Speculation Builds Over Potential 2026 Mixed Match Challenge Pairings

There is no official word that WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge is coming back, but the idea of a 2026 revival has sparked plenty of discussion about which real-life and on-screen couples could headline it if the company ever pulls the trigger.

The original Mixed Match Challenge ran in 2018 and became a surprise hit by pairing male and female stars from Raw and SmackDown into tag teams, often leaning on existing on-screen relationships for extra storyline juice. A number of current couples on WWE television would seemingly fit that same mold.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio stand out as the most obvious pairing, given their on-screen relationship has run for more than two years since Dominik’s SummerSlam 2024 turn on Rhea Ripley. Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri, now both part of The Vision on Raw, could use a tournament like this to solidify themselves as a unit. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae present an interesting option as well, especially with Gargano back in the swing of things on SmackDown following Tommaso Ciampa’s AEW departure earlier this year.

Other potential teams lean more on real-life chemistry than established storylines. Trick Williams and Lash Legend haven’t been linked on screen, but their real relationship has been referenced on SmackDown. The same goes for NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan and Carmelo Hayes, who have yet to be paired up despite Jordan’s rise to the top of the NXT women’s division and her recent Raw debut. Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley’s friendship from their NXT days could also be revisited now that Paxley has been called up to the main roster, leaving Hill behind.

What makes a hypothetical 2026 version especially interesting is the AAA wrinkle. Since WWE’s partnership with the Mexican promotion deepened, AAA now has its own Mixed Tag Team Championship, currently held by Laredo Kid and La Hiedra — titles that could conceivably be defended or contested as part of a revived tournament. Daga and Karmen Petrovic, both tied to the reformed Los Perros Del Mal stable, were floated as a possible second AAA entry, even though Petrovic has yet to officially compete for the promotion.

Worth noting: none of this is confirmed. WWE has not announced any plans to bring back the Mixed Match Challenge, and these pairings are purely speculative based on current on-screen and real-life relationships across Raw, SmackDown, NXT and AAA. But the original tournament’s mix of comedy, chemistry and crossover appeal is exactly the kind of programming WWE has leaned into more in recent years, especially with its AAA partnership giving the company fresh international stars to showcase.

If WWE ever does revive the concept, the current landscape — with The Vision’s internal pairings, several blossoming real-life couples on SmackDown and NXT, and a genuine AAA title to put on the line — would give it more built-in storytelling material than the 2018 edition ever had. For now, fans will have to keep speculating.