3 reasons why Samoa Joe should beat Karrion Kross for the WWE NXT title and 2 reasons Kross should retain

#3 Should: Samoa Joe finally makes his return to WWE in-ring competition

Samoa Joe hasn't competed inside of a WWE ring since February 2020

Former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe last competed inside of a WWE ring in February 2020.

The Samoan Submission Machine was involved in a storyline with Kevin Owens, with both men facing off against Seth Rollins, Murphy and AOP on Monday Night RAW.

.@BrockLesnar & @SamoaJoe don't want to wait until the @WWE Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view... they want to fight RIGHT NOW! #RAW #WWEGBOF pic.twitter.com/gqPx23CbCK

— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2017

During that time period Samoa Joe suffered a serious concussion during a commercial shoot for Monday Night RAW on USA Network and was not medically cleared to compete. It was then subsequently announced that Joe had violated the WWE's wellness policy and was suspended for 30 days.

Joe then worked as a color commentator on Monday Night RAW for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021 before being released by WWE in April. After becoming frustrated with his release, Triple H re-signed Samoa Joe to work on the NXT brand.

Goodness gracious, @SamoaJoe & @BrockLesnar locked horns 4 years ago today at @WWE Great Balls of Fire!💥📺 : @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/k3KWJVyksr

— WWE (@WWE) July 9, 2021

The former NXT Champion has been vocal in stating that he has not retired and does intend on competing inside of the ring once again in the future. Considering his recent physicality with Karrion Kross, many are speculating that Samoa Joe may have quietly been medically cleared for in-ring action and could challenge for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: 36.

What better way to mark Samoa Joe's first match in 18 months than by having him defeat Karrion Kross and become the NXT Champion for the third time in his career.