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

The march to Houston and NXT TakeOver: War Games continued on WWE Network Wednesday night as Roderick Strong and Andrade "Cien" Almas battled for the opportunity to enter NXT Championship contention.

That match headlined a show that also featured the coronation of the fourth Superstar to join the Fatal 4-Way match for the vacant NXT Women's Championship, the first opportunity for Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan to earn a tag team victory and a sneak attack by Velveteen Dream to Aleister Black.

Tensions were heightened, rivalries escalated and feuds furthered in another explosive episode of the developmental brand's weekly broadcast.

Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss

Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan used to spend Wednesday nights beating the ever-loving hell out of each other. Wednesday, they teamed up to battle the team of Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss, a tandem seeking its first breakout victory.

The physically superior heels isolated Burch, working him over until a dropkick off the middle rope and a series of uppercuts allowed the Brit to fight his way back into the match. A stiff clothesline turned the tide back in the favor of Sabbatelli and Moss.

A hot tag to Lorcan had the babyfaces rolling, but the heels ultimately double-teamed Lorcan, setting him up in a Gory Special and delivering a bulldog for the pinfall victory.

Result

Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss defeated Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

Grade

B

Analysis

The team of Sabbatelli and Moss have been looking for that one, defining victory that would earn them a bit of momentum they could carry into the future.

They may have gotten it Wednesday night with their victory over Lorcan and Burch.

The grizzled vets have credibility with the audience others do not. Beating them, at least as relatively unknown commodities, is a big deal for Sabbatelli and Moss.

Whether they can push forward and dominate the competition en route to a tag team push or not remains to be seen, but for now, this was a step in the right direction for the long-running tandem.

Women's Battle Royal

With Peyton Royce, Ember Moon and Kairi Sane already announced for the Fatal 4-Way mach to determine the new NXT women's champion, the fourth and final competitor was revealed courtesy of a Battle Royal.

After Taynara Conti cost Nikki Cross the opportunity to advance in last week's Triple Threat match, the unhinged woman of Sanity took her frustrations out, eliminating the Brazilian. Conti dragged Cross outside the ring as their fight continued.

Bianca Bel Air, Mercedes Martinez, Candice LeRae, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross were the final five competitors late in the match, each vying for the opportunity to emerge as the fourth contender to the vacant title.

It was Cross who would send Kay, Bel Air and Martinez crashing to the arena floor to win the match and cash her ticket to Houston.

Result

Nikki Cross won the Battle Royal.

Grade

C

Analysis

Traditional Battle Royals are rarely any good, and for the most part, this was no different.

Cross winning was the right move given how popular she is with the audience and the quality of her work to this point. Martinez looked strong, Bel Air's star continues to rise, and the heel work of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce gets better and better with every passing week.

Velveteen Dream Attacks Aleister Black

Credit: WWE.com

As Aleister Black made his way to the squared circle, Velveteen Dream attacked from behind, sending him face-first into the ring steps.

The assault continued into the squared circle, where he tied him in the ropes and berated Black, to a chorus of boos.

His hubris got the best of him, though, and Black freed himself. He attempted Black Mass, but Dream ducked out of the way and fled from the squared circle.

Grade

A

Analysis

The mind games and near-misses that have defined this rivalry have helped make it the most intriguing and engaging in NXT today.

The character work, including the body language of the heel, has been superb and elevated the entire angle in a way that having them wrestle six times leading into TakeOver: War Games never would have.

Roderick Strong vs. Andrade Almas

Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega made it clear prior to the main event that Almas wants, and will not be denied, a shot at Drew McIntyre's NXT Championship.

Almas set out to prove he deserved it, battling Roderick Strong in singles competition. He targeted Strong's left arm.

The action picked up as Strong fought back into the match, delivered a pop-up gut buster for a count of two. Strong took the fight to Almas as the tide turned in the favor of the babyface.

When the battle spilled outside the ring, Strong rolled Almas back into the ring, only to fall victim to a hurricanrana from Vega that sent him into the steel steps.

Almas picked up the tainted victory with the hammerlock DDT, earning himself a shot at McIntyre's title on November 18.

After the match, The Undisputed Era approached Strong, offering an arm band and leaving The Messiah of the Backbreaker contemplating Adam Cole's offer to join the group.

Result

Andrade Almas defeated Roderick Strong.

Grade

A

Analysis

Strong and Almas are two Superstars having the best matches of their careers at this point, true workhorses for NXT.

This was an explosive match, where one Superstar caught the other with a strike that looked poised to earn them a victory, only to have their opponent kick out.

Vega's interference was well done and adds another element to Almas' heel presentation that will only help to get him over as a legitimate main event contender.

The cliffhanger, featuring Strong contemplating the offer to join Undisputed Era, is a nice hook for next week's show and the continued build to TakeOver: War Games.