WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for April 24

It's hard to not get giddy about the future when watching the WWE NXT Divas division at work.

A trio of promising prospects battled on Wednesday night to determine the next No. 1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship. In the process, Becky Lynch, Bayley and Charlotte showed off their striking and showmanship prowess.

As talented as they are, it makes one wonder why on earth Cameron is on Raw and SmackDown while these women are working in front of smaller audiences.

On the Superstar side of the roster, there was little movement in the rankings. The distance between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn remains rice-paper thin. The same goes for Hideo Itami and Finn Balor.

Those men remain atop the NXT hierarchy, while Tye Dillinger and Buddy Murphy manage to travel slightly upward. The order for these ever-shifting rankings are determined by a combination of size, look, gimmick, charisma, ring work and mic skills. 

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/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, size is big asset.
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.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive, good look, becoming more relaxed on the mic.
14.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Charismatic, works gimmick well, acting background aids him, average in the ring.
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.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Good showman, solid ring worker, gimmick beginning to come together.
18.	Wesley Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Strong (but unpolished) in the ring, solid talker.
19.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Great athletic potential, very raw and limited in the ring, one-dimensional on the mic.
20.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong ring work, good build, below-average charisma.

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

Still an Incomplete Package

We're slowly beginning to find out who Tye Dillinger is. After sporting a blank canvas of a gimmick for so long, he showed up to his fight with Balor with a few new touches. 

With lines shaved across the side of his head, Dillinger sauntered into the ring wearing a long, vinyl scarf around his neck. New entrance music buzzed in the background. These are minor details but important ones nonetheless. They help him stand out.

He and WWE have to work on going further down this path. The more elements of his persona he can add, the more he can establish himself in this crowded group of talented prospects.

In the ring, Dillinger had some good moments in terms of selling. One of Balor's chops looked like it took his breath away, for example. A smooth mat-wrestling sequence early in this short match was noteworthy as well. 

His intensity was lacking at times, though. If WWE is going to continue to give him such limited ring time, he'll have to make the most of it by cranking up the knob on his energy.

Little Separation Between Balor and Itami

Balor made short work of Dillinger. Itami easily handled CJ Parker. Neither victor had much of an opportunity to make an impact.

These were both everyday bouts.

Credit: WWE.com

Itami was impressively intense. Balor was especially smooth when the match remained on the mat. However, there was nothing in either contest to help settle the debate as to which star is the better prospect.

They are neck-and-neck in terms of overall ability. Balor shows more presence in the ring, but Itami has shown more personality outside it. Choosing between them right now is nearly impossible. 

As close as they are to each other as in-ring performers, it's going to be who can thrive in the other elements of the business that makes it clearer who is the best.

Other Notes

Owens and Zayn's feud restarted with a bang. Their brawl at the end of the show was the highlight of the night. This rivalry will give both wrestlers a number of chances to prove themselves to be NXT's top prospect.

Zayn will be asked to explode with emotion in interviews. Owens will get more shots at creating classics. 

Credit: WWE.com

Tyler Breeze has an opportunity ahead of him as well. He mocked Balor at the end of his match, likely signaling the beginning of a feud between them. That's great news for Prince Pretty. 

With Balor opposite him, he will have a tremendous shot at adding some classics to his resume.

Mojo Rawley has been working house shows recently, now that he has recovered from his shoulder injury. The NXT landscape is mighty challenging, and he's going to have to show that he's become less one-dimensional as a worker in order to be anything but a bottom feeder. 

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''	Adding to her move set, huge upside, great presence, athletic, excellent in the ring.
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.	Carmella	5'5''	Standout mic presence, charismatic, still raw in the ring.
6.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Ring inexperience showing, good energy/presence, solid talker.
7.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Not yet natural on the mic, highly athletic, raw ring work, heavy-handed showmanship.

Work Ahead of Dana

In an interview backstage, Dana Brooke showed promise as a talker but reminded us how new she is to the wrestling business.

Her mic work benefited from solid charisma, but she overenunciated, and her delivery felt far from normal. It seems like she is just trying too hard at times. 

Learning to be herself and not come off so much like she's acting will be key to her progress. 

Triple Threat Showcases Three Talented Women

Bayley, Lynch and Charlotte all did well in a match that the Irish bruiser ended up winning. They also all provided glimpses of their flaws, though.

Charlotte was the best mat wrestler of the three on Wednesday night. She executed a perfect takedown, and her moves were all smooth. All the bridges she adds to her submission moves will catch fans' eyes at the next level.

The only negative of her performance was some underwhelming acting at the end of the action. Her shocked reaction to losing wasn't as believable as you'd like to see.

Lynch issued some nasty strikes and fluid offense. She's a reliable performer, something WWE will value.

She showed inconsistency in her submissions, however. One hold she applied looked far too soft. Later on, though, she cranked on a much more convincing one.

The best actor of the three was clearly Bayley. She does a tremendous job of showing emotions. When she was frustrated or angry, it was obvious but not overdone.

On top of that, Bayley's forearm shots are getting better.

Catching up to these women is going to be tough for Carmella and Company. They continue to excel, small missteps aside.