Featured: Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger.

NXT General Manager William Regal wasted no time in kicking 2016 off the right way. After thanking the NXT Universe for their incredible support in 2015 and reiterating that Bayley’s next challenger would be determined in the evening’s main event, Regal welcomed Sami Zayn back to the Full Sail Arena for the first time since his injury.

After the controversial ending to last week’s NXT Championship No. 1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match, NXT General Manager William Regal made a ruling that sent shockwaves through NXT. Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe will square off, with a future championship showdown with Finn Bálor hanging in the balance, a decision that left Baron Corbin furious. Meanwhile, the NXT Champion found himself facing another tough test in non-title action against Apollo Crews, who was looking to prove himself as worthy.

NXT made its debut at the CFE Arena on the campus of the University of Central Florida with a huge main event featuring best friends Carmella and NXT Women’s Champion Bayley clashing for the title. The impending battle left the NXT Universe wondering two things: Who would leave as champion, and would their friendship survive?

NXT General Manager William Regal had an action-packed Wednesday night planned for the NXT Universe. Fans were treated to exactly that, but not quite in the way Regal had planned. What was scheduled to be a show featuring American Alpha, The Vaudevillains, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, Asuka and more was instead taken over by a single match – the 2-out-of-3 Falls war between Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe to determine the No.1 Contender to Finn Bálor’s NXT Championship.