WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of Feb. 25

Chad Gable continues to close the gap between him and the top WWE NXT prospects, his tag team partner included.

Despite having to crane his neck up at the titans of the developmental brand and despite not being nearly as good of a fit for magazine covers as his peers, Gable is wrestling his way to a higher place on the NXT ladder. Even a short, mostly one-sided match like he and Jason Jordan had against Blake and Murphy on Wednesday's NXT was made a spectacle thanks to his skills.

His rise and the arrival of Christopher Girard (formerly Biff Busick) increases the competition to be among NXT's best.

In the women's division, allies Nia Jax and Eva Marie are headed in opposite directions. Jax picks up the art form more each week. Marie, meanwhile, continues to struggle to improve as a wrestler.

The following is a look at where all those wrestlers and the rest of the NXT posse stand in terms of being the best prospects. Who is most ready to move to the main roster? Who will thrive the most when they make that move?

Breaking down the wrestlers' ring work, mic skills, look, gimmick, charisma and crowd connection helps answer those questions.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Elite intensity, best talker in NXT, highly consistent in the ring.
2.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Steadily delivers top-notch matches, rock-star aura, stellar athlete.
3.	Sami Zayn	6'1'', 205 lbs	Stellar storyteller, great crowd connection, understated promos.
4.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Steadily progressing, good intensity, improving brawling, inconsistent on the mic.
5.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Strong presence, larger-than-life aura, good energy.
6.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Not noticeably better than when he arrived, fantastic athlete, great build.
7.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Excellent ring work, highly athletic, mic skills are current weakness.
8.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Starting to get overshadowed by Gable, good power, good energy.
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	Picking up mat game at impressive rate, high-level technical wrestler, strong connection with crowd.
11.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Excellent striker, skilled brawler, dependable in the ring, serviceable on the mic.
12.	Rich Swann	5'6'', 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
13.	Christopher Girard	6'1'', 199 lbs	Good striker, aggressive, dependable ring work.
14.	Alex Riley	6'3'', 236 lbs	Strong on promos, very intense, not special in the ring.
15.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Slowly progressing as a talker, solid bruiser, good tag team work.
16.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Solid ring work, works gimmick well, may have already hit ceiling.
17.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Slowly progressing as a talker, solid bruiser, good tag team work.
18.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Growing more intense, good athlete, minimal presence.
19.	Aiden English	6'3'', 215 lbs	Lack of standout matches, average ring work, solid charisma.
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: Blake, Elias Samson, Mojo Rawley

Chad Gable is a Joy to Watch

Exuberantly cocky and masterful in the ring, Gable is simply entertaining. 

American Alpha's win over Blake and Murphy wasn't one of the team's better matches, but it was yet another showcase of Gable's tools. His offense was crisp. His presence beamed. 

And when it was his turn to take punishment, he made the most of those moments. He sold his opponents' offense well—screaming while his foe stretched his arm, growing wobbly after taking a hard shot.

Gable's showmanship is getting better every week. As Voices of Wrestling's Alex Wendland wrote of Gable, "He was miles ahead of the game when he started and his progress has been staggering."

If he and Jordan exchanged physiques, he would be right behind the likes of Samoa Joe and Finn Balor in terms of prospect rankings. Gable is maximizing his strengths, but his weakness isn't something he can address. He's a small man in a world most often ruled by more immense men.

How stubborn WWE is about that mindset will determine where his ceiling lies.

Introducing Christopher Girard

It's too early to tell what NXT has in mind for the man formerly known as Biff Busick, but there's already reason to be nervous.

Girard is at his best when allowed to be a pit bull who cracks his enemies with hard strikes and clamps down on them with forceful holds. Flashes of that version of him showed in his match with Apollo Crews.

And he did well in his debut. As Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, this was a "good first showing for the talented Girard."

However, there were signs that NXT may not take him seriously. For one, he performed a cartoon growl at one point, looking a bit too much like Marcus Louis in the process. Was that something officials instructed him to do?

Corey Graves called him a mix of Gillberg and Golem. No announcer would have said anything like that about Kevin Owens or Finn Balor. One has to wonder if that's a hint of things to come for Girard.

His first offering featured a chinlock that stayed on for a long, long time. That took some of the air out of the bout.

Hopefully, he'll have ample chance to show off more skills and provide a more varied matchup soon.

Lack of Definition for The Drifter 

Elias Samson appeared in another vignette. It's still not clear what NXT is trying to do with him, though.

The Drifter told fans in the clip that he is what NXT needs. But what is he? Even the announcers don't know. 

Graves said after the clip, "We don't know any more about him, but I'm sure we'll find out." 

Samson's character is too vague at the moment. He hints at a rebellion of some sort, but offers few other clues of what's next for him. Getting more concrete with his gimmick is key to him connecting.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Bayley	5'6''	Getting the best from her opponents, great storyteller, superb connection with crowd, average on the mic.
2.	Asuka	5'3''	Compelling presence, highly skilled ring worker, unique.
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.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Ferocious, great power, growing presence, getting more comfortable with monster role.
6.	Carmella	5'5''	Showing flashes of potential, charismatic, good energy.
7.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Improving presence, better sense of character, good aggression.
8.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Overacting is grating, heavy-handed showmanship, impressive athleticism.
9.	Liv Morgan	5'4''	Still raw, shows potential, good athlete.
10.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Poor selling, wooden in the ring, star look.
11.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.

The Nia Jax-Eva Marie Dyad

As this villainous crew took on Bayley and Carmella, it couldn't have been more clear that they are on distinctly different paths.

Jax is a natural talent who is improving at a rapid rate. Marie is a student WWE spotlighted long before she was ready.

A more ferocious Jax beat down the babyfaces here. She flashed a sadistic smile, one that was more convincing than she's ever shown before. She applied a modified Cobra Clutch that looked plenty nasty.

NXT has to be happy with what's she been able to do so early in her career. She's not yet a compelling monster but looks to be on her way to reaching that status.

As for Marie, so much of what she does feels forced. Her effort in the ring and in the training room is clear. She's better than she was once was but looks like she is doing an impression of a wrestler rather than wrestling.

Her offense doesn't look natural. She was far too soft in applying a boot in the corner. Her selling is overdone, coming off as far from genuine.

Unfortunately for her, she has a hell of a hole to climb out of, as many fans have already decided that she's not cut out for it. She's going to have to improve her game in front of crowds who chant, "You can't wrestle!" in front of her.

Predictions

Murphy will stick around longer than Blake. He's the better athlete, has the better look and has moments during his matches that hook the crowd.

He did that on Wednesday night with a hammering clothesline that wowed the crowd.

Credit: WWE.com

Blake doesn't have those kind of moments nearly as often. So even though he's more charismatic than his Australian ally, he's poised to fade into the background at some point.

Jax turning on Marie is going to lead to the powerhouse gaining major momentum as a babyface. The NXT faithful is vocal about its dislike of the Total Divas star. Jax is going to be a conquering hero when she eventually clobbers her current partner.