WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for April 10

Hideo Itami is morphing into the in-ring artist WWE believed him to be when it brought him in from Japan to do his work on NXT canvases.

A stellar match and a peek at who he is when he's not kicking people in the head push Itami up the NXT big board. He and Finn Balor continue to battle both in the ring and for position on the list of top NXT prospects.

Tyler Breeze, meanwhile, slides backward slightly. The competition at WWE's developmental brand is becoming increasingly fierce, and Breeze isn't thriving in that environment as much as Balor and Company. 

NXT didn't have a standard show this week, instead airing clips from the tournament at WrestleMania Axxess and behind-the-scenes footage of Itami's WrestleMania experience. The Divas didn't step into the ring, nor did most of the NXT roster.

The spotlight pointed exclusively at Itami, Breeze and Balor. 

They were the only ones afforded a chance to show that they are main-roster-ready. The following is a look at which prospects are primed for the most success at the next stage following the WrestleMania-themed edition of NXT. Rankings are determined by ring work, charisma, mic skills, size and look. 

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.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Getting closer to the level of production he had in Japan, athletic, good presence, charisma beginning to show.
4.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Fantastic athlete, high-level showman, fluid ring work, needs to show more of his personality.
5.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Elite presence, raw/unproven in the ring, good size and look.
6.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Good in the ring, works gimmick really well, not feeling as big of a star as his peers.
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.

Balor Closing In

Bet on Balor to join Neville on the main roster before the year is done. While WWE looks as if it's going to have Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens dive into their feud before being promoted, Balor is inching toward a call-up.

He worked the dark match before Tuesday's SmackDown taping, according to ProFightDB.com, and traveled with the main roster to Europe.

As an in-ring performer, he's more than ready for the move up to WWE proper. On Wednesday's NXT, he showed that again, delivering two strong performances.

Against Breeze and then Itami, Balor's ring work was peanut-butter smooth. Like Randy Orton, everything he does in there looks natural and elegant.

Balor added a touch of viciousness as well, bending Itami's hand back at one point. Overall, it looked like he was having fun, and once again he showed himself to be reliable in the ring. 

The one area where officials have to be looking for improvement is Balor's mic skills. He's understated on the mic and doesn't stand out. The focus should be on showing off more personality and developing more of an eye-catching persona. 

Back at New Japan Pro Wrestling, he had more of a presence in interviews. He needs to tap into that and do as Itami did: find a bridge from the crowd to his character.

A Behind-the-Curtain Look at Itami 

Itami wasn't going to be able to just be exactly who he was in Japan and make it work at WWE. Japanese wrestling is a different beast. Character isn't nearly as important as the physical elements of the game.

His limited English-language skills and the transition from Japanese wrestling to WWE's brand of sports entertainment led many to doubt how successful he could be here. A special look at his WrestleMania journey gave officials reason to let those doubts dissipate.

As he met wrestlers backstage, rode to Levi's Stadium and played with his kids, Itami came off as a charming, likable guy. 

This version of Itami is going to draw fans in. WWE can do much like what TNA did with The Great Sanada and create a series of getting-to-know-you vignettes to help show fans who Itami is, to make it easy to pull for him.

Combine that with how much more comfortable Itami is looking in the ring, and it's becoming easier to project big things for him up ahead.

Against Neville, he looked tremendous. He began the bout with an intense staredown, pressing his head against his foe's. Once the action began, he was more fluid and surer than he has been earlier in his NXT run.

Itami also threw in a few additional moves including a sleeper hold and a fisherman's suplex.

Beyond that, his energy was the most engaging that it has been since he arrived. And after putting on one of NXT's best matches of the year, he excelled again against Balor in the tournament finals.

A welcome sign from him during the clash was that he didn't just let a chinlock be a break in the action—he turned it into a plus by grinding his forearm across Balor's face. 

We didn't see this kind of nuance from Itami early on. One has to imagine that was the result of the fact that he was still adjusting to a new country and a new style. 

As that adjustment progresses, we're seeing more and more why WWE was so giddy to have Itami sign with the company.

Breeze Getting Left Behind

Breeze is good at a number of things. His technical wrestling, athleticism, mic work and showmanship are all positives. The top tier at NXT, though, is producing greatness, whereas he is delivering "really good."

Credit: WWE.com

Kevin Owens trumps him on the mic. Sami Zayn is a better in-ring storyteller. Itami and Balor are superior athletes.

As those guys continue to put together impressive performance after impressive performance, Breeze is beginning to watch others move past him. He doesn't have the star quality of the very best at NXT, and even an unpolished worker like Baron Corbin is ahead of him right now.

Corbin's exudes star power. That's not nearly as true for Breeze.

With prospects like Bull Dempsey, Corbin and Solomon Crowe on the rise, Breeze is in for a fight to stay near the highest rungs of the NXT ladder. 

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.

Early Thoughts on Dana Brooke

A lack of Divas matches on Wednesday's NXT leads to no movement on the rankings. That is set to change in a hurry, however. Dana Brooke is set to debut next week, as noted by PWInsider.

The former fitness model has been working live events, including NXT shows during WrestleMania weekend, but will soon get a chance to perform in front of a larger audience. So far, we've seen clips of her working a bodybuilder gimmick and doing a somersault.

She certainly looks athletic and strong. After seeing her perform in San Jose, California, Mike Johnson of PWInsider wrote, "Dana Brooke is freaking impressive-looking in person."

Credit: WWE.com

Fans will get a good look at her next week and see more of her character. The flashes of mic work that we've seen from here have been decent. It does look, though, she is overdoing the sensuality element.

She enters a deep Divas division that is set to undergo change with Sasha Banks and Charlotte poised for call-ups. It will be a welcome sight to have a fresh face compete with NXT's women warriors.