WWE NXT Madness: Quarterfinals Results and Preview of Semifinals

This tournament began with the 22 male NXT rookies in the show's existence. We are now down to the final four participants in this tournament, which has been nothing short of exciting.

We have seen long shots last longer than many would have believed. We have watched some who seemed to be fan favorites falter in matchups. We have also seen a few develop major followings and flex their muscles in this competition.

In the end, we are down to the semifinals with the finals clearly in sight. We began these quarterfinals with as many men with double-digit seeds as those left that were ranked in the top five.

We were guaranteed at least one double-digit seed in the semifinals, but would we get two? Let's reveal the results.

Quarterfinals: Wade Barrett Defeats Alex Riley

(1) Wade Barrett: 86.54 percent

(8) Alex Riley: 13.46 percent

Fresh off of a close victory over Michael McGillicutty, Alex Riley seemed to have used up all of his momentum before facing the top overall seed.

Riley was closer than Darren Young was in the previous round, but failed to get very close to the Season 1 winner, who cruises into the semifinals with ease.

However, Barrett's numbers are down from the round before, which is expected but could be a cause for concern. If he isn't careful, Barrett could fall short of the finals.

Quarterfinals: Skip Sheffield Defeats Brodus Clay

(15) Skip Sheffield: 57.69 percent

(7) Brodus Clay: 42.31 percent

A close contest produces a surprise, especially given how new and fresh Clay is in people's minds and him being the only Season 4 rookie on RAW or Smackdown.

Sheffield is missed dearly by wrestling fans, and this result shows it. In a matchup that was tied for most of the voting window, Sheffield pulled away at one point. The two exchanged blows from there on in, helping Sheffield to hold on to the victory.

With Daniel Bryan and Justin Gabriel in one of the other quarterfinals, three of the four semifinalists will be from the original NXT season.

Quarterfinals: Byron Saxton Defeats Husky Harris

(19) Byron Saxton: 57.69 percent

(11) Husky Harris: 42.31 percent

Byron Saxton is pumped, and we don't blame him. The only non-Season 1 rookie remaining in the field is also an NXT Redemption rookie. The improbable run continues with an upset over Husky Harris, who was coming off of an upset of his own over Heath Slater.

Saxton looked to have been faltering after just squeaking past Johnny Curtis, but he now is just one more win away from an improbable spot in the finals of the tournament.

NOTE: It is especially interesting to note that both Skip Sheffield and Byron Saxton, two men who will face one another in the semifinals, gained the exact same amount of votes in their respective quarterfinals matchups.

Quarterfinals: Daniel Bryan Defeats Justin Gabriel

(4) Daniel Bryan: 80.77 percent

(5) Justin Gabriel: 19.25 percent

Daniel Bryan took what was supposed to be the most intriguing matchup of the quarterfinals and turned it into a rout. Bryan never took his foot off the pedal, blowing Gabriel away.

Bryan is just one of two men in this tournament to gain at least 80 percent of the vote in all matchups they have had in the bracket. The other is his opponent in the semifinals, Wade Barrett.

Updated Bracket

Here is an updated bracket to look at. The top seed, Wade Barrett, takes on Daniel Bryan, the fourth-seed, in a matchup that we have been waiting for since the beginning.

Meanwhile, on the other end, a showdown of 15-seed Skip Sheffield and 19-seed Byron Saxton guarantees a double-digit seed in the finals.

Semifinal 1: Wade Barrett Vs. Daniel Bryan Preview

These two faced one another in Season 1, when Bryan was buried and given an early exit, while Barrett shined and won the season. Despite the setbacks, Daniel Bryan has won gold, unlike Barrett.

Barrett may be the head of two factions in his career, but you cannot deny the success that Bryan has had post-NXT.

Barrett may be the top seed, but many could consider that these are the two best products from NXT ever. In many eyes, this is the true final of the tournament.

Semifinal 2: Byron Saxton Vs. Skip Sheffield Preview

Raise your hand if you saw one of these two men in the finals of this tournament.

That's what I thought.

However, the more that I have thought about it, the more sense this matchup actually makes. After all, this tournament revolved around, in the beginning at least, the idea of redemption. There may not be two men who embody redemption more than these two.

Byron Saxton was given a shot to be a commentator in ECW after Jim Ross's health issues forced him to leave the commentary table and shuffle people around. Saxton did a solid job, but it wasn't long until ECW was cancelled. Suddenly, the shot that Saxton was given was gone.

When Saxton popped back up as a rookie in Season 4 of NXT, it was his second chance. He impressed, but did not get over too well and was sent away.

With NXT Redemption, he is given one more chance and, if this bracket is any indication, has developed a following that he may have a chance to save his career in WWE after all.

As for Sheffield, some seasoned fans may know that Sheffield was a member of the $1,000,000 Tough Enough season that produced The Miz. Sheffield was gone pretty early, and we weren't certain if we would ever see him again. He popped up on NXT Season 1, but was lost in the shuffle and eliminated early on.

Once the Nexus debuted, it seemed like Sheffield was going to be given a fair shake, but he was injured at a house show and has not been seen since.

Many feared that Sheffield could be eliminated before ever coming back on television. According to his votes in this bracket, that may be a bad idea for WWE, since this guy deserves a shot in the eyes of many fans.

Voting Information

In order to vote, please comment below. You have until Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. to put in your vote. You can also vote by mentioning me on Twitter. My Twitter name is @ShakesWithAitks if you want to use that avenue.