WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings, Analysis, Predictions for Week of March 24

A stalemate persists at the top half of the WWE NXT women's division. As impressive as Alexa Bliss and Asuka have been, they haven't managed to climb past their peers.

Asuka is still looking up at Bayley. Bliss is still right behind those two women. For WWE, that's the best kind of problem—a surplus of talent.

As NXT continued to build toward TakeOver: Dallas on Wednesday's show, both Bliss and Asuka showcased their skills despite not having their matches. Bliss' comfort in a heel role continued. Asuka showed off more of her eye-catching offense.

The following is a look at how those women, as well as prospects Elias Samson and Rich Swann, affected their stock on Wednesday night.

Who are the top stars waiting to explode on a bigger stage? Who would make the most impact on the main roster? A look at the wrestlers' gimmick, size, presence, mic work and ring skills help answer that and determine the order of these ever-shifting rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Fiercely intense, elite presence, excellent talker, delivers in big matches.
2.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Highly dependable in ring, showing ability to play both face and heel, superb athlete.
3.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2'', 229 lbs	Question marks about his English-language skills, top-notch in-ring performer, great charisma, highly unique.
4.	Colin Cassady	6'10'', 276 lbs	Excellent crowd connection, great power, good energy.
5.	Baron Corbin	6'8'', 275 lbs	Growing presence, getting more comfortable as heel, solid brawler.
6.	Apollo Crews	6'1'', 240 lbs	Not noticeably better than when he arrived, fantastic athlete, great build.
7.	Austin Aries	5'9'', 202 lbs	Excellent storyteller, strong mat wrestler, good promo work, size and age are biggest obstacles.
8.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Excellent ring work, highly athletic, mic skills are current weakness.
9.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Highly likable, great mat wrestler, energized offense.
10.	Enzo Amore	5'11'', 200 lbs	Coming through in the ring when it matters, hugely charismatic, highly skilled talker.
11.	Jason Jordan	6'8'', 285 lbs	Good energy, powerful, athletic, overshadowed by Gable.
12.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Promos still need work, excellent intensity, top-notch striker.
13.	Rich Swann	5'6'', 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
14.	Christopher Girard	6'1'', 199 lbs	Good striker, aggressive, dependable ring work.
15.	Simon Gotch	6'1'', 221 lbs	Darker persona a good fit, creative offense, strong showmanship.
16.	Alex Riley	6'3'', 236 lbs	Strong on promos, very intense, not special in the ring.
17.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Best suited in tag team role, solid bruiser, underwhelming on the mic.
18.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Solid ring work, works gimmick well, may have already hit ceiling.
19.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Growing more intense, good athlete, minimal 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: Blake, Aiden English, Elias Samson

The Drifter Idling 

Samson is getting his chances. He is just not leaving much of an impression during them.

On Wednesday's NXT, he took on Johnny Gargano in an underwhelming match. During the bout, The Drifter pulled out a new layer to his act. His eyes grew wild just before he went berserk. 

It didn't work. It was the poor man's version of Randy Orton starting to hear voices in his head.

Samson isn't convincing as a predator or a villain. A below-average presence is hurting him. That explains the lackluster response to his run so far. 

Credit: WWE.com

Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, "The guy just hasn't done a single thing for me yet." Zimmerman isn't alone in thinking that way. The crowd continues to chant "Drift away!" at him.

NXT is so loaded with electric personalities that it only serves to highlight how behind Samson is on that front. He's going to struggle to maintain his spot going forward, even with an apparent match with Apollo Crews in the works.

Rich Swann Poised to Rise

Swann was clearly meant to be Finn Balor's stepping stone ahead of the champ's bout with Samoa Joe. But the high-flyer once again turned a glorified squash match into something much more fun.

He is so fluid and quick that one can't help but take notice. Swann spaced out his more exciting moves to help accentuate them. 

Daily DDT was spot on when it noted how exciting things will be if Swann gets more shots in the ring:

The notable drawback of his clash with Balor, though, was that the first signs of him having an actual gimmick at NXT pointed to him being the latest dance-happy wrestler. He shuffled around the ring before the bell rang, hearkening back to his indy days.

Swann would be better off with a more serious shtick—more Adrian Neville than Fandango. He's potentially a great underdog babyface, which is far more advantageous than being a goofy sideshow.

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''	Ring general, versatile offense, strong presence.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Mastering the art of being a heel, has "it" factor, one of the division's best talkers.
4.	Emma	5'5''	Excellent as a heel, dependable in the ring, above-average talker.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Charismatic, good energy, still a work-in-progress in the ring.
6.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Not as intimidating as she should be, seems unsure at times, ferocious at times, lots of potential.
7.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Biggest issue remains overacting, heavy-handed showmanship, not natural-looking in the ring, very athletic.
8.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Improving presence, better sense of character, good aggression.
9.	Liv Morgan	5'4''	Still raw, shows potential, good athlete.
10.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Miles away in the ring, unnatural, star look.
11.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.

Asuka Gearing Up for Biggest Match to Date

Asuka vs. Bayley is going to be a thriller. The same couldn't be said for Asuka's rematch with Emma on Wednesday's NXT. While the two wrestlers clearly have good chemistry together, this bout was not nearly as good as their NXT TakeOver: London match.

Asuka was her usual pitbull self. She stayed locked on Emma for much of the contest, seemingly ready to rip some flesh off at any point.

She was in control of the action on the mat, and as usual, infused enough high-octane offense to excite the crowd.

We won't know Asuka's ceiling, though, with matches like these. The stage wasn't nearly as bright as it will be at TakeOver: Dallas, and the stakes weren't nearly as bright as they will be that night. 

The debate over whether Bayley or Asuka is the top female prospect will be much easier to answer once they collide.

Bliss Shines in Dull Match

Up against Sarah Dobson, Bliss won a forgettable affair. The chemistry between the foes never clicked; the outcome was never in doubt. 

Cageside Seats' Sean Rueter wrote, "This was not a great showcase for her. It's probably fair to pin most of that on Dobson, but the match was sloppy."

Even so, Bliss showed flashes of why WWE has been so high on her. She is so convincing as a heel. When she snarls in the midst of a submission hold or pounds on her opponent, she looks like a top-notch villain at work.

Credit: WWE.com

She stomped on Dobson with unsettling viciousness. She was fierce throughout, looking enraged by her opponent's presence. This is the kind of work Bliss has been putting in for months.

And we will see her best once she gets involved in a sustained feud with a top talent. 

Predictions

Credit: WWE.com

The eventual Crews vs. Samson match will be a bust.

Samson doesn't have a speck of momentum right now, and Crews is not going to be able to carry the bout. The super-athlete has looked his best against top-flight talent like Balor. The Drifter is just going to drag him down.

It's unclear whether WWE just thinks of Swann as a midcard filler, but he will earn a higher spot in due time. As a victim in mostly one-sided matches, he has looked really good. Once he gets his first real NXT rival, expect him to be one of the brand's hottest acts.