WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of Aug. 18

The WWE NXT women's division is suddenly flush with fresh faces.

Mandy Rose, Daria Berenato and Nikki Glencross (formerly Nikki Storm) all debuted on Wednesday's NXT. Rose and Berenato joined forces with SmackDown's Alexa Bliss, while the blue brand also lent out Carmella to fight alongside Glencross and Liv Morgan.

The bout served as a peek into the future of the division.

With Bayley sure to be gone at any point now and the draft snatching up so many of NXT's female prospects in July, space on center stage will be up for grabs. Could it be the sultry Rose who makes the most impact? Or is the well-traveled Glencross going to rise into title contention first?

Credit: WWE.com

Wednesday's NXT primarily focused on hyping TakeOver: Brooklyn II, but the show also displayed the transformed landscape of the women's division, as well as just how rejuvenated Hideo Itami has become since his shoulder healed.

The following is a look at where all those wrestlers stand in the race to be NXT's best. Ring work, mic skills, gimmick and charisma all determine where each prospect ranks.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2", 229 lbs	Charismatic, unique, excellent striker, showmanship through the roof, delivers in big matches.
2.	Samoa Joe	6'2", 279 lbs	Intimidating, superb intensity, highly dependable in the ring, great heel.
3.	Bobby Roode	6'0", 235 lbs	Top-tier presence, excels as heel, strong mic work, skilled in-ring storyteller.
4.	Kota Ibushi	5'11", 189 lbs	Excellent striker, thrilling high-flyer, magnetic presence.
5.	Scott Dawson	5'10", 224 lbs	Master of tag team psychology, skilled striker, growing as a talker.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	Recharged after return from injury, great energy, strong striker.
7.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Smooth offense, strong ring work, good connection with fans.
8.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Ring general, experienced, delivers strong heel promos.
9.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Excellent connection with crowd, emotes well, fun energy, most compelling when intense.
10.	Andrade Almas	5'9", 210 lbs	Highly athletic, fun showmanship, inconsistent striker, outshined by Roode in feud thus far.
11.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Aggressive, intense, excellent brawler, not magnetic on the mic.
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	Strong showmanship, fluid ring work, good look.
14.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Improved as a talker, powerful, solid ring work, excels in tag team action.
15.	Buddy Murphy	5'11", 227 lbs	Explosive, good power, below average on the mic.
16.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Far more compelling when serious, good intensity, fluid offense, good striking.
17.	Gzim Selmani	6'4", 308 lbs	More presence than his tag team partner, solid intensity, impressive power.
18.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Showing flashes of compelling viciousness, lacking charisma, gimmick needs development.
19.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 199 lbs	Underwhelming energy on the mic, solid striker, good intensity.
20.	Wesley Blake	6'1", 240 lbs	Struggling to stand out, solid all-around ring work, good seller.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Sawyer Fulton, Alexander Wolfe, Steve Cutler 

 
Itami Has More Than Returned to Form

Even against a less-than-polished opponent such as Mustafa Ali, Itami entertained the crowd in a short showcase match. He continues to look energized and motivated since returning from a lengthy stay on the disabled list.

He boasted an added intensity when he went on the attack, something we didn't see him tap into after he first signed with WWE.

Itami glared at Ali. He roared before he issued a dropkick. His slaps were harder.

He look and felt like a formidable warrior in there rather than just a great athlete.

The next step is to either give him a quality foe to feud with or send him to Raw to fill out the soon-to-arrive cruiserweight division. There is no sense in letting him remain on the NXT midcard for long.

Female Wrestlers 

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3"	Excellent showmanship, great striker, strong submission wrestling, unique.
2.	Bayley	5'6"	Hugely over, highly marketable, excellent in-ring storyteller.
3.	Peyton Royce	5'7"	Has developed her character, strong ring work, aggressive.
4.	Nikki Glencross	5'1"	Strong mat work, pit-bull energy, her experience shows in the ring.
5.	Mandy Rose	5'4"	Star quality, progressing well in the ring, solid footwork.
6.	Daria Berenato	5'7"	Unique gimmick, strong strikes, good intensity.
7.	Billie Kay	5'8"	Wooden in the ring at times, adding depth to gimmick, strong kicks.
8.	Liv Morgan	5'4"	Good presence, agile, infectious energy, unrefined in the ring.
9.	Aliyah	5'2"	Agile, quick, solid presence, high ceiling, still raw in the ring.

 NXT's Newest Firecracker

Rose and Berenato may get more press after Wednesday's NXT thanks to being flashier, but Glencross is by far the most complete prospect of the three right now.

Loud and merciless, she's a compelling pit bull. 

She's aggressive and nasty in the ring. Her technical prowess, only briefly on display in this tag team match, instantly makes her one of the best in-ring performers in the division.

Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Glencross looked good and brought some real intensity when she was in the ring."

Whether she can develop a standout gimmick will determine her ultimate ceiling. She needs some sizzle to go with all that substance.

Rose and Beranato's Debut

The pair of heel rookies did enough in their first televised match to show off their potential. Both women, though, are clearly still in the developmental stage.

Berenato was inconsistent in the ring. She doesn't yet look fully comfortable in this new environment. And it will take some work not to come off like a caricature with her MMA gimmick.

On the positive side, her eyes exuded intensity and she hit some solid strikes. Her takedown of Glencross was stunning. The more moves she hits like that, the better.

Plus, as WrestlingInc pointed out, Berenato's look is impressive:

Her tag team partner has the steepest learning curve of all the new NXT women. The lack of crispness and confidence in her ring work is not surprising after such a short time.

But she's miles further along than Eva Marie was at this point. While Marie is still a baby deer fumbling around on the grass, Rose has already started to get her feet under her.

She has the same kind of star presence as Marie and will net her share of magazine covers. If the Marie experiment fails, WWE knows it has a potential improved model in the wings.  

Predictions

It's going to take some major convincing to sell Vince McMahon on Shinsuke Nakamura. Despite his all-world talent, Nakamura is such an oddball and is so unlike any other Superstar that McMahon will hesitate to bring him to the main roster.

The King of Strong Style isn't going to get a call-up any time this year.

As foolish as that would be, it's good news for NXT. A long reign as NXT champion is on the way for him, and WWE's hipper brand will have the benefit of a unique, enigmatic performer on its marquee. 

Andrade "Cien" Almas' feud with Bobby Roode will be his litmus test. Should he look like he belongs in there with an experienced star, someone who headlined for TNA, his journey to the main roster will be a lot quicker.

He definitely has the skills to do just that. Look for him to shine against Roode at TakeOver: Brooklyn II and be a part of Raw's cruiserweight division sometime between now and next year's WrestleMania.