Bobby Roode replacing Kevin Owens in WWE Mixed Match Challenge
With Kevin Owens out of the tournament due to injury, Natalya has a new partner for Mixed Match Challenge.
WWE announced today that Natalya will be teaming with Bobby Roode for the remainder of the tournament. They are set to face Mickie James & Bobby Lashley on next Tuesday’s episode.
Asuka & The Miz vs. Lana & Rusev will also take place on Tuesday’s Mixed Match Challenge.
Natalya & Owens lost to Ember Moon & Braun Strowman on the season two premiere of Mixed Match Challenge. With Owens needing knee surgery, it was announced this week that he would have to be replaced in the round-robin tournament. The severity of the damage to Owens’ knee won’t be known until he undergoes surgery. Dave Meltzer reported that the expected timetable is that Owens will miss about four months if it’s minor surgery and eight months if it’s major surgery.
This is the third time that a wrestler has had to be replaced in Mixed Match Challenge season two. Moon replaced Alexa Bliss in the tournament, and James replaced Sasha Banks.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.