"I was disappointed and very angry that it happened"- Karrion Kross recalls his feelings following NXT TakeOver: XXX

At NXT TakeOver:XXX, Karrion Kross faced off against the defending NXT Champion Keith Lee for the title in the main event of the show. The match went back and forth before ending after Kross connected with a Doomsday Saito off the top rope.

During the match, Kross separated his shoulder but managed to work through the injury until the match was over. Unfortunately for Karrion Kross, he had to relinquish the NXT Championship as he needed time off to recover from the injury.

In an interview with Michael Morales of Lucha Libre Online, Karrion Kross explained his emotions when he won the NXT Championship and what it was like having to vacate his newly won title:

"I was hoping that my shoulder didn't look as bad as it felt and I was hoping that they didn't notice. But little did I know at the time, I've got like a bone sticking out of my neck. So I tried to shove it back in. Wouldn't go back in and before the show is even over, everyone from production that meet me halfway on the stage and they were like: ‘Are you okay? And I was like: ‘Man, they know’." Karrion Kross added, "Because at the time, I didn't know how bad it looked. I know it was bad. It was a wide array, a mix of emotions. I was nervous that they were going to pull the title from me. I was disappointed and very angry that it happened."

"On the path there are obstacles, but for me, the obstacles are the path."Due to injury, @WWEKarrionKross must relinquish his #NXTTitle. #WWENXT @Lady_Scarlett13 pic.twitter.com/usClkIAdMX

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 27, 2020

As a result, a new NXT champion had to be determined and thus a Fatal Four Way Iron Man match was held between Adam Cole, Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. The match went to a draw between Cole and Balor.

The two faced off against each other the following week where Balor picked up the win to become the NXT Champion

Karrion Kross returned to NXT four months later

Karrion Kross

After being on the shelf for almost four months, Kross returned to action in December 2020 and started a feud with Damian Priest. The two had an exciting match at NXT New Year's Evil where Kross defeated Priest after connecting with a forearm to the back of his neck.

The more you fight, the stronger @WWEKarrionKross gets. #WWENXT #NXTNYE @ArcherOfInfamy @Lady_Scarlett13 pic.twitter.com/hMTbvZFYhs

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) January 7, 2021

It wasn't long before Kross successfully went after the title he never lost. At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2, Kross defeated Balor to become a two-time NXT Champion.