WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for February 13

A beast emerged from NXT TakeOver: Rival, fangs bared, claws out, capturing WWE officials' full attention.

It only took Kevin Owens two months to win the NXT Championship and establish himself as the top prospect other than the man he beat down on Wednesday night. Credit his presence and an engrossing performance that ended in his holding gold over Sami Zayn's fallen body.

The top tier at NXT is now more crowded than ever, leaving developmental's iffier prospects to fall further behind. Tyler Breeze, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and Adrian Neville all impressed at the first live special of 2015.

Fans at Full Sail University also watched as the top Divas in the division battled. Becky Lynch stood out among a quartet of talented women. 

In the aftermath of Rival, the prospects standings have shifted again. That will be even more true once Solomon Crowe debuts soon, as promised. The following is a look at which NXT wrestlers are most ready for the main roster and who is primed for the most success post-promotion.

Rankings are based on ring work, mic skills, size, look, gimmick and charisma.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Superb at in-ring storytelling, growing as talker, consistently delivers great matches.
2.	Kevin Owens	6'0", 266 lbs	Top-notch brawler, NXT's best mic worker, explosive, charismatic.
3.	Adrian Neville	5'10'', 194 lbs	Stellar high-flyer, in-ring storytelling continues to improve, highly consistent in the ring.
4.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Marketable look, fun and fluid in the ring, unproven on the mic.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Getting closer to his level of performance from Japan, great striker, improving English-language skills.
6.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Athletic, works gimmick extremely well, move set is expanding.
7.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Raw-but-improving in the ring, great presence, excellent look and size.
8.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Aggressive, good in-ring psychology, one of NXT's best talkers.
9.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Great size, charismatic, good connection with crowd, one-dimensional in the ring.
10.	Kalisto	5'6'', 170 lbs	Fantastic speed and agility, size is an issue, exciting in the ring, no standout match to date.
11.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Elite-level charisma, funniest guy at NXT, poor in ring, ideal role is as manager.
12.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Works gimmick well, charismatic, exhibits high-level showmanship, has yet to have standout match.
13.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Powerful, explosive, good build, below-average on the mic.
14.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Charismatic, works gimmick well, acting background aids him, average in the ring.
15.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Athletic, marketable look, smooth in ring, solid technical wrestler.
16.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent brawler and throwback ring worker, lacks "it" factor.
17.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 185 lbs	High-level technical wrestler, unproven on mic, size is an issue.
18.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Below-average athlete, good seller, adept at in-ring psychology, lacking gimmick/persona.
19.	CJ Parker	6'3'', 220 lbs	Solid and dependable in the ring, good-not-great talker, works gimmick well.
20.	Wesley Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Solid athlete, average in the ring, likable.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Mojo Rawley, Marcus Louis, Dash Wilder

Tag Team Championship Match Thoughts

The Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy was one of the few busts at NXT TakeOver: Rival. The excellent show sagged during the tag title bout.

That's bad news for all men involved. Murphy, Blake and Kalisto all lack a true standout match. With as many standouts as the top prospects have, this trio has some serious catching up to do.

It was an off night for both teams.

No one stood out, at least not in the way they wanted to. Kalisto slipped while springboarding from the ropes; Blake missed an arm drag, creating an awkward moment afterward.

The crowd grew restless following all the mistakes. 

Blake did introduce some fun new moves, including a toss-up neckbreaker. Finding more ways to be distinct like this will certainly help him.  

Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze Both Shine

The opening bout featured Itami defeating Breeze. Other matches would end up outdoing it, but officials have to be happy with how both men fared.

For Breeze, he addressed a minor issue with his ring work: a move set lacking in versatility. 

He has depended a lot on just a handful of moves but brought out some new toys on Wednesday night. Prince Pretty locked Itami's legs around the ring post with a figure-four leglock a la Bret Hart. Later, he twisted his foe's leg with a variation of the Sharpshooter.

Breeze's matches will be better if he continues to implement new moves like this. As a bonus, he expanded on his gimmick as well, holding a blue, fuzzy selfie stick on his way to the ring.

Itami's issue is that he hasn't clicked yet. The transition to the WWE style and being away from his home country have seemed to be getting in his way. This performance was further proof that he's working through that.

Itami was crisper and more fluid in the ring.

Whether he was roaring or gutting out the pain of a submission hold, he had a bigger presence than he has in the past. This is the best he has looked at NXT, a touch better than the showing he had against Balor last week.

It appears his trajectory is pointing upward.

Kevin Owens, Top-Tier Storyteller

As great as Neville has been, and as much improvement as he has shown with both his facial expressions and mic work, it was hard to imagine anyone moving past him. Owens did.

Balor vs. Neville was the more exciting match, but the best performance at Rival belonged to Owens. By pounding on Zayn without mercy, powerbombing him into the land of dreams, he established himself as a convincingly formidable force.

He showed himself to be NXT's Brock Lesnar.

His ring work was good as usual, but it was the in-ring storytelling that most propelled Owens. His intensity buzzed. He felt every bit the menacing, cold predator that he was portraying.

That's something that will translate to the main roster.

WWE is likely to struggle with how to present Neville. The company is reportedly even considering drawing inspiration from Mighty Mouse for his gimmick, per Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Wrestle Zone). Meanwhile, Owens can take his act to the major leagues; no cartoon influences needed.

As NXT champ, he will now get a large number of opportunities to further showcase his skills. As compelling as he has been so far, including his Ring of Honor work, expectations will be high going forward.

Other Notes

Balor has being thrilling in the ring and haunting en route to battle. NXT needs to show us more of who he is, though.

Whether that's through talking more or creating some eerie vignettes, the focus should be on shaping his character. Fans of his work at New Japan Pro Wrestling are already behind him, with no character depth needed. Casual fans who will greet him later will need more to work with.

Bull Dempsey was a lot more aggressive against Baron Corbin than he was in their previous two go-rounds. Hard-hitting brawls are going to be his key to success, much like they are for Sheamus. He needs to keep escalating the intensity. 

Zayn continues to be a tremendous storyteller. The way he sold his beating from Owens made that moment so much more memorable. At times, it looked like he was going to actually lose consciousness. 

That skill is a big part of why he's the rare pure babyface character who will get over with even cynical, snarky fans. 

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Best ring worker in division, above-average charisma, works gimmick extremely well.
2.	Charlotte	5'10''	Huge upside, great presence, athletic, excellent in the ring and will continue to get better.
3.	Bayley	5'6''	Great connection with crowd, maximizes gimmick, ring work needs refinement.
4.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Athletic, high-level ring worker, showing more of the excellence she displayed pre-NXT, gimmick needs work.
5.	Emma	5'5''	Fun energy, good athlete, endearing.
6.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Continues to improve in the ring, athletic, fun energy, marketable look.
7.	Carmella	5'5''	Charismatic, good presence, athletic, smooth-but-raw in the ring.

Sasha Banks is the Boss, But Becky Lynch Made Her Mark

Banks did nothing to relinquish her spot atop the Divas division. In the process of winning the NXT Women's Championship, she certainly looked like she deserved it.

She was key to this being one of the best women's matches in recent memory, as she was an aggressive, stalking competitor. 

However, Lynch improved her stock the most. She looked like the Lynch who once thrived at Shimmer Women Athletes and other independent promotions. 

She was more confident and smoother in the ring. Lynch pulled out moves that she hadn't used in a long time, from a pumphandle suplex to a dragon screw leg whip. This was the most technically proficient and exciting that she has been since joining NXT.

Where that version of Lynch was hiding is unclear. 

If she and NXT can work out a gimmick for her that is more fitting than her current "headbanger chick" thing, she will keep moving upward. She's a talented wrestler who just hasn't looked herself until NXT TakeOver: Rival.