WWE Mixed Match Challenge results: Inaugural winners return

The gaga was plentiful on the second episode in season two of Mixed Match Challenge. The round robin tournament continued in Denver with two more matches from the first round.

The winners of the inaugural tournament returned as Asuka & The Miz faced the budding new act of Carmella & R-Truth in the Smackdown block. Team Awe-ska got a win while Fabulous Truth looks to be getting over.

In the Raw block match, Mickie James replaced an injured Sasha Banks in teaming with Bobby Lashley against Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal. Fan voting decided the team name for James & Lashley. The team now billed as “Country Dominance” went on to win their first match in the tournament against the team known as Mahalicia.

Mickie James & Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) defeated Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal (w/ Sunil Singh)

Lashley in his hometown pinned Mahal after a delayed vertical suplex. The story of the match revolved around teamwork — or lack thereof. While Country Dominance gelled well as a team, Mahalicia not so much as they argued. Fox had issues with Sunil Singh being at ringside. In the opposite corner, the involvement of Lio Rush would lead to victory.

Rush gave a grand introduction to Lashley by portraying as the returning hometown hero. Lashley carried James to the ring on his shoulders. That set the tone for their chemistry. Their opponents entered in a different manner. They argued their way down the ramp. Although James and Fox are aligned together on Raw in a faction with Alexa Bliss, that was mostly ignored in this match except for a brief mention on commentary that tried to quickly dismiss the notion.

Early on in the match, Mahal challenged Lashley to a push-up contest. Lashley was outdoing Mahal when Fox rushed into the ring to jump on Mahal’s back to increase the difficulty of the challenge. With James also laying across her partner’s back, Lashley easily again outdid Mahal. Singh jumped in to add a third person on Mahal’s back. Mahal crumpled to the mat under the added weight. Mahal & Fox yelled at Singh.

Fox got heat on James leading to a hot — or rather mild — tag. Lashley cleaned house on Mahal. Upon a double down, Singh confronted Rush at ringside. Rush dropped Singh with an enzuigiri. Mahal gave chase for a cat-and-mouse game with Rush. Lashley cut off Mahal, and then lifted him into a delayed vertical suplex that led to a pinfall.

In a backstage skit following the match, Fox & Mahal argued. Mahal insisted Fox work on her breathing techniques for their tournament match next week. Fox says they are doing things her way instead. She then uninvited Singh for being in their corner next week. The plot thickens in a love triangle of sorts.

Asuka & The Miz defeated Carmella & R-Truth

Asuka submitted Carmella with the Asuka Lock in a match where R-Truth was over like a million bucks. The match itself had a lot comedy along with plenty of walking and talking. This felt like a house show match with the teams playing to the crowd more so than with normal televised matches in WWE.

A dance party broke out at one point. Miz stopped the record to say he could moonwalk. It was a comedic swerve. He pantomimed like he was walking around the moon in a spacesuit. Moments later, Carmella and Truth showcased the Michael Jackson version of the moonwalk. The crowd loved it. Truth specifically was over huge with the crowd. A “Truth TV” chant broke out numerous times throughout the match.

Miz & Asuka bickered at times, but that was more of an odd couple dynamic as opposed to Mahalicia arguing in the previous match. Asuka and Carmella picked up the intensity in the match during the closing minutes, trading near falls. Miz broke up a pin attempt and was working a spot with Carmella when Truth made the save. Truth was then sent over the top rope to the floor. Carmella superkicked Miz out of the ring. Asuka then caught Carmella to trap her in the Asuka Lock. Carmella tapped out as the Team Awe-ska remains undefeated in Mixed Match Challenge.

Next week in the Smackdown block is the battle of married couples when Ravishing Rusev Day (Lana & Rusev) collide with Day One Glow (Naomi & Jimmy Uso). For the Raw block match, Mahalicia returns for a second straight week in the ongoing tournnament. Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal face B’N’B — Bayley & Finn Balor — on the next episode.