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

The WWE draft's raid of the NXT roster will create a plenitude of opportunities.

During Tuesday's draft, Raw claimed former NXT champion Finn Balor. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan of American Alpha are now headed to SmackDown. The women's division has been left unrecognizable. 

For the viewer, that all drains some of the electricity out of NXT. For the prospects performing at Full Sail University, though, it means there is suddenly a lot more space on the NXT stage.

Newcomers The Authors of Pain have one less team above them on the ladder. NXT's top tier now awaits someone to step into Balor's spot. Peyton Royce finds herself much higher up on the food chain.

Patrick Clark from WWE Tough Enough debuted on Wednesday night, joining the much-changed NXT roster. Can he take the same upward journey that Jordan and Gable did?

The following is a look at how Clark and his peers stack up against each other. Who is NXT's best after the draft rearranged the roster?

Ring work, mic skills, charisma, gimmick and look determine who sits where on 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.	Samoa Joe	6'2", 279 lbs	Great intensity, plays a heel extremely well, strong striker, excellent on the mic.
3.	Scott Dawson	5'10", 224 lbs	Skilled striker, adept at tag team wrestling, much-improved talker, ample standout performances.
4.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Ring general, experienced, strong heel promos.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	High-level ring work, very athletic, mic skills are current weakness.
6.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Smooth offense, strong ring work, good connection with fans.
7.	Andrade Almas	5'9", 210 lbs	Highly athletic, fun showman, inconsistent striker.
8.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Excellent connection with crowd, emotes well, fun energy, most compelling when intense.
9.	Rich Swann	5'6", 165 lbs	Out-of-this-world athlete, great energy, size could prove an issue.
10.	Shane Thorne	6'1", 200 lbs	Good presence, versatile in the ring, athletic, overshadowing tag team partner.
11.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Unnatural on the mic, best in tag team role, solid bruiser.
12.	Buddy Murphy	5'11", 227 lbs	Explosive, solid mat work, underwhelming charisma, character needs depth.
13.	Gzim Selmani	6'4", 308 lbs	More presence than his tag team partner, solid intensity, impressive power.
14.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Strong mat work, solid intensity, lacks top-notch presence.
15.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 199 lbs	Strong striker, intense, antics can become cartoonish.
16.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Showing flashes of compelling viciousness, lacking charisma, gimmick needs development.
17.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Low-ceiling gimmick, better when angry, smooth athlete, good size.
18.	Sawyer Fulton	6'8", 285 lbs	Aggressive, imposing, still in search of right gimmick.
19.	Blake	6'1", 240 lbs	Solid ring work, underwhelming presence, plays a decent heel.
20.	Alexander Wolfe	6'2", 231 lbs	Gimmick needs work, good brawler, unproven on the mic.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Sunny Dhinsa, Steve Cutler, Patrick Clark

Clark Enters NXT

While Clark was far from the last man standing at the end of WWE's competition reality series Tough Enough, he can boast about being the first wrestler from the show's most recent season to appear on NXT. He took on Austin Aries on Wednesday's NXT, losing a short bout. 

On Tough Enough, his potential was obvious. He had swagger, was smooth in the ring and stood out among the collection of unknowns. 

His clash with Aries made it clear, however, that he still has miles to travel to reach his potential. Clark looked comfortable mixing it up on the mat, but he didn't have nearly enough presence. He felt ordinary.

The brevity of the action made it hard to gauge just how he has come along since he started training at the WWE Performance Center, but nothing about him popped onscreen. Besides his pants, that is.

Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com is among those who panned Clark's ring gear:

That's easy enough to change. Finding ways to stand out among talents with a better grasp of showmanship will be his real challenge.

Bringers of Destruction 

It's clear NXT wants to sell The Authors of Pain as steamrolling monsters who speak more with their boots than their mouths. That is working to a large degree in the early stages of the team's run.

Gzim Selmani is more compelling and more complete than his partner Sunny Dhinsa at this moment. When the two wailed on Gable and Jordan, it was Selmani, the former MMA fighter, who was more imposing. 

Whether he was shouting Albanian to his fallen foe or knocking him back with right hands, Selmani looked and felt like a beast.

Dhinsa has a similar aura. He just doesn't seem as confident in between the ropes yet. Selmani's offense was more convincing; Dhinsa issued a weak bear hug.

NXT is wisely taking it slow with these two, not asking them to cut long promos or engage in 15-minute battles. They have the size and look to be effective titans. Officials have to hope the rest of the package will come, too.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3"	World-class ring worker, unique, strong showmanship, excellent facial expressions.
2.	Bayley	5'6"	Excellent storyteller, makes superb babyface, brings out her opponents' best.
3.	Peyton Royce	5'7"	Has developed character, strong ring work, aggressive.
4.	Liv Morgan	5'4"	Improving rapidly, good energy, solid showmanship, athletic, strong selling.
5.	Aliyah	5'2"	Eye-catching intensity, highly athletic, comfortable as a heel.
6.	Billie Kay	5'8"	Solid in the ring, underwhelming presence, gimmick still in progress.

Bayley Left Behind

SmackDown called Alexa Bliss and Carmella's names. Eva Marie, who had been resurrecting her career at NXT, got drafted, as well. Jax, Bayley's opponent on Wednesday's NXT, is Raw-bound. Bayley not being a part of that group was a surprise to many.

Officials apparently want to keep her around to further the NXT brand.

She defeated Jax at Full Sail University as part of her quest to regain the NXT women's title. It was another strong performance from a wrestler who has made a habit of doing that just.

A fiery comeback and effective, dramatic selling of Jax's offense made for a contest well worthy of the main event. This was crisper than their showdown at NXT TakeOver: London.

Voices of Wrestling writer Brandon Howard called it the best bout between them:

It will be the last time they meet for some time. Bayley is now part of a thinner women's division, with her and Asuka a sizable distance between the next set of female NXT wrestlers. 

Predictions

NXT tag champs The Revival will cool off thanks to a lower level of competition. Just months after losing, The Vaudevillains and Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, the NXT tag team division said goodbye to American Alpha thanks to the WWE draft.

Yes, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have a showdown with Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano ahead, but after that, The Revival will be pushed to background some. NXT's focus will be more on singles stars in the coming months, until the tag division can rebuild itself.  

Count on Tye Dillinger being among those to rise following Balor's exit. He won't be nearly the star The Demon was, but he will use his charisma and fun approach to the mat game to slip into the NXT title picture.

He may not stay a top contender for long, but he's bound to have at least one NXT Championship match in the next year.