If you're on Facebook, Christmas has come early.
WWE just announced a brand new, limited run series to air on Facebook Watch beginning January 16, right before the Royal Rumble. "Mixed Match" will be a single elimination tournament. Six mixed teams apiece from Raw & Smackdown will compete to continue the battle for brand supremacy. Raw GM Kurt Angle made the announcement of the 12 Raw superstars to participate:
Men:
Cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore.
Former IC champion The Miz
Braun Strowman
Finn Balor
Jason Jordan
Samoa Joe
Goldust was also announced, which gives them 7 men, unless Miz is unable to return in time from filming "Marine 6".
Women:
Raw women's champion Alexa Bliss
Former women's champions Bayley, Sasha Banks, & Alicia Fox
Nia Jax
Former NXT women's champion Asuka
Now, let's sort out the likely pairings. Given their storyline, Nia Jax would team with Enzo Amore, but I'd not be surprised if Nia is instead paired with either Samoa Joe or Braun Strowman. Alexa Bliss & Miz are a natural pairing, given their similar attitudes. If Joe doesn't get Nia for a partner, he'd likely get Asuka instead, which would make them the prohibitive favorites. Finn Balor & Bayley are real life pals, so their teaming makes sense as well.
I may be wrong about this, but this is how I see it shaking out:
Sasha Banks & Jason Jordan. Angle's "son" could learn from a "Legit Boss".
Enzo Amore & Nia Jax. From a storyline standpoint, it makes perfect sense, and it explains why they've been pulled together the last two weeks on Raw.
Samoa Joe & Asuka. Enough said.
Finn Balor & Bayley. Ditto.
Miz & Alexa Bliss. Ditto.
Alicia Fox & Braun Strowman.
Of course, Uncreative could screw up the works as usual, but Asuka & Strowman would be just as potent as Asuka/Joe or Joe/Nia. The only pairings I see that Uncreative can't mess up would be Enzo/Nia, Miz/Alexa, & Finn/Bayley.
But then, they would.
Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan has just announced his team:
Women:
Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch
Naomi
Natalya
Lana
Carmella
Men:
Shinsuke Nakamura
Bobby Roode
Sami Zayn
Jimmy Uso
Rusev
Either Big E, Kofi Kingston, or Xavier Woods will represent the New Day.
Fans will help determine the teams, by the by. Two Smackdown teams should be fairly obvious (Lana & Rusev, Naomi & Jimmy Uso), making the task of filling the other 4 teams a little easier. Let me help:
Sami Zayn & Natalya would, of course, represent Canada. Well, so would Roode, but they'd want a heel team in this spot. Roode, instead would be matched with either Charlotte or Becky, while the other Horsewoman gets Nakamura. That leaves an unwieldy pairing of Carmella with the New Day.
Well, we'll see if I'm right.
