WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for May 15

Baron Corbin continues to press a deep imprint into the WWE NXT landscape.

Fans who packed into Full Sail University for Wednesday's NXT saw him continue his upward charge. Wrestlers with extensive indy backgrounds and far more experience beat him out in terms of ring work, but Corbin's star power becomes clearer with each performance.

That trait also had fans take notice of Carmella and Finn Balor.

In the last NXT before the next TakeOver special, those performers most impressed. When that live event arrives, both Corbin and Balor will have a great shot at moving up the list of top prospects. 

The following is a look at how that list stands after Wednesday's show and following news that Shoot Nation is no more. Rankings are determined by wrestlers' ring work, mic skills, size, look, gimmick and charisma. Only prospects who have debuted in the ring are considered, so Uhaa Nation will have to wait to leap into the conversation.

The Superstars

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	NXT's best seller, inconsistent on the mic, tremendous connection with the crowd, highly athletic.
2.	Kevin Owens	6'0", 266 lbs	Top-notch brawler, good actor, intimidating presence, NXT's best talker.
3.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Has star quality, fantastic in the ring, good showman, underwhelming talker.
4.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Superb presence, great look, growing as a ring worker.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Making progress as mic worker, not as many standout matches as top-tier prospects, electric in-ring work.
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.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Top-flight striker, skilled seller, good energy, standout look, well-rounded.
8.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Inconsistent intensity, explosive, strong mic work, good brawler.
9.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Rare level of presence, charisma is off the charts, ring work is subpar, better suited as a manager.
10.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Great size, good charisma, has only shown limited move set.
11.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Good athlete, marketable look, solid ring work, 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	Struggling to stand out, explosive athlete, good build.
15.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent mat worker, underwhelming as a heel, fits better as part of tag team, lacks "it" factor.
16.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Good showman, solid ring worker, gimmick beginning to come together.
17.	Wesley Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Solid athlete, lacks star aura, ring work unpolished at times, showing more aggression recently.
18.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Great athletic potential, very raw and limited in the ring, one-dimensional on the mic.
19.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong ring work, good build, below-average charisma.
20.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 185 lbs	Strong technical skills, size is an issue, in need of gimmick after end of Shoot Nation.

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

The Lone Wolf Rising

WWE officials have to be drooling over what Corbin is capable of. A man that size with that much presence has the potential to be a star even if he couldn't do much in the ring. Corbin, though, is showing great growth on the mat.

Against Solomon Crowe, he showed off more moves than we're used to seeing from him. He managed to maintain his same level of intensity throughout the longer match.

He thrived as a heel here, mocking Crowe and toying with him at times. Everything from how he paced between the ropes to how he drummed against his foe's chest with a thunderous clothesline made the audience pay attention.

Big things are coming for Corbin. His match next week with Rhyno will be his biggest test yet; it's a potential launch pad to send him closer to NXT's top tier.

Itami vs. Balor

All three competitors set to collide for the No. 1 contender's spot at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable spoke about their chances in a series of backstage interviews. Surprisingly, Itami's was the best of the bunch. His promo felt the most natural despite his limited English-language skills.

This is one area where Itami beats Balor.

Overall, though, the Irishman looks like the bigger star. He exudes more of a big-stage presence and has the edge in "It" factor.

In the ring, the two grapplers are neck-and-neck. Balor looked slightly better in their tag match Wednesday night. He sold Adam Rose's Boston Crab like it was tearing his quads. He was a touch crisper and more exciting than his tag partner for the evening.

This battle between them is far from over, though. They will continue to be inches apart in the race to the top of NXT until one of them heads to the main roster.

Man Without a Nation

Chad Gable lost ground without even appearing on Wednesday's NXT. 

At house shows, he led Shoot Nation, a group of black-clad former amateur wrestlers poised to take over NXT. The group failed to debut on TV and is now disbanded. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), NXT has dropped the gimmick.

Officials are, however, keeping Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins together as a tag team.

This angle was key to Gable's potential rise. It played to his strengths as a mat wrestler and gave him a chance to be a leader and, as a result, possibly a star. Without that group, Gable suddenly has no direction.

He's an incomplete package who is still looking for an identity.

The Divas

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Very comfortable as a heel, excellent showmanship, polished ring work, getting more comfortable on the mic.
2.	Charlotte	5'10''	Strong seller, huge upside, great presence, athletic, excellent in the ring.
3.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Continues to find her voice, smooth ring work, presence is growing.
4.	Bayley	5'6''	Uses facial expressions well, excellent connection with crowd, ring work needs fine-tuning.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Great presence, charismatic, raw/limited in the ring.
6.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Ring inexperience showing, good energy/presence, solid talker.
7.	KC Cassidy	5'7''	Good footwork, skilled seller, currently without a gimmick.
8.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Impressive athlete, unpolished showmanship, overacting during interviews.

Carmella Keeps Her Lead in Front of Alexa Bliss

While Bliss won her battle in the ring against Carmella, she didn't beat her out in terms of climbing the rankings.

Both women are raw as wrestlers, but Bliss' inexperience is showing more. The pain she displayed as Carmella punished her came off as too contrived at times.

There were a few awkward spots as well, with Bliss bumping into her foe or seeming unsure of what to do next. 

Carmella is no Kurt Angle but didn't have these kinds of flubs. She could certainly turn up the intensity on her knee strikes, but overall she managed to draw in fans.

Credit: WWE.com

The biggest difference between the two right now, though, is charisma. Bliss certainly has some, but Carmella's is stronger and more obvious. She's giving off an electric vibe; Bliss is producing a much lower voltage right now.

Early Impressions of KC

KC Cassidy made her NXT debut without a touch of hoopla. She took on Sasha Banks in a jobber role. The recap of WWE.com billed her as "local competitor."

Credit: WWE.com

Despite not being mentioned by name, she looked solid in her first bout. The fact that she first plied her trade on the independent circuit showed. She looked natural and comfortable between the ropes.

Her ring work was fluid. Her selling was impressive. Tasked with making Banks look good, she writhed and winced to great effect. 

In due time, she'll get more time to stand out and show off her offensive skills, but for now it's clear that the Divas division just got even better.