Match Point is an on-going series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. Today’s edition dives into the upcoming WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match on NXT this Wednesday night as Sasha Banks & Bayley take on Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox
The best part of NXT is its women’s division. That is something that many can agree on as the talent from top to bottom is amongst the best in the world. However, when Charlotte Flair won the NXT Women’s Championship, the brand took an unnecessary hit when the 12-time champion walked in and essentially held their championship hostage. Thankfully, she has lost the championship and seems to have let go of the black and yellow brand. But now more women from the main roster will take a dip into NXT to compete. This time it will be different. After winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships a week ago, Sasha Banks and Bayley will now defend them against the team of Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart. The perfect use of these tag titles and the talent from the main roster.
When Bayley and Sasha Banks won the tag team titles the first time, their goal was to defend it on all three brands and be good representatives of the title. While it would be far better if they could appear in front of a live crowd in the place they helped make, this is the second-best possibility. And their opponents make this match all the more worth it. Here is a deep look at both teams and why this first time match should be special come this Wednesday night.
The Champs: Sasha Banks & Bayley
Almost a year and a half later, but Sasha Banks and Bayley get to finally do what they had hoped with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships the first time around. These two have gone down a selfish path since the last time they were champions, but it has led to a better spot for them. Banks has made her goals clear in the past that she just wants to wrestle and wrestle anyone possible. The same goes for Bayley, who seemingly challenges a new wrestler every single day on Twitter. Despite the characters that they play on television, these two women want to make the tag team titles more prominent and better the division as much of they can.
When singling out each woman, Sasha Banks’ current story is an interesting one. For the first time, she has been playing second fiddle while Bayley takes in the spotlight. Sooner or later, Banks is going to snap and she will have the long-awaited feud with Bayley that fans have been waiting for. Defeating Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross gave a second life for their friendship on television, as it can further the slow burn of Banks getting fed up and letting Bayley have it. It makes for a better story and allows them to dig deeper into their characters a bit more. Something Banks has been trying to get for years it seems. Banks is one of the company’s absolute best and the next few months could be her best as a member of the WWE.
Bayley, on the other hand, has been on the run of her career. She has mastered the heel version of herself and has it approaching the magnitude of quality that the NXT version of her had at one time. As the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion and the “Role Model,” Bayley reawoke her career that was on a steep decline due to continuous mishandlings of a character that was at one time seen as unbreakable.
“Bayley Dos Straps” and “The Blueprint” are the perfect tag team champions one year after their first reign prematurely ended. If you are not sure of that, seek out the title match from Backlash. Them traveling to NXT to face two of its most beloved makes it all worth it.
The Challengers: Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart
Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart are the ideal babyfaces for any brand. Their friendship has brought them together on TV and is now presented with the opportunity of a lifetime as they contend for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against two of the Four Horsewomen. That is a high standard that they are held to and should be expected to deliver. They showed their ability to work as a team during NXT TakeOver: In Your House when they managed to get the win over Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel Gonzalez. Nox and Blackheart showed that they have clearly been working on something as a team and the opportunity to show it off against Bayley and Sasha is even better.
Tegan Nox is set to compete in her second WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match, with the first being last year when she teamed with Dakota Kai to take on the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane). That is the only other time these titles have been defended on NXT. When talking about Nox, you know the immense potential of the 25-year-old Welsh star. She has finally been able to find a groove, competing in the last two TakeOver events and perhaps stealing the show in both as well. Her potential is as a singles star, but her relationship with Shotzi can lead to her first edition of gold in NXT.
Blackheart has been on TV since the moment she was signed from EVOLVE. At least it feels like that. And she has been a prominent member of the roster as well. Her first match saw her eliminate Shayna Baszler from a No. 1 contender battle royal. Since then, she has captured the hearts of NXT fans with her out-of-this-world personality that makes her special. Mixing that with her risk-taking moveset and you have a winner.
The combination of Nox and Shotzi is the perfect team to have face two of the biggest names in the company on Wednesday. Not only due to the fact they will deliver an impressive match, but they will become standouts to the regular audience who may check-in. “The Girl with the Shiniest Wizard” and “The Ballsy One” is in a spot to impress come Wednesday night.
Kickoff To Something More
This match is going to be spectacular. That goes without saying. A lot of talent going head-to-head for the first time can create plenty of intrigue and optimism. But even more than that, this match can kickoff something that these WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships were designed to do which was to bring excellent women’s wrestling to all three brands by mixing the stars of each show. Yes, each roster has its own exclusive roster, but these titles are designed for the champions to show up wherever they want whenever they want. And for the year and a half that they have been around, the company has somewhat failed at that idea. Raw and SmackDown simply do not have enough teams, set or makeshift, to keep it interesting. Including the black and yellow brand is a must and can lead to boatloads of excitement.
Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart has a real chance to be an instant classic on Wednesday night. If given the time to develop the story and show the ultimate heels vs the lovable babyfaces on their own brand, it can be a special match. Banks and Bayley are 1/1 as champions when it comes to delivering good matches. Expect them to be 2/2 in a match that should get far more attention than it is getting at this time. It will be the best match on any show Wednesday night.
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