# WWE Mixed Match Challenge

WWE Mixed Match Challenge, also known simply as Mixed Match Challenge, is a seasonal professional wrestling series and tournament that was produced by WWE, where all matches are mixed tag team matches. Like all professional wrestling events, it is based on scripted storylines and its outcomes are predetermined. The 12-episode first season premiered on January 16, 2018 on Facebook Watch. Each episode was 20–25 minutes in length and featured one match. The show filled WWE's 10:00pm ET timeslot previously held by 205 Live. Following the show's premiere, 205 Live began to air at 10:20pm ET. On September 4, 2018, WWE announced a second season of Mixed Match Challenge, with the season premiering on September 18 immediately following SmackDown Live. Season 2 consisted of 13 30-minute episodes, with each featuring two matches. Episodes of season 2 aired at 10:00pm ET, with a weekly pre-show that started at 9:50pm ET.

## Season 1

The teams, which were made up of both male and female wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands, were picked by their respective general managers, Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan. Each team wrestled for the chance to give $100,000 to a charity of the winner's choice, while all other charities received $10,000 each. During the second episode, Angle and Bryan announced that the first week of Mixed Match Challenge received 35 million total engagements. The Miz and Asuka won the inaugural Mixed Match Challenge tournament, earning the $100,000 for the Rescue Dogs Rock charity. Enzo Amore was originally supposed to take part, but was replaced with Apollo Crews after catching the flu. Samoa Joe was originally Bayley's tag team partner after winning a fan vote, but was injured and replaced by Elias, who finished second in the fan vote. Alicia Fox suffered a broken tailbone and was replaced by Mandy Rose. Big E became the partner for Carmella after winning a fan vote between all three members of The New Day.

### Teams

| Raw Teams | Charities |
| Team Little Big (Braun Strowman & Alexa Bliss) | Connor's Cure |
| Boss Club (Finn Balor & Sasha Banks) | Special Olympics |
| Apollo & Nia Jax | Susan G. Komen |
| Awe-ska (The Miz and Asuka) | Rescue Dogs Rock |
| Rose Gold (Mandy Rose & Goldust) | Hire Heroes USA |
| Elias & Bayley | Americares |
| SmackDown Teams | Charities |
| Robe Warriors (Bobby Roode & Charlotte Flair) | Girl Up |
| Ravishing Rusev Day (Rusev & Lana) | Global Citizen |
| Glowing Since DAY ONE ISH (Jimmy Uso & Naomi) | Boys & Girls Clubs of America |
| Shinsuke Nakamura & Natalya | Make-A-Wish |
| The Ginger Snaps (Sami Zayn & Becky Lynch) | UNICEF |
| Big E & Carmella | KaBOOM! |

### Bracket

The full tournament bracket was revealed on January 11, 2018 on WWE.com. In one of the semifinal matches, fans were able to vote on a Facebook poll, for an eliminated team to be given a second chance in the tournament.
| First Round (Weeks 1-6) | First Round (Weeks 1-6) | First Round (Weeks 1-6) | Quarterfinals (Weeks 7-9) | Quarterfinals (Weeks 7-9) | Quarterfinals (Weeks 7-9) | Semifinals (Weeks 10-11) | Semifinals (Weeks 10-11) | Semifinals (Weeks 10-11) | Final (Week 12) | Final (Week 12) | Final (Week 12) |
| Raw | Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks | Sub | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya | 12:48 | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya | 12:48 | Raw | Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks | 12:45 | | | | | | |
| | | | Raw | The Miz and Asuka | Pin | | | | | | |
| Raw | The Miz and Asuka | Sub | Raw | The Miz and Asuka | Pin | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Big E and Carmella | 9:49 | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Big E and Carmella | 9:49 | | | | Raw | The Miz and Asuka | Sub | | | |
| | | | | | | Raw | Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss | 11:20 | | | |
| Raw | Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss | Pin | | | | Raw | Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss | 11:20 | | | |
| SmackDown | Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch | 11:15 | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch | 11:15 | Raw | Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss | Pin | | | | Raw | The Miz and Asuka | Pin |
| | | | SmackDown | Jimmy Uso and Naomi | 10:35 | | | | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair | 20:00 |
| Raw | Goldust and Mandy Rose | 10:14 | SmackDown | Jimmy Uso and Naomi | 10:35 | | | | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair | 20:00 |
| SmackDown | Jimmy Uso and Naomi | Pin | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Jimmy Uso and Naomi | Pin | | | | Raw | Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks | 13:03 | | |
| | | | | | | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Becky Lynch | Pin | | | |
| Raw | Elias and Bayley | 9:38 | | | | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Becky Lynch | Pin | | | |
| SmackDown | Rusev and Lana | Pin | | | | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Rusev and Lana | Pin | SmackDown | Rusev and Lana | 11:02 | | | | | | |
| | | | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair | Pin | | | | | | |
| Raw | Apollo and Nia Jax | 10:39 | SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair | Pin | | | | | | |
| SmackDown | Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair | Pin | | | | | | | | | |
* ↑ Daniel Bryan was the special guest referee for this match after winning a fan vote.
* ↑ This team won a Second Chance poll, earning 40% of the votes to re-enter the tournament.
* ↑ Becky Lynch replaced Charlotte Flair for this match after Flair had dental surgery.

### Broadcast team

| Ring name | Notes |
| Renee Young | Co-host |
| Byron Saxton | Co-host |
| Greg Hamilton | Ring announcer |
| Michael Cole | Lead commentator |
| Corey Graves | Color commentator |
| Beth Phoenix | Color commentator Hall of Famer |

## Season 2

The second season premiered on September 18, 2018 on Facebook Watch. In the second season, teams competed in a round robin-style tournament throughout the fourteen 30-minute, two match episodes, in order to qualify for the playoffs. The final of season two took place at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event on December 16, where the winning team would enter the Royal Rumble at number 30 for their respective Royal Rumble matches and an all-expense-paid trip to anywhere in the world.
During the tournament, several wrestlers were replaced due to injuries or storyline related reasons. Alexa Bliss was originally supposed to take part in the tournament again alongside her partner, Braun Strowman, however, due to an arm injury, Ember Moon replaced Bliss. Mickie James replaced Sasha Banks as Lashley's partner. Kevin Owens was also originally partnered with Natalya, but he was replaced by Bobby Roode after a surgery in both knees. On November 13, 2018, SmackDown General Manager Paige announced that AJ Styles was not going to compete on that night's episode of Mixed Match Challenge following his controversial WWE Championship loss to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live, being substituted by Jeff Hardy. It was announced that Strowman was unable to compete in the Mixed Match Challenge playoffs after an elbow injury and was replaced by Curt Hawkins. On December 10, 2018, it was announced that Bálor was unable to compete in the Mixed Match Challenge semi-finals, being substituted by Apollo Crews.

### Teams

| Raw teams | SmackDown teams |
| The Monster Eclipse (Ember Moon and Braun Strowman/Curt Hawkins) | Awe-ska (Asuka and The Miz) |
| Country Dominance (Mickie James and Bobby Lashley) | Day One Glow (Naomi and Jimmy Uso) |
| B'N'B (Bayley and Finn Bálor/Apollo Crews) | Ravishing Rusev Day (Lana and Rusev) |
| Mahalicia (Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal) | Phenomenal Flair (Charlotte Flair and A.J. Styles/Jeff Hardy) |
| Team Pawz (Natalya and Kevin Owens/Bobby Roode) | The Fabulous Truth (Carmella and R-Truth) |
* ↑ Curt Hawkins replaced Braun Strowman in the playoffs after Strowman suffered an elbow injury.
* ↑ Apollo Crews replaced Finn Bálor in the playoffs after Bálor suffered an injury.
* ↑ Bobby Roode replaced Kevin Owens after Owens suffered a knee injury.

### Bracket

| Raw | Moon Strowman | James Lashley | Bayley Bálor | Fox Mahal | Natalya Owens/Roode | SmackDown | Asuka Miz | Naomi Uso | Lana Rusev | Flair A.J. Styles | Carmella R-Truth |
| Moon Strowman | — | Moon Strowman 11/13 | Moon Strowman 10/9 | Moon Strowman 10/30 | Moon Strowman 9/18 | Asuka Miz | — | Asuka Miz 10/23 | Asuka Miz 10/16 | Flair Hardy 11/13 | Asuka Miz 9/25 |
| James Lashley | Moon Strowman 11/13 | — | James Lashley 11/6 | James Lashley 9/25 | James Lashley 10/16 | Naomi Uso | Asuka Miz 10/23 | — | Naomi Uso 10/2 | Flair Styles 9/18 | Naomi Uso 11/6 |
| Bayley Bálor | Moon Strowman 10/9 | James Lashley 11/6 | — | Bayley Bálor 10/2 | Bayley Bálor 10/23 | Lana Rusev | Asuka Miz 10/16 | Naomi Uso 10/2 | — | Flair Styles 10/30 | Carmella R-Truth 11/20 |
| Fox Mahal | Moon Strowman 10/30 | James Lashley 9/25 | Bayley Bálor 10/2 | — | Fox Mahal 11/20 | Flair A.J. Styles | Flair Hardy 11/13 | Flair Styles 9/18 | Flair Styles 10/30 | — | Flair Styles 10/9 |
| Natalya Owens/Roode | Moon Strowman 9/18 | James Lashley 10/16 | Bayley Bálor 10/23 | Fox Mahal 11/20 | — | Carmella R-Truth | Asuka Miz 9/25 | Naomi Uso 11/6 | Carmella R-Truth 11/20 | Flair Styles 10/9 | — |
Overall standings :
| Raw | Raw | SmackDown | SmackDown |
| Moon/Strowman | 4-0 | Flair/A.J. Styles | 4-0 |
| James/Lashley | 3-1 | Asuka/Miz | 3-1 |
| Bayley/Bálor | 2-2 | Naomi/Uso | 2-2 |
| Fox/Mahal | 1-3 | Carmella/R-Truth | 1-3 |
| Natalya/Owens/Roode | 0-4 | Lana/Rusev | 0-4 |

#### Playoffs

| Quarterfinals Mixed Match Challenge November 27 and December 4 | Quarterfinals Mixed Match Challenge November 27 and December 4 | Quarterfinals Mixed Match Challenge November 27 and December 4 | Semifinals Mixed Match Challenge December 11 | Semifinals Mixed Match Challenge December 11 | Semifinals Mixed Match Challenge December 11 | Final TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs December 16 | Final TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs December 16 | Final TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs December 16 |
| 1 | Curt Hawkins and Ember Moon | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox | Pin | | | | | | |
| 4 | Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox | Pin | 4 | Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox | Pin | | | |
| Raw | Raw | Raw | 4 | Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox | Pin | | | |
| Raw | Raw | Raw | 3 | Apollo Crews and Bayley | | | | |
| 2 | Bobby Lashley and Mickie James | | 3 | Apollo Crews and Bayley | | | | |
| 3 | Finn Bálor and Bayley | Pin | | | | | | |
| 3 | Finn Bálor and Bayley | Pin | | | | 4 | Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox | 5:50 |
| | | | | | | 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Sub |
| 1 | AJ Styles and Charlotte Flair | | | | | | | | 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Sub |
| 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Pin | | | | | | |
| 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Pin | 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Pin | | | |
| SmackDown | SmackDown | SmackDown | 4 | R-Truth and Carmella | Pin | | | |
| SmackDown | SmackDown | SmackDown | 2 | The Miz and Asuka | | | | |
| 2 | The Miz and Asuka | Sub | 2 | The Miz and Asuka | | | | |
| 3 | Jimmy Uso and Naomi | | | | | | | |

### Aftermath

R-Truth and Carmella won the final of Mixed Match Challenge Season 2, earning themselves the #30 spots in the 2019 Royal Rumble matches and an all-expenses-paid vacation, which R-Truth chose to be the WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. At the Royal Rumble event, Carmella (along with Bayley) eliminated Alexa Bliss from the Women's Rumble match before getting eliminated by eventual runner up Charlotte Flair. R-Truth however did not participate in the Men's Royal Rumble match, as he was attacked by Nia Jax (who took the #30 spot) during his entrance. As a consolation prize for having his spot stolen, he was awarded a WWE United States Championship match against new champion Shinsuke Nakamura on the January 29, 2019 episode of SmackDown, which he won becoming a two-time champion.

### Broadcast team

| Ring name | Notes |
| Kayla Braxton | Pre-show co-host |
| Vic Joseph | Pre-show co-host Color commentator |
| Mike Rome | Ring announcer |
| Renee Young | Color commentator |
| Michael Cole | Lead commentator |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | 8th Streamy Awards | Subject – Sports | WWE Mixed Match Challenge | Nominated | |
| 2018 | 6th Cynopsis Model D Awards | Best Sports-Related Live Series or Event | WWE Mixed Match Challenge | Won | |