Mixed tag matches are quite irregular, only occurring when a female competitor gets involved in a feud, or when two feuds are combined.
The WWE rules are men face men and women face women, but independent promotions are quite well known for intergender wrestling. Saying this, WWE did receive a bit of a spotlight with the two seasons of the Mixed Match Challenge. Couple that with the main event of this Sunday’s Extreme Rules being an extreme rules mixed tag team match, it shows the power of when males and females combine.
There have been some classic mixed tag matches, normally when the superstars just work well together, or the situation around the match makes the match better. I have tried to make sure they aren’t all WWE matches!
1. Will Ospreay & Bea Priestley vs Richochet & Tessa Blanchard – WCPW Loaded 2017
I feel like this one is slightly biased because, to me, Will Ospreay is the best wrestler on the planet. He, alongside girlfriend Bea Priestley (a phenomenal wrestler in her own right), worked this match as heels opposite two incredible baby faces in Tessa Blanchard and Ricochet. A team chemistry is normally better if they spend a lot of time together, which is why anything with Ricochet and Ospreay in always a classic. Add in the unbelievably talented women and this a must watch. From the dual ‘Cheeky Nando’s Kick’s’ from the heels, to the ‘Sunset Flip Bomb’ and ‘Reverse-rana’ from the women to the men, this is a classic indie match. Also, I did recently watch this match and Will reminds me of a tattoo-less MGK, find it on YouTube and prove me wrong.
2. Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs Triple H & Stephanie McMahon – Wrestlemania 34
With this match being Ronda’s debut in professional wrestling, and the other competitors being older performers, I believe not many fans had high expectations for this match… but we were all quite pleasantly surprised. The match dynamic worked well, with Ronda desperate to get her hands on Stephanie and Hunter, and Stephanie running scared every chance she got, whilst also being a cheerleader for Hunter when he was in with Angle. When Ronda got the tag, she proved she is truly the ‘baddest’ woman on the planet by not only dominating Stephanie for the win, but getting some offence in on Triple H, including a wicked show in strength lifting him up for the ‘Piper’s Pit’.
3. John Cena & Trish Stratus vs Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix – RAW 2008
This match did actually come to mind when I started writing this article, mainly because of Santino’s hilarious pronunciation of John’s name which was the set up for this match. However, that isn’t the reason for this match’s inclusion – Cena getting Trish out of retirement for this match was brilliant, especially in her hometown of Toronto, receiving quite an ovation from the fans. The work rate of all four competitors made this match a decent 7 or 8 minute tag match in which the babyfaces were going to receive a clear win. The best female competitor in WWE history, Stratus, against a worthy contender, as well as the funniest male competitor against someone of Cena’s stature in this company gives this match a worthy spot on this list.
4. Edge, Mick Foley & Lita vs Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk & Beulah McGillicutty – ECW One Night Stand 2006
This had a really odd back story to it – Mick and Edge fought in a match at Wrestlemania 22 and then seemed to join forces because Mick respected Edge. This led to them attacking Dreamer and Funk, soon getting the women involved after Lita interfered in a match on RAW. The match opened with a classic Edge heel promo berating the Philly fans and Foley joining in playing perfect heels in a very biased ECW arena. The match was predominantly the men, a classic ECW hardcore match with fire, barbed wire and a lot of blood. However, this match does count as a mixed tag after Edge speared Beulah to pick up the win with an extremely suggestive pinning position. We also got the expected Joey Styles screeching ‘cat fight’ for the minimal action the women had in this match. Eugh.
5. Eddie & Alisha Edwards vs Davey Richards & Angelina Love – Slammiversary 2017
Another hardcore entry, but the women in this match definitely get more involved. I loved the American Wolves, together or feuding, and adding in each of their partners just made their feud so much more personal and entertaining to watch. The match started with an attack by the Edwards’ getting instantly hardcore and setting up the tone of this match, with the heels (Richards & Love) controlling most of the start as the babyfaces fight back and eventually win. There were a lot of hardcore spots by the women, including a trash can being put over the heads of Richards and Love as the Edwards’ smash kendo sticks into both opponents. Oh, and Eddie having thumbtacks poured in his mouth! For a 10-minute match, it’s non-stop, full on, and very entertaining.
With the boom in intergender wrestling, I expect there to be a lot more of these tag matches, and a lot more men vs women spots! It does make the match more interesting and captivating, especially when we see the women prove they can keep up with the men!
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