It was another busy night for WWE NXT last night, with the shock appearance of a WWE Raw star, and a cracking main event between Johnny Gargano and Karrion Kross, with the added wrinkle of Samoa Joe serving as the special guest referee.

Dakota Kai def. Ember Moon

After going to battle in the NXT Women’s Tag Team No. 1 Contender’s Match two weeks ago, Ember Moon and Dakota Kai were both ready for the opportunity to face off. Moon launched a furious assault on her rival, but Kai connected on a final thunderous kick to claim the victory.

There were even more fireworks after the match as Xia Li stormed into the ring and laid down a challenge for the NXT Women’s Champion, which Gonzalez seemingly accepted.

Tyler Rust def. Bobby Fish

Bobby Fish quickly answered an open challenge and found out exactly what The Diamond Mine is all about.

Fish brought the fight to Tyler Rust, but he mistakenly turned his attention to his former friend Roderick Strong, which allowed The Diamond Mine’s up-and-comer to dive in with a takeout to the knee and roll-up for the victory.

As The Diamond Mine swarmed Fish after the match, Kushida came to his aid, forcing the rest of the pack to scatter.

Bobby Fish vs. Tyler Rust on WWE NXT

Sarray def. Gigi Dolin

Gigi Dolin laid down a challenge, and Sarray emphatically answered it in the ring with an impressive performance. Dolin fought hard to claim a win in her NXT singles debut, but the emergence of Mandy Rose cast a mysterious shadow over the match. Sarray rallied with a furious assault down the stretch to continue her meteoric rise.

Santos Escobar def. Dexter Lumis

Santos Escobar set his sights on the NXT North American Championship and set out to put on a display against Dexter Lumis.

Lumis’ disturbing presence haunted Escobar, as The Tortured Artist attempted to pull Escobar to the depths of hell under the ring. As Lumis gained steam, Wilde & Mendoza sprang into action to set up Escobar for the finishing Phantom Driver.

As the victorious Legado del Fantasma made their way up the ramp, Hit Row were waiting, and a tense standoff ensued.

Santos Escobar vs. Dexter Lumis on WWE NXT

Duke Hudson def. Ikemen Jiro in a First-Round NXT Breakout Tournament Match

Ikemen Jiro and Duke Hudson were both looking to make massive opening statements in the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. It was a clash of styles, as Jiro’s high-flying approach looked to topple the imposing strength of the towering Hudson.

In the final moments, Hudson caught Jiro from the sky and slammed him to the mat to punch his ticket to the next round of the NXT Breakout Tournament.

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter def. Aliyah & Jessi Kamea

Aliyah & Jessi Kamea were hoping to get The Robert Stone Brand back on track, but Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter may have smashed it to pieces.

After Catanzaro & Carter teamed up to take out Aliyah for the win, an explosive exchange with Robert Stone resulted in Franky Monet rushing in to attempt to pick up the pieces.

Franky Monet WWE NXT

NXT Champion Karrion Kross def. Johnny Gargano

Samoa Joe was brought in as special guest referee, but Karrion Kross was intent on showing Johnny Gargano and the NXT Universe who runs the show. As the NXT Champion continued to clash with Samoa Joe, Johnny Wrestling nearly grabbed victory with back-to-back DDTs.

Kross narrowly kicked out and unleashed fury on his challenger to extend his reign, finishing the beatdown with a savage forearm to the back of the head.

Not satisfied with just conquering Gargano, Kross attacked Samoa Joe from behind, applied a guillotine hold, and left no doubt about his dominance.

You can watch every single episode of WWE NXT live in UK at 1am on BT Sport.