WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 11

After Eric Young's debut on last week's show, this week focused on Finn Balor and his quest to regain the NXT Championship from Samoa Joe.

He took a detour to battle "The Drifter," Elias Samson, but some of the brightest stars in NXT provided a lot of other great action.

Shinsuke Nakamura took on Alex Riley in what ended up being Riley's final WWE match, American Alpha faced another young tag team and a legend's daughter debuted against Alexa Bliss.

Erik Beaston will be back to recap next week's show, but for now, let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of NXT.

Opening Promo

Finn Balor kicked things off with a promo about how he and Samoa Joe have been at war over the NXT Championship for a long time.

Elias Samson came out and sang a song he says he wrote just for Balor while the crowd booed him. Balor stood there with an angry look on his face until he hit a Pele kick to put Samson down.

Balor threw the guitar at him as Samson retreated up the ramp to end the segment.

Grade: B

Analysis

Anyone who saw the 2004 movie The Punisher may remember a scene where a guy came into a diner where Frank Castle was eating and sang a song about how his time was coming to an end. This segment was basically that scene played out in a WWE ring.

Balor is as over with the crowd as anyone can get, and Samson gets just the right amount of heat for a midcard heel.

Samson's character can be interesting if done right, but the gimmick seems better suited for NXT than the main roster.

American Alpha vs. Corey Hollis and John Skyler

The NXT tag team champions were in action, as Jason Jordan and Chad Gable took on Corey Hollis and John Skyler.

The match featured some solid back-and-forth wrestling from four young and hungry Superstars looking to make names for themselves.

Gable and Jordan were almost distracted by The Revival coming out on the stage, but they were still able to pick up a quick win.

Winners: American Alpha

Grade: B-

Analysis

Hollis and Skyler put up a good fight, but this bout was all about making the tag champs look like they deserve to be at the top of the division.

Jordan and Gable have meshed into a cohesive unit since joining forces, and it's going to be interesting to see how they are booked once they are called up to the main roster.

They have the technical ability and the flash to be quite popular with the WWE Universe, and wearing outfits that look like they were inspired by something The Steiner Brothers wore in the '90s doesn't hurt.

Alex Riley vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

An angry Alex Riley took on the flashy Shinsuke Nakamura in the first singles match of the night. Riley got in a little offense, but Nakamura picked up the win in a short few minutes.

It's always great to see the Japanese standout do his thing, but he didn't have a chance to do more than a few of his signature maneuvers.

If they were given just a few more minutes, this could have been the match of the night.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Grade: C

Notes and Highlights

Knowing this was Riley's last match in a WWE ring made it kind of a sad segment. He is someone who has worked so hard without seeing any payoff.

When he first started as a member of the original NXT with The Miz, he seemed destined for great things, especially since the crowd was on his side toward the end of their feud.

This bout was too short to be anything special, but whenever we get to see Nakamura, it's a good night.

Alexa Bliss vs. Rachael Ellering

Credit: WWE.com

After Alexa Bliss was shown with Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy in a backstage segment with William Regal and Austin Aries, she made her way to the ring for a match against the legendary Paul Ellering's daughter, Rachael.

The two exchanged offense and near-falls at a fast pace, showing off some of their technical skills in the process.

Ellering managed to get in a lot of offense, even looking like she might win at one point, but the more experienced Bliss finished her off to get the win.

Fans were chanting Ellering's name throughout the match, which had to make the rookie feel welcome in her first major appearance. If the match had been a bit longer, it could have been much better.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

Grade: C+

Analysis

Ellering looked good in her first NXT outing. She is trained by Lance Storm and grew up around the business, so she is in a good position to find herself with a developmental deal at some point.

Bliss has improved so much over the past six months. She has evolved into a great heel character after starting out as a boring, bubbly babyface.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Bliss on the main roster before the end of the year. It might be by herself, and it might be as Blake and Murphy's manager. Either way, she will make a good addition to the women's division.

Finn Balor vs. Elias Samson

Balor and Samson basically played through a one-night storyline. The match gave Samson a good chance to show off some of his skills, and Balor did a good job making him look like a threat.

Once Balor got going, though, there was no stopping him. He used his newly named finisher, the 1916, to pick up a good victory over a game Samson.

He grabbed a mic and addressed Samoa Joe, saying he wants his rematch at the next TakeOver special on June 8. Samoa Joe tried to come to the ring, but Regal cut him off and made the match official.

Joe talked some trash from ringside, so Balor dove over the top rope and took him out to send the crowd home happy.

Winner: Finn Balor

Grade: B+

Analysis

A lot of people are hoping Balor makes the jump to the main roster soon, but he might be better off staying in NXT for a little while.

It's not that he isn't ready to go to Raw and SmackDown, but he is a shark in a little pond in NXT, and the main roster is an ocean filled with a lot of other sharks.

He is the face of the developmental brand, and it's easy to see why the crowd loves him so much. He's as versatile as they come in the ring, and his gimmick allows him to play around with his character.

This was the only match of the night given a long time to play out. Samson had a good showing against someone a lot higher on the card than himself, but he wasn't able to secure the win.

Balor's promo after the match shows how much he has improved. He was never a bad talker, but he has soaked up a lot of knowledge since coming to NXT.

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