Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson: Winner and Reaction from WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas

After a loss at NXT's previous live special, Apollo Crews got back on track in a big way Friday night, as he defeated Elias Samson on the Kickoff show at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. 

The match was originally listed on the TakeOver card, but it was taken off hours leading up to the event. Nick Paglino of Wrestlezone noted Crews won via pinfall.

J.J. Williams of the Wrestling Observer captured this moment from the stands after Crews picked up the victory:

Crews made his in-ring debut for NXT to great fanfare at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August, and he quickly established himself as one of the brand's most popular Superstars through his impressive blend of strength and athleticism.

Samson had been on the fringes of NXT's roster since 2014, but he finally started to receive a push near the end of 2015 with his new character, dubbed The Drifter.

He was on quite a roll entering Friday's event and seemed confident he would be successful in the Lone Star State, as seen in the video below, courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account:

Crews and Samson weren't involved with one another until a week before NXT TakeOver: Dallas, when the former saved Johnny Gargano from an attack at the hands of Samson following Gargano's upset victory over The Drifter:

That set their rivalry in motion and earned them a spot on what was already an extremely stacked card at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Despite the loss to Gargano, Samson entered Dallas with more momentum on his side than Crews because of the fact the leader of the Apollo Nation had lost some high-profile matches in recent months.

Most notably, he was defeated by Baron Corbin at NXT TakeOver: London in December, which came as a shock to many since Crews appeared to be well on his way to establishing himself as a regular in the NXT Championship scene.

He attempted to do precisely that several weeks later in a non-title match against NXT champ Finn Balor. However, he lost that bout cleanly as well.

The lack of a defined character and his struggles to connect with the fans on the mic may have had something to do with Crews' halted progress, but NXT TakeOver: Dallas gave him an opportunity to once again assert himself as one of the faces of NXT.

He did precisely that by defeating The Drifter, and one can only assume he will find himself in the main event mix moving forward, especially with top star Sami Zayn seemingly on the main roster on a full-time basis.

Samson hasn't clicked with NXT fans to this point, and while it could be argued Crews is still trying to get into his stride as well, his victory at NXT TakeOver: Dallas seems to support the notion he is viewed as a potential top star.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.