WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from January 13

The action and excitement of NXT returned to Full Sail University Wednesday night, and the stage has been set for some of the top rivalries and championship matches going forward.

Sami Zayn stepped back into the Florida-based venue for the first time since enduring a major injury earlier in 2015 and made his intentions to challenge for the NXT Championship clear. Unfortunately, Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe were not willing to allow him the opportunity to bask in the love the NXT faithful had for him or enjoy the moment.

No, they voiced their desire to compete for the top prize in the land, and a Triple Threat match was set up for next week's show by William Regal moments later.

Zayn received a hero's welcome, Joe was incredibly strong on the microphone as he laid down two very credible insults to his new rivals and Corbin never looked out of place sharing the ring with the two established stars.

For that reason alone, the three top contenders to Finn Balor's NXT Championship were the biggest winners coming out of the January 13 episode of wrestling's hottest property.

On a night when one woman broke through and earned herself the No. 1 contender's spot in the hunt for the NXT Women's Championship and awards were handed out for the best of NXT in 2015, they were hardly the only winners.

And then there was that one unfortunate wrestler who ended up on the loser's side of this week's Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from NXT.

Credit: WWE.com

Winner: Carmella

The Princess of Staten Island scored the biggest win of her career Wednesday night, surviving 10 other Divas to become the No. 1 contender to real-life best friend Bayley and the NXT Women's Championship.

The reaction she received for eliminating Eva Marie and preventing the All Red Diva from earning the title opportunity was thunderous, but there was more to it than that. After being hated, thoroughly and passionately despised early in her NXT run, fans embraced her in appreciation for everything she had done to get to that level.

It was a watershed moment, and though she may not be the most polished worker, Carmella will surely benefit from learning under Bayley as they prepare for their championship clash in the very near future.

Credit: WWE.com

Loser: Elias Samson

The Drifter gimmick is a very cool one, and Elias Samson is doing a fantastic job of getting over the instability of the man behind the guitar, but he has unfortunately failed to provide that spark to his in-ring work that would really capture the attention of the fans.

Sure, he bowled over Corey Hollis is a squash match Wednesday and looked strong doing so. But there was no spark, no excitement and little in the way of intensity. The much smaller Hollis provided the perfect opponent for Samson to tear through, but instead, the young star turned in a plodding performance that was supposed to be cerebral in nature but came off as one-speed.

You can tell Samson has the charisma, body language and facial expressions to make the character truly unique, but he needs to find that fire in the ring to truly complete the package. He has yet to discover it, leading to his status as a loser Wednesday night, but that does not mean he will not be able to unearth it one day.

Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Sasha Banks, Bayley and Finn Balor

Sasha Banks, Bayley and Finn Balor were all celebrated with the first NXT Awards Wednesday night, their many accomplishments in 2015 rewarded.

NXT named Balor both the Male and Overall Performer of the Year, while Bayley scored the Female Performer of the Year honors. 

Bayley and Banks took home the award for Match of the Year, their intensely emotional battle from TakeOver: Brooklyn standing head and shoulders above anything else produced by the brand over the last 12 months.

Three of the cornerstones of NXT throughout 2015, they deserved the recognition and should hopefully be up for bigger and better things over the next year.