WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from September 25

The September 25 episode of NXT was one of redemption for some of the brand's top young stars. After falling short of victory at Takeover, they had the opportunity to atone for their losses in some high-profile rematches.

The Ascension attempted to defeat the much smaller Lucha Dragons and regain the tag team titles they had previously held for nearly a year. With their recent interactions with newcomer Hideo Itami fresh in their minds, would they be able to focus on their title opportunity and down the high flyers, or would they be distracted, allowing Sin Cara and Kalisto to deliver their second straight victory over Konnor and Viktor?

Bayley also had an opportunity to get back on the winning track as she squared off with fellow fan favorite Alexa Bliss. With the loss to Charlotte fresh in her mind, Bayley was primed for a loss. Would she go 0-2 over the last three weeks, or would she finish off Bliss and continue her climb back into title contention?

Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey in a rematch from Takeover also happened, but really, who cares?

All of those questions, and more, would be answered when NXT rocked Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. 

Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey

The rivalry between Mojo Rawley and Bull Dempsey has been as thrilling as watching paint dry. Neither man is particularly exciting to watch, and their characters aren't interesting or compelling. Their match at Takeover was mercifully short, and Thursday night, the rematch followed suit.

Mojo jumped Dempsey early, making the same idiotic mistake that he did at Takeover, and quickly fell victim to a back elbow and a diving head-butt.

Three seconds later, Dempsey had recorded another win, while Rawley was left wondering where that monster push from earlier in the year went.

After the match, Tyler Breeze made his way to the ring for his match, assaulting Mojo Rawley and leaving him in a heap.

Result

Bull Dempsey defeated Mojo Rawley via pinfall

Highlights and Quotes

"Most men couldn't get up after the beating Bull Dempsey put on him." - Jason Albert, touting Mojo's (stupidity) toughness

"That does strange things to a man." - Albert, on Breeze's attitude change since coming so close to winning the NXT Championship

Grade

F

Analysis

NXT is one of the most smartly booked shows in all of WWE, but whoever decided Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey was the best way to kick off this week's show should have their head examined.

Thankfully, this appeared to be the end of that brief-yet-painful program.

Justin Gabriel vs. Tyler Breeze

Credit: WWE.com

The aforementioned Tyler Breeze made it clear from the moment he made his entrance into the NXT Arena that he was a different man following his disappointing loss at Takeover. He demonstrated it by attacking the inexperienced Mojo Rawley and looked to do the same against his opponent this week, former WWE tag team champion Justin Gabriel.

As he found out, however, Gabriel is a wee bit better than the former college football star that he attacked prior to the bell.

Gabriel controlled the majority of the contest, overwhelming Breeze and creating a scenario in which an upset was not out of the question. Unfortunately for the South African star, Gabriel got a bit too overconfident. When Breeze rolled out of the way of the 450 splash, he responded with the Supermodel Kick and the Beauty Shot for the pinfall victory.

Result

Tyler Breeze defeated Justin Gabriel via pinfall

Highlights and Quotes

"He doesn't care who he's taking his frustrations out on." - Renee Young on Tyler Breeze

"Going into a match full of rage and anger, you're bound to make a mistake." - Jason Albert on Breeze

Grade

C

Analysis

It was an average match at best but a solid showcase for Breeze to continue demonstrating the changes in demeanor and attitude that have been such a huge part of his development in 2014.

Breeze is still very much a top contender for the title, and a win here was the perfect way to help him regain some momentum heading into the last quarter of the year.

As for Gabriel...he's got mad hops. Because he's The Bunny. Sometimes.

Moving on...

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss

Bayley returned to the ring for the first time since her disappointing loss to Charlotte at Takeover. In order to get back on track and resume her winning wins, she would have to defeat the adorable rookie Diva Alexa Bliss. The athletic young woman with the fitness background gave Bayley a tough match, catching the former No. 1 contender off guard with a series of near-falls and a headscissors.

Ultimately, the experience and determination of Bayley proved to be the difference. She dodged a double-knee standing moonsault attempt by Bliss and put her away with the Bayley-to-Belly.

After the match, Bayley called out Charlotte, who came to the ring, revealed her respect for the fun-loving Diva and accepted her challenge for a rematch.

Result

Bayley defeated Alexa Bliss via pinfall

Highlights and Quotes

"She's glitz, she's glamour but she will also punch you in the face. I love that!" - Renee Young on Alexa Bliss

"Pile of adorable right there!" - Young

"My mom was at NXT Takeover and watched me lose." - Bayley

"You earned my respect." - Charlotte

Grade

B+

Analysis

Bayley and Alexa Bliss wrestled a really competitive, fun little match Thursday night that showed some strong chemistry that the Divas can improve upon at some point in the future.

As for Charlotte coming to the ring, admitting her respect for Bayley and granting her the rematch, it was a great little bit of character development from Charlotte. For so long, she has skated by on the premise that she is Ric Flair's arrogant daughter. Now, she is developing a personality for herself while retaining the elements that made her the next generation of Flair.

Enzo Amore vs. Marcus Louis

Credit: WWE.com

At Takeover, Enzo Amore defeated Sylvester Lefort in a Hair vs. Hair match, and it wound up being Lefort's tag team partner Marcus Louis who lost his mane. Thursday night, Louis entered the NXT Arena donning a wig and wrestling ear gear in an attempt to cover up his bald head as he squared off with Amore in singles competition.

Despite Louis dominating the majority of the bout, Amore was able to rip the wig off his opponent, exposing his bald head and humiliating the Frenchman once more before rolling him up and scoring the win.

Result

Enzo Amore defeated Marcus Louis by pinfall

Highlights and Quotes

"One-plus-one equals 3.14...you ate your pie!" - Enzo Amore, saying something that really sounded cool, even if it made no sense

"I can't imagine that wig looks better than his bald head." - Renee Young on Marcus Louis

"That is an odd-looking man right there." - Jason Albert on Louis

Grade

B-

Analysis

As an old-school bit of wrestling booking, the segment was outstanding. Wrestlers have been ripping bad wigs off the bald heads of their humiliated opponents for decades, and it is always an angle that works. The crowd in the NXT Arena reacted favorably, and Louis did an outstanding job of carrying his end of the deal.

The match, however, left a lot to be desired. Louis is still very green, while Amore has long been more character than in-ring worker, which is not necessarily a bad thing. On this night, he just is not the guy to carry Louis to a solid match.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Lucha Dragons vs. The Ascension

The Ascension's Konnor and Viktor have had a major distraction in the form of Hideo Itami on their road back to the NXT Tag Team Championships. They could right what had been a two-week period of wrongs by capturing the titles that elevated them to relevance in the brand in the first place.

To do so, they would have to defeat a lightning-fast team consisting of Kalisto and Sin Cara. 

It was that speed that frustrated the challengers early, but once Konnor and Viktor were able to isolate the smaller Kalisto, they wore him down with their ground-and-pound offense.

The arrival of Hideo Itami led to a momentary distraction that allowed Kalisto to deliver Salida del Sol for the pinfall win.

Result

Lucha Dragons defeated The Ascension to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships

Highlights and Quotes

"Did you hear the flesh-on-flesh slap there?" - Jason Albert, with the most disturbing quote of the night

"It's like watching a video game." - Renee Young on Lucha Dragons' fast-paced offense and dynamic double-team maneuvers

Grade

B+

Analysis

This quality match capped off the night's show.

The Lucha Dragons got a huge win over the former champions, further cementing themselves as the new faces of the NXT tag team division.

For The Ascension, it effectively wrote them out of the tag team title picture and furthered their blossoming rivalry with Itami. While it may not have been the most obvious path for the company to take with the Japanese phenomenon, it has made for some interesting television since Takeover, which is all fans can ask for from their Thursday night guilt-free pleasure known as NXT.