WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for Aug. 6

When compiling the list of WWE NXT prospects ready to flourish on the main roster, don't forget Tyler Breeze's name.

Sure Finn Balor is more exciting, Hideo Itami more renowned and Sami Zayn more proven, but Prince Pretty is a star in waiting. He has taken a gimmick that would have hamstrung many wrestlers and turned it into his ticket to center stage. On Wednesday's NXT, he showed off his prowess as a heel once again, and an even bigger opportunity awaits him at the next TakeOver special.

Bayley, Samoa Joe and Bull Dempsey all made positive impressions in their last outings in very different ways.

Bayley's connection with the audience has her sitting atop the women's rankings. Joe's all-around ring work is part of why WWE would be smart to call him up. And while Dempsey is still struggling to find the right identity, the latest incarnation of his gimmick is moving in the right direction.

The following is a look at those prospects and the rest of the NXT roster in terms of who is most ready for a promotion to WWE proper. Rankings also consider who has the most long-term potential once they make it to that level.

Size, look, ring work, mic skills, charisma and gimmick all factor in when diving into that discussion. 

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Top-tier ring worker, stellar athlete, marketable, serviceable on the mic.
2.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Excellent showman, fun move set, good crowd connection, inconsistent talker.
3.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Well-rounded in the ring, great intensity, plenty of presence.
4.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Excelling as a heel, maximizes gimmick, good athlete, above-average ring work.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Showing more charisma, making progress as mic worker, electric in the ring.
6.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Good look, aggressive in the ring, solid presence.
7.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Questions about what he can do in lengthy match, top-notch presence, good aggression.
8.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Good sense of his character, vicious in the ring, high ceiling if showcased.
9.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	High-impact ring style, good movement for big man, above-average charisma.
10.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Continues to work gimmick into move set, fun ring work, good presence.
11.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Gimmick getting slightly more serious, good brawler, top-notch talker when not playing comedy role.
12.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent in the ring, showing inconsistency with strikes, good intensity.
13.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Inconsistent in the ring, top-notch talker, excellent charisma, better suited as manager.
14.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Will gain momentum once "10" gimmick moves to TV, good storyteller, not an elite athlete.
15.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Making mat wrestling entertaining, showing more energy/personality.
16.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Solid charisma, underwhelming ring work, Gotch overshadowing him.
17.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Showing more swagger, good athlete, unpolished ring work.
18.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong/aggression ring work, good build, below-average charisma.
19.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive athlete, lacks presence, limited on the mic.
20.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Intense, lots of energy, too goofy at times, one-dimensional as a character.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Elias Samson, Sawyer Fulton, Mike Rallis.

Wrecking Ball with Wings

If WWE considers Joe just an asset for NXT, then he's going to remain at Full Sail University, delivering hard-hitting action like we saw against Rhyno.

If the company views him as too old to make an impact on the main roster, they're wrong. While not in the early stages his career, Joe has plenty to offer WWE for the next few years.

Watching him bang heads in there with Rhyno is a glimpse of what Joe could do on Raw and SmackDown. While billed as a submission specialist, he's adept at every aspect of the mat game. He floored Rhyno with thunderous strikes, reminded us how strong his technical skills are and tossed in a few high-flying moments as well.

Guys Joe's size aren't supposed to hit suicide dives like he did on Wednesday night. Big, rough-and-tumble brawlers don't normally soar to the height he did to land an enziguri. But Joe is no standard big guy; he's a complete wrestler.

Combine that with the captivating intensity he brings to the ring and there's little argument about pushing him to the main roster and making him a high-profile star right away.

Bull Slowly Getting His Horns Back

After making Dempsey a complete joke over the past few weeks, the NXT team showcased him in a slightly more serious light.

He was still presented as fat and lazy, but the narrative now is that he's finally going about his wrestling training earnestly. He struggled with lifting weights and doing exercises, but he eventually lifted a tire and at least his face wasn't smothered in potato chip crumbs.

This is still miles away from him being a badass bruiser with hands of stone, but it's a step up.

It's his mostly-comic gimmick that's holding him back right now. The sooner he sheds that and starts being a predator, the faster he will climb the NXT rankings.

Breeze is So Good at Being Bad

As ridiculous as his male model gimmick is, hopefully WWE doesn't just turn Breeze into a punchline at the bottom of the card. His heel work is too good to be limited to that role.

Breeze has embraced his gimmick so well that it feels like a natural extension of him. He is a convincing jerk, a snooty narcissist you want to see get his comeuppance. 

His match against Aaron Solow on Wednesday's NXT wasn't anything special. It was his mastery of his character that was most noticeable here. He was vicious, defiant to the referee and merciless when dishing out hard strikes.

The next big test for Breeze comes in Brooklyn. As announced after his win over Solow, Breeze will face Jushin "Thunder" Liger at the upcoming TakeOver event.

That's an unexpected combination to say the least. It does, though, speak to how highly WWE thinks of Breeze. Going up against the legendary junior heavyweight, The King of Cuteville can show off his ring prowess in addition to his top-notch character work. 

It will be his biggest match to date. Composing a classic gives him ample momentum to send him to the main roster.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Stellar connection with crowd, top-notch in-ring storyteller, mastering her gimmick, ring work still needs a touch of polish.
2.	Carmella	5'5''	Showing improvement as a ring worker, strong presence, good showmanship.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Solid heel, striking needs work, awkward at times in the ring, good presence.
4.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Has slightly toned down overacting, raw in the ring, good athlete.
5.	Cassie	5'7''	Good striker, strong seller, no real character yet.
6.	Jessie McKay	5'8''	Good intensity, hasn't shown much presence yet, unproven commodity overall.

Bayley, the New Boss

Bayley is a slight step behind the women who recently left NXT for WWE when it comes to ring work. But it's more of an issue of working out minor kinks than having to do some major coaching with her.

Up against Charlotte on Wednesday, she showed off both her excellent showmanship and the need for fine-tuning her mat game.

The negatives of her performance were minimal. She executed an awkward sunset flip that took away from the flow of the match for a moment. Bayley also hit a dropkick after sliding past the ring post and it wasn't nearly strong enough. Those are just things officials will nitpick and have her improve on.

It's her overall presence and connection with the crowd that make her the clear top female prospect left and a woman plenty ready to make an impression on a bigger audience.

She wore an intense look for much of the action. She sold Charlotte's offense masterfully, from wincing at chops to walking around with wobbly legs.

The key image to take away from Bayley's win, though, is the girl in the front row in Bayley attire crying with joy after the match. Bayley's character and personality make her an ideal wrestler to market to younger kids, especially girls. That's something WWE hasn't been able to do as well as it should with other stars.

Expect Bayley to be a runaway hit with the youngsters and to produce enough quality matches to win over much of the rest of the crowd as well.