Karrion Kross Attacks Samoa Joe After WWE NXT Title Match

ByΒ Marc Middleton

WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross has attacked Samoa Joe, the special enforcer to NXT General Manager William Regal.

Tonight's NXT episode on the USA Network was headlined by Kross retaining his title over Johnny Gargano, with Joe as the special referee. There has been tension between Joe and Kross for weeks, ever since Joe returned to the company in this new role, and that tension continued during the match. After the bout, Joe raised Kross' hand with the NXT Title belt and they had words. Scarlett got in between the two heavyweights as Joe looked like he was ready to fight. Joe turned and walked out of the ring but Kross attacked him from behind.

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Kross then applied the Kross Jacket submission on Joe, yelling at him and blaming him. Joe started to fade in the submission, then Kross let go as Joe fell flat on his back. Kross and Scarlett stood tall over Joe with the NXT Title belt in the air as NXT went off the air.

It remains to be seen if WWE has plans for a Joe vs. Kross match. When Regal brought Joe back several weeks ago on June 15, the storyline conditions were that Joe would no longer be an in-ring competitor, and that he could not make physical contact with any NXT Superstar, unless he was provoked first. Joe was clearly provoked by Kross tonight.

It was reported in late June that Joe was still not medically cleared to compete, due to the concussion he suffered at a WWE commercial shoot in early 2020. Joe had been working as a RAW commentator when he was released in April along with other COVID-19 budget cuts. He was then brought back to NXT in June under this new authority role.

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While it was reported that Joe is still not cleared to compete, at least as of late June, he expressed interest in returning to the ring during a Sports Illustrated interview. Joe has not wrestled since February 2020 due to concussion issues

Stay tuned for more on Joe and Kross. Below are several shots from tonight's NXT main event:

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