WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights and Reaction from May 29

The march to TakeOver: XXV continued Wednesday night as the stars of NXT's women's and tag team divisions shined brightest.

Mia Yim and Bianca Belair continued their rivalry in singles action, while Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch sought to build momentum for themselves ahead of their NXT Tag Team Championship ladder match, squaring off with another team involved in that wild, chaotic contest, The Forgotten Sons.

Which of the aforementioned Superstars earned big victories, and who was left standing ahead of the upcoming extravaganza?

Find out now with this recap of a broadcast that also featured a mat wrestler's dream contest between Kushida and Drew Gulak.

Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair

The competitive rivalry between Mia Yim and Bianca Belair continued Wednesday night, when the former sought to even the series at one win apiece.

The EST of NXT allowed her arrogance to get the best of her at one point, talking trash to her opponent and daring Yim to fight her.

Yim did just that, fighting from underneath and delivering a Protect Ya Neck that should have earned her the victory, but an alert Belair rolled to the sanctuary of the floor. There, she capitalized on an opening and sent Yim into the ring apron.

A powerbomb attempt back inside the squared circle was countered by Yim, who held on to her opponent's hair and delivered a second Protect Ya Neck for the pinfall victory.

Result

Yim defeated Belair

Grade

B

Analysis

One of the most consistent criticisms of NXT has been its inability to deliver a secondary women's rivalry beyond the title picture.

Yim got her revenge on Belair for her loss a few weeks ago and, in the process, proved she can be every bit the cunning competitor The EST is. Furthermore, she earned the credibility of beating a woman only one other competitor on the roster has been able to: Shayna Baszler.

That carries weight and will only help Yim in her attempt to build momentum going forward.

Even better? It sets up a third, must-win match between the two sometime down the road.

Kushida vs. Drew Gulak

Weeks after Drew Gulak made his presence felt during Kushida's match, the 205 Live competitor battled The Time Splitter in singles competition Wednesday.

The action was fast and furious, featuring more than a few excellent reversals.

Kushida applied an octopus, Gulak answered with an ankle lock. Kushida looked for his armbar finisher but was unable to apply it fully.

Ultimately, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling alumnus was able to down Gulak and score a pinning attempt that surprised the Philadelphia native for the win.

After the match, Gulak audibly called Kushida a coward before stomping off.

Result

Kushida defeated Gulak

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was the "soft pretzels and beer cheese" of the wrestling world—an appetizer before a much bigger, more fulfilling meal to come.

Kushida scored the tricky pin to pick up the win, but this feels like an unsettled rivalry between two expert technicians. Hopefully, be it at TakeOver: XXV or sometime later down the line, they get to have the match that is worthy of the filet mignon.

Kushida earned even more credibility by outwrestling a ring general like Gulak, but every time the mat technician appears in an NXT ring, it becomes more and more apparent how poorly he is utilized on 205 Live.

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. The Forgotten Sons

The tag team division was once again on full display Wednesday in the main event, as Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch squared off with The Forgotten Sons' Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake, accompanied by Jaxson Ryker.

Before the match could really get underway, Ryker interfered and was sent to the back.

On his way to the locker room, The Street Profits' Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins attacked. From there, they turned their attention to the squared circle. Cutler and Blake wisely bailed out of the way, leaving the two babyface teams to exchange blows.

A happy Ryker, recovered and approving of the competition's tension, was attacked from behind by Adam Cole and Roderick Strong of Undisputed Era. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish attacked the rest of the competition with a ladder before standing tall to close out the show.

Result

No-contest

Grade

A

Analysis

This was never meant to be a match. Instead, it was a hard sell by NXT to get fans excited about the upcoming ladder match to crown the new NXT tag team champions, and in that regard, it worked.

The Undisputed Era was positioned as the most credible threat in the entire company, with Cole even getting in a few words to NXT champion Johnny Gargano ahead of their showdown.

That foursome looked like the unstoppable force they should have been for the entirety of their run.

Kudos to Forgotten Sons, though, who have taken the opportunity presented to them and run with it. They may not be the prettiest team, but they are a good, old-fashioned, hard-hitting team that could be the building block for the next generation of the tag team division.