WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from May 25

The upcoming TakeOver continued to take shape Wednesday night on NXT as a No. 1 contender to the NXT Women's Championship was determined in a huge Triple Threat main event, and a match between two of the best wrestlers on the planet was set in stone.

Nia Jax decisively defeated Bayley last week, but in order to achieve the Women's Championship match she believes she deserves, she would have to defeat Alexa Bliss and Carmella, two competitors riding a wave of momentum into Wednesday's marquee bout.

One week after teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Murphy and Blake, Austin Aries returned to the NXT Arena with a few things on his mind. What did he have to say to the faithful fans at Full Sail University and who had a retort for The Greatest Man That Ever Lived?

No Way Jose, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were all in action as the hottest brand in professional wrestling hit the WWE Network airwaves.

What went down, who picked up key victories and how did each segment grade out?

Take a look for yourself with the results, grades and analysis from the May 25 episode of NXT.

Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa vs. TM-61

Shane Thorne and Nick Miller, known collectively as TM-61, made their much-anticipated NXT debut Wednesday night, battling Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in tag team action. After years of cutting their teeth in the independent scene, Thorne and Miller turned in a spirited performance against two of the industry's most acclaimed competitors.

It was not enough to secure a victory, though.

The newcomers isolated Ciampa and controlled part of the match, only to hand control back to their more experienced opponents following a hot tag to Gargano.

With partner Miller at ringside, Thorne suffered a superkick and running knee combination from Gargano and Ciampa, who secured the victory.

Result

Ciampa and Gargano defeated TM-61.

Grade

B-

Analysis

TM-61, who were portrayed as Ciampa and Gargano's equals for the most part, had a strong debut. At nine minutes, the contest was much longer than the typical squash bout that new talent is typically exposed to.

Gargano and Ciampa continue to roll, and one has to wonder how long it will be before they mix it up with American Alpha in what could, and should, be extraordinary wrestling matches.

Austin Aries Promo

Austin Aries made his way to the squared circle, one week after partnering with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Murphy and Blake and Murphy.

Aries talked about greatness and how he strives to achieve it, which is why he could not help but notice guys coming in after him and grabbing the spotlight. Chants of "Nakamura" filled the NXT Arena. He vowed to come after the NXT Championship, whether it be Samoa Joe or Finn Balor that holds it.

Almost on cue, Nakamura's music interrupted and the charismatic Japanese export made his way to the ring. 

Nakamura said the next NXT champion would not be great; he would be The King of Japanese Strong Style.

NXT general manager William Regal made his way to the ramp and announced Aries vs. Nakamura for TakeOver, much to the audience's delight.

Grade

B+

Analysis

For the first time, fans got a taste of the egotistical Aries character who has defined him over the course of his career. He was not necessarily a heel, just honest about his motivations, and it worked so much better than anything else he has said or done to this point in his underwhelming NXT stint.

Nakamura's arrival was electric. Although he did not really develop his character any further than he already had, he held the audience in the palm of his hand, with his undeniable charisma on full display.

The match between them at TakeOver should steal the show, especially considering the talent of the Superstars involved.

No Way Jose in Action!

Credit: WWE.com

No Way Jose wrestled the third match of his NXT career, battling the unknown Jonathan Ortagun. 

Jose used the airplane spin, atomic drop and bulldog fans have become accustomed to this early in his stint. Despite a brief bit of offense from his opponent, the fun-loving young star delivered his wind-up punch and Cobra Clutch slam for the pinfall victory.

Result

No Way Jose defeated Jonathan Ortagun.

Grade

F

Analysis

The No Way Jose character may be the worst NXT Creative ever devised. Though the performer himself clearly has charisma and has done everything he can to get it over, it already feels dated, and we are only three matches into its existence on television.

The offense is silly, the matches are underwhelming and the result is a gimmick more suited to mid-90s WWE than anything in this—the so-called New Era.

No. 1 Contender's Match: Carmella vs. Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss

Carmella and Alexa Bliss rode a wave of momentum into Wednesday's show but the biggest question facing those two women was whether or not they could weather the storm of Nia Jax—fresh off a dominant and decisive victory over Bayley on last week's show.

Despite their interactions throughout the match, Bliss and Carmella found themselves working together to combat Jax, who was the unstoppable wrecking ball she has been from the start of her NXT career. Jax countered a double-suplex spot, easily taking them over and sending them crashing to the mat.

Carmella threw caution to the wind late in the match, diving through the middle and bottom ropes to wipe out Jax in hopes of eliminating the biggest threat to her victory. Despite another high spot that saw Carmella launch herself off the top rope with a Thesz Press, Jax was able to recover and deliver her trademark leg drop for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Asuka hit the ring and stared Jax down, raising the Women's Championship high in the air as the show faded to black.

Result

Nia Jax defeated Alexa Bliss and Carmella.

Grade

B+

Analysis

Carmella, Bliss and Jax may not have the experience Bayley or Asuka possess, but this match played perfectly to their strengths and, more importantly, to the bout's overall quality, featuring compelling spots that elevated it beyond that of what anyone could have expected.

Bliss is the best wrestler on the women's roster not named Asuka or Bayley, and it really showed Wednesday night. She held the match together and looked strong in defeat, spared the actual pinfall defeat.

With that being said, Carmella is a star in the making—a charismatic bombshell who could be called up to Raw tomorrow and almost instantly be the biggest babyface on the women's roster. She has that "it" factor that few do and her offensive skill set is made up of crowd-pleasing maneuvers that pop any audience she performs in front of.

Jax was the right choice to go over. She has improved so much since her first matches on the brand and is the lead heel in the division. Her series with Asuka could be great fun as NXT tells the story of the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object.

It was a really fun way to cap this week's show.