Karrion Kross Beats Finn Balor, Wins NXT Title at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Karrion Kross remained undefeated in NXT singles matches Thursday and became NXT champion for the second time with a victory over Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Balor vs. Kross always felt inevitable, and it became clear several weeks ago that NXT fans would finally be treated to the rivalry they had been waiting for.

Kross beat Keith Lee for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver XXX in August, but he was forced to vacate it three days later due to injury. That resulted in NXT general manager William Regal giving four of the brand’s all-time greats an opportunity to become champion again.

After Balor and Adam Cole tied in a Fatal 4-Way Iron Man match that also included Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, they had a singles contest for the title, and the Irishman prevailed.

Balor then went on a dominant run, retaining the NXT Championship against the likes of Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne and Cole.

After The Prince beat Cole on the March 10 episode of NXT, Kross emerged as his next challenger when he appeared behind Balor, prompting the Irishman to say, “What took you so long?”

Kross made it clear the following week that he felt he deserved a title shot since he never actually lost it, and Balor agreed, which led to the contest being made official for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Their moment was interrupted by Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, though, leading to an NXT Tag Team Championship match later in the night, pitting Balor and Kross against Lorcan and Burch.

Kross took advantage of the situation by savagely attacking his teammate during the bout and allowing Lorcan to pin him. The beatdown continued afterward, and Kross left Balor laying with a stiff forearm to the back of the head.

That incident made things personal between the two men and added even more heat and intrigue to a program that fans already wanted to see.

Kross managed to ascend to the top of the mountain in NXT once again, but given how impressive Balor was during his 200-plus-day title reign, a rematch may be in the cards.

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