WWE NXT Big Board: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis for November 12

Scott Dawson and Nia Jax appear to have the same philosophy: Leave bruises on the opponent in order to leave an impression on the WWE NXT audience.

Both wrestlers showed off their hard-hitting, smashmouth ways on Wednesday's NXT. Dawson will now be doling out his punishment as tag team champ. Jax, meanwhile, looks close to becoming a contender despite just recently getting to the stage.

Not every star is shooting upward at Full Sail University, though.

Mojo Rawley failed to impress on Wednesday night, looking as if he's already peaked despite being a low-rung prospect. Murphy is fading as well. Their arcs are proving that big bodies and abundant physical gifts aren't enough to make it in this industry.

The following is a look at how Dawson, Rawley and the other NXTers stack up in terms of being the most promising prospects. Who is most ready to thrive on the main roster? Evaluating the wrestlers' look, ring work, mic skills, gimmick and charisma answers that question.

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	Stellar intensity, powerful presence on the mic, versatile in the ring, can play face or heel well.
3.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Superb showman, fun move set, great crowd connection, inconsistent talker.
4.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Showing impressive fire, stunning athleticism, promo skills slowly improving.
5.	James Storm	6'1'', 227 lbs	Looking energized by move to NXT, strong presence, excellent brawler.
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	High ceiling, great athlete, starting to get overshadowed by Chad Gable.
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.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Not coming off as larger than life, great technical skill, fun energy, growing crowd connection.
12.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Skilled brawler, good in-ring psychology, aggressive, below-average talker.
13.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Gimmick getting goofier over time, good presence, high energy.
14.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Excelling with current gimmick, good showmanship, smooth ring work.
15.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Unimpressive ring work, funny, charismatic, better suited for manager role.
16.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Struggling to stand out in the ring, solid charisma, acting background is a big plus.
17.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong tag team work, good aggression, will need manager to compensate for underwhelming mic skills.
18.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Moving further toward comedy territory, strong bruiser when allowed to be, surprising athleticism.
19.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8'', 285 lbs	Aggressive, good size, needs to find right gimmick.
20.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Failing to develop layers to character, limited move set, promising athleticism.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Blake, Murphy, Steve Cutler.

Mojo Rawley Running in Place

The charged-up, big-smiled Rawley is the kind of guy you hope is at the kegger you're heading to on Saturday. The idea of him in the ring is less exciting, however.

He, Zack Ryder and Bayley teamed up against Alex Bliss, Murphy and Blake. He contributed an excess of revved-up energy to the bout but nothing else. He only knows that one note.

There's a reason Rawley stood on the apron for such a long time: He can't sustain the audience's attention for more than a few bursts. 

Rawley didn't show anything in this match that suggests that he's developing. He employs the same vanilla move set. He has yet to be able to exude anything other than being hyped.

The partnership with Ryder is helping to mask his deficiencies, but it's also doing him a disservice. He's not forced to step out of his comfort zone enough, the alliance allowing him to be the cheerleader while Ryder is the star.

Scott Dawson Getting Comfortable in His Niche

Dawson isn't world-title material. He's not the kind of guy you put on SportsCenter to represent WWE. He's not going to be able to be a key figure in a prominent feud that requires a lot of promo time.

But that's just fine. Dawson has his own expertise—straight-ahead in-ring savagery.

From delivering a hammer-like right hand to attacking Aiden English's knee with a nasty fervor, Dawson again showed off his best assets. He thrives in slobberknockers. He and Dash Wilder employ the wrestling equivalent of a run-first offense, and they do it masterfully.

If Dawson is going to make it to the main roster, it will be with a tag team partner at his side and his fists at the ready.

The tag team division requires less talking. That's where he struggles the most. On Wednesday's NXT, he celebrated his and Wilder's title win backstage in an underwhelming performance on the mic.

He has far less presence here than he does on the mat. He looked out of his element and unsure of himself. WWE would be wise to pair him and Wilder up with a verbally deft manager and let the bruisers do what they best.

Other Notes

When Apollo Crews attacked Baron Corbin, he showed more intensity than he has at NXT up to this point. There was great fire behind his strikes. It was easy to buy into his rage. 

Murphy is getting lost in the shadows. Bliss is the clear star of that group. And Blake does more to catch one's eye during a match right now.

Murphy hasn't had those explosive, wowing moments that he used to in a while. He has his work cut out for him to avoid fading further into the background, with or without them, though.

Simon Gotch's energy was one of the highlights of the tag team title match. But he is looking more and more like a comedy character, cartoony and silly. That's going to lower his ceiling.

Ask Fandango and Adam Rose how much TV time one gets with a heavy-handed gimmick.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Top-notch in-ring storyteller, strong connection with crowd, acting needs refinement.
2.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Thriving as heel, strong presence, much improved in the ring.
3.	Asuka	5'3''	Strong striker, excellent at submissions, doesn't speak English well yet.
4.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Eye-catching aggression, great power, presence needs work.
5.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Ring work improving, overacts, comes off as fake on the mic, good athlete.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Charismatic, great energy, raw/inconsistent in the ring.
7.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.
8.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Underwhelming striker, lack of snap to offense, nondescript persona.
9.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Awkward in the ring, stiff on the mic, has star quality, high ceiling if ring skills improve.

Nia Jax, Wrecking Ball

In her latest squash match, Jax looked more like the monster she needs to be.

She let out a primal yell as she landed a Samoan drop. She snatched her foe, looking like she wanted to fling her through a wall. She exuded fury as she took down her opponent.

This is where she will make her name.

Jax does need to turn up her nasty side, though, especially with her facial expressions. She may want to watch video of Dawson at work or else look at Vader corner an enemy with a predator's glare on his face.

Despite her size and strength, she's not intimidating enough yet. So much of wrestling's stories are told in the face, and she's not yet a powerful enough storyteller in that department.