NXT Results: Samoa Joe returns; WWE Hall Of Famer attacked
NXT TakeOver: In Your House was a rounding success, with five stellar match-ups worthy of a pay-per-view setting. However, at the end of the night, NXT General Manager William Regal alluded to an upsetting announcement stemming from how chaotic his brand had gotten. We'd see that open the show.
Our main event was a grudge match between two of the most vicious tag teams in NXT. The Grizzled Young Veterans aim to rid themselves of Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher once and for all.
All of that, plus Raquel González's return to tag team action as she and Dakota Kai took on Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro in a phenomenal match. The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was also on the line as Kushida continued his open challenge.
NXT General Manager William Regal makes a huge announcement
William Regal went through his path on the black and gold brand, leading from his time at the announcer's desk where he called the first NXT TakeOver event, to running the show. He'd seen the brand grow because of all of the hard work behind the scenes and in the ring.
As he went down memory lane, he began to shed some tears. Regal said that any moment not spent with his family was used to make NXT the place wrestlers would want to be. From San Jose to Brooklyn, to Houston, to Portland, and everywhere else around the world, Regal said that he'd given the NXT fans everything he could give them.
Simply put, William Regal didn't feel he could give the faithful followers what they deserved. Before he could finish, NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Scarlett interrupted. Kross said that they always knew "this day" would come, and had to come out to see Regal's retirement for themselves. Kross teased Regal for crying, calling him pathetic.
Kross said the GM knew Kross was right when he said Regal had lost control, and at TakeOver: In Your House, he saw that Karrion could control this entire brand through chaos. He demanded Regal tell the fans that he was right, and to leave and never come back.
Samoa Joe returns to NXT
At that point, Samoa Joe appeared. Kross looked like he'd seen a ghost, as Joe feared no man, and casually strolled to the ring to stare down the champion. Regal said that NXT deserved a general manager that could hold the position and demand the respect of the roster. He offered the job to Joe.
However, the former NXT Champion declined, stating that Regal had done a fantastic job running this brand. Plucking NXT from obscurity, Regal made it an international phenomenon, and he had shoes to fill that Joe just couldn't fit. As far as respect went, Joe vowed to make sure Regal would get what he deserved from everyone, Kross included.
While Regal liked the idea, there were some stipulations.
- Joe could not compete
- Joe could not lay his hands on a competitor unless provoked.
That last line put a look of fear on Karrion Kross's face, and Joe followed up by demanding him to leave the ring. Kross backed down, and was ushered out by the fans chanting "Hey hey hey, goodbye."
With Joe here, the chaos comes to an end.