WWE Building Toward Mixed Tag Team Division in 2026?
Pure speculation ahead — no sources, no leaks, just connecting some dots that have me excited as a longtime pro wrestling fan.
WWE SmackDown just featured its first mixed tag match in over two years: Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley (the Terror Twins) defeated Zelina Vega and Aleister Black.
The bout was significant enough to close the show and serve as the main event. So it wasn’t thrown together randomly — it felt purposeful, and the crowd ate it up.
Include the blockbuster mixed tag at Wrestlepalooza earlier this year (CM Punk & AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch) that stole the show, add the news that SmackDown is going full-time to three hours, and you start to wonder:
Is WWE quietly laying the groundwork for something bigger?
We’ve seen WWE struggle at times to keep momentum in weaker tag divisions, and mixed tags offer a near-perfect solution.
They’re fresh, storyline-friendly, and let you spotlight talent from both the men’s and women’s rosters without further overexposing established singles stars.
The roster has some ready-made mixed teams right now:
Terror Twins (Priest & Ripley) — dominant, intimidating fan favorites
Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio — ultimate heat magnets
Zelina Vega and Aleister Black - featured tonight
Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae — beloved underdogs or evil heels with awesome chemistry
Already mentioned Seth & Becky, along with CM Punk and AJ Lee
Brandi Rhodes could return to wrestling and join her husband Cody
Then there’s the AAA partnership.
Ethan Page & Chelsea Green are currently holding the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championships, and we’ve already seen crossover angles.
What if WWE ran tournaments on SmackDown and/or Raw, with the winners earning a shot at those AAA titles?
It would give the mixed matches real stakes, boost the collaboration’s visibility, and create built‑in international dream matches without forcing WWE to invent brand‑new belts immediately.
I could definitely see WWE introducing Mixed Tag Titles down the line. For the moment, I’ll just say I strongly believe we’ll be seeing a lot more mixed matches once SmackDown expands to a full three-hour show.
If I’m right, we’ll look back at that December 2025 SmackDown match as the spark. If I’m wrong… well, this is just fun speculation, and it’ll disappear into the timeline like most bold predictions do.
Either way, I’d watch the hell out of a mixed tag tournament.
