WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for Sept. 3

Long gone is the cheerleader demeanor and the frilly blue skirt that Alexa Bliss once wore. She has since become the top heel in the WWE NXT women's division.

As she continues to grow into her edgier, nastier persona, Bliss slides up the list of NXT prospects.

Meanwhile, many of the men featured on Wednesday's NXT didn't experience the same upward movement. In the show's return to Full Sail University, fans saw Solomon Crowe's gimmick worsen, Baron Corbin's intensity lessen and Mojo Rawley's shtick flop.

The journey to the main roster has been up-and-down for those men. Getting promoted to WWE is going to require some tweaking, at the very least.

The following is a look at where those prospects and their peers stand on the NXT ladder. To decide who is most ready for a call-up to the main roster and who would most thrive once there, one has to look at these wrestlers' ring work, mic skills, looks, gimmicks and charisma. 

Only prospects who have debuted on NXT TV are considered for the rankings.

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	Great presence, versatile in the ring, intimidating aura, good mic work.
4.	Tyler Breeze	6'0'', 190 lbs	Excellent heel work, makes most of gimmick, not elite in the ring, good presence.
5.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Great athleticism, excellent energy, needs character depth.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Showing more charisma, making progress as mic worker, electric in the ring.
7.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Impressive power, growing presence, needs to add to move set.
8.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Excels at working crowd, great size and look, solid charisma, in-ring work improving.
9.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Continues to work gimmick into move set, fun ring work, good presence.
10.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Gimmick headed in goofy direction, versatile in the ring, strong mic work.
11.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Good brawler, one of NXT's better talkers when not doing comedy gimmick, current persona is ill-fitting.
12.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Less intensity of late, underwhelming in the ring, great look, lots of potential.
13.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Great connection with crowd, elite charisma, low-level ring work.
14.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	"Perfect 10" gimmick allowing him to excel, good showman, solid in the ring.
15.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Smooth ring work, improving charisma, good energy.
16.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent in the ring, good intensity, doesn't have much "it" factor.
17.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Solid charisma, decent ring work, Gotch overshadowing him.
18.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Aggressive ring work, good build, below-average charisma.
19.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive athlete, underwhelming charisma, showing improvement as a striker.
20.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Solid athlete, inconsistent ring work, so-so presence.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Mojo Rawley, Sawyer Fulton, Marcus Louis

The Odd Evolution of Solomon Crowe

Crowe is losing layers of his character. He began as some sort of predator with ties to the cyberworld. He seemed to have some control over technology, doing to NXT's electronic systems what Undertaker does to lightning.

More recently, those elements have faded. That's fine, as his initial gimmick bordered on silly.

He's headed toward comedy-character territory anyway, though. The Crowe whom fans saw on Wednesday night was goofier and happier than normal. He came off less like a crazed guy who you would assume has a switchblade on his person to a kooky guy who hogs the spotlight at parties.

Rather than be a haunting presence, he's now the subject of jokes. Tommy Gunn from the Answer the Ten Count podcast was among those who were laughing at him:

That's the wrong direction for Crowe.

Crowe's success has always been dependent on how WWE has presented him. He's a unique, mold-breaking prospect. Embracing that will allow him to shine. WWE's attempts to turn him into some sort of nutty babyface are only going to hold him back.

Disparate Paths for Two Prospects

Wrestlers have to give fans reason to invest. Intensity, emotion and fire are big keys to doing just that.

Apollo Crews' win over Martin Stone showcased those traits at work. Corbin's victory (alongside Rhyno) against The Ascension pointed a flashlight on the powerhouse's recent failures in that department.

Crew played to the crowd during his match. He posed in between power moves. He showed off a beaming smile. Overall, he showed good energy and made a pedestrian match more entertaining than expected.

Corbin, on the other hand, lacked intensity and didn't show enough presence. That's shocking considering that those areas were his biggest strengths. 

Whether it's born from a lack of confidence or the fact that Corbin is just regressing, he is not making fans take notice as much as he once was. Rhyno was more compelling in there than him. Remembering just what Corbin brought to the battle is difficult to remember.

That's a bad sign for The Lone Wolf. Previously, his ring skills have been his biggest question marks. This bout was the latest example, though, of his intangibles not impressing.

Layers Needed

Rawley's character is painfully one-dimensional.

Fans saw just a glimpse of him on Wednesday's NXT. In his short backstage interview next to his tag team partners from TakeOver: Brooklyn, he only offered the segment his usual amped-up energy and a reminder that girls are always on his mind.

He comes off like a cartoon. One imagines that he would fit right in with a Survivor Series team from the early '90s, cackling next to The Repo Man, The Mountie or Mantaur.

The wrestling audience expects more character development from wrestlers today. And Rawley can't deliver it.

He needs more aspects to his character or will be doomed to "bust" status.

As for Jordan, his needs are easier to fix. He needs more variety in his offensive assaults.

In a strong performance against Crowe and Neville, he flung his foes around with suplexes again and again. The issue wasn't with his execution or energy, which were both good, but rather with the repetitive nature of his attack.

Roman Reigns is finding out right now that cycling through a short playlist of moves is a surefire way to create a disconnect with fans. Jordan just needs to add to his arsenal. 

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Great connection with crowd, top-notch in-ring storyteller, marketable to kids.
2.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Heel work improving, good aggression, needs to work on striking.
3.	Carmella	5'5''	Plenty of presence, still a work in progress in the ring, lots of potential.
4.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Solid striker, strong seller, no real character yet.
5.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Underwhelming striking, inconsistent in the ring, solid seller.
6.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Overacts, awkward in the ring, good athlete, fans already turning on her.

Alexa Bliss' Growth as a Heel

WWE knows it has quite the versatile prospect in Bliss.

She did well as the syrupy sweet, bubbly babyface. She has since become more convincing and more comfortable in a new role altogether.

In her beatdown of Blue Pants on Wednesday night, Bliss' viciousness and merciless was on display. The fierceness with which she attacked her opponent stood out. So did her overall demeanor.

Credit: WWE.com

It doesn't feel like she's acting as much anymore. The heel character is feeling more natural. That's a big deal, considering how different this version of her is compared to her original gimmick.

The match wasn't without low points, though. Bliss' ring work is still in progress. She had too many weak kicks and relied on the same submission hold too much. 

If she progresses on the mat as she has gimmick-wise, though, she'll be deserving of a title run before long.