The Mixed Match Challenge was one of WWE’s tried and failed concepts over the last few years, one which had a lot of potential but didn’t catch on for a variety of different reasons, mainly due to the fault of booking and its presentation. However, the idea isn’t a dead one, and should most certainly be tried again, as it would provide something new for the fans to watch. WWE should give it another shot, and this time commit to it properly.
The First And Second Editions Had Positives And Negatives
The Challenge was brought to WWE at the start of 2018, with the format of having a male and female teaming up as a tag team, taking on other teams in a single-elimination style tournament. It featured some of the biggest names on the roster, including the likes of Braun Strowman, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, along with the eventual winners, The Miz and Asuka. The idea of the tournament was sound enough, with the winners earning $100,000 for their chosen charity, whilst every other team still earned $10,000. The only downside was the low viewership on the Facebook Watch platform, which was a poor experiment in hindsight, but an attempt to reach a wider audience at the very least.
Later that same year, WWE produced the second edition of the Mixed Match Challenge, but this time with no charitable prize at the end. The format was different too, with a round-robin group stage determining who would qualify for the play-off rounds. The entire thing was quite convoluted, with some of the worst-ranked teams making it through the groups, and even to the final. Injuries and changed partners plagued the tournament, giving it a lack of consistency, with most of the bigger names dropping out, which also damaged its integrity. Wins and losses felt meaningless, and there was no clear plan from the start.
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One positive was the stakes added to the finals, in which the winners received the coveted number 30 spots in their respective Royal Rumble matches. Another positive was that it birthed the entertaining duo of R-Truth and Carmella, but aside from that, that wasn’t too much to shout about. Facebook Watch ended up as a mistake, with so few people actually watching the tournament. There are, however, some ways to fix a reboot.
The Mixed Match Challenge Could Produce Exciting Content
Introducing this tournament on Raw and Smackdown would provide something completely new and fresh to TV, which is something WWE desperately needs with their weekly content. A lot of fans love tournaments, and whilst they aren’t something which Vince McMahon isn’t particularly fond of, it would give fans something to tune in week after week for – something to latch on to and to support teams of superstars who wouldn’t otherwise be partnered together on screen.
Having a couple of matches each week would provide at least some semblance of a thread through shows and would force WWE to book ahead – which is something they need to do more often in order for stories to be more meaningful and impactful. Having just one or two matches each Raw or Smackdown would also allow the stars competing in the tournament to continue with their other feuds and goals at the same time.
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If WWE were to venture into putting on this again, then stakes need to be established from the start. Having no stakes in matches has been something troubling WWE for a while — something which was flagged up during the recent Survivor Series. For example, a guaranteed championship match or the No. 30 spot in a Rumble would be two perfect motivations for superstars to compete and try to win, and it would add more intrigue into the outcomes, with the competitors having something to fight for. There needs to be consistency this time too, and no changing up teams halfway through (aside from injuries).
It Could Benefit The Women’s Division
There are other benefits that would come from the tournament, outside of just adding stakes to matches and adding something new. The women’s division could benefit a lot too. In the last year, the hard work done during the Women’s Revolution seems to have been undone a little, with poorly booked feuds, short matches, and a lack of main event caliber storylines.
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Having the women team up with the men and put on the same sort of pedestal and billing, could help the division get back to where they were a couple of years ago – and it is exactly where they need to be, because the current booking isn’t good enough, which was clearly showcased within the terribly booked Queen’s Crown Tournament. The Mixed Match Challenge could be a good opportunity to rectify some of the glaring mistakes made during that. If done correctly, the Mixed Match Challenge has positives across the board.
