WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of June 23

For Buddy Murphy and Liv Morgan, Wednesday's WWE NXT was all about holding their own against more highly touted prospects.

When Murphy took on Shinsuke Nakamura at Full Sail University and Morgan battled Nia Jax, the bulk of the audience's attention was focused on the favorites. Nakamura and Jax won, as expected, but both Murphy and Morgan scored victories in the form of impressive showings.

Murphy had the best singles match of his career. Morgan showed off more of her robust stock of promise.

Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose and Bayley were all in action, too, as the ongoing race to be NXT's best continued. The following is a look at how those wrestlers and their peers stack up in terms of being the best prospects for WWE proper. Ring work, mic skills, look, gimmick and charisma all factor into the rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2'', 229 lbs	Stellar showmanship, top-notch in-ring performer, charisma overcomes language barrier.
2.	Finn Balor	5'11'', 190 lbs	Consistently delivers strong matches, growing as a talker, marketable gimmick.
3.	Samoa Joe	6'2'', 279 lbs	Powerful presence, top-notch intensity, excellent in the ring, strong promos.
4.	Scott Dawson	5'10'', 224 lbs	Skilled striker, adept at tag team wrestling, much-improved talker, ample standout performances.
5.	Chad Gable	5'8'', 187 lbs	Improving as talker, strong connection with crowd, deft in the ring, makes technical wrestling entertaining.
6.	Jason Jordan	6'3'', 245 lbs	Great energy, passionate, powerful, impressively athletic, high ceiling.
7.	Austin Aries	5'9'', 202 lbs	Dependable veteran, strong ring work, better as a heel.
8.	Hideo Itami	5'9'', 182 lbs	High-level ring work, very athletic, mic skills are current weakness.
9.	Andrade Almas	5'9'', 210 lbs	Makes everything look easy, exciting athlete, good showmanship.
10.	Johnny Gargano	5'10'', 190 lbs	Smooth offense, strong ring work, good connection with fans.
11.	Tye Dillinger	6'3'', 223 lbs	Excellent connection with crowd, emotes well, fun energy, compelling when intense.
12.	Rich Swann	5'6'', 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
13.	Shane Thorne	6'1'', 200 lbs	Good presence, versatile in the ring, athletic, overshadowing tag team partner.
14.	Dash Wilder	5'10'', 222 lbs	Unnatural on the mic, best in tag team role, solid bruiser.
15.	Buddy Murphy	5'11'', 227 lbs	Explosive athlete, solid mat work, underwhelming charisma, character needs depth.
16.	Gzim Selmani	6'4'', 308 lbs	Imposing, intense, solid footwork.
17.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11'', 210 lbs	Overshadowed by Gargano, good aggression, solid in the ring.
18.	Oney Lorcan	6'1'', 199 lbs	Strong striker, intense, antics can become cartoonish.
19.	Elias Samson	6'0'', 217 lbs	Showing flashes of compelling viciousness, lacking charisma, gimmick needs development.
20.	No Way Jose	6'3'', 245 lbs	Athletic, eye-catching energy, low-ceiling gimmick.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Sawyer Fulton, Blake, Nick Miller

New Name, Fresh Start

The man who wrestled as Biff Busick on the independent circuit and Christopher Girard in his first NXT appearances is now Oney Lorcan.

The bald bruiser took on Dillinger on Wednesday's NXT, scoring a surprise win in the process. The announcers hailing this as a major upset is a sign of where Lorcan sits on the NXT hierarchy.

Lorcan's performance against The Perfect 10 was a mixed bag. At times, he looked like an impressive beast on the prowl. Sometimes, though, he brought up memories of Marcus Louis' over-the-top antics.

Uppercuts and hard forearms shots are clearly Lorcan's specialty. Add in his strong technical wrestling skills, and he feels like a poor man's Cesaro.

When he got angry at one point in the match, balling up his fists and gritting his teeth, things turned silly. This moment was more cartoony than it should have been. Lorcan is going to have to scale that back in order to move up the ranks.

Murphy Battles the King

The idea was for Nakamura to use Murphy as a warm-up for his upcoming match against Finn Balor. The King of Strong Style needed some momentum, so he took on a tomato can of an opponent in the former NXT tag team champ.

Murphy looked far better than many expected.

Stepping up his game in an attempt to reach Nakamura's level, Murphy was smoother and crisper on offense than normal. He was explosive and energetic, and appeared comfortable in the spotlight that came with main eventing against such a big name.

And Murphy reacted to his foe's moves with just the right amount of dramatic flair. Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats certainly enjoyed how Murphy sold Nakamura's finisher:

This was no classic by any means, but Murphy did well. It was a performance that will likely earn him future chances like this one.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3''	World-class ring worker, unique, strong showmanship, excellent facial expressions.
2.	Bayley	5'6''	Strong in-ring storyteller, great connection with crowd, still room to refine mat game to reach elite status.
3.	Alexa Bliss	5'2''	Superb heel, vicious, stellar presence.
4.	Nia Jax	6'0''	Has improved at impressive rate, high ceiling, great power, growing presence.
5.	Carmella	5'5''	Smoother ring work of late, fun energy, popularity growing.
6.	Peyton Royce	5'7''	Has developed character, strong ring work, aggressive.
7.	Liv Morgan	5'4''	Improving rapidly, good energy, solid showmanship, athletic, strong selling.
8.	Aliyah	5'2''	Eye-catching intensity, highly athletic, comfortable as a heel.
9.	Eva Marie	5'8''	Marked improvement in the ring, star presence, still a work in progress.
10.	Billie Kay	5'8''	Solid in the ring, underwhelming presence, gimmick still in progress.

Liv Continues to Look Good

Jax vs. Morgan was clearly another chapter in the powerhouse's story of domination. But in the process of playing Jax's prey, Morgan impressed.

The New Jersey native showed great fire when she was on the attack. Her strikes were sloppy at times, but she had the heart and passion part of the equation down.

As we have seen in the past, Morgan bounced around the ring with innate athleticism and boasted a strong presence. NXT officials have to be happy about both elements.

And in the process of taking a beating from Jax, Morgan sold well. She exaggerated her foe's offense with great body language. When Jax ended the bout by powerbombing her, Morgan looked just about dead.

It's looking more and more like Morgan has the building blocks to construct a successful run at NXT and beyond. 

Just Call Up Bayley Already

At this point, Bayley is just running in place. She's outgrown the developmental brand and looked a touch bored in her latest matchup.

The former NXT women's champ took on Deonna Purrazzo Wednesday night in an OK showing. Bayley looked off rhythm at various points, either waiting to be hit or hesitating to strike.

How much of that was due to Purrazzo's inexperience and how much was Bayley being off her game is hard to tell.

In a bout like this, there are certainly things to nitpick about her ring work, but even so, she's plenty ready to thrive on Raw or SmackDown. As Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net wrote, "It's absurd that they haven't figured out a role for a character that should have printed money on the main roster at least a year ago."

Charlotte has room to grow, too, and she's been WWE women's champion since last September.

Bayley needs to be in the ring with the very best. She has shown that she can thrive with Sasha Banks and Asuka. She's connected with the crowd like few wrestlers have.

Having her face foes in the early stage of learning the craft is a waste.

Predictions

For a moment, it looked as if Austin Aries had embraced No Way Jose's happy-go-lucky attitude. And then he revealed his true intentions—to beat the snot out of the dancing wrestler.

That sets up a feud that will benefit No Way Jose in a major way. Tangling with a veteran and ring general like Aries will bring out the rookie's best.

When he faces Aries, count on him having the most compelling match of his young career by far.

Dillinger showed flashes of ferocity before falling to Lorcan on Wednesday's NXT. It's when he's stomping an opponent mercilessly or glaring across the ring that he truly thrives.

His Perfect 10 gimmick is fun, but Dillinger will be adding a darker tone to the act.

That's likely what all these recent losses are about. He will grow frustrated by failing so often and morph into a more vicious version of himself. Watch for his stock to shoot up at that point.