WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 15

Sami Zayn made his return to the squared circle Wednesday night, battling Rhyno in the night's main event.

How would the former NXT champion fare against a competitor with the same in-ring style of Kevin Owens and the same killer instinct and bad attitude? Fans inside Full Sail University's NXT Arena found out when they waged war in a phenomenal contest.

Dana Brooke made her in-ring debut on NXT, battling Blue Pants in one-on-one action.

The former fitness model clearly was inexperienced but showed flashes of a bright future en route to an impressive victory.

Elsewhere on the show, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady were in action, Baron Corbin steamrolled over another unfortunate opponent, and Solomon Crowe returned to the ring to face the departing CJ Parker.

What all went down on this week's broadcast, and how did it grade?

Take a look now with our NXT recap.

Solomon Crowe vs. CJ Parker

Credit: WWE.com

In what was his final televised appearance in WWE, Parker battled Crowe to kick off this week's broadcast.

He surprisingly controlled a portion of the bout, delivering a vicious clothesline that turned his opponent inside out. Crowe fought back and trapped his opponent in the Brock Lock submission hold, scoring a big singles victory. 

Result

Solomon Crowe defeated CJ Parker.

Grade

B

Analysis

And with that, Parker's tenure in NXT came to an end.

The environmentally friendly Superstar will be missed, if only for a gimmick that began to click with fans upon his heel turn late last year.

Crowe, on the other hand, is only getting started on the brand. The logjam of quality workers at the top of the show, with Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Owens and Zayn serving as main event competitors, has prevented his ascension and left him fighting for television time.

With a new taping cycle approaching, expect to see everyone's favorite hacker cause more havoc in the coming weeks.

Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler

Credit: WWE.com

After a weeks-long absence, Corbin returned to the squared circle, squaring off with perennial jobber Steve Cutler.

To paraphrase Corey Graves on commentary, he was seemingly paid by the second, not the minute.

He demolished Cutler with End of Days, recovering from a disappointing showing at Axxess.

Result

Baron Corbin defeated Steve Cutler.

Grade

D

Analysis

Stop me if you have heard this: Corbin squashed a jobber.

As entertaining as Corbin's squashes may be, it is imperative that creative come up with something more for him to do. Otherwise, he will continue wallowing in the same spot he has been in for the last year.

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton

Amore found himself isolated from partner Cassady and in the grasp of Sawyer Fulton. It is a pattern that plays out in most of the babyfaces' matches.

Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy intervened, presenting Carmella with flowers and providing a potential distraction, which did not help matters.

But Big Cass got the hot tag, and the popular team was able to score the win with a rocket launcher.

Result

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady defeated Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins.

Grade

B

Analysis

Like most matches involving Enzo and Big Cass, this was less about the quality of the match than it was about the energy they bring to any building they step foot in.

Their victory over Fulton and Dawkins not only continued the team's winning ways, but the appearance by Blake and Murphy, and their gift of flowers to Carmella, added more attention and heat to the teams' budding rivalry.

Amore and Cassady are always going to be a hot way to kick off the show, and this week was no different.

Dana Brooke vs. Blue Pants

Brooke made her much-hyped debut on NXT, squaring off with the wildly popular Blue Pants.

Brooke dominated the action, withstanding a fiery comeback from her more experienced opponent to deliver a whiplash and score the pinfall victory, the first of what she surely hopes is many.

Result

Dana Brooke defeated Blue Pants.

Grade

C

Analysis

After weeks of video packages hyping her debut, Brooke's first performance left a lot to be desired. She appeared nervous and stiff throughout the match, but that is something that she will overcome as she gains more and more experience in live matches.

The crowd did not take it easy on her, as expected, opting to cheer Blue Pants.

Why WWE does not just go ahead and sign the cult favorite to a contract is beyond this writer. She is popular and a talented worker. She certainly deserves the opportunity to win a match, to capitalize on her support from the audience rather than putting over Divas who are far from ready to compete at the level of the rest of the division.

Sami Zayn vs. Rhyno

Zayn and Rhyno headlined this week's episode with a highly competitive main event.

Rhyno wore down Zayn, using his power and experience to overwhelm the former NXT champion. But Zayn fought back, using wrestling skill to mount an offensive. When that failed to faze his opponent, he slugged away at him.

In the end, a missed Gore from Rhyno set up the Helluva Kick and a win for Zayn. 

Result

Sami Zayn defeated Rhyno.

Grade

 A

Analysis

Zayn's return to the ring came in a stellar match with Rhyno, a veteran competitor who has been absolutely perfect in his current role.

Zayn is among the most consistently great workers in the industry, so a quality performance was to be expected. It was Rhyno who proved just how valuable an asset he could be by turning in a great showing against the younger, faster and more agile Zayn.

The victory firmly cements Zayn as the top contender to Owens' title.