WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from December 28

In a very special edition of NXT, the Superstars of wrestling's most buzzed-about brand traveled to Osaka for a live event in Japan on Wednesday.

Shinsuke Nakamura challenged Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship in a match that has been aired before but would have a significant effect as 2016 comes to a close.

Asuka would look to celebrate with her fellow countrymen as she defended the NXT Women's Championship against Nia Jax in a rematch of their TakeOver classic.

The NXT Tag Team Championships were also on the line as Japan's Tajiri and Akira Tozawa challenged DIY's Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

Oney Lorcan, Andrade Almas, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay were all in action as the brand set out to spotlight the men and women who will shape the brand in the New Year.

Who emerged victorious, how will it affect NXT and how did each match grade out?

Take a look for yourself.

Oney Lorcan vs. Andrade Almas

Credit: WWE.com

One week after Andrade Almas fell just short of becoming the new No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship, he squared off with consummate underdog Oney Lorcan in singles competition, looking to rebound from his crushing defeat.

Almas' arrogance cost him, though, as he took Lorcan too lightly and paid the price in the form of a costly defeat.

After toying with Lorcan for the majority of the match, Almas delivered his double knees in the corner for a dramatic near-fall.

Frustrated, he found himself crotched on the top rope, then the recipient of a huge superplex for the top rope. Lorcan scored the pinfall and the upset win.

Result

Oney Lorcan defeated Andrade Almas

Grade

B-

Analysis

Early pacing issues aside, this was a competitive match and great way to kick off the show.

Lorcan is an intense worker and was able to pull a new aggressiveness out of Almas, whose ring work has not suffered despite disappointing creative returns.

A big win for Lorcan, but the follow-up will be crucial to his development and evolution in 2017.

Liv Morgan and Aliyah vs. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay

The never-ending rivalry between the teams of Liv Morgan and Aliyah, and the resident mean girls Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, continued overseas as they met in their biggest and most significant bout to date.

The heels took control on Aliyah, isolating her from Morgan. They wore her down, using a size advantage to keep her grounded.

A hot tag to Morgan sparked a babyface comeback, but it was a bulldog from Royce that sent Morgan's face into Kay's knee for the fall.

Result

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Aliyah

Grade

C-

Analysis

More time and a bigger stage did nothing to increase the quality of this one.

Aliyah and Morgan, no matter how sympathetic they may be in the underdog babyface role, are not seasoned enough to deliver the type of matches fans have come to expect from the NXT women's division.

Royce and Kay are a solid enough act, but the lack of competition hurts their development.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: DIY vs. Akira Tozawa and Tajiri

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano made their first major NXT Tag Team Championship defense, battling Akira Tozawa and Tajiri in front of the challengers' fellow countrymen.

The action was heavy throughout, with neither team wrestling control from the other for any extended period of time. The strikes were stiff, and the fans in Osaka rained down on the competitors with chants of "This is awesome."

Late in the bout, Ciampa appeared to have the victory secured, using his Project Ciampa finisher to incapacitate Tozawa. A well-timed interjection by Tajiri saved the match. The Japanese Buzzsaw was not able to do the same later, though, as the champions executed their kick-knee combo for the successful title defense.

Result

DIY defeated Tajiri and Akira Tozawa

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was the insanely paced match, with action from bell to bell, that fans have come to expect from the champions. They were outstanding, proving their ability to mesh their collective style with The Revival one week and a duo like Tajiri and Tozawa, who have an entirely different arsenal, the next.

While Gargano and Ciampa could be used as singles competitors given the lack of depth elsewhere on the roster, their work as a team has far exceeded expectations and provided NXT with an act that rivals Shinsuke Nakamura in popularity.

NXT Women's Championship Match: Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Few women have tested Asuka the way Nia Jax has, making their showdown in Osaka that much more interesting.

Jax's size and power made it difficult for Asuka to gain control early. Even her buzzsaw-like kicks failed to make an impression early.

Every attempt the NXT women's champion made to fight back was cut off by Jax, who pummeled her and kept her at bay. She delivered a big legdrop to the back of the head that left some in attendance believing they may be seeing the end of The Empress of Tomorrow's dominant reign.

Asuka dodged a second legdrop attempt and mounted her comeback.

She withstood a big powerbomb and delivered a standing spin kick, followed by a German suplex and a knockout kick for the pinfall.

Result

Asuka defeated Nia Jax

Grade

B-

Analysis

This was a fine match, though definitely not on par with their TakeOver match.

The length exposed Jax's weaknesses, but Asuka is so good she compensates for those deficiencies. Her comeback was strong, and that knockout kick has been established as a true alternative to her Asuka Lock submission hold.

At this point, Asuka may be the best booked Superstar on the NXT roster.

NXT Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe

Regular viewers of NXT have already seen this one, which pitted then-NXT champion Samoa Joe against top contender Shinsuke Nakamura.

After formal introductions, the heated rivals pummeled each other, each man looking to leave Osaka with championship gold in his possession.

Joe controlled the pace of the match, but Nakamura, like a gnat, would not go away.

Outside the ring, The King of Strong Style delivered a Kinshasa that sent Joe head-first into the steel stairs.

A second Kinshasa moments later, inside the squared circle, ended Joe's reign and ensured that Nakamura would end 2016 the top dog in NXT.

Result

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Samoa Joe

Grade

C+

Analysis

It takes intestinal fortitude to repeat a match that fans have already seen in the main event slot of a show, yet here NXT was, doing just that.

Why not end the broadcast with Asuka's title defense, putting emphasis on the women's division and brightening the star of the champion?

For completion's sake, it made sense to include Joe vs. Nakamura, but the repetitive nature highlights the somewhat cold nature of the brand's programming and the lack of significant main event programming past that rivalry.