WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for April 3

WrestleMania season reconfigured WWE NXT's makeup, as a pair of prospects made the jump to the main roster.

That left wrestlers like Hideo Itami, Buddy Murphy and Bayley to make their marks at Full Sail University on Wednesday's NXT in order to join those recent call-ups. Itami had two chances to impress thanks to a spot in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He and his peers at WWE's developmental brand suddenly have less competition.

Adrian Neville (now just known as Neville), Kalisto and CJ Parker are all gone from the rankings.

Parker left the company to seek out greener pastures. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports, "I am told Parker requested his release and it was granted on amicable terms."

Parker tweeted a message to fans and coaches on his way out:

"

I would like to thank all the talent, coaches, staff, and fans of @wwe Love you guys! Best of luck in all YOUR future endeavors!! ✌️

— CJP (@WWEMoonChild) April 1, 2015"

Kalisto, meanwhile, made his Raw debut in an eight-man tag match. Nevile battled Curtis Axel in his first bout as a member of the main roster.

The following is a look at who is most ready to follow Neville and Kalisto's lead in moving from NXT to WWE. A combination of ring skills, mic work, size, look, charisma and gimmick indicates which prospects should have spots cleared out for them.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Superb at in-ring storytelling, delivers passion on the mic, consistently delivers great matches.
2.	Kevin Owens	6'0", 266 lbs	Great presence, top-notch talker, excellent brawler.
3.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Stepping up mic game, fluid and compelling in the ring.
4.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Skilled striker, showing more charisma on the mic, highly athletic, exciting move set.
5.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Strong ring worker, good speed, maximizes gimmick.
6.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Elite presence, raw/unproven in the ring, good size and look.
7.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Aggressive, works heel role well, strong in the ring, excellent on the mic.
8.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Great energy, adding bulk, good connection with the crowd.
9.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Excellent striker, good presence, athletic, well-rounded in the ring, strong on the mic.
10.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Great charisma, subpar in the ring, excellent crowd connection.
11.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Good athlete, solid in the ring, becoming more aggressive.
12.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Works gimmick well, high-level showman, good use of facial expressions, has yet to have standout match.
13.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Charismatic, works gimmick well, acting background aids him, average in the ring.
14.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Athletic and powerful, lacks presence on the mic.
15.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent mat worker, fits better as part of tag team, lacks "it" factor.
16.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 185 lbs	High-level technical wrestler, unproven on mic, size is an issue.
17.	Wesley Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Strong (but unpolished) in the ring, solid talker.
18.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Great athletic potential, very raw and limited in the ring, one-dimensional on the mic.
19.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Good in-ring storyteller, only decent in other areas.
20.	Angelo Dawkins	6'5'', 280 lbs	Athletic, good size, below-average charisma, has struggled to stand out.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Dash Wilder, Marcus Louis, Sawyer Fulton.

Keep Your Eyes on Jason Jordan

Jordan collided with his former partner Tye Dillinger in a match that was one-sided in more than one way. The story of the fight was the vicious Jordan's domination. The Chicago native also dominated the audience's attention.

As he did when they were partners, Jordan showed more presence, more spark.

Credit: WWE.com

Explosiveness and power made Jordan's offense attention-grabbing. The addition of an exploder suplex to his arsenal helped make him the talk of the match as well.

In addition, it's clear that he's been busy in the gym as he continues to get bulkier and improve his physique. Jordan looks the part of a Superstar, that's for sure. 

He's young and brimming with potential. Bet on his slide up the rankings in the coming months.

Buddy Murphy Showing Upside

His tag team partner is a far better talker, but Murphy is the bigger, more exciting physical specimen of the team.

Credit: WWE.com

In a battle with The Lucha Dragons, Murphy was the foundation. He provided a good number of the match's highlights and looked good in the bout's quieter moments as well. The powerhouse executed an especially smooth roll on the mat and put some extra mustard on his chinlock. 

His power moves have looked good, but he's been strong in these smaller aspects of the game as well.

Murphy needs to catch up to Blake as a talker and amp up his showmanship. Still, WWE has to be excited about what's ahead for him.

Hideo Itami's Progress Continues

WWE officials had plenty of positives to take away from Itami's performance over the past week. After defeating Finn Balor to earn a spot in the WrestleMania Battle Royal, Itami showed electric emotion.

His celebration felt genuine. His passion was obvious.

In an interview with Corey Graves afterward, he had the best performance on the mic since he arrived at NXT. He was funny, charming and used his limited English to enhance the speech, not detract from it.

On Wednesday's NXT, he stepped into the ring with Tyler Breeze for a 2-out-of-3 Falls match. Overall, it was a disappointment. For those who have seen his work in Japan, this wasn't nearly as compelling.

Still, his energy pulled the crowd in. And both his flying moves and strikes looked especially crisp.

Seeing him do well at WrestleMania but look so small compared to his opponents makes one wish WWE had a cruiserweight division. Against foes like Neville, Balor and Tyson Kidd, he would be at his best. Without that separation of weight classes, it's easy to imagine that WWE will not give Itami a proper push.

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Excellent showmanship, polished ring work, more than ready to move to main roster.
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, improving as a mat wrestler, high-level showmanship.
4.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Getting stronger on the mic, talented ring worker, in need of better gimmick.
5.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Ring inexperience showing, good energy/presence, solid talker.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Good presence, charismatic, raw in the ring.

The Crown Awaits Bayley

Against Emma, Bayley provided further proof that she's not far behind Sasha Banks and Charlotte in the race to be NXT's top Diva. Chances are both women will make the move to the main roster before the year is out, leaving Bayley to rule the roost.

Her bout with Emma was short and mostly used to continue the story in which Bayley's friend looks to push her and make her more aggressive.

Fans did get a look at a bit of Bayley's technical prowess, though. She looked mighty comfortable beginning the contest with mat-based, back-and-forth action. She and Emma traded wrist locks in a number of smooth exchanges.

The bigger takeaway from the match, however, is how good an actor Bayley is.

While women like Cameron and Summer Rae overact, Bayley can convey frustration, pain and focus far more effectively. She did so against Emma, just as she has throughout her NXT run.

Look for her to be the NXT women's champ before long. Her biggest competition is headed out the door, and WWE will want to get a good look at what the "Hugger" can do with the spotlight pointed at her.