Ember Moon made a surprise return on Sunday at NXT TakeOver 31, revealing herself as the mystery behind the recent night-vision vignettes and issuing a challenge to Io Shirai for the NXT women’s championship.
Moon last performed in NXT in April 2018, when she dropped the title to Shayna Baszler at TakeOver: New Orleans. NXT is the site where Adrienne Reese created the phenomenon that is Ember Moon, a 13-year wrestling veteran, bringing an enigmatic, mystical character to the WWE realm. Her three-year run in NXT was the most successful stretch of her career, and she was grateful to infuse so much of her soul into her return.
“When learned I was headed to NXT, the whole motorcycle package was an idea I had after watching an action movie called Hardcore Henry,” Moon says. “The NXT creative team is absolutely amazing, and they got this massive set for me. I wanted elements of The Masked Singer so we could have clues to keep people guessing. And they were like, ‘Let’s do it!’ There is a video game I play, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, where there are these two dueling voices and you have to listen closely, and we did something similar for the surprise, which was absolutely amazing.”
Moon’s return was made official when she took off her motorcycle helmet, then unleashed a promo putting Shirai on notice.
“I was nervous and I wasn’t certain how I would be received,” says Moon, who was out of action for more than a year due to an Achilles injury. “I didn’t even know Toni Storm was popping up on the monitor right before me. She’s stunning in the ring, and I want to wrestle her, too.
“My nerves kept building as I was walking out to the stage. All I could think was, ‘Crap, did I even shut the visor to the helmet?’ If you look quickly, I grab my helmet and checked. Then I took off the helmet, and it was an outstanding, memorable moment. I think it may have broke the internet for a hot minute. It reminded me that NXT is the place where I’m meant to be. I couldn’t ask for a better team to support me, and it was so amazing to be there on the first night of the Capitol Wrestling Center.”
Continue reading Ember Moon Thrilled to Return to NXT After Long Road Back From Injury