WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 1

The NXT Tag Team and Women's Championships were up for grabs on March 1, lending high stakes to this week's broadcast.

Would DIY be able to unseat The Authors of Pain and become only the second two-time tag champions, or would Akam and Rezar, led by the great Paul Ellering, punish Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano into oblivion and retain the titles they took from them in San Antonio?

What about Peyton Royce?

Would the Aussie be able to bring Asuka's unbeaten streak to a grinding halt, scoring the biggest upset of the year in the process?

Former Tough Enough star Patrick Clark debuted to round out the show.

Who emerged victorious, and were there any championships that changed hands?

Sean Maluta vs. Patrick Clark

Patrick Clark returned to the NXT Arena Wednesday night, but if he expected to cruise to victory, he would be sadly mistaken as he squared off against a very game Sean Maluta.

Maluta was on fire early but had his offensive onslaught slowed as Clark took over.

He beat the Samoan competitor down with a flurry of basic strikes and a nondescript headlock.

Maluta fought back into the match and delivered a Shining Wizard to Clark that nearly netted him the upset. Instead, Clark utilized a submission, then delivered a modified version of Billy Gunn's old Fameasser finisher to score the pinfall victory.

Result

Patrick Clark defeated Sean Maluta

Grade

C-

Analysis

This was supposed to spotlight Clark, but in reality, Maluta stood out far more than his opponent. His offense was more dynamic and his selling more believable.

Clark's flamboyant gimmick feels like something straight out of a lower-level independent show rather than WWE's most buzzed-about property. While Clark is clearly trying, it does not feel like he totally believes in the character, and thus it is almost certainly doomed to failure.

NXT Women's Championship Match: Asuka vs. Peyton Royce

One week after defeating Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in a Triple Threat No. 1 Contender's match, Peyton Royce sought to do the one thing no other woman has been capable of: dethrone NXT women's champion Asuka.

An alert and focused Royce suckered the champion into the corner, then grabbed her arm and pulled her shoulder-first into the steel post.

NXT's answer to Poison Ivy worked a wristlock, keeping Asuka grounded and targeting the previously established injury.

A few slaps to the face re-energized Asuka. She unloaded with a series of strikes on Royce, but a jawbreaker slowed her comeback. Despite dominance from Royce, it took one kick from The Empress of Tomorrow and the Asuka Lock to end her night on a losing note.

After the match, Billie Kay hit the ring but Ember Moon made the save. The babyfaces stared each other down to end the segment.

Result

Asuka defeated Peyton Royce

Grade

B

Analysis

While still not the strongest of matches, what this did was prove that Royce is capable of hanging with a wrestler like Asuka. In fact, she controlled the majority of the match and was really spotlighted. Meanwhile, Asuka scored the win from out of nowhere, putting over how dangerous a champion she truly is.

The biggest thing to come out of this segment was the tease of Asuka vs. Ember Moon, a match fans have patiently waited for over the last few months. When the time comes for those two Superstars to compete, the fans will be at a fever pitch.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: DIY vs. Authors of Pain

DIY and The Authors of Pain wrote the latest chapter in their ongoing rivalry Wednesday night as they battled for the Authors' NXT Tag Team Championships in the main event.

The former champions were hot early, using speed to catch their opposition off guard.

The physically imposing heels slowed the pace and gained control of the bout, working over Tommaso Ciampa. A hot tag to Johnny Gargano helped the babyfaces get back into the match with a jumping DDT to score a near-fall.

The heels appeared poised to deliver their finisher, but the babyfaces slipped out and trapped Rezar and Akam in dual submission maneuvers.

The Revival attacked, drawing a disqualification.

They delivered The Shatter Machine to The Authors and celebrated to close out the show.

Result

DIY defeated The Authors of Pain via disqualification

Grade

C+

Analysis

This was a fun match, if not quite up to the level of other DIY performances.

The most significant element of the segment was The Revival's interference and the apparent setup of a three-way feud over the tag titles. If that is the case and the three teams are to compete against each other at TakeOver: Orlando, The Authors of Pain may have their best match to date.

The other two teams involved are so incredibly talented and possess such chemistry they can wrestle circles around Akam and Rezar, all the while making them look infinitely better than they actually are.

A solid way to close out a show dedicated to building the midcard of NXT.