WWE Mixed Match Challenge

WWE Mixed Match Challenge,[2] also known simply as Mixed Match Challenge, is a seasonal professional wrestling web television series and tournament 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.[3][4] The 12-episode first season premiered on January 16, 2018 on Facebook Watch.[5] Each episode was 20–25 minutes in length[6] and featured one match.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] Episodes of season 2 aired at 10:00pm ET, with a weekly pre-show that started at 9:50pm ET.[9]

WWE Mixed Match Challenge
Genre	Sports entertainment Professional wrestling
Created by	Vince McMahon
Starring	WWE roster
Opening theme	"One Chance [Rock Version]" by CFO$[1]
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	25 (as of December 11, 2018)
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	20-25 minutes (first season) 30 minutes (second season)
Production company(s)	WWE
Release
Original network	Facebook Watch WWE Network
Original release	January 16 (2018-01-16) – December 16, 2018 (2018-12-16)
Chronology
Related shows	WWE Raw WWE SmackDown WWE NXT NXT UK WWE 205 Live WWE Main Event
External links
Website

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.[10] Each team wrestled for the chance to give $100,000 to a charity of the winner's choice,[11] 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.[12] The Miz and Asuka won the inaugural Mixed Match Challenge tournament, earning the $100,000 for the Rescue Dogs Rock charity.[13] Enzo Amore was originally supposed to take part, but was replaced with Apollo Crews after catching the flu.[14] 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.[15] Alicia Fox suffered a broken tailbone[16] and was replaced by Mandy Rose.[17] Big E became the partner for Carmella after winning a fan vote between all three members of The New Day.

Teams

Raw Teams	Charities[18]
Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman[19]	Connor's Cure
Sasha Banks and Finn Bálor[20]	Special Olympics
Nia Jax and Apollo[21]	Susan G. Komen
Asuka and The Miz[22]	Rescue Dogs Rock
Mandy Rose and Goldust[17]	Hire Heroes USA
Bayley and Elias[23]	Americares

SmackDown Teams	Charities[18]
Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode[24]	Girl Up
Lana and Rusev[25]	Global Citizen
Naomi and Jimmy Uso[26]	Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Natalya and Shinsuke Nakamura[27]	Make-A-Wish
Becky Lynch and Sami Zayn[28]	UNICEF
Carmella and Big E[29]	KaBOOM!

Bracket

The full tournament bracket was revealed on January 11, 2018 on WWE.com.[7] 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.[30]

First Round (Weeks 1-6)

Quarterfinals (Weeks 7-9)

Semifinals (Weeks 10-11)

Final (Week 12)

Raw

Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks

Sub

SmackDown

Shinsuke Nakamura and Natalya

12:48

Raw

Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks

Pin

Raw

The Miz and Asuka

12:45

Raw

The Miz and Asuka

Sub

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

11:15

SmackDown

Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch

Pin

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

Pin

SmackDown

Jimmy Uso and Naomi

10:14

Raw

Finn Bálor and Sasha Banks

Pin

SmackDown

Bobby Roode and Becky Lynch

13:03

Raw

Elias and Bayley

Pin

SmackDown

Rusev and Lana

9:38

SmackDown

Rusev and Lana

Pin

SmackDown

Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair

11:02

Raw

Apollo and Nia Jax

Pin

SmackDown

Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair

10:39

^1 Daniel Bryan was the special guest referee for this match after winning a fan vote.

^2 This team won a Second Chance poll, earning 40% of the votes to re-enter the tournament.[31]

^3 Becky Lynch replaced Charlotte Flair for this match after Flair had dental surgery.[32][33][34]

Broadcast team

Ring name	Notes
Renee Young[35]	Co-host
Byron Saxton[35]	Co-host
Greg Hamilton	Ring announcer
Michael Cole[36]	Lead commentator
Corey Graves[36]	Color commentator
Beth Phoenix[36]	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.[9] The finals 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.[37][38]

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.[39] Kevin Owens was also originally partnered with Natalya, but he was replaced by Bobby Roode after a surgery in both knees.[40][41] 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.[42][43] 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.[44] 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.[45]

Teams

Raw teams	SmackDown teams
The Monster Eclipse (Ember Moon and Braun Strowman/Curt Hawkins[lower-alpha 1])[46][9]	Awe-ska (Asuka and The Miz)[46][9]
Country Dominance (Mickie James and Bobby Lashley)[46][9]	Day One Glow (Naomi and Jimmy Uso)[46][9]
B'N'B (Bayley and Finn Bálor/Apollo Crews[lower-alpha 2])[46][9]	Ravishing Rusev Day (Lana and Rusev)[46][9]
Mahalicia (Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal)[46][9]	Fenomenal/Extreme Flair (Charlotte Flair and AJ Styles/Jeff Hardy[lower-alpha 3])[46][9]
Team Pawz (Natalya and Kevin Owens/Bobby Roode[lower-alpha 4])[46][9]	The Fabulous Truth (Carmella and R-Truth)[46][9]

1. Curt Hawkins replaced Braun Strowman in the playoffs after Strowman suffered an elbow injury.
2. Apollo Crews replaced Finn Bálor in the playoffs after Bálor suffered an injury.
3. Jeff Hardy replaced AJ Styles after Styles was unable to compete.
4. 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 Styles/Hardy	Carmella R-Truth
Moon Strowman	—	Moon Strowman 11/13[47]	Moon Strowman 10/9[47]	Moon Strowman 10/30[48]	Moon Strowman 9/18[49]	Asuka Miz	—	Asuka Miz 10/23[50]	Asuka Miz 10/16[50]	Flair Hardy 11/13	Asuka Miz 9/25[51]
James Lashley	Moon Strowman 11/13[47]	—	James Lashley 11/6[48]	James Lashley 9/25[51]	James Lashley 10/16[50]	Naomi Uso	Asuka Miz 10/23[52]	—	Naomi Uso 10/2[53]	Flair Styles 9/18[49]	Naomi Uso 11/6[48]
Bayley Bálor	Moon Strowman 10/9[47]	James Lashley 11/6[48]	—	Bayley Bálor 10/2[53]	Bayley Bálor 10/23[52]	Lana Rusev	Asuka Miz 10/16[50]	Naomi Uso 10/2[53]	—	Flair Styles 10/30[48]	Carmella R-Truth 11/20
Fox Mahal	Moon Strowman 10/30[48]	James Lashley 9/25[51]	Bayley Bálor 10/2[53]	—	Fox Mahal 11/20	Flair Styles/Hardy	Flair Hardy 11/13	Flair Styles 9/18[49]	Flair Styles 10/30[48]	—	Flair Styles 10/9[47]
Natalya Owens/Roode	Moon Strowman 9/18[49]	James Lashley 10/16[50]	Bayley Bálor 10/23[50]	Fox Mahal 11/20	—	Carmella R-Truth	Asuka Miz 9/25[51]	Naomi Uso 11/6[48]	Carmella R-Truth 11/20	Flair Styles 10/9[47]	—

Overall standings

Raw		SmackDown
Moon/Strowman	4-0	Flair/Styles/Hardy	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[54] Mixed Match Challenge November 27 and December 4

Semifinals Mixed Match Challenge December 11

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

Raw

3

Apollo Crews and Bayley

2

Bobby Lashley and Mickie James

3

Finn Bálor and Bayley

Pin

4

Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox

5:50

4

R-Truth and Carmella*

Sub

1

Jeff Hardy and Charlotte Flair

4

R-Truth and Carmella

Pin

4

R-Truth and Carmella

Pin

SmackDown

2

The Miz and Asuka

2

The Miz and Asuka

Sub

3

Jimmy Uso and Naomi

• R-Truth and Carmella won the finals 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. However, R-Truth 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.

Broadcast team

Ring name	Notes
Kayla Braxton	Pre-show co-host
Vic Joseph	Pre-show co-host Color commentator[49]
Mike Rome	Ring announcer
Renee Young	Color commentator[49]
Michael Cole[49]	Lead commentator

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2018	8th Streamy Awards	Subject – Sports	WWE Mixed Match Challenge	Nominated	[55][56]
2018	6th Cynopsis Model D Awards	Best Sports-Related Live Series or Event	WWE Mixed Match Challenge	Won	[57]

References

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7. "Mixed Match Challenge first round match-ups and full tournament bracket revealed". WWE.
8. Csonka, Larry (December 13, 2017). "205 Live Getting a New Temporary Start Time in January". 411 Mania. United States: 411 Mania, LLC. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
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11. Chiari, Mike. "WWE Announces Mixed Match Challenge for Charity in January on Facebook Watch". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
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30. "WWE Mixed Match Challenge". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
31. "WWE Mixed Match Challenge". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
32. "Charlotte pulled from tonight's WWE TV due to minor dental surgery". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
33. "A fan vote will determine who will replace Charlotte Flair on WWE Mixed Match Challenge tonight". WWE. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
34. "WWE Mixed Match Challenge". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
35. Callicutt, Chris. "WWE Mixed Match Challenge (1/16): Finn Balor & Sasha Banks Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Natalya". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
36. "Beth Phoenix announced for WWE Mixed Match Challenge commentary team". WWE. WWE.com. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
37. "Winning WWE MMC Season 2 team to receive huge Royal Rumble advantage and trip anywhere in the world". Retrieved 12 November 2018.
38. "WWE® MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE™ RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON ON FACEBOOK WATCH". WWE Corporate. September 4, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
39. "Sasha Banks suffers injury; Mickie James to team with Bobby Lashley in first week of WWE MMC". WWE. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
40. "Kevin Owens out of Mixed Match Challenge, next week's matches set". 10 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
41. "Bobby Roode to replace Kevin Owens at Natalya's partner in WWE Mixed Match Challenge". wwe.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
42. "WWE MMC results, Nov. 13, 2018: Strowman & Moon remain undefeated; Hardy helps Flair do the improbable". WWE. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
43. Middleton, Marc. "AJ Styles Replaced On WWE Mixed Match Challenge, Week 9 Winners, Next Week's Matches, Viewership". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
44. "Curt Hawkins to replace Braun Strowman as Ember Moon's partner for the WWE MMC Playoffs". WWE. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
45. "Crews to replace Bálor as Bayley's partner in WWE MMC Semifinals against Mahal & Fox". WWE. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
46. "Mixed Match Challenge team names revealed: WWE Now". WWE. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
47. Trionfo, Richard (October 9, 2018). "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT". PWInsider. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
48. Trionfo, Richard (October 30, 2018). "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT". PWInsider. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
49. Trionfo, Richard (September 18, 2018). "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT: FIRST TWO MATCHES OF SEASON TWO". PWInsider. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
50. Trionfo, Richard (October 16, 2018). "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT". PWInsider. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
51. "WWE MMC results, Sept. 25, 2018: Team Awe-ska and Country Dominance seize their first WWE MMC victories". WWE. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
52. Trionfo, Richard (October 23, 2018). "WWE MIXED MATCH CHALLENGE REPORT". PWInsider. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
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54. https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-reveals-mixed-match-challenge-playoff-bracket-270646
55. Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 25, 2018). "Streamy Awards Unveils Nominations; YouTube Named Distribution Partner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
56. Haring, Bruce (October 21, 2018). "Streamy Awards Honor 24 Winners In Prelims To 8th Annual Event". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
57. "WWE and UpUpDownDown win two prestigious Cynopsis Model D Awards". WWE.com. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• WWE Mixed Match Challenge on Facebook
• WWE Mixed Match Challenge on IMDb