WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for June 19

For the prospects looking to make their mark on WWE NXT, this week was all about discovery.

Finn Balor is in the process of finding his bridge to the audience. Carmella is beginning to find her way in the ring. Enzo Amore is discovering the difficulty of consistency.

As for Samoa Joe, fans unfamiliar with his work found out just why he was so highly touted. The slugfest that was Kevin Owens vs. Joe was the highlight of Wednesday's NXT. The bout showed off Joe's strengths, proving that he should flourish on the main roster just as the NXT champ has in recent weeks. 

A vignette on Balor and the rest of the night's card offered glimpses at several wrestlers' potential. 

Those performances and shifts in how these competitors are presented shifted the NXT rankings once more. A combination of ring work, mic skills, look, gimmick and charisma determine the order.

Note: Although Owens is still listed as an NXT wrestler on WWE.com, he is clearly in transition to the main roster with his recent appearances on Raw, SmackDown and WWE pay-per-views. He is no longer considered a prospect for the sake of these rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Excellent showman, fun move set, inconsistent on the mic.
2.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 179 lbs	Fluid ring work, good look, underwhelming mic work.
3.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Top-notch presence, great intensity, excellent in the ring.
4.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Expanding in-ring repertoire, tremendous presence, plenty of "it" factor, great look.
5.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Newer moves awkward for now, works gimmick extremely well, quick, good showmanship.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Making progress as mic worker, not as many standout matches as top-tier prospects, electric in the ring.
7.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Strong character, high-level mic work, unique in-ring style.
8.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Presence is growing, stellar athlete, good look, high ceiling.
9.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Highly charismatic, rare presence, inconsistent in the ring.
10	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Good energy, charismatic, moves well for big man.
11	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Current gimmick is ill-fitting, good brawler, inconsistent striker, strong mic work.
12.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Good connection with crowd, standout showman, underwhelming in the ring.
13.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Versatile/dependable ring worker, lacks "it" factor, better suited for tag team role.
14.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Acting background aids him, works gimmick well, struggling to stand out.
15.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Solid showman, solid ring worker, gimmick beginning to come together.
16.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Showing swagger, good athlete, unpolished ring work.
17.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive athlete, lacks presence, limited on the mic.
18.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong ring work, good build, below-average charisma.
19.	Mike Rallis	6'2'', 246 lbs	Good striker, explosive, skilled at selling, not standing out yet.
20.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Great athletic potential, explosive, limited in the ring, cheesy shtick.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Chad Gable, Marcus Louis and Angelo Dawkins.

Connecting with Finn Balor

Balor's ring work has long been his strength. His potential to be a top star has always been about other factors. Could WWE find a fitting gimmick for him? Could he engage the casual fan via his personality?

WWE wisely produced a two-part video documenting his path to NXT. It offers those unfamiliar with his work an introduction to Balor; it showcases his heart and likability.

This move helps him tremendously.

Rather than ask Balor to play a character unlike him, officials have clearly decided to make his persona closely match his real self. He's not a good enough actor to wear another personality convincingly. Going this route instead allows him to be himself, to show off how much he cares about the wrestling industry and creates an access point for the audience.

Pair this peek at his climb to WWE with the recently highlighted idea that Balor gains his strength by embracing his inner demon. That's a good mix of reality and larger than life, one that will help assure Balor success going forward.

Samoa Joe Slugs it Out

Joe's first match at NXT was a warm-up, a one-sided affair designed to welcome the powerhouse. His battle with Owens was more of a display of his ability to produce great matches.

This was no instant classic, but it was plenty compelling and a good example of his skills.

Joe exuded intensity before the bell and once the match began. When he charged at Owens, one could feel the burning inside him. 

Add some thunderous jabs and him selling a chinlock as if it were a boa constrictor around his neck. The end result is an exhibition that spoke to why he should be on the main roster pronto. Only the wear and tear of a long career and being 36 have him ranked lower than Zayn and Balor.

Joe is six years older than Zayn and three years Balor's elder. That leaves less of his peak ahead of him. His future with the company will depend on whether WWE views him as a veteran who can bolster NXT or if he can race through the developmental system and join Owens on the main roster.

Other Notes

Amore has shown improvement in the ring lately. Going up against Murphy and Blake on Wednesday night, though, he took a step back.

He nailed his foes with weak knee strikes and looked to be hurrying a crossbody block. His overall performance was less crisp than last time around. 

Credit: WWE.com

In that same match, everyone but Murphy drew the audience's eyes in. Despite his build and athletic skill, he fell into the background while Colin Cassady, Alexa Bliss and others felt more like stars.

Blake showed solid swagger in that contest. 

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Sasha Banks	5'5''	Tremendous in the ring, making big strides as a talker, thrives as heel, complete prospect.
2.	Charlotte	5'10''	Excellent presence, good in-ring psychology, high ceiling.
3.	Becky Lynch	5'6''	Thrives when asked to be herself, proving to be a big-match performer, good submission work.
4.	Bayley	5'6''	Infectious energy, works gimmick well, improving in the ring.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Big presence, charismatic, can overact at times, improving in the ring.
6.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Solid heel, striking needs work, awkward at times in the ring, good presence.
7.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Promos not natural, unpolished in the ring, highly athletic.
8.	Cassie (formerly KC Cassidy)	5'7''	Strong seller, solid in the ring, generic gimmick as of now.
9.	Jessie McKay	5'8''	Looked uncomfortable/awkward in her debut, good intensity.

Carmella's Progress

Presence has never been a problem for Carmella. She's an engrossing figure, brimming with energy. 

In the six-person tag on Wednesday, as she fought alongside her boys Cassady and Amore, she showed that her ring work is beginning to catch up with her intangibles. This was the smoothest, most fluid she has been in a match to date.

This wasn't a case of her delivering a series of highlights but more of her just looking comfortable with the flow of the action.

That's something her opponent, Bliss, still needs to work on. In the end, Bliss will likely be the better worker and Carmella the bigger personality, but for now, the Princess of Staten Island is ahead on both counts.

Another Look at Cassie

Now known as Cassie, KC Cassidy stepped into the ring once more.

She's clearly not a priority with NXT officials right now. She didn't get a televised entrance and received little attention from the announcers in her clash with Charlotte.

And the company is presenting her as a generic wrestler so far.

Once she gets more to work with on that front, she's going to start turning heads. She's a strong mat worker and an excellent seller. At times, she made it look as if Charlotte was trying to torture information out of her.

Credit: WWE.com

She offered up a few weak spinning kicks. That's certainly an area to clean up.

The biggest challenge ahead of her, though, will be standing out. Without much of a gimmick to work with, and with minimal focus on her at the moment, she's not making much of an impression.