WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from October 14

The October 14 episode of NXT has come and gone, and anyone wondering what the brand would have in store for its top stars in the wake of TakeOver: Respect now has a clearer idea of what direction Triple H and the young writing staff will take in the coming weeks and months.

A new No. 1 contender to Finn Balor's NXT Championship was decided in a huge Battle Royal involving all of the top NXT talent, while a potential new challenger emerged from the pack and set her sights on the NXT Women's Championship.

It was a huge night for the young stars of the brand, two in particular who earned their status as the biggest winners of the night.

But there was also one major loser, whose stint in NXT has not quite gone the way most expected to this point. 

Who are these three mystery stars, and why do they find themselves on the sides that they do?

Let's take a look.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

Sure, Blake and Murphy may have disappeared from relevance since dropping the tag titles to The Vaudevillains back at TakeOver: Brooklyn, but Alexa Bliss did not, emerging from the locker room Wednesday night and interrupting what should have been a massive celebration for women's champion Bayley.

Bliss made it clear to the titleholder that while they can share a great deal of things, including pride in the Divas Revolution, they cannot share the women's title. 

And just like that, the petite Diva established herself as the next threat to Bayley's title.

Bliss is supremely athletic and has come a long way from the inexperienced fairy-like Diva who entered the company two years ago. She's vindictive, manipulative and has excelled as a heel to this point. Her in-ring work is still a bit green; battling someone who has been in the biggest spots imaginable, as Bayley has been, will only help her in her in the long run.

As will more opportunities to both showcase her ability on the mic and further develop her character.

Loser: Samoa Joe

After winning the Dusty Rhodes Classic at TakeOver: Respect, all signs seemed to point at Samoa Joe and Finn Balor eventually splitting and battling over the NXT Championship. Instead, if the events of this week's episode are any indicator, Joe appears poised to be stuck in a going-nowhere feud with Tyler Breeze.

Perhaps the program will be over which Superstar is routinely misused the most.

Joe is one of those guys who, no matter what he does, cannot seem to catch on to the extent that he should have by now. His character is nonexistent, his ring work is uninspired, and fans do not quite react to him as passionately as one would have expected.

He is just kind of there, and working Breeze, another wrestler who cannot seem to catch a break, will not help matters.

Winner: Apollo Crews

The new No. 1 contender is on the road to a showdown with Finn Balor for the NXT Championship, just two months after arriving on the brand.

The dynamic, highly athletic Superstar has parlayed two impressive showings at live event specials into the trust of management and will now reap the rewards.

Was it surprising to see the energetic babyface get the nod over someone like Baron Corbin? Sure, but he now has the opportunity of a lifetime to prove that he belongs in the main event. If he can do that, Crews should be a made man going forward.

Winner: Nia Jax

This newcomer was incredibly impressive Wednesday night as she tore through poor Evie en route to a squash victory. 

A physically impressive woman whose heritage alone should set her up for great things (she is a cousin of The Rock, after all), she will have the opportunity to learn and grow while working with some truly talented performers in the coming weeks and months.