WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for October 22

An exit and an arrival rearranged the makeup of WWE NXT with James Storm charging into Full Sail University and Tyler Breeze making his debut on the main roster.

TNA original Storm surprised NXT fans by changing locations. Even past his prime, his presence and command of the crowd has him immediately climbing onto a high spot on the big board.

Breeze, meanwhile, no longer has a place on that list. Sure, he's bound to appear at NXT for a few more shows, but WWE has promoted him. As announced on WWE.com, The King of Cuteville made his way to the SmackDown stage.

Wednesday's NXT also featured Alexa Bliss continuing her growth, Apollo Crews opening up and Scott Dawson cold-cocking folks in the face.

The following is a look at how all those wrestlers and the rest of the NXT roster stack up in terms of being the prospects with the most potential to thrive on WWE's main stage. Each grappler's mic work, ring skills, size, look, gimmick and charisma determine where they sit on the rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Excellent showman, highly marketable, "it" factor aplenty, top-notch athlete.
2.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Top-notch intensity, strong mic worker, plenty of presence, versatile in the ring.
3.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Superb showman, fun move set, great crowd connection, inconsistent talker.
4.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Very likable, stellar athlete, good charisma, average on the mic.
5.	James Storm	6'1'', 227 lbs	Strong brawler, excellent presence, age (38) makes him unlikely to move to main roster.
6.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Good movement for big man, intense, strong connection with crowd.
7.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Can't consistently deliver in the ring, good presence, great look-size.
8.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Explosive, powerful, good presence, high ceiling.
9.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Showing more charisma, making progress as mic worker, electric in the ring.
10.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Excellent striker, good aggression, strong mic work, character in limbo at the moment.
11.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Strong sense of character, fun ring work, good presence.
12.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Excelling with current gimmick, good showmanship, smooth ring work.
13.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Fun to watch in the ring, excellent mat skills, growing presence on interviews.
14.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Big-time striker, excellent tag team wrestler, dependable in the ring, not enough oomph in mic work.
15.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Turned into a comedy act, good brawler, struggling to make current persona work.
16.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Good showmanship, solid charisma, average in the ring.
17.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Unimpressive ring work, funny, charismatic, better suited for manager role.
18.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong tag team work, underwhelming on the mic, inconsistent striker.
19.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8'', 285 lbs	Aggressive, good size, needs to find right gimmick.
20.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Good movement for big man, intense, strong connection with crowd.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Mojo Rawley, Murphy, Steve Cutler

No Flips, Just Fists

Dawson's ring work is the wrestling equivalent of a run-first, smashmouth offense. It's not pretty and it's not in vogue, but it sure gets the job done.

He and Dash Wilder went up against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady and failed to come up with the victory. Although the babyfaces won, Dawson made sure fans were talking about him instead.

During the course of the bout, Dawson laid out Amore with a gorgeous right hand. He grabbed tight to his foe's ear and generally delivered a compelling, nasty onslaught.

His and Wilder's excellent tag team chemistry was on display once again, as well.

After the loss, the duo proceeded to beat down Amore and Cassady, leaving them hobbled. It's refreshing to see NXT portray this team as a real threat. They continue to show that they deserve more attention.

Curtis Axel is among those taking notice:

And it's Dawson who leads the charge. He's the foundation for the team, the better mat worker and the one whose strikes most leave one worrying about his opponent.

He and Wilder don't have the mic prowess to progress too far without a manager, though. They need a mouthpiece to carry the verbal load as they do the lifting in the ring. 

A Storm Hits Full Sail

When Storm walked onto the entrance ramp, ready to lay out Danny Burch to announce his arrival to NXT, the fans erupted. 

He sauntered into the ring, a larger-than-life cowboy, a bruiser awash with presence. Storm feels like a star when he's on stage. The fans treated him like one.

Storm was his normal aggressive, brash self. He sold well when necessary and looked to be having fun en route to victory.

It's obvious, though, that Storm is not at his peak. He's slower and has less snap to his offense than he once did. At times, it looked like he might be gassed.

Seeing that only makes one wish he had made the jump a few years earlier. Storm at 38 is more than likely going to be a means to increase star power at NXT rather than make a move to the main roster.

A Look at Who Crews Is

Building toward Crews' title bout with Finn Balor, NXT produced a vignette highlighting his childhood and journey to the wrestling ring.

It made a man with superhuman physical gifts look human in a compelling way. it showed him wrestling as a high school kid and introduced us to his family.

There has been little about him that allowed him to connect with fans until now. This reality-heavy look at his life deepens his character.

Will Pruett, a writer for ProWrestling.net, believed it to be a success:

NXT needs to continue to go this direction. This is the most interesting Crews has been since joining the developmental brand. And until his mic work improves, the pre-taped route is the best one.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Top-notch in-ring storyteller, strong connection with crowd, potential to be WWE's biggest female star.
2.	Asuka	5'3''	Skilled submission artist, captivating, strong facial expressions.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Excellent heel work, blossoming on the mic, strong showmanship.
4.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Powerful, intimidating, ring work doesn't look natural yet.
5.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Ring work steadily improving, overacts, good athlete.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Great energy, raw/inconsistent in the ring.
7.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.
8.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Improving (but still needs major work) in the ring, good look, stilted mic worker.
9.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Underwhelming striker, lack of snap to offense, nondescript persona.

Billie Kay Looking Better

It's not yet clear who she is as a character, but we saw more personality from her on Wednesday than she's shown to this point.

On her way to the ring, she was sultry and cocky, clearly holding a chip on her shoulder. That was only partially transferred to her work in the ring, but she didn't come off as the nameless competitor that she had been prior.

With a delayed vertical suplex, she showed off impressive power. With her long legs, she pinned Asuka into the corner.

Credit: WWE.com

Kay clearly has potential. She's a solid athlete and in-ring performer. Officials have to wait for her to show more presence overall, though.

The more spark she can show, the higher she will climb.

More Excellence from Bliss

Bliss has been working hard on her ring skills. That was evident as she ripped Peyton Royce apart.

This was a confident, believable version of Bliss. She stood on Royce, snapped her arm to the canvas and snarled through all of it. 

Credit: WWE.com

Her smooth movement in the ring was a big improvement over the hesitant, sometimes awkward Bliss we saw in the past.

And a minor moment in the match was the best evidence of her growth. After she knocked over Royce near the center of the ring, Breeze slyly rolled her over to position her for the Sparkle Splash. This looked natural and not a setup for something scripted. That's a welcome sight, a sign she is picking up on the nuances of the mat game.

These kind of warm-up bouts are important to construct the story of her rise to the No. 1 contender's spot, but it will be her battles with Bayley that show off her true potential.