A former champion made his long-awaited return to WWE NXT tonight after spending nearly a year on the sidelines.

Lexis King was caught off guard when illusionists Penn and Teller delivered the news that he would be defending his NXT Heritage Cup Championship against a mystery challenger during the broadcast. That mystery opponent turned out to be a name synonymous with the Heritage Cup.

Noam Dar made his return to NXT after being absent for 11 months. The last time fans saw Dar, he was taken out by Ethan Page. WWE later confirmed that Dar had suffered a serious injury in which a tendon had been completely torn from the bone in one of his legs.

Despite the long layoff, Dar showed no signs of ring rust and delivered a performance worthy of his legacy with the Heritage Cup. In a shocking outcome, he defeated Lexis King to win the prestigious trophy for a record-setting fourth time.

As a result of this title change, the highly anticipated match between Ricky Saints and Lexis King scheduled for next week will now only be for the NXT North American Championship, as it is no longer a title-versus-title bout.