Kyle O'Reilly Returns, Costs Adam Cole The NXT Championship; Karrion Kross Confronts Finn Balor

Kyle O'Reilly is the ghost of Adam Cole's past, present, and future.

Adam Cole seemed to have things well in hand against Finn Balor in his NXT Championship bout until Kyle O'Reilly appeared in the crowd. A stunned Cole was momentarily distracted, allowing Balor to take advantage with the 1916 on the floor. Balor got Cole in the ring and hit the coup de grace for the victory.

WWE Live Results From Jacksonville, FL (12/26): Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens Headlines

After the match, Cole tried to catch O'Reilly with the groin shot once again, but O'Reilly blocked it and proceeded to beat Cole up the ramp and to the back.

As Balor looked on, former NXT Champion Karrion Kross stood over his shoulder. Balor asked, "what took you so long?" as NXT went off the air.

Cole turned on O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day and then put him out of action on the February 17 episode of NXT when he hit a brianbuster on the steps on O'Reilly. It was announced that O'Reilly would be out of action for four to six weeks following the incident.

As for Kross, he won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver XXX but was forced to relinquish it the following Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.

If you missed anything from Wednesday's NXT, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.