Last night, WWE announced a second season of the Mixed Match Challenge, which will air on Facebook Live in mid-September and run through the end of the year. Some old favorites, like Team Aweska and Team Little Big, will return. Some new teams will debut as well, such as Charlotte Flair and AJ Styles. Both Raw and SmackDown will be represented in the round robin style tournament. The final will be held at the TLC pay per view.
What if NXT were to do a Mixed Match Challenge of its own, or have teams participating in the next one?
One of the things that made the Mixed Match Challenge so enjoyable the first time around was the varying pairings, some of which were true odd couples. Their interactions with each other and their opponents made for some of the funniest programmings in the WWE week.
It seems a letdown that NXT didn't get to join in on the fun, and if it were to be involved somehow, some pairings come to mind that would make for entertaining viewing.
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#1 Aleister Black and Kairi Sane
The former NXT Champion and current NXT Women's Champion are both good guys, but they're different in every other sense of the word. Kairi Sane's adorable demeanor would contrast amusingly with Aleister Black's dark and stoic persona.
Imagine Aleister Black doing his trademark Indian sit taunt, only to be followed by Kairi Sane doing the same thing. Imagine Kairi Sane trying to get Aleister Black to do the pirate dance along with her after they win a victory. How could you not smile from ear to ear?
It also helps that Sane and Black are both excellent pro wrestlers who know how to control crowds. Their matches would be worked well and their personalities would carry them over the top to entertain the crowd.
#2 Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae
This one is obvious. With two other husband/wife pairings, if NXT were to participate in the Mixed Match Challenge, Johnny and Candice Wrestling would certainly take to the ring together. They would be the purest babyface lineup from the yellow brand, but there would be tension underneath the surface.
With Johnny Gargano being in the doldrums right now and his relationship with Candice LeRae under stress due to his obsessive hatred of Tommaso Ciampa, a Mixed Match Challenge pairing would be the ideal way to explore that angle.
#3 Ricochet and Bianca Belair
This is a natural pairing between arguably the two best pure athletes in NXT. With Bianca Belair constantly bragging about being the "EST" of Wednesday nights, she should have no problem entering the tournament alongside the King of Flight.
They have opposite alignments, but the Mixed Match Challenge often consists of teams that are out of alignment, which opens up a lot of entertaining interactions we don't usually get to see.
Ricochet and Bianca competing to outdo the other while also competing against their opponents would also make for some memorable programming.
#4 Tommaso Ciampa and Nikki Cross
My initial instinct was to form an alliance between the yellow brand's two coldest heels in Tommaso Ciampa and Shayna Baszler, but with a main roster callup for the latter likely coming soon, she would likely be competing for the red brand in the next season of this tournament.
Tommaso Ciampa and Nikki Cross come to mind as a fun alternative. How would NXT's resident egomaniac blackheart deal with his crazy tag team partner? Would she even know how highly Ciampa thinks of himself? How would he attempt to influence her and how would he react to her not realizing the magnitude of being paired with the main event man?
I would expect hilarious segments and moments in the ring between these two.
#5 Kassius Ohno and Dakota Kai
Kassius Ohno and Dakota Kai are two babyfaces in the same spot at the moment. They're both the first stepping stone for hot new acts debuting on the yellow brand and both want to get back to their winning ways.
With Dakota's kicks and Ohno's elbows, they both have the capability to live up to the "Knockout Artist" name, but would they be able to do so?
#6 Keith Lee and Lacey Lane
This would be a good opportunity for two of NXT's newest stars to showcase their talents. Keith Lee is well on his way to living up to the hype that preceded him before his arrival. Lacey Lane looks like she could be one of the breakout stars from this year's Mae Young Classic.
Both of them are tremendous athletes, and Keith Lee wows people with what he can do at his size. Seeing some double team moves between them would also make for some enjoyable viewing.
#7 Velveteen Dream and Io Shirai
Io Shirai is poised to become one of the two biggest stars from this year's Mae Young Classic. With tremendous fanfare preceding her before she signed to NXT, she was quick to demonstrate that she's a serious, focused wrestler. She wants to prove that she's the best in the world. So how would this serious competitor react to becoming a part of the next Velveteen Dream Experience?
Velveteen Dream craves the spotlight, but would his flamboyant demeanor throw Io off? Would she scold him for not being motivated enough to win?
These two have almost completely opposite personalities, which is what makes for an entertaining pairing, particularly where Dream is concerned.
#8 Matt Riddle and Lacey Evans
Another pairing of opposites would be Matt Riddle and Lacey Evans. Riddle is the latest top signing to the yellow brand, and his debut is eagerly anticipated. The Lady of NXT is just the type to wonder what all the fuss is about, though.
Matt Riddle, despite the hype, is a fun loving guy at heart. So how would his casual, cavalier demeanor contrast with Lacey Evans' stuck up personality?
We'd be in store for a few memorable promos at the very least.
#9 Pete Dunne and Rhea Ripley
This one would be an obvious way to promote the NXT UK brand. The two respective champions have similar personalities, even if their alignments are different. Dunne and Ripley are both no-nonsense brawlers who would tear your fingers off if they could.
The question is - would they get along?
#10 Adam Cole and Toni Storm
Finally, NXT would be foolish not to do a pairing between two of its resident rock star personalities. Adam Cole and Toni Storm are tremendously over and energetic performers. The promos between them would be interesting to say the least, and the way they would taunt their opponents in the ring would make for some entertaining programming too.
Not to mention, the matches would be electric.
Were it to ever come to fruition, this team might be the favorite to win it all.