WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings, Analysis, Predictions for Week of April 21

Newcomers stepped into the WWE NXT ring on Wednesday night, but it was a pair of intensity-rich warriors who made the biggest impact.

WWE's developmental brand welcomed Alexander Wolfe and the dance-happy No Way Jose. The two prospects were far from the stars of the show, though.

Nia Jax's continued growth as a wrestling monster turned her short bit of action into something noteworthy. Jason Jordan's fiery energy helped him steal the spotlight in his match on Wednesday's NXT.

Strong performances and new arrivals once again shake up the NXT hierarchy. Where does Wolfe sit early on? How did Jax's latest performance affect her standing?

A look at the NXT prospects' mic work, ring skills, look, charisma and gimmick helps answer those questions and determine the order of the latest NXT rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2'', 229 lbs	Great theatrics, unique, elite charisma, top-notch in-ring performer.
2.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Elite intensity, powerful mic work, thriving as heel.
3.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Excellent athlete, fine on the mic, marketable look/character, highly dependable in the ring.
4.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Crisp offense, excellent mat skills, infectious energy, growing connection with crowd.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	Excellent ring work, highly athletic, mic skills are current weakness.
6.	Jason Jordan	6'8'', 285 lbs	High ceiling, explosive, marketable look.
7.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Continues to excel on big stages, superb tag team psychology, average talker.
8.	Austin Aries	5'9'', 202 lbs	Not coming off as larger than life, agile, smooth ring work, strong talker.
9.	Rich Swann	5'6'', 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
10.	Johnny Gargano	5'10'', 190 lbs	Good athlete, fun offense, unproven on the mic.
11.	Christopher Girard	6'1'', 199 lbs	Good striker, aggressive, dependable ring work.
12.	Alex Riley	6'3'', 236 lbs	Strong on promos, very intense, not special in the ring.
13.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	May be limited to comedy role, good energy, works gimmick well.
14.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Best suited in tag team role, solid bruiser, underwhelming on the mic.
15.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11'', 210 lbs	Good aggression, not a convincing heel, solid in the ring.
16.	Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Growing more intense, good athlete, minimal presence.
17.	Alexander Wolfe	6'2'', 231 lbs	Solid bruiser, skilled striker, gimmick needs work.
18.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8'', 285 lbs	Impressive size, limited in the ring, will need right gimmick to succeed.
19.	Blake	6'1'', 240 lbs	Underwhelming charisma, serviceable in the ring, overshadowed by Alexa Bliss.
20.	Mojo Rawley	6'4'', 290 lbs	Big-time athletic potential, has yet to progress in the ring, one-note character.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Elias Samson, Riddick Moss, Steve Cutler

Jason Jordan Sizzles

With good reason, much of the attention American Alpha has received of late has gone to the dynamic Chad Gable. His tag team partner, though, made sure to remind the audience of his own potential.

Jordan showed off great intensity and emotion in a tag match against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady.  

His physical gifts were on display in the bout, from his acceleration to his impressive power. He suplexed Amore so hard one had to worry that he might accidentally throw him clear into the crowd. 

It was when Jordan tagged in late in the match that he truly made his mark. Anger beamed from his face. He bounded around the ring like an animal.

And as Daily DDT pointed out, Jordan's hot tags are a joy to see unfold:

For Jordan to progress, he will need to add better work to these kinds of performances. He has shown flashes of emoting well but hasn't proved that he can hold up his end of a story as a talker. As one half of the tag team champs, an opportunity to do just that is certainly on its way.

No Way Jose 

Going up against Wolfe in his debut, the big, bouncy, Fandango-like No Way Jose waltzed into the NXT scene.

It was hard to see how skilled he was because his schmaltzy act was so distracting. He danced in between moves, wore a toothy grin throughout the bout and executed cartoony offense. 

Bringing back the airplane spin is one thing, but his baseball-inspired moves looked more Looney Tunes than pro wrestling.   

He has good size and is clearly athletic, but No Way Jose has a limited ceiling with that gimmick. The guys at the Answer the Ten Count podcast were spot on when they projected what's ahead for the rookie:

This act is a one-note song, and a bad one at that. WWE needs to remember just how little Fandango has caught on. A more goofy version of that gimmick isn't going to fare any better.

Introducing Alexander Wolfe

It's hard not to focus on No Way Jose when looking back at his match with Wolfe, but the German bruiser looks to be the far better prospect right now.

He showed himself to be a good striker, clobbering No Way Jose with convincing forearm shots. Wolfe is imposing and clearly comfortable in a brawl. Put in a more serious match, he will certainly show off that skill far more. 

His ring gear is odd and ill-fitting, though. It's reminiscent of what Becky Lynch wore early on, as it looks too much like something bought at a costume store.

Finding better duds for him and fleshing out his gimmick will open the door for Wolfe to climb the NXT ladder.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3''	Compelling in-ring performer, high-level presence, theatrical.
2.	Bayley	5'6''	Excellent seller, strong storyteller, marketable babyface, not an elite in-ring worker.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'1''	Strong presence, excellent as a heel, compelling viciousness.
4.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Steadily improving, growing more fierce, strong presence.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Charismatic, good energy, still a work in progress in the ring.
6.	Dana Brooke	5'3''	Biggest issue remains overacting, heavy-handed showmanship, not natural-looking in the ring, very athletic.
7.	Liv Morgan	5'4''	Showing lots of potential, good energy, strong showmanship.
8.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Improving presence, better sense of character, good aggression.
9.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Miles away in the ring, unnatural, star look.
10.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Good power, intensity needs work, OK presence.

Nia Jax Progressing

Jax can be a dominant monster in WWE. It will be a journey to get there, however, as her natural personality doesn't appear to be nasty enough for that role.

In her latest bout, a beatdown of Deonna Purrazzo, she showed that she has made steps in that journey. She was more intense and fearsome than she has been in the past.

It showed when she barked, "Count it!" at the referee or when she flung Purrazzo around like a cat would a dead mouse.

The more Jax taps into that side of her, the more successful she will be. Her size and gimmick beg for her to be a dominant predator. That's what she will hopefully become over time.

Predictions

Shinsuke Nakamura should be headed to the main roster right now, but he will take over as the face of NXT.

Finn Balor has been NXT champ for longer than anyone in company history. That reign is likely to come to an end soon when he gets the call to appear on Raw. That will leave a massive hole at the top of the NXT brand.

Nakamura is more than capable of filling it, even if he is destined to be a headliner on a bigger stage.

No Way Jose won't last the full year.

Either officials will get him to change gimmicks or the company will give up on him. The character is just too much of a joke to gain any traction. At least Adam Rose had the fun of the Rosebuds.

Jose just looks like a Rosebud who drifted apart from the group.