WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for April 17

Converging physical ability, showmanship and storytelling is a mighty difficult art, as the latest edition of WWE NXT reminded us.

Enzo Amore continues to be stellar as a talker but a washout once the bell rings. Dana Brooke wrestled her first televised match and showed how much progress she needs to make. Wednesday's show wasn't filled with only struggles, though.

Even with Sami Zayn returning to action, the night belonged to Solomon Crowe. He left a deep impression on the audience thanks to a display of his brawling talents.

Crowe made the biggest upward movement on the NXT big board. He slides closer to the top tier on the list of the best prospects competing at Full Sail University. Expect that to continue.

A blend of ring work, mic skills, gimmick, look and charisma determine where he and the rest of his peers sit on that list. Only prospects who have debuted on TV are ranked, so no Uhaa Nation just yet.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Heigh/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	NXT's best seller, tremendous connection with the crowd, highly athletic, fun move set.
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 coming off 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.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Top-flight striker, good energy, standout look, well-rounded.
9.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Great energy, adding bulk, good connection with the crowd.
10.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Good athlete, marketable look, solid ring work, becoming more aggressive.
11.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Limited in the ring, below-average athlete, electric on the mic, funny, charismatic, better suited as manager.
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.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong ring work, good build, below-average charisma.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Angelo Dawkins, Marcus Louis, Sawyer Fulton.

Solomon Crowe, Slobberknocker Ace

Competing against the recently released CJ Parker, Crowe was nasty, frenetic and compelling. Imagine a Tasmanian devil tossed into a closet with a terrier.

A slugfest is clearly a comfortable situation for Crowe. 

Credit: WWE.com

He hit thunderous forearms and, and his overall striking had a snap to it. His aggression was at the level you want to see in a situation like this. Crowe made it believable that he could send a bigger man reeling.

Fans saw some glimpses of his high-flying skill as well. A seemingly effortless suicide dive was the best example of that side of his game.

His creative offense is going to win a number of fans over. The fact that he has the energy of a rabid dog will help as well.  

The Michael Jordan of Jargon

Amore is a tremendous asset. He's arguably the funniest man at NXT and certainly in contention for the best talker at WWE's developmental brand.

Each time he steps into the ring, though, he proves that his future is as a manager and a personality, not as a wrestler.

He and Colin Cassady teamed up against Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. Amore didn't have any eye-catching moments in the match. His charisma kept the fans engaged, but he's way behind in terms of ring work.

He lacks explosiveness, isn't all that fast and has an unimpressive move set. The popular loudmouth isn't great at selling, either. WWE officials may stay patient and wait for him to grow as a wrestler, but the smart move is to just have him do what he does best: talk a big game.

Other Notes

In his first action since suffering a shoulder injury, Zayn didn't look as crisp as usual. His energy wasn't quite as electric as it usually is, and his strikes were sloppier than normal.

Chalk that up to slight ring rust. He's been too consistent for us to worry about him as an in-ring performer. Even on an off night, he ended up having a good match with Rhyno.  

His ability to sell as well as Shawn Michaels once did was a big part of that.

As usual, fans didn't get to see much of Steve Cutler. Baron Corbin steamrolled him in just seconds. In our small peek at Cutler, we saw that he uses facial expressions well and has good intensity.

It would be a lot easier to evaluate him if he would stop being run over all the time.

Fulton had more of an opportunity to impress but failed to do so. The big man lacks spark and explosiveness. He will have a tough time climbing out of NXT's cellar.

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.
7.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Highly athletic, raw ring work, heavy-handed showmanship.

Dana Arrives

In a win over Blue Pants, Dana showed both her promise and limitations.

She's clearly a good athlete. A somersault on the entrance ramp was the first clue to that. She followed that up with some quickness in the ring.

Her ring work is rough around the edge for now, though.

Inconsistent strikes hurt the match. The bout also lacked smoothness at times, and Blue Pants' head bent awkwardly as Dana slammed her to the mat. It looked as if Dana flubbed the move.

In terms of her showmanship, Dana looked good at times. However, she certainly overdid the "Look at me, I'm sexy!" act. She had that element turned up to nine. Dialing it down is needed.

She joins Alexa Bliss and Carmella as prospects with high ceilings but with a lot of required growth ahead of them. 

That's expected. Squared-circle masterpieces don't come right away.