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Mason Rook is back, and he went straight for NXT Champion Grayson Waller.
Rook made his surprise return on NXT on November 10 in Orlando, attacking Waller on the entrance ramp and throwing him back into the ring. Rook then crushed Waller in the corner with a cannonball while Shiloh Hill looked on.
The show opened with Waller coming out to CM Punk’s music, wearing a version of Punk’s shirt with a kangaroo on it. Waller bragged about beating Punk last week to keep the title, winning with a rollup while holding the tights after Kevin Owens distracted Punk.
Hill came out and said he wanted a shot at the title. Waller told him he was not ready and tried to leave, and that is when Rook showed up.
Rook has been out since September, when he was pulled from a scheduled title match against Waller for medical reasons. He never got that match, and he made it clear backstage that he still wants it.
Rook said he worked hard to come back ahead of schedule, and that he was the number one contender before life had other plans. He said Waller is not going to escape him, and neither Hill nor Zilla Fatu will stop him from getting his shot.
Fatu closed the show by calling out Waller too, so Waller now has three challengers coming for him on the same night.
The Vanity Project also kept the NXT Tag Team Championship, beating Hank and Tank in the main event. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes were supposed to defend against Dusty Classic winners Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, but Dar and Moreno were attacked backstage and ruled out.
NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan was also invited to the John Cena Classic on December 14, the first woman to join the field. Kendal Grey gets her rematch against Jordan for the title on next week’s NXT on November 17.
What is confirmed is Rook’s return and the three challengers lining up for Waller. What is not confirmed is who gets the next title shot, or when the match happens.
