WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of Feb. 11

Not every edition of WWE NXT is going to be a showcase of great progress. Sometimes, prospects simply look like they have looked in the past—no marked improvement, no new flashes of excellence.

That was the case for much of the night on Wednesday's NXT inside the CFE Arena at Central Florida University.

Mojo Rawley was the same Mojo Rawley we have seen for months. He is a guitar player who knows just one chord. He played that chord passionately and emphatically in his latest match but left one to wonder if he'll ever be able to pull off a whole song.

Elias Samson didn't offer anything new. Baron Corbin failed to pass NXT's top talents; The Lone Wolf still looking up at Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe and company.

It was within the women's division where improvement was most evident.

Carmella had her career-best performance. She did well in her first title bout but hit more of a double than a home run with that showing.

Alexa Bliss continues to add elements to her game. She's clearly soaking up what the trainers are offering. Each time out, she looks more and more like a top heel in the making.

The following is a look at how all those wrestlers stack up in the ongoing battle to be NXT's best. Who is most ready to thrive on the main roster? Who is the most valuable asset in the developmental system?

Breaking down each wrestler's size, ring work, mic skills, look, charisma and gimmick determines the order of the rankings.

Note: Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are not included on the list. According to PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc), they have not signed with NXT at this point.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Elite on promos, stellar intensity, versatile ring work.
2.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Highly consistent in the ring, rock-star aura, stellar athlete.
3.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Top-notch storyteller, stellar facial expressions, looks a step slower since return.
4.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Steadily progressing, good intensity, improving brawling, inconsistent on the mic.
5.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Makes everything look effortless, showing improved presence, crowd connection growing.
6.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Good connection with crowd, impressive footwork for big man, strong energy on mic.
7.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Stiff on promos, tremendous athlete, likable, good look.
8.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Losing momentum to lengthy stay on disabled list, electric in the ring, mic work is current weakness.
9.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Hugely over, highly charismatic, unique character, below-average in the ring.
10.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Highly skilled mat wrestler, energetic offense, serviceable on the mic.
11.	Alex Riley	6'3'', 236 lbs	Strong mic work, good athlete, top-notch intensity, lacks standout bouts thus far.
12.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Continuing run of standout performances, vicious, good brawler, making progress as a talker.
13.	Rich Swann	5'6'', 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
14.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Solid connection with audience, uses gimmick well, strong mat work.
15.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Solid presence, fun offense, yet to produce standout matches.
16.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Slowly progressing as a talker, solid bruiser, good tag team work.
17.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Good build, athletic, powerful, lack of charisma is biggest weakness.
18.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Lack of standout matches, average ring work, solid charisma.
19.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Dependable ring worker, underwhelming talker, lacks presence.
20.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8'', 285 lbs	Impressive size, limited in the ring, will need right gimmick to succeed.

Prospects just outside the Top 20: Elias Samson, Mojo Rawley, Riddick Moss.

More of the Same from Mojo

In tag team action against enhancement talents Corey Hollis and John Skyler, Rawley followed the same script that he usually does.

He provided the energy early on, barking and getting the crowd to chant with him. Zack Ryder did most of the work wrestling-wise, and then Rawley came in for a brief flurry.

Rawley does this well. He's good on the offensive in short bursts. He's a stick of dynamite in terms of intensity.

And as the folks at Wrestling Inc pointed out, he has the hot tag part of the equation down:

The issue with Rawley is that he hasn't proved he can do much more than that. He hasn't shown himself to be a workhorse who can be the foundation of a good match. He hasn't thrived as the man taking the beating, gutting it out to victory.

Those are the kind of stories he will have to be able to tell to climb the ranks, even if he sticks to tag team wrestling.

Rawley hasn't shown progress as a mat worker overall. He hasn't taken to the finer points of the mat game, from selling to pacing. Until he does, there will be a glass ceiling sitting atop his head.

The Drifter Failing to Gain Traction

Samson won another squash match on Wednesday. This time it came against former TNA wrestler Jesse Sorensen. 

The bout dragged. There were really no highlights to speak of other than a solid neckbreaker to cap it off. Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Samson continued to take way too long doing nothing."

The Drifter didn't show enough aggression to make one truly take notice. He didn't stand out because of his viciousness, power or presence. 

Credit: WWE.com

So far, he has failed to be special in general.

WWE can't get a full read on him until it puts him in longer, more competitive matches. But for now, the company has to be underwhelmed with what it's seeing.

More Baby Steps from Baron Corbin

It's hard to notice Corbin's progress from week to week. He's not doing as Charlotte did during her NXT stay and improving at a rapid pace. Instead, he seems to be picking up the complex art form piece by piece over a long period of time.

On Wednesday, he and Johnny Gargano tangled in an entertaining match.

One of Corbin's best moments from that contest was an intense glare at a fan heckling him during his entrance. The Lone Wolf also paced the match better, mixing in some slower moments between all of his high-impact moves. 

He looked every bit the indignant, callous predator he is supposed to be.

It's going to take something major for him to climb higher on the NXT ladder, though. Finn Balor and Zayn are such phenomenal, well-rounded talents that Corbin will struggle to surpass them.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Getting the best from her opponents, great storyteller, superb connection with crowd.
2.	Asuka	5'3''	Great presence, fun brand of showmanship, high-level ring work.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Mastering nuances of being a heel, increasingly strong in the ring, has star quality.
4.	Emma	5'5''	One of division's best technical wrestlers, solid mic work, excellent striker.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Showing excellent potential, still not top-tier as a ring worker, charismatic.
6.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Good intensity, great power, hasn't yet maximized gimmick.
7.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Improving presence, better sense of character, good aggression.
8.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Outright hated by NXT fans, star look, miles to go in the ring.
9.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Overacting is grating, heavy-handed showmanship, impressive athleticism.
10.	Liv Morgan	5'4''	Still raw, shows potential, good athlete.
11.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.

Carmella's Best to Date

The Princess of Staten Island failed to dethrone Bayley but had the top performance of her career thus far. She held her own in there with the champ, working to stir up emotion as she battled for the NXT Women's Championship.

Alex Wendland of Voices of Wrestling called the match, "A great showcase for how far Carmella has come and that she’s ready to be a part of the conversation in the NXT women's division."

It was exactly that. But Bayley did lead the way. Carmella only had to provide a few moments of excellence while the champ carried the load, playing ring general. 

Carmella sold Bayley's moves okay. Not surprisingly, Bayley outshone her in that department.

Still, officials have to be happy with Carmella's contributions to the match. They hint at just how good she can be down the road. Getting to work with high-level talents like Bayley will help her get to that point faster.

Bliss Keeps Adding Layers

While Carmella had the opportunity to work with NXT's best in Bayley, Bliss had a far more daunting challenge. She had to produce a watchable matchup with Cameron, one of the least competent performers in recent WWE history.

The timing was off at points, but this was better than one might expect. Credit Cameron's hard work of late for part of that, but kudos has to go to Bliss for leading this dance.

Bliss' heel act continues to evolve. She's mastering all the small stuff that elevates a villain of the squared circle. She excelled at taunting Cameron, stomped on her with convincing viciousness and perfectly over-celebrated minor successes.

It's clear that Bliss understands the dynamics of a match. While so many newcomers look as if they are performing memorized stunts, Bliss is diving into her role and telling strong stories. 

Predictions

Nia Jax and Eva Marie's post-match attack on Carmella opens the door for a new feud to develop there.

The matches that are sure to arise from the rivalry will do little to help The Princess of Staten Island. Carmella is not yet at the level that she can get a good match out of the limited Eva Marie. Working Jax will prove to be a challenge as well.

Bayley told a compelling story opposite Jax. Carmella, though, isn't a strong enough wrestler to pull that off.

Angelo Dawkins, who hasn't appeared on TV in months, will be a part of the next group of roster cuts. He hasn't shown enough improvement to keep his spot as newcomers keep arriving. 

He's been in the developmental system for four years now. Eventually, WWE is just going to cut bait.