WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from March 23
Before rolling into Dallas for a busy WrestleMania weekend, both Asuka and Emma focused their attention on each other and winning an all-important rematch of their near-classic from last December in London.
The immensely talented women delivered another spectacular bout, going a full 15 minutes. Of course, the fans at Full Sail University were not as energized as London, thanks to the sheer number of shows they had already sat through. Nevertheless, they still reacted strongly enough for the comeback and finish by Asuka to suggest NXT management made the right decision by booking her against Bayley in one of the most anticipated matches of the entire WrestleMania weekend.
Emma will be busy as well, as revealed by WWE.com and the company's official YouTube channel. At The Showcase of the Immortals, she will partner with Lana, Naomi, Tamina and Summer Rae to do battle with Total Divas' Brie Bella, Natalya, Paige, Alicia Fox and a fifth partner not yet announced. It is a major step for Emma as she returns to the main roster for the first time in over a year.
A strong win for Asuka over Emma, great performances by both women and a significant weekend beginning April 1 helped to make them the biggest winners of this week's broadcast.
Others experiencing considerable momentum on the heels of this week's show were a drifter and a newcomer, while former top contender Apollo Crews was not quite as lucky.
Winner: Elias Samson
The most compelling thing to happen to Elias Samson thus far in his NXT career was the loss he suffered at the hands of Johnny Gargano on this week's show.
After having his undefeated streak snapped by the indy star, Samson attacked Gargano, dropping him with a neckbreaker and continuing his assault at ringside until Apollo Crews made the save.
Samson hinted at instability, with his facial expressions and body language during some of his in-ring performances making it clear that The Drifter may not be "all there."
Wednesday night, fans witnessed a new and more dangerous side of Samson. It was the bit of character development he was missing to help him evolve, especially given the fact that he is not yet near the level of in-ring performer that his peers are.
Developing the character, fleshing it out and letting Samson grow into it while he continues to build his mat game is the best approach to take going forward.
Loser: Apollo Crews
The dynamic performer was once in contention for the NXT Championship, battling the likes of Baron Corbin and Finn Balor as he chased the top title in the promotion. Now, he is preparing for an undercard match with Elias Samson, which was set up via Crews' interjection in The Drifter's beatdown of Gargano on Wednesday night.
Crews has lost considerable momentum over the last two months, and being saddled in a feud with Samson, on only two weeks of build until TakeOver, is hardly how the energetic star wanted to make his mark in Dallas.
Winner: Rich Swann
The fans are ready and willing to accept Rich Swann as a top star in NXT, as evidenced by the way the fans inside the NXT Arena reacted to him Wednesday night as he battled the face of the brand, Balor.
From his dancing to his athleticism and in-ring charisma, Swann has the tools necessary to succeed in wrestling's most buzzed-about promotion.
The fact that the support for him was significantly louder than that for the current NXT champion only further suggests the fans are ready to get behind him. Considering he is a signed, contracted talent, a push is but a certainty.
Whether fans will force management's hand with louder cheers every time he sets foot in the squared circle, and Swann will back them up with strong in-ring performances in every opportunity he gets, is the real question.
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