WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for July 31

Tag teams dominated center stage on the latest edition of WWE NXT, allowing some lesser-known prospects to make their marks by way of armbars and stomps to the ribs.

Wednesday's NXT saw Simon Gotch continue to gain momentum. His offense keeps evolving and adding fun elements. That's helped him to emerge as one of the bigger stars of a crowded tag team division. 

Scott Dawson's hard-nosed style netted him some attention as well. Chad Gable made mat wrestling more entertaining than scientific. 

As several duos push toward title contention, NXT prospects look to prove that they need to be positioned higher on the ladder and eventually make their way to the main roster. With that last quest in mind, the following is a look at where Gotch and his fellow NXTers stand.

The rankings look to answer two questions: Who is most ready for a call-up to Raw and SmackDown? Who has the most potential to shine once arriving there?

Size, look, ring work, mic skills, charisma and gimmick all factor in when figuring that out.

Only prospects who have debuted on TV are listed. Wrestlers who also appear on the main roster (Kevin Owens, Emma, etc.) are not considered for the rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Has "guys want to be him/ladies love him" factor, top-tier ring worker, stellar athlete, marketable.
2.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Excellent showman, fun move set, good crowd connection, inconsistent on the mic.
3.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Top-notch presence, great intensity, excellent in the ring.
4.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Strong character work, maximizes gimmick, above-average in the ring.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Showing more charisma, making progress as mic worker, electric in the ring.
6.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Showing more personality, high ceiling, getting better in the ring, good look.
7.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Questions about what he can do in lengthy match, top-notch presence, good aggression.
8.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Good sense of his character, vicious in the ring, high ceiling if showcased.
9.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	High-impact ring style, good movement for big man, above-average charisma.
10.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Great aggression, excels at both brawling/mat wrestling, not showing standout presence.
11.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Continues to work gimmick into move set, fun ring work, good presence.
12.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Inconsistent in the ring, top-notch talker, excellent charisma.
13.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Being made a joke with current gimmick, strong on the mic, skilled brawler.
14.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Will gain momentum once "10" gimmick moves to TV, good storyteller, not an elite athlete.
15.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Making mat wrestling entertaining, showing more energy/personality.
16.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Solid charisma, underwhelming ring work, Simon Gotch overshadowing him.
17.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Showing more swagger, good athlete, unpolished ring work.
18.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong/aggression ring work, good build, below-average charisma.
19.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive athlete, lacks presence, limited on the mic.
20.	Elias Samson	6'1'', 222 lbs	Solid ring work, shows flashes of good showmanship, has yet to stand out.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Mike Rallis, Sawyer Fulton, Steve Cutler.

Simon Gotch Adding Layers

The shadow in which Aiden English currently stands keeps getting larger. Gotch is showing himself to be the more entertaining member of The Vaudevillains.

The duo lost a chance at nabbing the tag team titles in the show's main event. Alexa Bliss made her presence known with a timely grab of English's foot, but it was Gotch who was the star of the bout as a whole.

He pulled a number of new items out of his in-ring toolbox, including a rolling armbar. 

Gotch was convincing when striking or grinding his elbow into his foe's shoulder. Through it all, there was a spark that made his offense fun to watch overall. 

That was a big part of why it was Gotch, not Blake, Murphy or English who most drew in fans' eyes. Gimmicky character or not, it's looking more and more like this mustachioed bruiser could head to the main roster.

Baron Corbin Needs New Challenges

Corbin is running in place. NXT is back to the same pattern with him. Long walk to the ring, stare out to the crowd, defeat some jobber in a matter of seconds.

Credit: WWE.com

One has to wonder if officials just don't feel that he's ready for much more than that. That's worrisome if that's the case. No one expects him to have evolved into the second coming of the Dynamite Kid at this point, but he should be ready for more tests, more chances to show what he can do in there.

On a positive note, the announcers did insert a possible means for him to gain some heat.

They spoke of Corbin's dismissive attitude, that he doesn't care what the critics say, that he only cares about paychecks. He scoffed at NXT's indy darlings as well. This is a potentially powerful wrestler-versus-Internet Wrestling Community dynamic. 

WWE just has to start letting him create that himself. Even if he stumbles some, officials have to let him attempt to do more than squash everybody.

Captain Roughneck Living Up to His Nickname

Not big enough, not dynamic on the mic and not perfectly suited to model for action figures, Dawson has a tough road ahead of him to make progress in the WWE hierarchy. Nobody seems to have told him that, though.

The hard-hitting North Carolina native seems to be on a mission to ride a smashmouth style to success.

Credit: WWE.com

Going up against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, he delivered a conveyor belt of viciousness. From nasty stomps to a demonstrative armbar, he made the most of each of his attacks. A gorgeous Northern Light suplex served to remind us that he's not just a slugfest artist but a good technical wrestler as well.

His in-ring psychology is excellent, and WWE can clearly count on him to deliver consistent work between the ropes.

That may finally be convincing officials to move him up the ladder. Beating Amore and Big Cass marked his and Dash Wilder's first televised win as a team.

'Bullfit' Gimmick is New Low for Bull Dempsey 

It sure seems as if someone backstage doesn't like Dempsey. He quickly went from a throwback bruiser with a sneer and a hammer-like fist at the ready to a complete joke.

That evolution continued on Wednesday's NXT. Following up on his "fat guy who loves snacks" gimmicks, he found himself featured in a series of slapstick-heavy clips showing him exercising. It's no coincidence that this "Bullfit" angle rhymes with an apt description for Dempsey's gimmick.

The fact that he's essentially being made into the roommate from Broad City suggests that officials have given up on him. 

You won't see Corbin in neon headbands. You won't see Owens tripping over himself as he tries to get back into shape with cheesy music in the background.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Strong connection with the crowd, top-notch seller, good in-ring storyteller, works gimmick well.
2.	Carmella	5'5''	Showing improvement as a ring worker, strong presence, good showmanship.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Solid heel, striking needs work, awkward at times in the ring, good presence.
4.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Has slightly toned down overacting, raw in the ring, good athlete.
5.	Cassie	5'7''	Good striker, strong seller, no real character yet.
6.	Jessie McKay	5'8''	Good intensity, hasn't shown much presence yet, unproven commodity overall.

Baby Steps for Dana Brooke

The progress wasn't grand, but Brooke showed improvement in both her backstage segment and her match against Charlotte.

Her acting was a touch better this time around. She's gone from 11 to 10 on the dial. She still needs to work on making her speeches more natural, but it's clear that she's working on that aspect of her game.

In the ring, she threw a series of sloppy punches and slipped on a loose grapevine that didn't look the least bit painful. These are items she needs to refine before she can be considering one of the top prospects. 

She did, however, show off some smoother ring work for the most part. And she sold Charlotte's spear nearly perfectly. 

Clearly, WWE likes Brooke. She's been rushed along and given big opportunities before she's ready. It will be up to her to show enough growth to make the company look smart for choosing her. That growth won't come easy; she has a lot of work ahead of her.