WWE: NXT Madness Second-Round Results, Quarterfinals Set

We are now down to just eight men in the NXT Madness tournament. There was an incredible amount of votes, over 400 cast, which helped to structure our quarterfinals. We are getting close to finding out who the Bleacher Report audience believes is the best contribution from NXT in its history.

I felt it appropriate to lead this slideshow off with a picture of the eight rookies from the original NXT. We can easily look back and see that those eight were eight of the best that could be put into the show. However, many can argue that they are not the top eight of all-time. I asked myself recently that if there was an all-star version of NXT, who would be on it? The eight finalists that you decided may be the eight best and could be considered a dream season of sorts.

There were some upsets, some blowouts and some runaway races. All in all, the quarterfinals are shaping up to be four fantastic matchups, but we will get to those later. First thing's first; here are your second-round winners, decided by you.

Second Round: Wade Barrett Defeats Darren Young

(1) Wade Barrett: 96.07%

(17) Darren Young: 3.93%

Wade Barrett, the top overall seed, made quick work of fellow season one rookie Darren Young in a landslide. Young enjoyed a close win in the Redemption Round, but this was too tall of an order for Young to climb.

Barrett rolls into the quarterfinals without signs of slowing down. This is Barrett's tournament to lose.

Second Round: Skip Sheffield Defeats Kaval

(2) Kaval: 38.46%

(15) Skip Sheffield: 61.54%

The Cornfed Meathead pulls off a big victory over season two winner Kaval. Sheffield jumped out to a big lead and, while Kaval was closing the gap, the distance was too much to make up. Sheffield, as a No. 15 seed, is now in the final eight thanks to two strong victories. Can he make it three in a row and give himself a spot in the semifinals?

Second Round: Byron Saxton Defeats Johnny Curtis

(3) Johnny Curtis: 46.15%

(19) Byron Saxton: 53.85%

Not only the closest matchup of the round, but the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Byron Saxton makes up for losing his season of NXT by defeating the winner of that season, Johnny Curtis. This one was back and forth for most of the voting period. At one point late in the voting, the tallies were a literal dead heat. Saxton got a few votes in a row and did just enough to hold off Curtis.

Saxton is now the only NXT Redemption rookie remaining, but has magically made it to the final eight. Can this Cinderella story keep it going? That is up to all of you.

Second Round: Daniel Bryan Defeats "Showtime" Percy Watson

(4) Daniel Bryan: 90.38%

(13) Percy Watson: 9.62%

Daniel Bryan makes quick work of Percy Watson in his debut in the bracket. Bryan was all over Watson from the get-go and was relentless in his domination. Bryan certainly made a statement that, despite being ranked fourth, he is a heavy favorite to win.

Second Round: Justin Gabriel Defeats Derrick Bateman

(5) Justin Gabriel: 69.23%

(12) Derrick Bateman: 30.77%

The Derrick Bateman fans made themselves heard, even quoting the rookie. In the end, there were not enough supporters of the Mantastic rookie as Justin Gabriel moves onto the quarterfinals. Bateman made some surges but they barely made many dents and did not get close enough to Justin Gabriel.

Second Round: Husky Harris Defeats Heath Slater

(6) Heath Slater: 23.53%

(11) Husky Harris: 76.47%

Husky Harris has had two very impressive victories to reach the final eight, including this victory over Heath Slater, one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions. Harris got off to a commanding lead and never looked back. Despite a valiant effort, The One-Man Rock Band cannot live up to his seeding and falls in his opening matchup.

Second Round: Brodus Clay Defeats David Otunga

(7) Brodus Clay: 94.23%

(10) David Otunga: 5.77%

In a matchup that was decided by the seeding, Brodus Clay did not waste any time. David Otunga had a performance to forget as his fellow A-Listers failed to come out on his behalf. Clay dominated this round like he has dominated most opponents in the ring. Clay has officially asserted himself as a dark horse in this tournament.

Second Round: Alex Riley Defeats Michael McGillicutty

(8) Alex Riley: 61.54%

(9) Michael McGillicutty: 38.46%

For Alex Riley, this was a good win. Riley was in front and in control until the McGilli-buddies showed up for a major rally. In the end, the son of Mr. Perfect had a comeback that fell short. Riley makes his friend, The Miz, proud as he moves into the final eight of the tournament.

Updated Bracket

As we look quickly at the updated bracket, we see two completely different tournaments going on with the two halves of this bracket. On the left, the four men still alive are the four highest seeds on that half of the bracket. Top seed Wade Barrett draws the No. 8 seed in Alex Riley, while it is a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup between Daniel Bryan and Justin Gabriel.

Meanwhile, the right side is full of long shots. The only man who would be projected in the quarterfinals, No. 7 seed Brodus Clay, collides with Skip Sheffield, the No. 15 seed. We are also guaranteed a double-digit semifinalist when No. 11 seed Husky Harris takes on the Cinderella story of Byron Saxton, the No. 19 seed.

Quarterfinal Matchups

Quarterfinals:

(1) Wade Barrett vs (8) Alex Riley

(15) Skip Sheffield vs (7) Brodus Clay

(19) Byron Saxton vs (11) Husky Harris

(4) Daniel Bryan vs (5) Justin Gabriel

The matchup to watch, in my eyes, is the collision of the fourth and fifth seeds, Daniel Bryan and Justin Gabriel. The two season one rookies have seen exciting crowds since their appearances on the show and we can be sure to be in for a treat with this matchup. Good luck trying to decide some of these matchups, guys. You have until Sunday at 6:00 pm to vote for who you want to see in the semifinals.