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

WWE NXT's women division boasts a pair of heels in Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie who are setting Full Sail University ablaze with two vastly different kinds of heat.

Bliss has grown increasingly comfortable as a classic cold-blooded, narcissist heel. She's taken long strides in the ring, the latest proof coming in a strong match against NXT women's titleholder Bayley on Wednesday night.

Fans jeer her for fun, as appreciation of her art in villainy. The boos aimed at Marie are louder, more intense and more about her personally than her persona.

She hasn't made nearly as much progress as a wrestler as Bliss. Her promos aren't as emphatic and theatrical as Bliss' either. Still, WWE is pushing her toward the championship, lighting a wildfire of backlash behind her.

On the men's side, Chad Gable looked strong again on Wednesday's NXT. He and Jason Jordan look to be poised for pushes of their own. Dash Wilder put on one of his best performances to date, further nestling into his niche alongside Scott Dawson.

The following is a look at how all those prospects and their peers rank in terms of potential and readiness for the main roster. A combination of ring work, mic skills, look, gimmick and charisma determine where everyone stacks up. 

Note: James Storm is no longer on the rankings. He has not appeared since his debut, and it's not clear whether he will sign a deal beyond his first match. Emma is now included, as she hasn't worked as part of the main roster since August.

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.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Good movement for big man, intense, strong connection with crowd.
6.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Improving on the mic, big-time presence, solid brawler.
7.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	High ceiling, great athlete, good presence, needs depth to character.
8.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Showing more charisma, making progress as mic worker, electric in the ring.
9.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Fun energy, extremely smooth ring work, one-dimensional on the mic.
10.	Solomon Crowe	5'10'', 207 lbs	Excellent striker, good aggression, strong mic work, character in limbo at the moment.
11.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Skilled bruiser, intense, ideal for tag team wrestling, underwhelming mic work.
12.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Gimmick getting goofier over time, good presence, high energy.
13.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Excelling with current gimmick, good showmanship, smooth ring work.
14.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Unimpressive ring work, funny, charismatic, better suited for manager role.
15.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Strong striker, plenty aggressive, excellent tag team in-ring psychology, below-average on mic.
16.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Struggling to stand out in the ring, solid charisma, acting background is a big plus.
17.	Bull Dempsey	6'2'', 300 lbs	Moving further toward comedy territory, strong bruiser when allowed to be, surprising athleticism.
18.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8'', 285 lbs	Aggressive, good size, needs to find right gimmick.
19.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Failing to develop layers to character, limited move set, promising athleticism.
20.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Lacks presence, solid ring work, good aggression at times.

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

Dash Wilder Hammering Away

Fresh off winning the tag team titles last week, Dawson and Wilder went to work against a pair of jobbers in their first match as champs.

While Dawson has often been the clear star of the pairing, Wilder made sure some of the spotlight pointed his way on Wednesday's NXT. He did so mostly with hard strikes, bashing his foes in the back with thundering forearm shots.

His overall ring work was crisp, too.

More and more, it looks like Wilder is growing in confidence. He looks like he's having fun out there being a sadist in the center of a human demolition derby.

Like Dawson, he's clearly best suited to be a tag team specialist. That will allow him to hide his weaknesses by talking less and punching more. If he and his partner get a mouthpiece manager, both their stocks will shoot upward.

Pushing Chad Gable

Prepare for a lot of Gable ahead. NXT is making it clear that the mat technician is headed for a bigger cut of the stage.

For one, officials had him and Jordan take on NXT's former overlords, The Ascension, and knock them off in convincing fashion. During the bout, Corey Graves made a concerted effort to hype the duo, calling them the "tag team of the future."

And Gable has recently been asked to do more of the ring work than Jordan. Whether that's due to less confidence in Jordan or more confidence in Gable remains to be seen.

This match was the latest example of how good Gable is in the ring. Everything comes easy for him. Armdrags and suplexes look extra-smooth in his hands. He added a nice flip onto his opponent for good measure this week.

Gable's issues aren't about anything he does in the ring. His ceiling will be determined by how much officials hold his height against him and whether he can be more than a guy with a catchphrase on the mic.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Elite in-ring storyteller, great connection with crowd, fun energy, inconsistent on the mic.
2.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Convincing heel, improving as striker, excellent viciousness.
3.	Asuka	5'3''	Strong striker, excellent at submissions, doesn't speak English well yet.
4.	Emma	5'5''	Underrated heel, good aggression, character developing depth.
5.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Showmanship nuances need work, eye-catching aggression, great power.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Decent in the ring, strong charisma, good facial expressions.
7.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Bad actor, grating on the mic, good athlete, strong sense of character.
8.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Outright hated by NXT fans, star look, miles to go in the ring.
9.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.
10.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Awkward in the ring, stiff on the mic, has star quality, high ceiling if ring skills improve.

Alexa Bliss Closing the Gap

Every week, Bliss gives fans more reason to invest. She's shown steady improvement, morphing into a top prospect in a hurry.

As former WWE writer Alex Greenfield pointed out, Bliss has found herself: 

In a backstage interview on Wednesday night, she was effectively catty and condescending. At times, it felt like she was reading lines rather than emoting them, but this was still another strong performance. And she continues to refine her mic skills, fast becoming one of NXT's best talkers.

When her title match against Bayley began, she was disgusted at the fans chanting for the champ. She showed off a nasty side of her that felt genuine. She stomped on Bayley with mad-dog aggression.

And Bliss nailed Bayley with a forearm shot that rivaled Nikki Bella's version of the move.

This was not nearly as good as the best women's matches we've seen this year, but it was still impressive. The fact that Bliss has gone from awkward, forgettable fare to this in such a short time is hard to believe.

Bayley is the clear No. 1 woman at NXT right now. Bliss, though, is making her case to eventually supplant her.

Red-Hot Heat

Eva Marie is a study in go-away heat. Fans drowned her out on Wednesday night, not because of who her character is but because of who she is.

As someone who has been given opportunities ahead of those working in the business much longer, she's drawn the ire of diehard fans. That was evident as she struggled to get her speech out. Marie played up the moment perfectly, saying, "Now be quiet, you little dorks."

This kind of fervent reaction is rare. It's something WWE can utilize. Making her someone's manager (Nia Jax?) would be smart use of how much the audience dislikes her.

But NXT instead put her in an upcoming title match with Bayley. That is going to be the biggest test of her career. If she can look competent in that bout, she can count on ascending the NXT ladder. She looked nowhere near ready to wrestle on TV last time out.

If she can't thrive in there with Bayley, WWE has to rethink its plans for Marie.