WINC Watchlist: Best WWE Mixed Tags

Whenever there's a big show coming up, like WWE Wrestlepalooza this weekend, it can be instructive (not to mention fun) to go back and watch some older, related matches in the lead-up to the event. There are as many different ways to watch wrestling as there are individual wrestling fans, but here at Wrestling Inc., we love to cut up and rearrange wrestling history in interesting and unique ways, selecting a variety of matches with some sort of through-line connecting them and placing them side-by-side. This time around, in honor of the upcoming high-profile mixed tag team match pitting Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch against CM Punk and AJ Lee, we're looking at the best WWE mixed tags!

This topic comes with some caveats. First, we only considered two-on-two matches, no six-person or eight-person or 14-person tags allowed (there's usually only one woman per side anyway). Second, we only considered matches with a man and a woman on each side. So for example, you won't be seeing Chris Jericho and Christian teaming against Trish Stratus and Lita in 2003 on here — that's an intergender match, not a mixed tag. Third, while we tried to get some older stuff in here, obviously these matches skew more current — nothing we can do about that.

Finally, we're sure there are some hidden gems floating around out there that we missed; we didn't go back and review every match in the 2018 Mixed Match Challenge, for example (though that tournament will be represented) and the current lack of easy access to old episodes of "WWE Raw" means there were a few seemingly notable bouts we simply couldn't find. If you have a favorite WWE mixed tag that didn't get a shout-out here, tell us about it in the comments! As always, your personal watchlist may differ from ours, but these are our picks!

The concept of "best" WWE mixed tag matches is a tricky one, because to put it delicately, it's not a concept that's always been treated with the most respect. So while there are some fairly notable matches that you might normally expect to show up on a mixed tag watchlist, we didn't want to include them because we didn't think they were very good. The primary example of this is the very first WWE mixed tag match, which took place at WrestleMania VI and involved "Macho Man" Randy Savage teaming with his manager "Sensational" Sherri Martel, to take on Dusty Rhodes and his valet, "Sweet" Sapphire. Historic? Yes. Good? Your mileage may vary.

Similarly, there are matches that are directly relevant to Wrestlepalooza which could have been included here, but are likewise not fondly remembered by the collective fanbase. Most notorious is the Extreme Rules 2019 match that saw Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch (both champions as they are now, but babyfaces back then, at the height of Lynch's popularity) collectively defend their titles against Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin, aka "Team No Longer Appearing In This Promotion." We could also have pulled a match that saw AJ Lee team up with CM Punk against Daniel Bryan and Eve Torres in 2012, but are we really that eager to revisit the Divas Era?

Lastly, we have to shout out the Elimination Chamber 2023 match pitting Edge and Beth Phoenix against Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor. While it's a great example of some of the possibilities of the mixed tag format and was overall very well done, the WINC staff is somewhat divided on how the finish plays out. We also have another Judgment Day related match coming up, and we didn't really see the need to go full Double Goth in this instance. But we still love us some Beth Phoenix, and everyone does good work here, so this match is the true honorable mention.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna Vachon took on Marc Mero and his real-life wife at the time, Sable, in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 14. The match was a big moment for women's wrestling, despite the mixed tag aspect, in the Attitude Era, back when women, outside of Chyna, weren't considered serious competitors. While the in-ring action is far from what we're seeing in WWE today post-Women's Revolution, this WrestleMania match helped cement Sable as a star, and even more so as a competitor rather than just a pretty face.

At the time, Sable was still a year out from her first Playboy cover and had been in the then-WWF for about two years alongside her husband. The WrestleMania match came to be after Mero began to grow jealous of the attention Sable was getting from fans and other wrestlers. Goldust's valet, Vachon, disliked Sable both in storyline and real life. At one point, when Goldust grabbed Sable to get her off Vachon during a cat fight, Mero's jealousy won out, and he attacked Goldust, setting up the mixed tag bout.

While it's not the most spectacular WrestleMania match in history, it's a fun watch for fans of the Attitude Era, especially those who grew up loving Sable. The action is surprisingly pretty good, with plenty of false finishes throughout. The match runs just over nine minutes and is well produced, as Sable is kept out of the ring as long as possible and the crowd chants for her grow louder and louder, coming to a height when she's finally tagged in to get her hands on Vachon.

Goldust and Mero have great chemistry in the ring, but Sable is no slouch for competing in only her second-ever match, and Vachon deserves more credit than she gets for working well with someone she actually really disliked. Sable hit a Sable Bomb on Vachon for one of the various false finishes of the match. There is also quite a bit of intergender action throughout the bout, as well. At one point, Mero looked to punch Vachon after she got a cheap shot in on him, and Goldust accidentally took her out after Mero got out of the way. Sable also gets plenty of licks in on Goldust. The end was a bit messy, though to be expected for the time period, with Sable covering Goldust, then Vachon hitting her tag team partner accidentally with a move off the top rope, but in the end, Sable pinned Vachon after hitting her with Mero's TKO for the victory. 

This mixed tag team match is a must-watch for fans who want to see more of Sable in the ring, or even just overall, as she's not often mentioned in WWE history these days. Due to its point in history, this match could very well be overlooked, but the in-ring action is pretty good and it's an enjoyable palate cleanser between championship matches on the WrestleMania 14 card.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Set just three weeks before WrestleMania 34, WWE's inaugural Mixed Match Challenge semi-finals pitted Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman (known as Team Little Big) against Asuka and The Miz (together known as Awe-ska). At the time, Bliss reigned as the WWE Raw Women's Champion. Strowman, while title-less, greatly complemented Bliss as his towering stature juxtaposed her "Five Feet of Fury."

In the opposite corner, Miz held the Intercontinental Championship. Meanwhile, Asuka's journey in this Mixed Match Challenge was paired with a lengthy undefeated streak, which extended all the way back to her days in "WWE NXT." And spoiler alert, it stayed that way after this semi-final encounter.

The early moments of this MMC semi-final were physically uneventful, though entertaining to watch as both teams traded quick tags due Miz appearing afraid to "get these hands" from Strowman. Bliss eventually tagged Strowman back in, causing Miz to meet a dropkick and a clubbing blow from "The Monster Among Men." Unafraid of Strowman, Asuka then broke up his pinfall attempt on Miz.

The romantic teases of Bliss and Strowman continued as well after Asuka launched Bliss into Strowman's arms with a hip attack. WWE fans even almost saw the pair kiss before they registered the referee's count in the ring.

When the action finally returned to the ring, Bliss and Strowman dominated, so much so that Miz later tried to run away from Strowman. Instead, he was hilariously tossed into the barricade (not once, but three times). Luckily for him, his tag team partner mounted a comeback that culminated with her reversing a DDT into the Asuka Lock for the win.

Despite their evident differences in character and regular arguments, Miz and Asuka somehow made it work, and further solidified themselves as an enjoyable pairing to watch as viewers. The pair also quite successful as they went on to win the entire Mixed Match Challenge season one series.

Written by Ella Jay

It took its time to happen, three years to be exact, but Ronda Rousey completed her transition from MMA to professional wrestling to make her debut in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 34, teaming with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a bout that had been established at 'Mania 31. 

In 2015, Rousey was invited into the ring by The Rock during a promo exchange with McMahon and Triple H, with Rock and Rousey clearing the at-time Authority as things got heated. At the time, Rousey was still the undefeated UFC Bantamweight Champion and wouldn't be available to make the transition, and by the time she had done three years and two UFC losses and subsequent MMA retirement later, Rock was unavailable to deliver on the bout that was teased on that night. Fortunately, Angle had developed his own issues working as General Manager under the Authority, and thus Rousey got her partner in the Hall of Famer and Olympian for her first match. 

Naturally, heading into it there were questions over whether Rousey would take well to the transition, and considering her losses in UFC since she had been teased initially meant that she had less of a current superstar quality to her. But with her having since wrapped up her professional wrestling career after championships and accolades aplenty, it's her first, this match, that holds weight as one of her best performances in the squared circle. 

Working alongside an aging Angle, against an aging Triple H and McMahon, it was hardly going to be a technical sprint. But the bout leaned on the idea of less is more, not putting Rousey in a position of overexposure and giving her more than enough moments to make use of the tools she did possess – and quite well in fact. Even with a WrestleMania main event and title matches against the likes of Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, her debut mixed tag bout still remains as an arguable best, and in any case it cannot be disputed that it put her on the right track to hit the ground running in WWE.

Written by Max Everett

They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but we have to admit, Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest bringing the heat at WWE Bash In Berlin was quite satisfying.

To fully appreciate this mixed tag match result, one must first understand the scandalous and treacherous events that led up to it. At one point, Ripley, Priest, and Dominik Mysterio were all a part of the Judgment Day alongside Carlito, JD McDonagh, and Finn Balor. At WWE SummerSlam 2024, however, Ripley and Priest were cast out of the stable, with Balor costing Priest his WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Mysterio revealing his new allegiance to Morgan.

For over a year, Ripley and Mysterio had been romantically linked. In the months leading up to SummerSlam, those lines blurred as Morgan pursued Mysterio while "The Eradicator" remained sidelined with a shoulder injury. Mysterio finally made his decision between the two very clear when he cost Ripley her SummerSlam match and subsequently kissed Morgan. Bonded by their excommunication (and similar music tastes), Ripley and Priest then dubbed themselves the Terror Twins and sought revenge on their now-former Judgment Day stablemates. And they certainly secured it at WWE Bash In Berlin, though not without some lofty hurdles.

Per mixed tag match rules, wrestlers are only allowed to compete against wrestlers of their same gender in the ring. In this case, Ripley vs. Morgan and Priest vs. Mysterio were the legal pairings. Of course, this didn't stop either of the women from striking their male opponents. Morgan delivered some cheap shots to Priest in the match's early going. Ripley later returned the favor by knocking Mysterio down with clotheslines, then locking him in a scissor choke in the corner. As expected, the other Judgment Day members also got involved in the action in an effort to weaken Priest and Ripley. Still, the Terror Twins remained resilient, with Priest laying out McDonagh, Carlito, and Balor in succession before flipping Mysterio upside down with a clothesline. This paved the way for Ripley to finish off Morgan by herself with a headbutt (which Morgan sold beautifully, by the way) and a Riptide for a truly satisfying win.

Revenge story aside, we enjoy this mixed tag match for the opportunity it granted Ripley to further establish herself as a powerhouse that can take on anyone in WWE, and we mean anyone. In the past, Ripley had defeated Akira Tozawa in a rare intergender match held under the WWE banner. She'd also bodyslammed a 300-pound Luke Gallows with ease. In this case, she hilariously wiped out Mysterio with some clotheslines. Though she lost, Morgan shined as well. Aside from her impressive selling, Morgan showed off an exciting new move — an abdominal stretch crucifix driver — that has yet to be named as it relates to her moveset. Former TJPW Princess Tag Team Champion Saki Akai previously performed the same move, calling it the Quetzalcoatl.

Written by Ella Jay