Ben and Bash: Tag Team Talk
Welcome to the Ben and Bash: Tag Team Talk, where two generations of wrestling fans come together to share their love for the sport in a unique father-son dynamic. Join hosts Ben and Bash as they dive into the exhilarating world of professional wrestling, offering insightful commentary, engaging discussions, and entertaining banter that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Ben and Bash: Tag Team Talk
Tag Team Showdowns and Championship Dreams; NXT HeatWave predictions
Ben and Bash previews NXT HeatWave, analyzing each match on the six-match card where women's wrestling takes center stage in four bouts.
• Chelsea Green and Ethan Page face Olympic medalist Tyra Mae Steele and Tavion Heights in a match that naturally evolved into Canada vs USA
• Triple threat number one contender's match between Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan, and Lola Vice will determine who challenges for the NXT Women's Championship
• Jordynne Grace battles Blake Monroe in what promises to be a hard hitting match between a veteran and a rising star
• DarkState challenges Hank and Tank for the NXT Tag Team Championships with numbers advantage heavily favoring the challengers
• Jacy Jayne defends her TNA Knockouts World Championship against Masha Slamovich and Ash By Elegance in a triple threat match with potential interference
• Main event features Oba Femi defending the NXT Championship against Je’Von Evans, who appears poised to finally capture gold after previous attempts
Make sure to watch both NXT HeatWave and AEW' Forbidden Door on Sunday, with AEW starting earlier allowing fans to catch both shows without overlap
Welcome to the Ben and Bash Podcast Tag Team Zone.
Speaker 2:I'm Ben.
Speaker 1:I'm Bash. It's time to lace up your boots and hit them out with the Ben and Bash Podcast. Tag Team Zone.
Speaker 2:All right, here we are for another one. We're doing NXT Heat Wave, so it's a pretty big weekend. You got NXT and AEW both coming on Sunday. I think AEW comes on a little bit earlier than NXT comes on at night, I believe, so you should be able to watch both without what I've been appearing with the other ones. But yeah, let's get to NXT, let's get to it.
Speaker 1:Alright, for the first match on the card is Chelsea Green and Ethan Page versus Tyra May, steel and Antavion Heights, and for this one, I mean it could go either way. I feel like Chelsea Green and Ethan probably aren't going to win though, especially because Tyra May still is new.
Speaker 2:She won LFC.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Something. Gold medalist, two-time Olympian.
Speaker 1:And they didn't have to make this USA vs Canada.
Speaker 2:I mean Tavion Heights was the Olympian too. So it makes sense that the only other Olympian and they didn't have to make this USA vs Canada I mean Tava Hopkin's an Olympian too. So it makes sense that the only other Olympian or not only other? But the other Olympian in NXT right now is his partner. He wasn't an Olympian, he didn't win a medal or anything.
Speaker 2:If he goes to the Olympics, he's still one of the best. If he goes to the Olympics, he still went to the Olympics, and she did too. So it makes sense if their tag team together, it just kind of happened where it's two Canada people versus the United States people. It just happened to happen that way. I mean Chelsea.
Speaker 1:Green from Canada, even the.
Speaker 2:Pacers from Canada. It worked, I know, but it worked though they could have gotten anybody, but it worked though they could have got anybody, but it works with healthy grain, because now you can do it. You know Olympians versus Canadians, you know two veterans versus two up-and-comers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to say, tyra May is stealing the tape.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I feel you on that one. Is that all you got for that one?
Speaker 1:I guess, so you agree with me, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you guys reason why.
Speaker 1:Because their baby faces. And Tyra May Steel is new and I just don't see her taking a loss here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think she's only had one match on NXT TV. I think she's had a few match on NXT TV. She's had a few matches, not televised TV shows.
Speaker 1:And I think Ethan Page is probably not going to get pinned. I guess Chelsea Bain is going to take the pin.
Speaker 2:I don't know unless Tava Heights is trying to go out to the American Championship, then if he can't take the page, there you go. I don't see Tava.
Speaker 1:Mays still and Tava.
Speaker 2:Heights losing yeah, then if he can't take the page, there you go. Yeah, but yeah, yeah, I don't see Tyra May still and Tayvon Heights losing. I mean, for one, tyra May still just won not just won, but she won the last season of LFG Mm-hmm Along with Jasper Troy. Yeah, but yeah. And she's an Olympian, she, she wants to be a wrestler, that's what she always wanted to do.
Speaker 2:She's a fan, she's a real fan. I think, yeah, we'll see how this goes. I mean, it works for storyline purposes. It does better. If Octavian pins Ethan Page, you can step there for you for the North American Championship. Tyra May still, she still has time. Like I said, this is only maybe her second, maybe third match at the most on NXT TV. I know this is her first PLE match, for sure. But yeah, we'll see how she does on the big stage against a veteran like Chelsea Green. I mean, chelsea Green is a good wrestler, she makes everybody look good. But yeah, we'll see how this goes.
Speaker 1:Alright. So for the second match on the card is Jada Parker versus Kehlani Jordan versus Lola Weiss for a number one contenders match for the NXT Women's Championship. So for this one, I mean has Lola Weiss and Kehlani Jordan have. They had an opportunity because I know Jada Parker has in a couple faded for white.
Speaker 2:I don't call it had a North American camera Seattle, that big match they had with that. A well, that's what I thought, and I think yeah was that for the NXT Women's Championship.
Speaker 1:The ladder match. Yeah, oh, that was for the North.
Speaker 2:America.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she won that one.
Speaker 2:Remember yeah, okay, yeah, I'm not sure. I can't remember if Lola and Kalani have had. I know they both had North America Championship matches. I can't remember if Lola had a NXT Women's Championship match or not.
Speaker 1:I know Jada Parker.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, she had one on the live event.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I'm probably going to say Probably Jada Parker maybe, but like Maybe, I don't know.
Speaker 2:You said Jada Parker maybe, mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean it's a toss up cause all three of them can go in the ring. You know it's a toss up cause all of them have been getting all of them have been getting some good, good storylines in. You know Lowe's been wrestling in Mexico in AAA Triplemania. You know, that's AAA's biggest card. Kalani's been doing pretty good things. Jada, you know she's a crowd favorite and the champion is JC. Jane I mean Kalani and JC would probably be the better match probably of the three.
Speaker 2:But, fan-wise would probably be the better match, probably of the three, but fan-wise maybe Jada. But it's a total between Jada and. Lola for me. Let's see you pick Jada then. So just to be different, I'm going to pick Lola, Just to be a little different.
Speaker 1:Why don't you think Kalani's winning?
Speaker 2:It affects crowd interaction. Jada and Lola gets bigger crowd reaction Just based off that alone. I mean, like I said, like I told you before, Kalani and Jada would probably be a better match, like wrestling match, but crowd-wise, the crowds cheer more for Jada and Lobo than they do for Kalani. At least right now we know it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but that's where you would stay. For that one, yeah, all right. And for the next match on the card is Jordan Graves versus Blake Monroe, and for this one, I mean, it's been a pretty good few so far, it's been excellent it makes sense yeah.
Speaker 2:Both of them came in with something to prove. Jordan normally runs through a division when she comes in and wins the belt. She didn't be able to do it this time around, just because it's different. It's different here in NXT, and so she's frustrated by that Thought. She had a friend, an ally, in Blake Monroe. Blake Monroe just came over from AEW and, like I told you before, I said, she doesn't make a good babyface. She's a way better heel.
Speaker 2:And they didn't take no time. She took no time in showing people that she's a way better heel than she is a babyface. But yeah, so, yeah, so yeah. This should be a pretty good match and we can see. You know, this is two, two, two good wrestlers. Jordan's the the season bet. I'm gonna call him romey blake monroe. She's been wrestling for a little while now, not as long as jordan grace, obviously, but she's wrestling for a good bit of time too, so both of them can go in the ring, you know. So this should be a pretty good match, but who'd you pick to win? I picked.
Speaker 1:I picked Blake Monroe. I didn't pick before you said that, but I picked are you picking Blake Monroe?
Speaker 2:yeah, uh, who needs to win more? Is the question.
Speaker 1:Blake Monroe. I mean she doesn, she doesn't need to win, but she's new to NXT. Yeah, but Jordan.
Speaker 2:Grace has been losing every match. Every big match she's been in, she's lost, yeah, so far, she lost at Evolution. She lost another time at another pre-rider event, I mean she's been losing every championship match she gets in, or big-time match she gets get. Then she usually loses those matches.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Well she I think she needs to win more than Blake does. Right this point on her plates, do she just deal? You know, but yeah, I'm gonna go Jordan. Gracious to be different you know, Jordan grace.
Speaker 1:I mean, either one of them could win.
Speaker 2:I don't know. This is a toss-up. You could put a coin on this. It's really 50-50 on this one for me. I mean, I wouldn't mind either one of them winning, but I think Jordan Grace needs a win more.
Speaker 1:So for the next match on the card is Hankank and take versus dark state for the nxt tag team championships we all know what members the dark state's gonna be into the match technically, because it's four members.
Speaker 2:Uh, dark state's winning that dark state winner, any reason why?
Speaker 1:because the nxt tag division is is gone. Basically on the men's side, I mean, there is no women's tag team division, but dirk state's like the only actual team right now that makes sense.
Speaker 2:I mean they're not gone, but a lot of things have moved up to the main roster recently name an nxt team, except these two not really. I'm sure it's tough. I just can't think off the top of my head right now there's other ones. There are also more.
Speaker 1:Somewhere there must be more just too, oh, you got the Chase University guys yeah, well, I'm talking about people who actually get an opportunity. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean they might get the next one, but uh, I mean we'll see how this goes. Like I got Dark State winning too, Because why not, right? I mean they've been featured heavily on every show. Plus, they've been in TNA before they attacked, you know, the top four guys between TNA and NXT in a match.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they absolutely beat them and they beat them, they attacked.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they absolutely beat them and they beat them. They attacked them, then they beat them. So I mean they could beat Oba and Javon and Trick and Moose. You would think that they should be able to beat Hank and Tank in a tag team match. Yeah, they still got the numbers because, yeah, you may not have all four guys in the ring, but you got two guys outside the ring. Mm-hmm, you got two guys outside the ring.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, hank and Tank only got two people, yeah, but but yeah, that's why I got. I got Darkseid in that as well.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm. Yeah, but for the next match on the card, and probably in my I don't know, probably gonna be the second best match, I would say Maybe I don't know, it's jc jane versus masha slimmer versus azure by elegance for the nxt knockout championship. What is it just for the nxt? No, just for tonight I just that's what I meant. Oh, I didn't know they do that. I thought they just had both. Oh no, she's double champ, but you can oh, masha slimmer is gonna win, masha Slamovich is going to win. Yup, yup, masha Slamovich.
Speaker 2:That's who you got winning Mm-hmm. Why is that?
Speaker 1:Because I feel like if both titles were on the line, she would lose, but it's the TNA championship Actually. No, no, no, I'm saying JTJ. I thought about it for a second. I'm saying JTJ, yeah.
Speaker 2:JTJ can actually defend both belts. I mean, like I said, she's a veteran wrestler as well and she's not somebody who's like, she's been on TNA, she's been on NXT, she's been on both of them with the belts, so she's not somebody who only shows up every now and then with both belts. So she could defend both belts, because she doesn't use wrestlers the same night for both belts, like that one. She's only wrestled for TNA Championship and that's the NXT Championship.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's not like for the Stephanie McHara who wrestled twice in the same night. I know yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's not like her where she wrestled twice in the same night. You know, jtj has been able so far to be able to stretch them out to where one is wrestling here and then she defends the belt another day on this one. But this is a tough one Because Masha Stamovich we all know what she can do in the ring. Jaycee Jane we know what she can do as, by elegance, it's the wild card, Because I think she's found her footing. We know who. That is right. She's been in WWE, was it Dana Brooke?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, and I think in TNA she's found her lane as far as they say. It's a triple threat match too, and you gotta think Ash, by elegance, has two other people and her concierge with them, so she's got three people on the outside. The others don't have anybody. Well, jc Jane has the two people in the.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but much of it doesn't have anyone.
Speaker 2:So the numbers wise has either JC or Ash winning.
Speaker 1:Personally, if I was in this match, I would just team up against Masha Slamovich, because, like there's two heels and they have six people, there's not like one. It doesn't matter who you are, unless you're like Superman. You're not beating a six-on-one scenario.
Speaker 2:Exactly, but it's tough like that though, but Masha can win. I mean, she can beat Jordan Grace, she can beat a lot of people. Yeah, I'm going to go on a wild card here and I'm going to pick Ash by Elegance to win, because triple threat match, you know the champ, don't have to get pinned to lose interference and all that good stuff, know how to get pinned to lose interference and all that good stuff. So I'm going to go on a wild card here and pick Ash by elegance to win. I think it might be her first singles championship since she had the 24-7 championship, dang. I mean, she's been tag team champions, but I don't think she's had a singles championship this year championship right now, that X division, right I think it's tag team.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:I think it's knockout tag team, I believe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought it was like the.
Speaker 2:I want to say it's a TNA tag team, a women's tag team championship.
Speaker 1:Probably Knockout, tag team championship Probably is. So I'm probably going to say oh yeah, yeah, I already said it, you already said you already said Marshall right no, I said.
Speaker 2:Jayce, oh, jayce, okay.
Speaker 1:I changed my pick. Okay, so you got Jayce. Is that what you're going to say for that one?
Speaker 1:yep, that's it and for the main event, it's over for me versus Javon. So for this one I might have to go Javon, because he's had too many opportunities just to lose again and my pick is for him to be the next NXT championship NXT champion. So why not? Why not? Why not have him win it this year? Because last year he was in the same type of match but it was a fatal four-way and he lost that one. Actually, he got pinned.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pick Javon Evans as well, but I'm going to pick him because I think Ova's getting ready to move up to the main roster.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think Asuka's the only one so far that's left without getting beat on the main roster, I mean on NXT. Everybody else has either lost their belt before they moved up. She was undefeated. Her first loss was against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
Speaker 1:And Ova Femi lost to Tony D'Angelo.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And he lost to Trick Williams too, didn't he? And then he got the belt back from Trick Williams. Did he lose the NXT championship to Trick Williams?
Speaker 1:No, the second time.
Speaker 2:Trickling is on I know, but I'm saying but that was against Ethan Page so who all did Oba lose to then?
Speaker 1:He lost to Tony D'Angelo.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:He might have got pinned, but one-on-one. That's the only time I remember him getting beat, Okay.
Speaker 2:But yeah, remember, okay, he'll get in beat, okay, but yeah. So yeah, I guess I think obelisk getting ready to move to the main roster not sure how they're gonna move into the main roster, I mean I'm sure they're gonna do it right because he's a I mean you know he's a he's coming to his own lane figuring out how to do it. They need a couple more big guys on the main roster, since, you know, bronze not there anymore, but he's not, probably not coming back right now. The way it looks Omos, he may or may not be there, I don't know. They need a couple more big guys, like a monster on the main roster.
Speaker 2:now, I mean, you got the Wild Six and guys like that. So yeah, I'm going to pick Javon Evans. I'm going to go G to win and become a new NXT champion.
Speaker 1:Oh, you think so too.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, alright.
Speaker 2:Anything else to add with this card? Nope, so yeah, it's like a pretty solid card. There's actually more women matches on this card than men's matches.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was going to say, like for the first three matches. I was going to say like for the first three matches, I was going to say that these are all matches involving women so far, but I forgot to say Because there's what four?
Speaker 2:is it four women matches on there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, four or four matches involving women.
Speaker 2:This was a mixed tag match yeah, but I'm saying that's a woman. That's a woman in that match. What five matches on the card? Six Six matches Mm-hmm, was it four or five? Had women.
Speaker 1:Four.
Speaker 2:Four out of six. That's pretty good odds. Yeah, I mean, that's, two-thirds of the card has women on it. Mm-hmm, I mean, usually it's the opposite way. Yeah, you know, less is ever limited, or something like that. Normally it's more men matches than women matches.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what almost all pay-per-views Even.
Speaker 2:AEW, exactly. But yeah, it's a nice little way for the women to have a nice platform outside of Evolution to showcase their stuff. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. So yeah, we'll see what happens when NXT Heat Wave comes on. You guys got to add to it. Nope, all right.
Speaker 1:I'm Ben, I'm.
Speaker 2:Bex, an episode of