WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades and Reaction from Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

Wednesday's episode of NXT featured a 2-out-of-3 Falls No. 1 Contender's match between Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe that put the NXT Championship at the center of attention as the brand prepares for TakeOver: Dallas.

The Superstars had battled in the past, including a match a few weeks back that ended with both competitors' shoulders simultaneously pinned. With the opportunity to challenge Finn Balor before them, the intense contenders waged war for nearly 30 minutes, the allure of championship gold fueling them.

A fantastic match that had fans hanging on every reversal, counter and pin attempt, it reaffirmed NXT as the most exciting brand in all of professional wrestling.

With the score knotted up at one fall apiece, Joe locked on his Coquina Clutch submission and forced Zayn into unconsciousness, cashing a ticket to Dallas and a showdown with Balor.

With the new No. 1 contender decided, let's relive Wednesday's epic encounter with this roundup of match grades, analysis and highlights, as well as Twitter's reaction to the performances of the world-class athletes involved.

The Match

Reaction

Twitter was abuzz following the near-classic match, with several of Zayn and Joe's NXT peers chiming in on the bout. The brand's head official Drake Wuertz congratulated the competitors on a match well-wrestled. As a former in-ring competitor, he recognized how hard it was to pull off what they did.

He would go on to show love for fellow official Shawn Bennett for his performance in maintaining order and keeping up with the action for the duration.

Funaki, who has worked as a mentor to Hideo Itami during his transition from Japan, also shared his appreciation for the match.

Top women's contender Nia Jax applauded the story that the Ring of Honor alumni told between the ropes.

NXT stars were not the only ones to express their feelings about the match. Bleacher Report's Graham Matthews heaped praise on the match while looking forward to the upcoming title bout in Dallas.

Sun Sentinel writer Scott Fishman credited the performances for the continued buzz surrounding the NXT brand.

After Zayn debuted on Monday night's Raw and booked a potential trip to WrestleMania 32, it appears as though fans may have witnessed his penultimate match with the brand he helped carry to greatness, if his tweet is any indication.

Grade: A

Analysis

Anytime a promoter throws two wrestlers of the caliber of Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn together in the same ring and gives them 30 minutes to tell a story, the results are always going to be spectacular. That was the case Wednesday night.

Joe looked as good as he has to this point in his NXT run. He was stiff, convincing, motivated and put over incredibly strong. Best of all, his win came over a performer both beloved by fans and respected by management behind the scenes, suggesting that Joe himself has won those men and women over.

Zayn does not get nearly enough credit for being as smart a worker as he is. He has the innate ability to plan each spot perfectly, working them into the grand scheme of things as if they were a single piece of a puzzle. His timing is superb, and he has mastered the art of the facial expression, something not easy for a guy who spent so many of his prime years under a mask.

While it was not quite the Match of the Year candidate that it felt like the guys were working toward, it was still an extraordinary effort from both men, and to suggest it was anything else would be nitpicking.

Joe's win sets up another showdown with Balor in Dallas. If the original was any indication, fans in the Lone Star State should expect a hard-hitting, high-impact match pitting two of the world's best against each other.

As for Zayn, he will have his hands full with the incoming Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver and a possible date with friend-turned-enemy Kevin Owens on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania 32.