We are shaping up for a massive few weeks for WWE NXT this summer, as it was confirmed on last night's show that Samoa Joe will be making his shock in-ring return at next month's NXT TakeOver 36 event.

The event, which is currently slated to take place at the Capitol Wrestling Center, will see Samoa Joe wrestle his first match since the February 10 episode of Monday Night Raw last year, where he teamed with Viking Raiders and Kevin Owens to take on AOP, Murphy and Seth Rollins.

The show will see Samoa Joe attempt to become a two-time NXT Champion when he goes one-on-one with Karrion Kross, who has appeared on the last two episodes of Monday Night Raw.

Since his last match, Samoa Joe has been medically disqualified due to a concussion, with WWE putting the former NXT Champion on Raw commentary for much of the time he was spent out injured.

When he re-signed with WWE in June 2021 after being released in April, reports suggested that Joe was brought in as a non-wrestler, but the former main roster star will be wrestling for the Black and Gold brand just two months are returning.

Samoa Joe has not wrestled a match for NXT since he defeated No Way Jose at a live event in Dallas on January 27, 2017. Joe went on to debut on the main roster just four days later.

Joe's last televised match for WWE NXT actually came on December 8, 2016, where he was unable to wrestle the NXT Championship away from Shinsuke Nakamura in a steel cage match that was taped in Melbourne, Australia.

You can watch every single episode of WWE NXT in the run into TakeOver 36, which will feature much of the build-up to Samoa Joe's huge in-ring return, live here in the UK on BT Sport.