WWE NXT Results: Biggest Winners, Losers and Moments from July 13

The July 13 episode of NXT was the end of an era.

After nearly two years of excellence, Finn Balor wrapped up his run with the developmental brand by battling Shinsuke Nakamura in a dream match. The bout was not only extraordinary in its execution, but it was also the only one on Wednesday's broadcast, ensuring that both competitors emerged from the war of attrition as winners.

Their match was an instant classic, a match every bit as good as fans expected. Was it flawless? Of course not, but it featured some tremendous storytelling and the hard-hitting, high-impact in-ring action associated with the competitors.

Those two were not the only stars to appear on Wednesday's show, though. NXT champion Samoa Joe also made his presence felt, cutting a blistering promo on his top two contenders. Was he lucky enough to emerge a winner, as well?

Winners: Balor and Nakamura

For Balor, Wednesday's match represented one last opportunity to etch his name in the NXT history books as its greatest competitor.

The longest-reigning champion in the brand's history, he spent the last two years of his career as the franchise star of the brand. He battled every major star, with tremendous success.

As WWE readies for Tuesday's enormous brand extension designed to once again split the Raw and SmackDown rosters, Balor figures to play a key role, which means that his days in NXT are over.

On Wednesday night, he matched every great competitor the brand has produced by putting Nakamura over in grand fashion. He did so cleanly and in the center of the ring, ensuring that NXT has a star ready to fill his slot as the face of the brand going forward.

For Nakamura, the win was about more than ascending to the top of the roster. By beating Balor, he completed a successful transition from New Japan Pro Wrestling to the United States that has seen him draw some of the loudest responses of any Superstar under contract.

With TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn on the horizon, the victory also established The King of Strong Style as the top contender to the NXT Championship, moving him one step closer to the most coveted prize on the show.

Loser: Continuity

While the Balor-Nakamura match was outstanding, there was one element that kept it from reaching Match of the Year status, and it involved the "leg" work that made up the entire middle portion of the bout.

The victim of several knee strikes right out of the gate, Balor sought to exploit his opponent's greatest weakness, and he did just that, delivering a dropkick to Nakamura's knee and proceeding to work over the injured joint for the better part of the bout.

When it came time for The King of Strong Style to fight his way back into the match...the pain and suffering he had endured was suddenly and inexplicably erased.

The selling of the knee stopped completely. In fact, Nakamura continued to use knee strikes and even executed Kinshasa twice without any sign or symptom of injury.

It was somewhat disheartening to see so much work undermined by the necessary evil of Nakamura's finish, but in the long run, it only knocked the match down from an A to an A-minus.

Winner: Samoa Joe

The NXT champion kicked off Wednesday's show with a blistering promo in which he discredited both of his top contenders, claimed to be the originator of Strong Style in America and vowed to beat whoever steps up to challenge him next.

Then he came face-to-face with Rhyno...and backed down, like any great villain would. "I'll kick your ass on my time," he insisted, walking up the ramp.

The current championship reign of Samoa Joe has completely reinvigorated the competitor, inspiring some of his finest work in years. Wednesday's promo was among the best he has cut since debuting and showcased a supremely confident champion, even if his unwillingness to fight Rhyno then and there said otherwise.