NXT News: Samoa Joe wins NXT title at live event
According to a report from the WWE website, Samoa Joe has defeated Finn Balor for the NXT Championship at a live event in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The victory ends a 292-day reign by Balor, who won the title from Kevin Owens at the “Beast in the East” event in Tokyo, Japan, on July 4, 2015. That makes him the longest-reigning NXT champion by five days over Neville.
The finish came after one of Samoa Joe’s signature Musclebuster finishers. As it was a live event, the match isn’t likely to air on any NXT programming, but Twitter user @JeffIrvineCFH posted a video of the ending.
#NXT #finnbalor vs #samoajoe #Newchamp #NXTLowell pic.twitter.com/kJsmhuMUu5
— Jeff Irvine (@JeffIrvineCFH) April 22, 2016
Samoa Joe debuted in NXT on May 20, 2015. His victory drew a positve reaction from former NXT Women’s Champion Bayley on Twitter.
Congratulations @SamoaJoe! My heart exploded along with every fan at #NXTLowell tonight!What a cool moment to be a part of. #NXT
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) April 22, 2016
Due to the status of both Balor and Samoa Joe as veterans in promotions across the world, there has been lots of speculation about when the two men would come up to the main roster. While it seems Joe will be staying in NXT for a while now, Balor could join his former Bullet Club mates Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, who recently debuted on WWE programming and are set to have their in-ring debut next Monday on RAW.
Another former Bullet Club leader, AJ Styles, debuted at Royal Rumble in January.
Kevin Owens, another former NXT champion who is known as something of a troll on social media, also posted about the match’s perceived ramifications for Balor’s future.
@wwebalor See you soon, buddy.
— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) April 22, 2016