It would be easy to single out a specific wrestler as the biggest winner from the February 17 episode of WWE NXT, but this week, that honor goes to intrigue.Yes, intrigue.The main event of the broadcast saw Sami Zayn battle Samoa Joe for the right to challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. While the match that those two celebrated in-ring competitors delivered was worthy of winner status, the screwy finish continued to build intrigue for the title picture, something that has been missing of late.The outcome, a draw following a double-pin, leaves the brand without a No. 1 contender and the constant dark cloud of Baron Corbin hanging over the heads of Zayn, Joe and even general manager William Regal.Who will finally emerge as the man to earn the next NXT Championship match, and how will he be determined' Where does the Lone Wolf fit in' These are questions the show will look to answer in the coming weeks.Anytime a product can keep fans guessingat least those who have not already checked out the spoilers for the next monthit is a good thing. It means that fans are genuinely invested in the product and that the writers are keeping them that way through a series of twists and turns.Unpredictability has been the key to the success of the story NXT is telling right now, and the eventual solution to the contendership conundrum, as well as the actual title bout, should be worth it.Intrigue may have been the night's biggest winner, but it was not the only one. The show also gave us some losers.Who fell on which side of the argument'Winner: AsukaThe enigmatic Japanese star continued to impress, completely dismantling a determined Deonna Purrazzo Wednesday on WWE Network.After getting forearmed in the face, she smiled and unloaded on her unsuspecting opponent with a series of strikes, including a nasty backhand and kick for the pinfall win.Asuka is the most unconventional performer in NXT, gender be damned. She is ferocious, violent and absolutely compelling. From the way she physically breaks down her opponent to the facial expressions and body language she uses to get her slightly unstable yet entirely cerebral character across, Asuka has been a breath of fresh air and is clearly the Diva being looked at as the face of the division when Bayley is finally called to the main roster.Asuka also deserves props for coming up with a different way to beat opponents on a seemingly match-by-match basis. Whether she is tapping them out with the Asuka Lock, bowling over them with a running hip strike or overwhelming them with a barrage of strikes as she did with Purrazzo, she has given fans something new to look for in every match.That is the sign of a great in-ring worker.Losers: Heel Tag TeamsNXT does a lot correctly, but during the Eight-Man Tag Team match that kicked off Wednesday's broadcast, the lack of interesting heel tag teams was readily apparent.Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable brought so much energy and excitement to the bout that it was hard not to notice how one-dimensional the heels involved really are.Sure, Dash and Dawson are awesome in-ring workers, a throwback to the days of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew and even Demolition. They are bruisers who beat their opponents down and then pick them apart. Blake and Murphy, on the other hand, are the epitome of solid wrestlers. They blend the most basic of moves with the occasional fantastic spot.But neither of those heel tandems has any real, definitive characters to speak of. Sure, the champions like to hurt people, but so does every other nondescript indy wrestler from Philadelphia to Piedmont, North Dakota. In the case of Blake and Murphy, Alexa Bliss is about the only thing keeping them from crossing the line into the realm of generic jobbers.And it is unfortunate.The talent is most certainly there, but neither team has been allowed the opportunity to express itself. NXT Creative has not supported their considerable skills with anything even remotely close to character development.Allowing them more microphone time and letting them explore their characters' motivations and come up with a voice of their own would be far more beneficial than making them go to the ring as is, with their entrances getting greeted with apathy while the babyfaces receive massive pops.Imagine, for a moment, how much more over American Alpha andAmore and Big Cass would be if the heels they were combating on a weekly basis were able to connect with the audience as well as they do. The result would be the hottest tag team division in the sport.For now, it must settle for being really, really good.
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