The former WWE Champion challenges NXT Champion Adam Cole for the title after taking exception to the appearance of so many NXT Superstars on Friday Night SmackDown.

The first battle in the march toward Survivor Series is in the books, and Adam Cole made sure that NXT won in emphatic fashion.

Earlier in the evening, Daniel Bryan made it clear he had seen enough of NXT's surprises, finding Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer and NXT Trainer Shawn Michaels backstage and demanding answers — and a fight. While the mastermind of NXT was not long for competition on this night, he introduced Bryan to someone who was — NXT Champion Adam Cole.

Bryan accepted on the condition that Cole put his title on the line, and with that, the WWE Universe was treated to an instant classic. 

It was no shock that the first-ever meeting between two of WWE's most technically sound competitors amounted to a squared-circle education. Even with a fractured wrist sustained in recent competition on NXT, Cole went blow-for-blow and then some with Bryan in the impromptu dream match.

Though Bryan is widely regarded as perhaps the finest tactician in all of sports-entertainment, the NXT Champion repeatedly showcased his impressive mat acumen en route to victory. A fiery back-and-forth sequence of strikes eventually gave way to Cole connecting with a superkick straight out of Michaels' playbook before hitting the Panama Sunrise and the Last Shot for the win. 

Cole was soon mobbed by his fellow NXT Superstars, many of whom had already made their presence felt throughout the night at the expense of the SmackDown roster. 

Triple H joined the fray and threw down the gauntlet not only for SmackDown, but also for Raw, declaring "This is our army, this is our fight, this is our ring.

"At Survivor Series, know what you're getting into. Raw and SmackDown, let's see what you got."