The second edition of WWE's Mixed Match Challenge was about to get underway. Unlike with the first event a year earlier, some of the pairings had not been announced ahead of time. For that reason, the entrance of Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Zelina Vega had gotten quite a reaction from the post-Smackdown crowd.
To date, Vega had not wrestled a match on the main roster. Given that she was now standing in the ring in wrestling attire, that was apparently about to change. The fact that she had walked over to the corner of the ring and demanded a microphone was less of a surprise.
"That's right, you'd better cheer," Zelina began, talking down to the fans as ever. "Because you're about to not only be lucky enough to have Andrade 'Cien' Almas perform in front of you, you're also going to see Zelina Vega in action! You really are privileged."
"That's all well and good," Tom Phillips said on commentary as another small cheer went up. "But who are their opponents going to be? On the brackets I have, neither of the teams in this match have been announced."
"You're going to witness history," Vega went on. "And I don't just mean tonight. You're looking at the team who are going to win Mixed Match Challenge 2, because El Idolo y La Muñeca are..."
The intro to Alexa Bliss's music interrupted Zelina, drawing a remarkably loud ovation for someone who was supposed to be a heel character.
"Yes! Here we go!" Graves cried, shamelessly marking out as Alexa walked out onto the stage. "The Goddess is in the Mixed Match Challenge! Look how beautiful she is."
Alexa stood there with her gloved hands raised in her signature pose, her Raw Women's Championship around her waist and smug little smile on her face.
"But who is her partner going to be?" Byron Saxton asked as her music faded out. She still stood there posing, awaiting the arrival of her teammate.
The fans knew who they wanted it to be. Many fondly recalled the chemistry that had existed between Alexa and Braun Strowman in the first Mixed Match Challenge. The pairing known as Team Little Big had been the one most people had wanted to win, only for them to come up short at the semi-final stage, losing to The Miz and Asuka. A chant of "We want Braun" quickly filled the arena. In the ring, Almas and Vega were shown looking at each other with concern, fearing that the crowd might have their wish granted.
With perfect timing, the music for Alexa's partner hit just as the chant began to die down.
"Braun!"
A real eruption came from the fans.
"It's Strowman! Braun Strowman!" Phillips yelled. "Mr Monster in the Bank is Alexa Bliss's partner!"
"Team Little Big are reunited!" Graves shouted gleefully. "They're my pick to win the whole thing! Who's going to beat the Raw Women's Champion and the Money in the Bank holder?"
Braun had walked onto the stage and stood next to Alexa. Holding his prized briefcase, he looked across and down at his partner, who appeared so tiny by comparison to him. His expression seemed to give away that he had a crush on Little Miss Bliss, however there was a job to be done.
Glancing up at Strowman, Alexa motioned towards the ring with her head. They started walking down the ramp side by side.
Phillips said, "The first match of Mixed Match Challenge 2 is going to be Almas and Vega against Strowman and Bliss. Just a minute ago, Zelina was telling us all how her team was going to win, yet now look at her. She's already standing on the apron, with absolutely no intention of starting the match."
"Zelina's smart, Tom," Graves began, only for his colleague to cut back in.
"Smart? Have you not seen Braun Strowman? Almas is a great wrestler; a former NXT champion, but Strowman is a monster! I don't see how you can describe putting Almas in the ring with Strowman as smart?"
Seemingly to emphasise that point, Braun stepped over the top rope to enter the ring, while Almas stayed out of the way in his corner, looking deeply concerned by the challenge that lay ahead of him.
Having walked up the ring steps, Alexa stood on the apron, looking affronted by the fact that the ropes hadn't been held open for her by her teammate. When Braun turned to look at her, she spread her arms expectantly.
Braun realised his lapse in manners and walked over there. However, instead of holding the ropes open, he took hold of Alexa like a big kid picking up a doll and lifted her clean over the top of them, before setting her gently on her feet. The crowd cheered in delight at their interaction.
"Okay, that'll work," she said, looking a little ruffled by the experience.
With Almas clearly starting the match for his team, the referee ordered Alexa out of the ring. The rules of the competition stipulated that only people of the same sex could wrestle each other, so if a tag was made, the corresponding member of the opposition team automatically became legal.
Former NXT champion or no, Almas was wisely reluctant to confront Strowman. The two men stalked each other around the ring for a few moments, before Vega distracted Braun by shouting at him when he was near to her corner.
"I'm going to destroy your girlfriend!" she screamed, standing on the middle rope to lean into the ring.
Braun rounded on her and roared back, "She's not my girlfriend!"
Almas used the distraction to run at Strowman from behind, attacking his knee with a chop block and sending him falling face first into the middle turnbuckle. The sneak attack allowed Andrade the advantage for the first five minutes of the match, using submission holds and striking attacks on the monster's legs to try and keep him grounded – the only way to possible make it a fight he could win.
Standing on the apron, Alexa looked deeply concerned for her partner's welfare. She did her best to shout encouragement, begging for him to make a tag to her. The chance finally came when Almas went for his finishing move, the Hammerlock DDT. Strowman was able to power out before the move could be delivered, sending Andrade literally flying across the ring into a neutral corner, finishing crumpled up like an accordion.
The fans roared their approval as Strowman looked towards his corner, where Alexa was standing on the bottom rope, stretching her arm into the ring and yelling at him to tag. Braun walked over to her and slapped her hand hard. While the fans went wild, Alexa shook her hand against the pain that his tag had caused.
Alexa stepped through the ropes to enter the match. Before Strowman could take her place on the apron, Almas rushed him from behind, smashing him in the back with a double axe handle. Strowman staggered forward, trapping Alexa against the turnbuckles. He was just able to prevent himself squashing her. They were, however, standing face to face, or at least face to body, touching each other. Alexa had put her hands up defensively, and they were now on his chest. She looked up at him, initially with a frightened look on her face. As their eyes met, her expression changed to something approaching desire and her hands clenched a little on his muscular chest in what could only be interpreted as an affectionate gesture.
Seeing how she was reacting to Braun sent the crowd into a frenzy, cheering loudly and chanting "Yes!" No one's attention was on the match that was still going on. The referee had forced Almas out of the ring, and Vega had entered. As Strowman managed to break the spell that physical contact with Alexa had momentarily put him under and leave the ring, Zelina ran in and attacked Alexa, catching her by surprise and starting the fans booing loudly.
As with Almas before her, Vega used the upper hand gained by her sneak attack to take the match to her opponent for several minutes. Despite being a heel on Raw every week, being partnered with Braun had instantly made Alexa a face for the Mixed Match Challenge, and the match was being worked accordingly.
Although she gained a couple of near falls, Zelina couldn't get the job done. Frustrated, she tagged back out to Almas. It was a move that backfired spectacularly. Automatically becoming legal as soon as the tag was made, Braun entered the ring and sprinted at Andrade, hitting him like a freight train and sending him for a complete flip, bringing the fans to their feet again. They joined in as he raised his arms triumphantly in the air and shouted, "Braun!"
Bending down, Strowman scooping Almas up off the mat and got him in position over his shoulder, ready to deliver a running powerslam that would put a certain end to the contest. Realising exactly that, Zelina ran over and dropkicked Braun in the lower back in a desperate attempt to stop him. It was like a fly crashing into the back of a truck, having literally no effect on the huge monster other than to make him turn around and face her.
Vega stood there looking up at Strowman with a terrified look on her face. If she had been paying attention, she might have noticed Alexa getting up behind her. The Raw Women's Champion spun Zelina around, kicked her in the stomach and got her in position for a DDT. Both members of Team Little Big were now in position to deliver their finishing moves.
Braun nodded his head, giving Alexa the cue to hit her move. Vega was driven head first into the mat as Almas was simultaneously slammed almost through the ring. They both made a cover, although only the one on Almas actually mattered. The fans all joined in with the count.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Strowman and Bliss win," Phillips announced over another loud cheer and Strowman's music, which had begun to play.
"Vega and Almas dominated most of the match, but that's how quickly Braun Strowman can turn the tables," Graves said. "It goes without saying, Team Little Big will take some stopping in the Mixed Match Challenge."
Delighted with the victory, Alexa had jumped up to celebrate. Braun also got up, and without thinking, raised his hand for a high five. His hand was several feet higher than Alexa could possibly reach. He lowered it slightly, so that she was able to jump up and slap her hand against his. It was an adorable sight, and received a cheer from the crowd.
Taking Alexa by surprise again, Braun crouched down and encouraged her to sit on his right shoulder. Cautiously, she accepted the invitation, wrapping an arm around his neck for support. Strowman got back up and left the ring, climbing back over the top rope and walking down the ring steps, taking it slowly so that she didn't fall.
"Looking at these celebrations, there's only one question on my mind," Saxton said. "Are Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss anything more than tag team partners? Because, call me crazy, I think I sense romance in the air."
"Don't be silly, Saxton," Graves scoffed. "As if a goddess like Alexa Bliss could ever fall in love with a monster like Strowman."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Phillips said mischievously.
One thing was for sure: As Alexa and Braun made their way up the entrance ramp in their very unconventional manner, they both looked very happy indeed.
A/N: Something a little different to my usual content to say the least! This probably will only be a short story, but hopefully it will be a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter?
Next time, rather than seeing things from a viewer's perspective as we did in this chapter, we're going to join Team Little Big for some training, and we might even get to find out what Alexa and Braun think of each other!
So, let's find out what you guys think? Is Braun smitten with Alexa? Is she falling for him? Or do they both have feelings for each other?