WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for March 20

WWE NXT's most glittery and garish prospects made the biggest impression in Ohio.

In NXT's first trip to the Northeast, Tyler Breeze brandished his showmanship skills and in her home state, Alexa Bliss gave the best performance of her career. Those wrestlers kept fans' eyes fixed on them during Wednesday's show in Columbus, Ohio, thanks to more than blue hair and bedazzled phones.

The night was a reminder of how much presentation elevates a wrestler.

Breeze and Bliss both made progress in the climb up the NXT ladder because of that very element. Meanwhile, Kevin Owens and Sasha Banks held tight to their spots.

The following is a look at where NXT's prospects stand now and who is most ready to move to the main roster and make an impact at that level. A combination of ring work, mic skills, size, look, charisma and gimmick decide where these wrestlers rank.

Only prospects who have debuted on TV are considered. Dana Brooke, for one, will have to wait to see where she sits on the NXT hierarchy.

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	Great presence, elite in-ring storyteller, best mic worker at NXT.
3.	Adrian Neville	5'10'', 194 lbs	Top-tier high-flyer, excelling at use of facial expressions, average but improving on the mic.
4.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Excellent in the ring, average talker, plenty of presence, top-notch showman.
5.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Maximizes gimmick, good (and still improving) in the ring, athletic.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Fluid, athletic, skilled striker, good in-ring storyteller, English-language skills still a work in progress.
7.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Elite presence, raw/unproven in the ring, good size and look.
8.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Aggressive, works heel role well, strong in the ring, excellent on the mic.
9.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Great energy, adding bulk, good connection with the crowd.
10.	Kalisto	5'6'', 170 lbs	Superb athlete, fun offensive arsenal, not as much presence as top prospects.
11.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Excellent striker, good presence, athletic, well-rounded in the ring, strong on the mic.
12.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Great charisma, subpar in the ring, excellent crowd connection.
13.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Works gimmick well, high-level showman, good use of facial expressions, has yet to have standout match.
14.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Impressive look, good athlete, improving as in-ring storyteller.
15.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Charismatic, works gimmick well, acting background aids him, average in the ring.
16	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent mat worker, fits better as part of tag team, lacks "it" factor.
17.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive, good look, below-average on the mic.
18.	CJ Parker	6'3'', 220 lbs	Solid all-around performer, struggling to stand out.
19.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 185 lbs	High-level technical wrestler, unproven on mic, size is an issue.
20.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Below-average athlete, good seller, adept at in-ring psychology, lacking gimmick/persona.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Wesley Blake, Mojo Rawley, Angelo Dawkins.

Prince Pretty Picking up Nuances

Kalisto's battle with Breeze was his best singles match to date. A good amount of the credit for that has to go to Breeze, though.

While Kalisto has certainly connected with the crowd and has some electric weapons in his arsenal, The Gorgeous One had the bigger presence and came off as the bigger star. It was Breeze who most grabbed hold of the audience.

Credit: WWE.com

Much of that was because of showmanship. Breeze exuded a nasty attitude throughout the bout. He played up his character perfectly, yelling "Don't touch me!" at the referee and responding to the crowd's chants of "Breeze is gorgeous!" with "I know!"

His fluid ring work and a midair superkick aided the match as well, but it was touches like these that made him the performer the audience was more likely to talk about afterward.

Finn Balor's Next Steps

Balor's ceiling is among the highest of all the wrestlers in NXT today. A big part of him reaching it will be him finding his voice.

He's unique and compelling, turning the entrance ramp into a stage and the ring into a gallery for his athletic artworks. It's on the mic that he has yet to stand out.

He spoke in a backstage interview about his upcoming match with Owens. Like his previous onscreen speeches, it was nothing memorable. His delivery was fine, but he doesn't yet have the presence vocally that he does physically.

Credit: WWE.com

He and WWE need to find a way to infuse more of his persona into his interviews. Tell us who he is more. Let him be strange and offbeat, just as he is during his entrances. 

Balor doesn't need to become the second coming of Steve Austin to succeed, but adding spark to his mic work will make him a far more valuable prospect.

Other Notes

Wesley Blake didn't look great in his bout against Colin Cassady. In addition to a few awkward moments where he looked like he was waiting for Cassady to attack him, he delivered a series of weak kicks. The strikes looked completely unrealistic.

The fans seemed far more interested in Big Cass and Enzo Amore as well.

In fact, Cassady and Amore received the biggest pops of the night. They aren't spectacular in the ring, but they have enough presence and are fun enough characters to make up for it.

Owens capped off the night with ample presence of his own. He just exudes a predatory aura.

Everything from the anger he wears on his face to his mid-beatdown breathing adds to his matches. NXT is going to miss him when he's out recovering from knee surgery.

His time away is a prime opportunity, though, for another bruiser to step up. Bull Dempsey, I'm looking at you.

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Most polished female in-ring worker, strong heel work, excellent showmanship.
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 the crowd, good but unpolished in the ring, works gimmick extremely well.
4.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Fun energy, good presence, inexperienced ring worker, improving at an impressive rate.
5.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Excellent mat worker, good athlete, gimmick not clicking.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Good presence, charismatic, raw in the ring.

Bliss Getting Better

Becky Lynch is the better athlete and the better mat worker, but for now Bliss is the better overall package.

She is solid on the mic, has a fitting gimmick as well as plenty of theatrics to help her stand out and is working hard to shore up her ring work. Bliss displayed more of her ongoing progress in a solid effort against Sasha Banks.

She sold well, and her pain looked genuine. She executed a good roll-up and moved well throughout the bout.

The Ohio native did seem a bit nervous at times, and that translated to an awkward takedown and a touch of hesitancy. WWE officials should have confidence that she will fine-tune her work on the mat, though. She has looked better with each outing, clearly picking up what her trainers are telling her.

The safe bet is that she keeps climbing up the rankings, leaving a trail of glitter behind her.