WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for Nov. 21

Fans only saw flashes of WWE's prospects on Thursday's NXT.

Bull Dempsey's battle lasted but a few moments, then Baron Corbin outdid him, steamrolling his opponent in 22 seconds. CJ Parker's time in the ring was fleeting.

Still, there's plenty to take away from all the action as the chase to NXT's mountaintop continues.

Full Sail University hosts a wealth of promising wrestlers beyond big names like Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville. There's another wave of talent coming behind them, and that's not even counting the approaching force that is Kevin Steen.

The following rankings are a look at who is most ready for a jump to the main roster and who is showing the most potential to thrive post-promotion. Ring work, mic skills, charisma, gimmick, size and look all factor into who gets slotted where.

Only prospects who have debuted on TV are considered. And although Steen appeared in a vignette on Thursday's show, he won't hop onto the rankings until he debuts in the flesh.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Top-notch in-ring storyteller, great connection with the crowd, progressing as a talker
2.	Adrian Neville	5'10'', 194 lbs	Stellar high-flyer, excellent in the ring overall, needs improvement on mic work
3.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Fluid and exciting in the ring, highly athletic, lots of "it" factor
4.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Quick, athletic, great at his gimmick, needs to work on match pacing
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Great in-ring performer, athletic, is improving both mic work and English-language skills
6.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Big, charismatic, slowly stepping out of Enzo Amore's shadow
7.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Explosive, powerful, working heel gimmick effectively, one of NXT's better talkers
8.	Kalisto	5'6'', 170 lbs	Top-tier high-flyer, incredibly agile and quick, size is an issue
9.	Viktor	6'2'', 219 lbs	Excellent mat worker, above-average mic skills, good presence
10.	Konnor	6'4'', 265 lbs	Powerful big man, good showmanship and intensity, limited on the mic
11.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Charismatic, good on the mic, solid and well-rounded in the ring
12.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Poor in the ring, elite on the mic, extremely charismatic, better suited as manager
13.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	High-level showman, charismatic, works gimmick into his ring work well
14.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Great size and look, rare presence, raw and inexperienced in the ring
15.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Athletic, fluid ring work, great look
16.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Strong, explosive, has bodybuilder look WWE has coveted historically
17.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent brawler and ring worker, lacks star power compared to NXT's best
18.	CJ Parker	6'3'', 220 lbs	Solid and dependable in the ring, good-not-great talker, works gimmick well
19.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Good footwork, smooth in the ring, hasn't shown much charisma yet
20.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Solid all-around wrestler, lacking in "it" factor, needs to find the right gimmick

Prospects just outside the top 20: Wesley Blake, Marcus Louis, Mojo Rawley 

The Appeal of Scott Dawson

Dawson would have thrived in the days when territories dominated the wrestling business. He's a skilled brawler and mat worker with the kind of vicious approach to offense that could draw heat.

Dawson is a throwback, the kind of wrestler purist fans will cling to. 

Credit: WWE.com

Against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, Dawson and Dash Wilder showed themselves to be a team NXT needs to highlight more. They click as a duo, hitting double-team moves and seamlessly transitioning in and out of the ring.

Dawson strikes well, and everything he does in the ring feels natural.

Working against those positives, though, are the traits that get a guy like Ryback more chances than someone like Justin Gabriel: size, look and build. It's hard to imagine WWE truly valuing Dawson's skills because of that.

He's seems destined to reside in the "underrated and underused" category.

CJ Parker's Ceiling

If WWE needed someone to fill an R-Truth-type on the main roster, Parker could do that today. He's a known, dependable commodity compared to peers who project to be something special but aren't there yet. 

He's good but not great at every aspect of the wrestling art form. As he reminded us in a quick match against Tyson Kidd on Thursday, he moves well in the ring, sells effectively and is a solid athlete.

Break down Parker's matches, and you'll see plenty to like. But his comparative lack of star power, "it" factor and charisma stops him from climbing higher on the NXT ladder.

WWE seems to agree, as it continually puts him on the receiving end of dominant performances. Kidd was the latest wrestler to trample him.

Credit: WWE.com

Corbin and Dempsey, meanwhile, are asked to play the predators, as officials clearly want them to keep climbing upward.

Bull vs. Baron

In between decimating their respective opponents, Corbin and Dempsey crossed paths on the entrance ramp. They shared a look of distaste for each other. That teases a future collision between them that will be a proving ground for both.

Credit: WWE.com

Corbin has looked fantastic in short bursts. He looks like a star; he exudes presence. 

It's been fun to watch Dempsey tear into his foes. He's a nasty, hard-hitting alpha male with a great motor.

On Thursday's NXT, we saw just samplings of each man. That's largely been the case in both of their NXT runs.

Should they meet in the ring, we'll have a far better idea how good these guys are. Can Corbin maintain the electricity he creates in a longer, drawn-out match? Can Dempsey produce a great back-and-forth bout?

A Corbin vs. Dempsey matchup will answer a lot of those questions. Chances are Corbin will ride his physical gifts and overall spark to climb the rankings following a showdown with Dempsey.

Other Notes

WWE has asked next to nothing from Amore in the ring. It would be hard to put together a highlight reel of his in-ring work right now. Against The Mechanics, he didn't do much more than take punishment and get the final pin.

It looks as if the company realizes he's not going to be most valuable as a wrestler but as a manager and personality. That's how to best use his skills.

Aiden English is nailing the subtle things. From curtsying in the ring to disdainfully ordering a referee to start a match, he works his gimmick extremely well.

English, though, will soon have to compete with a top-level talent: Steen is on his way.

NXT aired a promo video announcing his arrival. It's now official: The NXT hierarchy will shift on Dec. 11. 

He looked menacing in this clip, so hopefully that's the direction he is headed. It's unclear how much of his pre-WWE persona he'll be able to implement. What he'll look like in this environment is a big question mark as well.

What we do know is that Steen will arrive armed with far more experience than many other prospects, superior mic skills and an ability to engage once the bell rings. As if fans needed another reason to be excited about NXT.

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Polished, thriving with current gimmick, top-level in-ring skills, just below Charlotte in terms of mic work
2.	Charlotte	5'10''	Natural magnetism, becoming a ring general, great presence in the ring
3.	Bayley	5'6''	Increasingly popular, charismatic, works her gimmick extremely well, good in the ring but could use refinement
4.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Athletic, good all-around wrestler,
5.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Improving in the ring, athletic, fun energy
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Good presence, athletic, a natural at showmanship

Bayley and Becky Battling

It's fitting that Bayley and Lynch faced off in the ring. They continue to compete for the spot on the Diva totem pole just below Banks and Charlotte.

Lynch has more experience on the indy circuit, and in terms of ring skills alone she's better than Bayley. It's the hug-happy wrestler's gimmick and energy that keep her above Lynch.

Bayley is more fun and easy to connect with right now. Her gimmick is set, and she has been perfecting it over the past few months. Lynch, on the other hand, is still shifting around in a persona she doesn't look comfortable in yet.

Where Bayley can get closer to Banks and Charlotte is in precision and aggression. Against Lynch, she seemed to be holding back her strikes. Shoulder blocks were limp. Clotheslines were weak.

She doesn't need to channel Stan Hansen and just start plowing into people, but turning up the dial on those moves will make her matches more believable. Tightening that part of her game will allow her to pull further away from Lynch and inch closer to what awaits on the main roster.