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Karrion Kross first won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: XXX, where he defeated the defending champion Keith Lee in a competitive bout. The match had gone back and forth before Kross connected with the Doomsday Saito from the top rope to capture the NXT Championship.
Unfortunately, Karrion Kross had to relinquish the NXT Championship only four days after he won the title. Kross was on the shelf for almost four months before he returned in December 2020.
Kross fought his way back to the top and defeated Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver to win the NXT Championship for the second time in his career. Speaking with Michael Morales of Lucha Libre Online, Kross got a chance to candidly express his feelings regarding this victory.
"I felt whole again," said Kross. "It felt like everything came full circle. I have said this before, to people, my whole intention in recovering and regaining the title was to get back to where we were. But everything went so well with the recovery and just the process that I very much feel like I exceeded where I was initially. We've blown that away. We're on a whole new level now. And what can I say? I'm very happy about it. Now the real work begins. I can't wait."
Kross' dominance has continued since he regained the title, as he remains the man to beat on NXT.
Karrion Kross already retained the NXT Championship in a rematch with Finn Balor
Not long after Karrion Kross dethroned Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, "The Prince" came looking for a rematch for the NXT Championship. He got one more chance to beat Kross, but this time the roles were reversed.
The match was similar to their first encounter, as it contained the same level of intensity from both competitors. The two stars tried to outwrestle each other every step of the way inside the squared circle. But when the bout moved outside the ring, the action became even more brutal.
Balor seemingly had the championship in his grasp at several points, but Kross emerged victorious by choking him out at the end of a hard-fought match.
Karrion Kross is set to defend the title in a five-way match against Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Which star do you think will walk out as the champion? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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