NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

Though she could never manage to defeat Asuka, Moon was presented as the biggest threat to The Empress of Tomorrow’s dominance over NXT’s Women’s division. For some that was a convincing angle to build Ember with, for others it was a cop out. No matter, with a win over Peyton Royce, Kairi Sane and Nikki Cross at WarGames, she claimed the vacant title and the Ember Era began.

How long it will, or should, last is another subject. She definitely seems to be finding her footing as a fighting face, welcoming all comers and standing up to those who don’t adhere to her code of honor and fairplay. Whether someone should be on firmer ground before they become champion is the question.

Luckily, NXT’s given her a tailor made opponent to emphasize her character. Mae Young Classic (MYC) runner-up Shayna Baszler hit the scene by choking out the women who beat her in that tournament, then proceeded to terrorize Performance Center training sessions and televised matches until she baited Moon into a championship match.

Playing a badass of few words is a perfect fit for the former mixed martial arts professional. That background, and her friendship with Ronda Rousey, have put Baszler in this position. But would putting her over here while she still has a lot to learn be any better than what Ember’s critics say NXT has done with her?

At its core, this is the story of a hero standing up to a bully. And that’s a great basis for a program. But there are a lot of questions outside the storyline which make this interesting.

Baszler performed well in The MYC, but she didn’t show off much variety. A TakeOver title match should call on her to do more. How she handles that, and how well the champ helps her with the challenge, will be something to keep an eye on.

In-ring work isn’t Ember’s issue, but her act up until now has largely been focused on her finisher above all else. This will give her a chance to integrate her heroic character into a match against a villainous foe. How she pulls that off may be as important to her future as whether she wins or loses.

Hard to predict either the match quality or the outcome, but at least there should be a lot for us to consider on both scores. And signs of how NXT will book the women’s division from here, depending on whether we leave Philly with a fighting face or a monster heel as champ.