Mixed Match Challenge – November 20, 2018: They Couldn’t Have Done It Better
IMG Credit: WWE
Mixed Match Challenge
Date: November 20, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Vic Joseph
We’ve actually arrived at a turning point here with the last night of the regular season. After tonight we move into the playoffs, which should make things a little bit better. Unfortunately we’re getting the four winless teams battling it out for a spot in the final four, because going 1-3 is good enough to get a spot in the playoffs. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
The announcers talk about the prizes. That’s a big deal, and a smart move.
Raw Division: Alicia Fox/Jinder Mahal vs. Bobby Roode/Natalya
The losers are out and the Singh Brothers are all banged up from Brock Lesnar destroying them last week. The guys start things off and the fans are behind Bobby in what feels like a rare occurrence. Roode shakes off a wristlock and starts chopping away but can’t hit the Glorious DDT. It’s off to the women with Fox getting caught in a slingshot atomic drop, minus Natalya sticking her knee out. A basement dropkick gives Natalya two but Fox blocks the Sharpshooter and kicks her in the face.
The chinlock goes on (well duh) so let’s look at R-Truth trying to leave because he thinks it’s Thanksgiving. The northern lights suplex gives Fox two and it’s off to a front facelock. Natalya can’t quite get out but Alicia stops for her Mahal inspired breathing, allowing the hot tag to Roode. Everything breaks down and Fox slaps Roode, who is fine enough to hit a spinebuster on one of the Singh Brothers. The distraction is enough for Mahal to hit the Khallas for the pin on Roode at 8:08.
Rating: D. So you know how these teams kept losing every single match all tournament long? Well now one pair of losers beat another set of losers and gets to go face a team that has beaten them already once this season. That’s about all they have for us to look forward to and I could go for something more than that, though that hasn’t stopped this season yet.
Braun Strowman is out of the second round and will have a replacement announced next week. AJ Styles is officially out as well, so Jeff Hardy will be Charlotte’s permanent partner.
Fox and Mahal argue about who is the captain. They also argue over where they would go on their vacation, with Fox wanting to go to Kentucky to taste some real country chicken.
Smackdown Division: R-Truth/Carmella (0-3) vs. Rusev/Lana (0-3)
They take turns shouting catchphrases to start with no contact in the first two minutes. With that out of the way, Rusev and Lana hit the floor so we can have a dance break. A break from what isn’t clear, but neither is why a team who is going to be 1-3 is in the playoffs. Thankfully Rusev and Lana jump them from behind with Lana covering for one to actually start the match.
Some running knees to the back give Lana two more and we hit the chinlock. In a smart move, Rusev pulls Truth off the apron and then gets the tag, meaning he gets to come in and beat up a downed Truth. Lana goes outside and sends a downed Carmella into various things before stopping to pose. Truth jumps Rusev on the floor, leaving Carmella to superkick Lana for the pin at 6:50.
Rating: F. That’s this season of the show in a nutshell: shenanigans to waste time early on and then a quick match with neither of them doing anything that seemed impressive. Rusev and Lana going out doesn’t shock me as the dance break thing is lukewarm right now and that’s enough to get one more match out of Truth and Carmella. It’s not like either team had a chance against Carmella/Hardy in the next round anyway, but a little more effort here would have been nice.
Here are the brackets for the next round:
Raw
Ember Moon/???
Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox
Finn Balor/Bayley
Bobby Lashley/Mickie James
Smackdown
Jeff Hardy/Charlotte
R-Truth/Carmella
Miz/Asuka
Jimmy Uso/Naomi
Bayley and Finn Balor are ready for next week.
Overall Rating: F. The only positive to come out of this show is the fact that we’re three weeks away from the end of this mess. There’s nothing going on here and watching the four winless teams in two short matches wasn’t the solution to make things better. Things will improve a bit when we get to the bigger matches down the line, but that’s not making things better here.
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