WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from October 9, 2014

As NXT continues to build a reputation for itself as the best television product in all of World Wrestling Entertainment, it presented an October 9 episode headlined by Sami Zayn vs. Titus O'Neil, a match born of the extracurricular activities surrounding last week's NXT Championship bout between Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd.

O'Neil was looking to prove himself as a legitimate contender to the title, while Zayn was hoping to score a victory that would establish him as the undisputed top contender to Neville.

Who got what he wanted while thwarting the other?

Fans found out, and to say the NXT Universe was not necessarily pleased would be an understatement.

Also on the show, The Ascension re-established their dominance with a brutal assault on both Hideo Itami and Funaki, Sasha Banks moved one step closer to proving herself as the true Boss of NXT with a win over Becky Lynch, and The Vaudevillains knocked off Enzo Amore and Colin "Big Cass" Cassady to cement themselves as the top contenders to the NXT tag team champions.

Which of these aforementioned stars emerged from this week's broadcast riding a wave of momentum, and which are now forced to step back and re-examine their next course of action?

Let's take a look.

Winner: Sasha Banks

Long one of the more underrated performers in all of NXT, Banks is finally getting a chance to shine as she marches toward an NXT Championship opportunity and a potential match against her former BFF, Charlotte. Thursday night, she scored an impressive victory over the very game Lynch to put herself at the forefront of the title picture.

Lynch brought a great deal of energy to the match and had Banks reeling early, but The Boss' unmatched fury and ferocity led to her being able to halt her opponent's momentum. The use of open-hand slaps separates Banks from the rest of the roster and helps her stun her opponent before taking control of the contest.

That was the case Thursday. She wore Lynch down, eventually finishing her with the Backstabber/Bank Statement combination.

An unlikable heel who can generate a reaction from the audience with the simplest of body language and taunts, Banks is a valuable piece of both NXT and WWE's plans for their Divas divisions, and she's finally getting the opportunity to prove why.

Loser: Funaki

Poor Funaki found out the hard way what happens when you try to stand up for your friends in NXT. The recipient of a massive beatdown at the hands of Konnor and Viktor of The Ascension, the former hardcore and cruiserweight champion was left lying, Hideo Itami forced to watch as he was scraped off the mat by referees and helped to the back.

Funaki was always able to take an extraordinary beating, and he proved why Thursday night, folding like an accordion as the former NXT tag team champions demolished him with the Fall of Man.

Could we see the former Kaientai member set foot in the ring as his friend Itami continues his war with The Ascension? Perhaps, but the likelihood of it ending well for the perennial jobber is low.

Winner: Titus O'Neil

On Raw and SmackDown, O'Neil is treated like a joke, the tag team partner of Heath Slater and the victim of losses contributed to by Adam Rose's bunny.

That is not the case in NXT, where the former Florida Gator is portrayed as a very real threat to Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville and the NXT Championship. Thursday night, he moved one step closer to earning a shot at Neville with a convincing win over Zayn, who had been widely considered the top contender to the most prestigious prize in the brand before this week's broadcast. 

Working with the likes of Zayn and Neville will demonstrate just how talented a worker the former Prime Time Player really is. O'Neil is a charismatic worker who moves well for a guy of his size, and he plays the role of big man to perfection. He can dominate if given the opportunity, and thus far in his NXT stint, that is what he has done.

Losers: Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

As popular as Amore and Big Cass are, they can never seem to gain any sustained momentum, as fans witnessed Thursday night. They are as over as any other act in NXT, so one would assume they would be pushed to the moon, the top contenders to the tag titles and riding a wave of momentum into the fall and winter months. 

Instead, they pop audiences and score wins over The Legionnaires but lose almost every other opportunity they get. For the second time in three months, they dropped a high-profile match to The Vaudevillains, who are the biggest threats to Kalisto and Sin Cara's tag titles at this point.

The pre-taped promos involving Carmella have been incredibly entertaining, not to mention really funny, but until Amore and Cassady are allowed to win more than they lose, they are always going to be perceived as a niche act that is more about comedy and catchphrases than moving up the ladder in the tag division.