WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for December 12

The top WWE NXT stars separated themselves at Takeover: R Evolution with passion poured into the ring.

Tears welled in Sami Zayn's eyes as he cradled the NXT Championship. Kevin Owens looked close to crying as well, the emotional weight of his debut overpowering him.

Meanwhile, Sasha Banks and Charlotte gutted out a great match. Their title bout provided further proof that both women are destined for big things on the main roster.

Owens' emergence crowds the already talent-rich field at NXT. He forced a number of wrestlers to slide down the prospect rankings despite being at Full Sail University for far longer. Finn Balor's body paint and an underwhelming performance from The Vaudevillains affected the rankings as well.   

The following is a look at who at NXT is most deserving of a call-up, who is most ready for the main roster and who would most flourish there. Prospects are ranked based on ring work, mic skills, charisma, gimmick, size and look.

Only wrestlers who have debuted on TV are considered.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Best all-around prospect, great connection with crowd, stellar athlete.
2.	Adrian Neville	5'10'', 194 lbs	High-level high-flyer, tremendous athlete, improving as a talker.
3.	Kevin Owens	6'0, 266 lbs	Excellent brawler, one of NXT's best on the mic, has consistently produced in the ring throughout his career.
4.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Tremendous athlete, good look, serviceable on the mic.
5.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Agile, quick, highly charismatic, good on the mic, maximizing gimmick.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Quick, athletic, experienced ring worker, English-language skills improving.
7.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Big, charismatic, slowly stepping out of Enzo Amore's shadow.
8.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Explosive, powerful, working heel gimmick effectively, one of NXT's better talkers.
9.	Kalisto	5'6'', 170 lbs	Top-tier high-flyer, incredibly agile and quick, size is an issue.
10.	Viktor	6'2'', 219 lbs	Excellent mat worker, above-average mic skills, good presence.
11.	Konnor	6'4'', 265 lbs	Powerful big man, good showmanship and intensity, limited on the mic.
12.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Poor in the ring, elite on the mic, extremely charismatic, better suited as a manager.
13.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Works gimmick well, charismatic,exhibits high-level showmanship, has yet to have standout match.
14.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Great size and look, rare presence, raw and unproven in the ring.
15.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Solid-not-spectacular in the ring, charismatic, acting background aids him.
16.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive, surprisingly athletic, powerful, has marketable look.
17.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Athletic, marketable look, dependable mat wrestler.
18.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent brawler and ring worker, lacks star power compared to NXT's best.
19.	CJ Parker	6'3'', 220 lbs	Solid and dependable in the ring, good-not-great talker, works gimmick well.
20.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Good footwork, smooth in the ring, hasn't shown much charisma yet.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Tye Dillinger, Wesley Blake, Mojo Rawley.

Kevin Owens Arrives

The fight-loving newcomer made an immediate, memorable impact. WWE clearly sees big things ahead for Owens, as it made his first appearance as significant as it could.

Not only did he roll over CJ Parker, but after his emotional embrace with Zayn to celebrate his title win, Owens slammed his supposed friend's head against the ring apron. The company is presenting him as a predator, pushing him into an NXT title feud right away.

Officials are right to speed the process along for Owens. He has a long, outstanding track record at Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and elsewhere. He doesn't need to sit around WWE developmental for long.

As fans saw in his destruction of Parker, he's a compelling bruiser. Add to that his surprising athleticism, and it's easy to see why WWE is willing to look past his unconventional appearance.

WWE wisely kept his gimmick essentially the same from his indy days. Rather than try and reinvent him, it's allowing him to be the back-alley brawler he has thrived as for so long.

The Warrior Keeps his Warpaint 

A similar approach with Balor ups his stock this week.

During his days at New Japan Pro Wrestling, Balor made a name for himself with an array of elaborate body-paint designs. For the first time at NXT, he brought out that element of his gimmick: He strode to the ring with his neck covered in painted fangs, his flesh transformed. 

This is going to make it easier for him to connect with the crowd. It's an entry point, something that will make him stand out from his peers.

The crowd was as hyped for Balor's entrance as it was for the standout match that followed. 

During his and Hideo Itami's win over The Ascension, he showed some things WWE will want him to refine. A number of punches were too light. He overdid his posing at times as well. However, some stunning high-flying moves (including a dropkick that could have nailed Big Show in the brow) and a fluid, fast in-ring performance more compensated for those minor issues.

Sami Zayn Extends His Lead

Zayn is not letting anyone catch him. The roster boasts bigger, stronger men and better athletes, but no one is telling stories in the ring at the level that he is right now.

The newest NXT champ showed off an ability to reach the heart of his audience in a way few wrestlers can.

When he considered smacking Adrian Neville over the head with the NXT title, Zayn looked tortured. He was torn between staying true to himself and the pull of a cheap victory. It was one of many convincing moments.

Everything from his frustrations and flashes of desperation to how overwhelmed he was at finally holding the gold worked extremely well. It's acting like this that has him poised for a promotion, a Daniel Bryan-like rise on the horizon.

Other Notes

Neville continues to improve on the mic. In the interviews building up to his match with Zayn, The Man Who Gravity Forgot looked more comfortable under the lights than he has in the past.

The Vaudevillains didn't capitalize on the opportunity of their battle with The Lucha Dragons. On a night flush with great matches, theirs was solid at best. The bout felt uninspired and did little to boost either Simon Gotch or Aiden English. 

WWE gave Tye Dillinger just a few seconds to work with. That's been the fate of everyone who faces Baron Corbin. He did, however, force us to take notice of him. As he waited for Corbin, Dillinger's fear was palpable without being over the top.

NXT officials keep showing just how little they think of Parker. Owens is just the latest beast he's been fed to. It seems that whenever a new soon-to-be pushed prospect arrives, the company turns to Parker to get him over. That role will get him a steady paycheck but is not good news for his hopes of making it to the main roster.

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Polished, thriving as a heel, top-level ring work.
2.	Charlotte	5'10''	Fantastic presence, natural magnetism, ring work needs fine-tuning.
3.	Bayley	5'6''	Increasingly popular, charismatic, works her gimmick extremely well, good in the ring but could use refinement.
4.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Improving in the ring, athletic, fun energy, marketable look.
5.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Athletic, experienced, good all-around wrestler, struggles with showmanship.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Good presence, athletic, a natural at showmanship, still raw in the ring.

The Boss Continues to Make Her Case as NXT's No. 1

WWE is going to call up Charlotte first. She's the one who debuted on Monday's Raw. She's the one who is still champion.

As good as Charlotte looked at Takeover: R Evolution, their clash was just as much a showcase of why Banks is the better prospect right now.

Charlotte is special. She's just less refined in the ring. It's stunning how much she has learned in her short time as a wrestler, but there are still moments that reveal her rawness. Her knife-edged chops didn't look half as good as Banks'. She had some sloppy punches and awkward forearms.

Banks is smoother, crisper and more in control on the mat. If she moved to the main roster today, she would sit on the top tier of in-ring performers in the Divas division. How many of those can hit a suicide dive like she did?

Beyond that, she's great as a heel—ferocious, cocky and enthralling.

Charlotte's family lineage and athleticism will get her more attention, but Banks is better. Should Charlotte keep up her current pace of improvement, that won't always be the case, though.