'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This Sunday at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, Ember Moon will have the opportunity to do something she has yet to do in her WWE career. Ember Moon will team once again with Shotzi Blackheart to take on Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez in the finals of the first-ever Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
This match is obviously a big one, but for Ember Moon it goes far beyond winning a trophy or earning an opportunity at tag team gold. Speaking to SK Wrestling ahead of Sunday's PPV, Moon said this match is her chance at making history.
"I've been with WWE for almost, oh goodness, almost six years now. My goodness time has flied. I haven't really had an opportunity to edge my name in history with the Women's Revolution, the evolution. You know, I've been a part of a lot of firsts, but I've never been the first at something. And this is my opportunity to do it with my ride or die partner Shotzi Blackheart. So we're super ecstatic, we're super focused."
At first glance, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez appear to be the favorites. The two have been running roughshod over the NXT Women's Division for over a year now, while Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart are fairly new to the tag team ranks.
Fans shouldn't sleep on the babyfaces come Sunday though. Moon and Blackheart have formed a powerful bond in a short amount of time. Which is something truly remarkable considering the number of superstars who have tried to become tag team partners with Ember Moon over the years.
Ember Moon feels like she turned down nearly every woman in the locker room
On top of the obvious perk of getting to ride down to the ring in a tank, Ember Moon says everything just feels right in her partnership with Shotzi Blackheart. She told SK Wrestling that she absolutely made the right call in having Shotzi be her first official tag team partner in WWE.
"I just love Shotzi's energy. I love her personality and it's crazy because, like, everyone thinks that we don't spend a lot of time together, but that's all we do. When we first found out that we were going to be a tag team we were spending every night at her place, my hotel, watching footage, tag matches, everything. So we can be the best tag team that we can possibly be because like, it's the Dusty. There's a legacy that comes with winning this tournament and Dusty is immortal and we want to do him well. We want to do NXT well. But Shotzi Blackheart is like that free chaotic spirit, just like myself. And I find that it's just easy to vibe, easy to gel, and were just always on the same page."
During her time in WWE, Ember Moon has had the opportunity to form alliances with nearly everyone on the roster, but turned them all down. It didn't matter who the Superstar was, it just never seemed like the right opportunity.
"When you're on RAW and SmackDown there are so many talented women in the back that are itching for a chance to prove themselves. I really do feel like I've been asked by everyone, like everyone, at one point in time. Natalya, I remember when the tag titles first got announced, was asking me. Naomi, who's like tremendous and like my sister from another mister. Just so many women have asked me. Even down to Lana and so many others. It's just been one of those things that like, no offense to them, I just didn't get it. I didn't think that was for me at the time, because I was so dedicated to being a singles wrestler."
It was a real life Lethal Weapon situation. Excuse the 80's cop movie reference, but in this situation Ember Moon was Sgt. Roger Murtaugh. She always preferred to work alone, that was until her Martin Riggs came along.
Everything for Ember Moon changed when she had the opportunity to team with Shotzi Blackheart upon her return to NXT. A special bond was formed between the two superstars after their time spent competing in WarGames back in December.
Ember Moon says that Shotzi's creativity and her dedication to just being herself appealed to her on a different level. It was something that she said she needed in a partner and in the end she just couldn't say no to this tag team.
"I was like, 'okay, there's something here.' There's something here that felt like magic more so than the others. Cause let's face it, on RAW and SmackDown I was everyone's favorite tag team partner. Like I was always the third wheel with Asuka and Bayley. Or just like, 'Hey, we're going to do this to see if this is a fit.' And I just didn't, I didn't feel that same magic that I felt with Shotzi."
Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart now find themselves one win away from both the Dusty Cup and a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. They'll have to get by Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
Make sure to check out PART ONE of our conversation with Ember Moon in the video above and follow Rick Ucchino on Twitter for more SK Wrestling exclusive content: @RickUcchino.
