WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from May 18

Nia Jax has been an imposing force in NXT since her debut in 2015, but prior to Wednesday's WWE Network broadcast, she was lacking a definitive victory to cement her status as one of the premier female competitors on the brand.

A dominant and decisive win over Bayley not only set in motion events that will likely see her challenge Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship in the near future, but it also earned her "biggest winner" status from the May 18 episode.

Jax turned in arguably her finest performance to date. Not only did she destroy Bayley with her size and strength advantages, but she demonstrated an ability to step out of her comfort zone, taking a bump at ringside and working a style that featured counters and reversals, something not typically associated with her matches.

Credit: WWE.com

The lead villain in NXT's women's division was portrayed as a dominant force, a credible challenger and a legitimate star. Beating Bayley, the most popular star on the roster and an established franchise player, only helped strengthen Jax in the eyes of the fans. In one night, NXT Creative changed the audience's perception of her, something it does so much better than the main roster's writing team.

Jax was not the only winner from Wednesday's show, though. She was joined by two of her fellow women's title contenders. Not so lucky, though, was a tag team looking to establish itself as one of the top tandems in NXT.

Winner: Carmella

Credit: WWE.com

The Princess of Staten Island picked up a big win Wednesday night, forcing Peyton Royce to tap out as she continues to make a name for herself without Enzo Amore and Big Cass by her side.

Carmella is not the prototypical wrestler. She does not throw the suplexes Bayley and Becky Lynch do and is not a submission master the way Charlotte and Sasha Banks are. She is, however, a charismatic and plucky underdog who fights from underneath, energizes the audience with her babyface comebacks and has a unique finisher. 

No one is going to confuse Carmella with any of the other women mentioned above, but she has the tools necessary to be a lead babyface once Bayley finally gets called up to the main roster.

Even if her in-ring game is a step below that of her peers.

Losers: Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano

Credit: WWE.com

Sure, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano picked up a convincing win in an enhancement match against Danny Burch and Rob Ryzin, but that did not make their Wednesday night a successful one. It was one seemingly throwaway line from commentator Corey Graves that landed Gargano and Ciampa on the losers' side of things this week.

Graves pointed out Ciampa and Gargano's failures as singles competitors and how they have come back together as a team as a result. That may not seem like such a big deal, but Graves essentially pointed out that Ciampa and Gargano could not cut it on their own.

So what happens when they split up and head back out on their own? How can fans, especially those whose sole exposure to the NXT product is on the WWE Network, buy into them in that role when one of the lead commentators just told the world that they sucked as singles wrestlers?

Graves is excellent at the announce position, an engaging storyteller who speaks in a way everyone can either relate to or, at the very least, understand. He rarely makes a mistake, but this one could doom Ciampa and Gargano beyond Wednesday's show.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

There have been few wrestlers more underrated and underutilized over the last six months than Alexa Bliss, who has repeatedly proved herself both in the ring and on the mic, not to mention through her extraordinary use of facial expressions and body language. She is the complete package—a star waiting for the opportunity to break out.

Thanks to her split from Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake Wednesday night, she may finally be on her way to the significant push she deserves.

Bliss is such a natural heel that it is almost unthinkable she initially rose to prominence as a babyface. An athlete whose penchant for leaning on the entertainment aspect of professional wrestling has her more closely resembling Carmella than any of the Four Horsewomen, she has the tools to be the heel the entire division is built around.

It is up to NXT Creative to realize her potential and put her in the position to succeed. Given its track record, that should not be a problem.