WWE is always looking to make a big impression in whatever space they decide to occupy and it looks like they’re going to break Facebook Watch wide open with the debut of Mixed Match Challenge.
The concept has been a long time in the making and could someday go to answer exactly how long it could take before fans would just be tuning in to Facebook to catch their favorite WWE Superstars do battle on a weekly basis.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports Vince McMahon is going all out in order to make the Mixed Match Challange something very big. WWE wants to impress Facebook’s top dogs along with any other websites or streaming services as well. The idea is to open new doors for WWE in 2019 because that is when their current contract with NBC/Universal is set to expire.
Variety reported Facebook is paying for rights to distribute the show and this 12-week experiment is WWE’s way to see if the revenue would be comparable to that of a major network deal.
The actual Mixed Match Challenge show will not really have storylines related to Raw or SmackDown, although minor things could happen which might factor into some other stories on an individual basis. For instance, if someone is injured after a tough match this might cause them to miss an episode.
PWInsider is reporting that 205 Live has been pushed back and the show will now start at 10:30 PM Eastern on the WWE Network.
As for what teams will be featured on the show, Pro Wrestling Sheet’s sources indicate that Nia Jax and Enzo Amore are “almost a lock to team together.”
There has also been some talk of pairing up other teams who happen to be married such as Jimmy Uso and Naomi along with Rusev and Lana. It could be interesting to see Rusev and Lana team together because this would be the first real interaction the two have had with each other since before Rusev’s injury hiatus if you don’t count Total Divas.
