Projecting What's Next for Evolution After Loss at Extreme Rules

Randy Orton, Dave Batista and Triple H came up short at Extreme Rules in their attempt to stamp out the "Hounds of Justice."

The match itself was spectacular. Filled with great psychology, dramatic exchanges and a balcony dive from Seth Rollins that simply has to be seen to be believed, it was easily the match of the night. While The Shield delivered outstanding performances, credit should also go to the heels for performing well.

Credit: WWE.com

Orton, Batista and Triple H were very good. Batista, in particular, was massively over as a heel. The fans in the Izod Center absolutely detested him; it makes you wonder if WWE wouldn't have been smarter to book him as a bad guy in the first place.

But what is next for the recently reformed heel group?

Well, Batista, Triple H and Orton certainly got their revenge on Monday's Raw. The Authority vindictively booked United States champion Dean Ambrose in a 20-man battle royal for his belt, leading to his inevitable title loss.

Credit: WWE.com

Evolution later cost The Shield in their six-man tag bout against The Wyatt Family in the show's main event. The bad guys then got in the ring after the pinfall and proceeded to decimate the "Hounds of Justice." Monster babyface Roman Reigns was even left bleeding in the aftermath.

So Evolution is sticking around—for now, at least. Per a report from F4Wonline, Dave Batista will be sticking around until at least the Payback pay-per-view next month.

After that, who knows? He does have his Hollywood obligations—he has a starring role in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is due out in August—to consider. Wrestling isn't truly his top priority anymore.

Will the trio defeat The Shield in their (presumed) rematch at Payback? The "Even Stevens" style of booking has been a cornerstone of WWE for years now, so it seems likely.

Credit: WWE.com

Of course, Vince McMahon might decide that since he can't count on Batista, there's no point in giving Evolution the win. The Shield could pull out another high-profile pay-per-view win, which would be another feather in the group's cap.

If Batista does eventually leave, will that be the end of Evolution?

Could Ric Flair rejoin? Or could Orton and Triple H recruit some new stars from NXT to fill in the role? This would make sense since any fledgling wrestler would get a massive rub from working with such major stars right off the bat.

Who knows? WWE may not even know just yet. But one thing is for sure: Evolution is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the new few weeks.