Mixed Match Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Please use this thread to discuss all things Mixed Match Challenge, as to not have to spoil things in the Smackdown thread for those who don't watch live. Please and thank you.

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I've enjoyed the shows thus far. They've been fun and different. What I maybe don't like is heels acting like faces and such. Braun smiling. Sami being all nice to Becky. That sort of stuff. Oh well. I'll keep checking it out.

Braun isn't a heel.

As for Sami, heels are allowed to have fun too. It fits the tone of the show. It's sort of an 'out-of-continuity' series.

I said I enjoy it. And Braun may not be a heel, but he shouldn't be a guy that 'just likes to have fun' in any capacity. Out of continuity, sure, but when I open the Network, the replays are sitting right there next to continuity stuff, so it's murky.

It was interesting to see that they did the interview after the match and Braun and Alexa laughing and "flirting" with one another. Interested to see if they just let it fall by the way side or if there is a bigger storyline planned here.

I think Braun would crush Alexa to death if they hooked up

Also, I imagined a single tear rolling down Buddy Murphy's face when he watched that segment

Love this show on Facebook. I also love Braun so that helped this week.

It's the most enjoyable wwe series today, imo

Its been pretty good so far.

Best thing about it is the genuine fun and personality shown by those involved. Also helps expose how terrible Vince's and Kevin Dunn's rigid process for shows have been since neither are involved with this show.

Nah. I'm sure she would be revealed to be part Holly, thus making her a Super Heavyweight and *well* over 500lbs. Strowman is obviously the one in more danger here.

These odd couple teams are so bizarre, I call it the MisMatch Challenge!

You don't have to call it that if you don't want to.

If they go with Braun Strowman vs. The Miz (can't really believe that is the plan right now), Buddy Murphy should offer his services to The Miztourage. He and Blake attack Braun one week and target his leg. Braun wants Murphy & Blake and also The Miz. He faces Axel & Dallas in a Handicap Match, beats them easily. Faces Blake & Murphy and Murphy gets DQ'd when he chairs the leg. Braun still powerslams them. Miz looks to take advantage of the leg. Braun powers out, Powerslams Miz, then Murphy hits the ring again. Referee goes to DQ Miz, but Strowman grabs his arm. "No." Chokeslam to Murphy. Chokeslam to Miz. Strowman wins the IC Title, then scoops up Alexa and walks to the back like a caveman.

Silly booking aside, if they booked for their talent, as opposed to just jamming people in matches against each other, Braun being targeted by Blake & Murphy would make a lot of sense and actually give someone for Braun to get revenge on. Have it be a renegade attack in the back with weapons. I'd have them be chairs, because giving them the chair gimmick means you have a team with it for TLC. They legitimately hurt Braun and Murphy is the jerk fiancee and Alexa seems upset with his attitude. Kurt plays both sides of the fence, because he's impressed there are guys that have taken out Braun, but he's also concerned about one of his top stars. Play Braun and Bliss off each other in the aftermath. Alexa is concerned as he's getting tended to and begs him not to hurt Buddy. Braun says he didn't have any designs on Alexa and Alexa seems disappointed. This sort of stuff sells, folks. Braun would normally kill Buddy, but she respects her and won't disappoint her by hurting her fiancee. Bliss starts accompanying them for tag matches and Murphy keeps calling Braun names and poking the bear. Shit intensifies. Match at Mania. Big cathartic release when Braun Powerslams Murphy into oblivion. "One more time! One more time!" Bliss is freaking out, and a big story point is revealed that she was in cahoots with it all along. He brushes her off and calls her a bitch, looks like a stud, bumps into Nia in the back, who is Bliss' challenges and wishes her luck and says "What a woman" when she walks off.

Money, I tells ya.

Murphy & Blake are awful though, I'd rather see Braun vs The Miz. Actually that's a great match for Mania in my opinion. Miz/Strowman could be a great feud.

Contributes heavily towards watering down Braun in my opinion. And before people complain and talk about continuity or the fact that kayfabe is dead...it should still be believable. I still want to believe that Strowman is an angry monster when a watch.

You wouldn't catch the likes of Undertaker or Lesnar on something like this. They care about how they are presented and it contributed a lot to their drawing power over the years.

Best hwel the company has in the Miz vs their best face in Strowman would be great for WM. I don't see how that would water down Strowman any.

Any person can become love struck. If Bliss uses it as a new way/reason for Braun to destroy people then it helps prolong his monster career.

No it makes him a patsy but Im good with that. he doesn thave much shelf life

It's the start of the comedy road imo. Remember Kane and Lita? All downhill very soon. Starts off with angry guy is jilted, but ends with taking gloss away from the monster and making him more human and prone to stupid storylines.

Once that happens, there is no way back.

Already made a similar mistake to what they made with Kane by not giving him a proper title run. Was almost understandable in Kane's day, but Wrestlermania should have def been Strowman Vs Lesnar for the first time. Think they have missed their moment and this is now mistake number two.

It can make him whatever. It still prolongs him being a monster. You run the Bliss angle for a couple of months before he turns on her. It can be a way to change him back to a heel too or keep him as a face. He then gets another legit solo run before needing to go on a break to keep him fresh.

I guess we will see where he is at in 6 months to a year. I get what you are saying, there needs to be some variation in what he does, but giggling and laughing is really off-putting for me.

Give him a proper intense feud with someone, have him injured by a stable and return on a rampage. That's the sort of thing fans loved seeing Goldberg doing. Noone wanted to see Goldberg in a gold wig and I don't think anyone really wants to see this. It's not money.

Ya. Like, he does not need to be changed this instance. He SHOULD be given a short title run first and everyone is still into him. But it will be a few months before the Mixed Challenege is done so I guess there is time to squeeze it in before bringing the next step of Braun to Raw.

How can you buy Braun Strowman as an angry monster when his name is "Braun Strowman" and he debuted looking like this:

http://www.pwpix.net/wp/wp-content/u...89-620x400.jpg

Apparently WWE are not happy with Mixed Match Challenge and how its getting less and less interest by the week.

Well its a shit concept so i dont know what they were going after

Limiting it to just the US was a big mistake but all depends if Facebook is happy at the show getting at least a million views with replays included each week. The live airings going down each week is a big concern though.

This is a guy who has assaulted random people (including Michael Cole, who, if you recall, "threatened legal action" because Brock Lesnar did so before... but Brawn does it, and he's all like 'meh' and comes back the next week like nothing happened), been flipping large vehicles with the help of superfast camera jump cuts and was crushed in a garbage truck, presumably driven around in it to the next RAW city, where it got a paint job, then he emerged from it unscathed. I don't think sticking him in a love angle to give him a bit more character is anywhere near outside the bounds of the believable here.

Besides, I get what you were trying to go for... but 'Taker has contributed to his share of shitty soap opera/sci fi nonsense over the years.

That just depends on booking.

I still recall the road not traveled with AJ Lee and Kane/CM Punk/Daniel Bryan. The smartest thing to do would have had her play master manipulator and essentially have all three of those guys run roughshod over the WWE and beat the piss out of eachother for her just because she could and loved the attention until they got fed up with it and/or some other eventuality - presumably having some guy they're looking to step up to main event become "her man" (let's just say Big E for shits and giggles, or insert whoever you like at the time into this role), and the other three softened themselves up for him to pick them off and win the title.

Or something.

Instead, they just kinda stopped, had Kane tell her she was too crazy even for him, and abruptly promoted her to GM of RAW because reasons.

This doesn't have to be a bad thing for Braun. Problem is more WWE's track record of followthrough and less of it actually being a bad idea.

They put a bunch of mixed tags together in a sexless WWE where they have specifically told people that wins and losses don't matter...in a tournament format? I can't imagine how they expected this to go wrong.

But it's just so...goofy. Like, there's nothing scary about the dude at all. I'm sorry, but I'm just not impressed by him beating up Michael Cole and jobbers. And whenever he has to go long with someone that matters...it sucks.

I look at him and think "heavy breather." And not in the Michael Myers sort of way.

Sami Zayn is awesome.

bump

RoseGold Penitentiary

It's cool that they can throw some comedy into these matches

this is awful

:lol: crowd chanting for Goldust to kiss Mandy

mmm mandy rose

72.9k watching live right now. How does that compare to other weeks?

CrossRhodes !