WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 22

The reign of the Demon kicked off Wednesday night, as Finn Balor made his return to the NXT Arena in Full Sail University, celebrating his monumental championship victory over Kevin Owens on July 4 with the faithful fans who had supported him on his journey through the developmental brand.

With a contract signing between him and former titleholder Kevin Owens scheduled for later in the night, would his homecoming be spoiled?

Speaking of returns potentially being spoiled, Bayley stepped back inside the squared circle for the first time since breaking her hand, battling Emma. The former friends had been engaged in a rivalry dating back months. Would Emma again get the best of the lovable Diva, or would Bayley begin her march to the women's title on a winning note?

Eva Marie made her in-ring return, Samoa Joe was in action and Baron Corbin smashed another fool into the ground Wednesday night.

What else went down when the most exciting brand in WWE returned to the network airwaves this week?

Take a look for yourselves.

Finn Balor Promo

Credit: WWE.com

New NXT champion Finn Balor made his way to the ring to a huge pop, kicking off both this week's episode and the reign of the Demon.

Chants of "Finn" filled the NXT Arena at Full Sail University as the new titleholder addressed the fans.

Balor discussed his career to this point and the struggle he had deciding whether to come to NXT. "Every one of those choices was worth it to come here and do this," he said, holding up his championship. The Irishman applauded Owens for the impact he has made to this point but reminded him he did not beat Balor in Tokyo.

The new champion vowed to leave the next Takeover special with his title reign intact. 

Grade

C

Analysis

Balor started his reign with a promo that was as much about celebrating with the Full Sail fans as it was about furthering any storylines.

It was fairly paint by numbers, but it was nice to see Balor receive the hero's welcome he did.

Overall, though, this was an excuse to set up the contract signing later.

Eva Marie Debuts

Eva Marie made her return to the squared circle on Wednesday night, squaring off with Cassie in singles competition.

Eva outwrestled her opponent early, locking in an arm bar as fans serenaded her with chants of "Let's go Eva" and "Eva sucks." A senton nearly put Cassie down for three before the Total Divas star locked in the same arm bar from earlier.

The fans willed Cassie back into the match, allowing her to deliver a jawbreaker and a series of axe kicks to mount her comeback. Eva was able to power out of a near-fall and send her opponent throat first into the ropes.

The Sliced Bread No. 2 ended Cassie's night on a sour note and earned Eva Marie her first victory in NXT. 

Result

Eva Marie pinned Cassie.

Grade

C-

Analysis

"Open your eyes because you're going to like what you see," Eva Marie said in a backstage promo just before this match. While that may be a bit of a leap, her performance Wednesday was much improved from the last time fans saw her inside the squared circle.

She still looked hesitant at times, and Cassie again made the case for being most underappreciated star in NXT. However, Eva Marie should feel confident coming out of the show, especially considering the fact she had a sizeable portion of the crowd chanting in support of her.

Baron Corbin in Action

Credit: WWE.com

Baron Corbin was in action on Wednesday night, drawing a largely mixed reaction as he entered the NXT Arena. His opponent, unnamed by the ring announcer or commentators, appeared to have raided Max Moon's wardrobe prior to the match.

Just seconds in, Corbin delivered End of Days for the win. 

Result

Baron Corbin defeated his opponent.

Grade

F

Analysis

It has been a year since Baron Corbin began his NXT career, and management still has not found anything for him to do except run over jobbers in seconds-long squashes. 

It is adversely affecting his standing with the fans, who are clearly tired of the same old shtick when it comes to the former Arizona Cardinal.

This did nothing to help matters.

Even if Corbin's opponent was rocking some vintage '90s television-hero tights.

Samoa Joe vs. Mike Rallis

Credit: WWE.com

Samoa Joe returned to the NXT Arena, complete with new entrance music slightly less awful than his previous theme, for a match with Mike Rallis.

Joe punished his opponent with a chop, a back splash in the corner and the Uranage suplex. The Muscle Buster followed for the pinfall victory.

Result

Samoe Joe defeated Mike Rallis.

Grade

C-

Analysis

Joe looked better, faster and more motivated here than he has since debuting in NXT, leading to a much crisper match this week.

His victory over Rallis did exactly what it was intended to do in that it put him over strong ahead of his match with Rhyno, which commentators promoted during the bout.

And the new theme music did not hurt, even if it is only marginally better than the old theme.

Bayley vs. Emma

After spending time on the sidelines with a hand injury, Bayley squared off with Emma in the culmination of a program that began prior to the last Takeover special in May.

The NXT faithful erupted for the popular Diva's return.

Emma stalled, then attacked Bayley from behind to take control early.

Bayley fought back and smashed her opponent's face into the turnbuckle, then delivered a running bulldog for two. Emma took advantage of Bayley's injury, though, wrapping her hand around the ring post and working it over in an attempt to score the victory.

Bayley fought out of the straight-jacket submission and delivered a spear into the corner, followed by a back elbow. A double clothesline spot put both Divas down.

Dana Brooke was caught interfering in the match and was ejected from ringside. 

The Bayley-to-Belly suplex finished Emma off moments later. 

Bayley said after the match that she is back to be the NXT women's champion and that she cannot do that without beating the best. Next, she wants a match with Charlotte.

Result

Bayley defeated Emma.

Grade

B-

Anaylsis

A month ago, it appeared as though Dana Brooke was being groomed to win the NXT Championship from Sasha Banks. After Wednesday's broadcast, it is apparent Bayley is the woman who will unseat Banks, and rightfully so.

She is clearly the top babyface in the division, the most beloved Diva on the roster.

Her match with Emma was solid, featuring strong psychology from the the Aussie and a fiery comeback from Bayley that thrilled the audience.

A quality segment of television that set up a match between Bayley and Charlotte in the near future.

The Vaudevillains vs. Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton

Credit: WWE.com

The Vaudevillains continued their journey to the NXT Tag Team Championships by battling Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins.

The heels isolated Simon Gotch and worked him over, Fulton locking in an abdominal stretch on the strongman.

Gotch made the hot tag to Aiden English, who exploded with a flurry of offense before Gotch returned to the squared circle and executed the Whirling Dervish for the pinfall victory. 

Result

The Vaudevillains defeated Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins.

Grade

C-

Analysis

This was your standard squash match, putting the spotlight on English and Gotch ahead of their tag title match with Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake next week.

The Vaudevillains have upped the energy of their performances as of late and looked really good, even when it came to Gotch selling Dawkins and Fulton's offense.

The promo by Alexa Bliss after the match, during which she vowed to ensure her boys retain their titles, was a better way to hype the forthcoming bout than the generic squash match that preceded it.

Contract Signing

NXT general manager William Regal was in the squared circle following a brief break for the contract signing between Kevin Owens and Finn Balor.

Owens interrupted a promo from Regal, making his way to the ring to a chorus of boos.

The two stars headlining the next Takeover special met inside the ring, the title placed on the table between them.

Owens asked Balor how it feels to be entering the biggest main event in the history of NXT as champion and underdog. Owens, like Balor did earlier, ran down his first six months in NXT and vowed to prove his loss in Japan was a fluke.

Balor threatened he would shove Owens' words down his throat, then Owens shoved the table over. He tossed Regal aside and started a brawl with Balor, only to be drop-kicked out of the ring. Balor stood tall while his top contender retreated to close out the show.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a killer segment to end the show, as it showcased the personalities of both and served as the start of the hype for their upcoming rematch at Takeover.

Owens was great here, needling the fans about the show taking place in Brooklyn instead of Full Sail University and manhandling the highly respected Regal.

Having Balor get the last laugh and stand tall was the right decision for his first night as champion.