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Tonight's episode of NXT got off to a monumental start tonight with a former WWE Universal Champion returning to the black and gold brand, as Finn Balor made his presence felt following the NXT Championship Match between defending Adam Cole and Matt Riddle.
Following a short hiatus from WWE after his loss to The Fiend, Finn Balor returned to the brand where he cut his teeth before revealing that he "is NXT" - seemingly confirming his full-time return to the brand.
Australian tour
The return of Balor to NXT is obviously huge news, and has kicked off the era of NXT on the USA Network in a big way, with the first ever Universal Champion showing up immediately following Adam Cole's title defence against Matt Riddle. It looked like Finn Balor would be heading back to the main roster upon his return after he was pencilled in to face off against Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE's Australian Live tour.
While that may still be the case, it now seems like the Demon King will be chasing a different kind of gold, and one which he previously held during his time in NXT.
The Return of the King
"As of now, Finn Balor is NXT" - one simple yet emphatic statement from Finn Balor, who confronted Adam Cole to chants of "welcome back" from the WWE Universe just 30 minutes into the black and gold brand's full two-hour debut on the USA Network.
Finn Balor was last seen in WWE losing to The Fiend at SummerSlam, with several reports stating that he'd asked for time away - during which he would also get married.
Meanwhile, Triple H has welcomed Balor back to the brand by tweeting out a photo of himself and the former NXT Champion from five years ago, back in August, 2014, with the hashtag #WelcomeHome.
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