick Foley
Mick Foley refused to stay down after suffering several assaults from Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair. Foley's rivalry with Evolution began when Orton in his Legend Killer persona booted Foley down the stairs at Madison Square Garden.
However, Foley brought The Rock into the mix at WrestleMania XX in a three-on-two handicap match. The Rock 'n' Sock Connection ended up on the losing side but Foley's feud with Orton made Orton a star. Their Hardcore match at Backlash 2004 was a remarkable contest, and Orton proved his toughness by coming out of his comfort zone.
8 Worst: Booker T
Finally, Booker T was getting a shot at Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX when he lastly eliminated The Rock in a number one's contender Battle Royal. Booker was the perfect rival for Evolution as he was on a roll as a babyface.
Unfortunately, this had the potential to be a legendary feud but Booker failed to get any momentum heading into WrestleMania. The Game and Naitch would make fun of Booker, and there were racial undertones in their promos. Moreover, Booker should have prevailed at WrestleMania XIX but the whole rivalry failed to make any sense with Evolution getting the better of Booker all of the time.
7 Best: Randy Orton
After Randy Orton dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Edge, he clearly surpassed Triple H in terms of popularity. Orton defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004 to become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion at the age of 24. However, the following night on Raw, Orton was booted out of Evolution as he was viciously assaulted by Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista.
Unfortunately, The Legend Killer's face run failed miserably, but he had exceptional chemistry with his former Evolution colleagues. Orton was the Superstar of 2004 and he needed a run on his own to prove his worth. The Game ended Orton's World Heavyweight Championship reign at Unforgiven and defeated him at the 2005 Royal Rumble. Nonetheless, Orton overcame Triple H at the 2004 Survivor Series for his team to gain control of Raw for a month in Eric Bischoff's absence.
6 Worst: Scott Steiner
Evolution's first significant rival was Scott Steiner. Steiner returned to WWE at the 2002 Survivor Series after an eight-year absence, and big things were expected from Big Poppa Pump.
Unfortunately, this rivalry suffered as Triple H and Steiner did not have the in-ring chemistry required. This is why their two World Heavyweight Championship matches at the 2003 Royal Rumble and No Way Out failed to click. Nevertheless, Steiner's whole return to WWE was an utter failure but feuding with Evolution did him no favors.
5 Best: Goldberg
Goldberg finally shifted his attentions towards Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship in the summer of 2003. Goldberg was in a rich vein of form, and he decimated the field inside the Elimination Chamber at SummerSlam.
Unfortunately, Goldberg did not win the title as Flair handed Triple H a sledgehammer at the final second to retain the gold. Nonetheless, he did not make the same mistake twice by ending The Cerebral Assassin's remarkable 280-day reign as champion at Unforgiven. Goldberg would receive several beatdowns from Evolution but he looked strong in their feud. Batista returned after a long spell on the sidelines and he attacked Goldberg. This was Goldberg's best feud in his first run with WWE and despite his matches with Triple H not being the best, they told a good story.
4 Worst: Eugene
Eric Bischoff's nephew Eugene revealed that Triple H was his favorite wrestler and not The Rock. Eugene became an honorary member of Evolution, and he teamed up with Ric Flair at Vengeance 2004, failing to capture the World Tag Team Championship.
However, Eugene accidentally cost The Game the chance at regaining the World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Benoit in the main event. Evolution brutalized Eugene on an episode of Raw for costing him the title. Moreover, Eugene was nowhere near Triple H's level, and they had a lackluster match at SummerSlam. It was one of the worst feuds for Evolution, and The Game put it to bed by defeating Eugene in a cage match.
3 Best: The Shield
Reeling from disappointing defeats at WrestleMania XXX to Daniel Bryan, Evolution reformed on the April 14, 2014, edition of Raw. Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista systematically destroyed The Shield who were competing in an 11-on-3 handicap match.
It made sense to reform Evolution as Batista's return to WWE failed drastically. Their matches at Extreme Rules and Payback 2014 were outstanding showdowns. The Shield prevailed in both matches, and Batista was shortly gone from WWE thereafter. Following the feud, The Shield imploded with Seth Rollins turning his back on Reigns and Ambrose.
2 Worst: Goldust
The February 3, 2003, episode of Raw saw Booker T and Goldust split up as they failed to recapture the World Tag Team Championship. Goldust cut a disappointed figure backstage and he was approached by Randy Orton and Batista.
Orton gave Goldust a vicious slap to his face as The Bizarre One did not respond when Orton asked him of Steiner's whereabouts. In a shocking turn of events, Goldust was electrocuted as Orton and Batista pushed him into a wall where there were wires. Furthermore, Goldust began to speak with a stutter, selling the effects from his injury with The Game and Ric Flair making fun of him. The overall feud didn't do any favors for Goldust, who looked extremely weak when he faced off with Evolution.
1 Best: Shawn Michaels
There was one constant presence who tried to wrestle the World Heavyweight Championship away from Triple H, and that is Shawn Michaels. HBK was public enemy number one, and he feuded with all members of Evolution in 2003.
HBK lost to Ric Flair at Bad Blood and Orton in an outstanding match at Unforgiven, but he managed to slay The Animal at Armageddon. The Game got the better of his former best friend on several occasions, but Michaels was the tailor-made rival for Evolution as he was a top babyface in the company, and he elevated Orton to new heights, and having individual feuds with each member made sense.