WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 28, 2015

Kevin Owens' attack on Sami Zayn at Takeover: R Evolution shocked the wrestling world and resulted in an absolutely phenomenal conclusion to that event. His powerbomb of the NXT champion two weeks ago infuriated Zayn and led to the announcement of a non-title match between the two at the next Takeover special in February.

Wednesday night, the two former friends and tag partners met in the center of the squared circle for a contract signing.

Would things go smoothly or would Owens, a master manipulator, have a trick up his sleeve to ensure that Zayn's precious championship would be at stake when they battled for the first time under the NXT banner?

Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake challenged the Lucha Dragons for the NXT tag titles, Bayley partnered with Charlotte to battle Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch in a match that descended into chaos, and Adrian Neville, Tyson Kidd, Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey waged war in the final two No. 1 contender's tournament first-round matches.

As NXT continued is trek toward Takeover, the brand again delivered phenomenal television for the WWE Network audience.

To find out what went down on wrestling's best show, click the little "next" button to your lower right.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Lucha Dragons vs. Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake

On the heels of their victory over the Vaudevillains last week, Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake seized the opportunity and challenged Sin Cara and Kalisto for the NXT Tag Team Championships to kick off this week's broadcast.

The challengers controlled early, wearing down Sin Cara and isolating him from his partner. Like any great champion, though, the masked luchador fought through the pain and made the hot tag to Kalisto. From there, the pace of the match quickened.

As the action broke down, Murphy was able to make a blind tag to Blake before falling prey to Kalisto's Salida del Sol. Not realizing that Murphy was no longer the legal competitor, Kalisto found himself rolled up by Blake, who scored the pinfall for the win and the titles.

Result

Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy defeated the Lucha Dragons to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Grade

B

Analysis

The Lucha Dragons experiment was not working. No matter how great a team Kalisto and Sin Cara proved to be, they were far too generic to ever really get over with the NXT audience, which instead pledged its allegiance to the likes of The Ascension and the Vaudevillains.

Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake are an old-school team, with very little in the way of bells and whistles and all attention on the in-ring performance.

They are much more suited to the in-ring style and the edginess of NXT storylines than the generic babyface luchadores whose characters were never fully explored or developed.

No. 1 Contender's Tournament Matches: Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd

Revisiting the rivalry that dominated NXT throughout the summer and fall of 2014, Adrian Neville battled Tyson Kidd Wednesday night in a No. 1 contender's tournament match.

Neville out-wrestled Kidd early, frustrating Mr. Nattie Neidhart. Always a cerebral worker, Kidd repeatedly slid out of the ring, broke the count and eventually suckered Neville into crashing at ringside.

Kidd worked over a battered Neville, hoping to eliminate the former champion in the tournament's opening round. A flurry of offense by Neville, including a standing moonsault, led to his comeback.

The former NXT champion escaped a German suplex by landing on his feet but found himself nearly stuck in the Sharpshooter moments later.

Unfortunately for Kidd, he could not lock in the hold completely, and Neville capitalized on the mistake. A running kick and Red Arrow finished Kidd off.

Result

Adrian Neville defeated Tyson Kidd.

Grade

A

Analysis

Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd have tremendous chemistry, as fans of NXT have witnessed over the last year. Their matches never disappoint, and this was no different as both men beat each other senseless.

Kidd's inability to lock in the Sharpshooter was a nice touch, rather than going with the more predictable spot.

Neville's victory sets him up for a second-round match against the unstoppable Baron Corbin. While the match is unlikely to be as good as Balor vs. Itami, it could be one of the more interesting of the entire tournament.

Bayley and Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks

Credit: WWE.com

Bayley made her return to NXT last week, laying Charlotte out with a Bayley-to-Belly Suplex and rejoicing at NXT general manager William Regal's announcement of a Fatal 4-Way match for the women's title at Takeover.

This week, she partnered with Charlotte to battle Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, both suffering from dissension in the wake of the championship-match announcement.

Bayley started the match hot, but Banks and Lynch settled things down and took control of the bout. In typical heel fashion, the heels utilized cheating and underhanded methods to isolate Bayley and frustrate the women's champion.

Eventually, Bayley made the hot tag to Charlotte, who exploded into the match and locked Banks in the bridging Figure Four.

Banks escaped as the action broke down and delivered Bankrupt to Charlotte. Unfortunately, Bayley attempted to make the save but wound up striking her own partner.

Frustration boiled over and the issues between the babyfaces led to them striking each other, drawing a double disqualification.

Result

Bayley and Charlotte and Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch fought to a double disqualification (DQ).

Grade

B-

Analysis

All four women involved are incredibly talented so the idea of them battling it out for the women's title at Takeover is majorly appealing.

The tension between Bayley and Charlotte has been a great development, as the former is finally showing the intensity and aggression necessary to get her past the "good girl" character that had a very definitive ceiling on it.

Lynch remains the dark horse to leave Takeover with the title. Her character has not really been developed as fully as it could be. Worse yet, she is rarely allowed the opportunity to talk, instead standing behind Banks and doing her best punk-rocker impression.

The double-disqualification finish was weak, but the result of it, the live special match, should be anything but.

No. 1 Contender's Match: Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey

Two weeks ago, Baron Corbin demolished Bull Dempsey in their first one-on-one encounter.

This week, the heavyweights battled in a No. 1 contender's tournament match.

The result was eerily similar as Dempsey fell victim to the End of Days for the second consecutive time, dropping the contest in under two minutes.

Result

Baron Corbin pinned Bull Dempsey.

Grade

C

Analysis

If Corbin's absolute demolition of Bull Dempsey two weeks ago did not serve as the definitive conclusion to their rivalry, this week's equally as impressive win should bring an end to their issues.

Dempsey never really stood a chance, appearing inferior to Corbin in every way. From promos to entrances, in-ring work and appearance, Corbin was superior, and the NXT writing staff booked him that way. And rightfully so.

Now, Corbin moves onto his biggest test to date: a match against Adrian Neville in Round 2 of the tournament. How he performs could determine just how quickly he continues moving up the ranks. Neville is a world-class performer, widely recognized as one of the best workers under contract with WWE.

If Corbin can hang with the Brit, bigger and better things may await him sooner than later.

Contract Signing: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

Hatred propelled Sami Zayn into demanding a non-title match against Kevin Owens on last week's show. Wednesday night, the former tag partners met in the same ring for the first time since Owens' vicious, premeditated attacks on the NXT champion.

NXT general manager William Regal hesitated in introducing both men, realizing the potential was high for the contract signing to descend into madness and violence. With that in mind, he revealed that, if they touched each other, the match was off.

Owens' last-minute demands threatened the match anyway, as he hated the idea of the contest being a non-title one. He argued that winning the title would mean more money and a better life for his family. He refused to sign the contract until the championship was put up for grabs.

After Zayn discussed their history together and everything between them leading into Takeover: R Evolution in December, to be attacked the way he was shocked him. It hurt him, and on February 11, he would hurt Owens.

The match was officially made a title match, and both competitors signed on the dotted line.

Owens arrogantly tossed the pen at Zayn to close out the broadcast.

Grade

A+

Analysis

The master manipulator, Owens knew exactly how to get what he wanted here, forcing Regal and Zayn to sign for a title match and upping the ante in the upcoming Takeover main event. It was a glorious move and one that could lead to the former Ring of Honor star adding gold to his molten-hot character.

Zayn was passionate, something that has set him aside from the other, more generic babyfaces WWE tends to promote, and it really hammered home the meaning of the February 11 match.

Though not dynamic or explosive as other contract signings, it did its job and further hyped what is likely to be a legitimate Match of the Year contender if both competitors are allowed the opportunity to do what they do best: wrestle.