WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings, Analysis, Predictions for Week of Sept. 15

WWE NXT officials are forced to be patient as Rezar grows into a monster heel and Liv Morgan develops as an arrogant one.

Several of the developmental brand's prospects are progressing in small, measured steps. Rezar is slowly becoming more comfortable as a steamrolling force of nature. Morgan's grasp of the mat game is coming along gradually. And the hip-shaking No Way Jose has some way to go before joining NXT's elite.

Wednesday's NXT was another reminder of how thin the WWE draft, post-WrestleMania call-ups and Bayley's exit has left the company's feeder system.

Rezar, Morgan and others have enough potential to please NXT's decision-makers, but they and many of their peers aren't ready for the spotlight yet.

The following is a look at how those wrestlers and the rest of the NXT roster rate among each other. The prospects' in-ring ability, mic skills, look, gimmick, charisma and crowd connection determined the rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2", 229 lbs	Tremendous showman, elite ring worker, turns banal moments into electric ones.
2.	Samoa Joe	6'2", 279 lbs	Best talker in NXT, intimidating, great brawler, versatile in the ring, thrives as heel.
3.	Bobby Roode	6'0", 235 lbs	Strong connection with crowd, thriving with current character, skilled and experienced ring worker.
4.	Kota Ibushi	5'11", 189 lbs	Stellar in the ring, good presence, top-notch athlete.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	Continues to get better after return from injury, fiery, strong striker, excellent athlete.
6.	Scott Dawson	5'10", 224 lbs	Master of tag team psychology, skilled striker, growing as a talker, keeps adding to collection of big matches.
7.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Compelling as a babyface, smooth offense, strong ring work, good connection with fans.
8.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Harnesses gimmick well, good showman, fun energy, growing connection with fans.
9.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Ring general, experienced, delivers strong heel promos.
10.	Tomasso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Aggressive, intense, excellent brawler, not magnetic on the mic.
11.	Andrade Almas	5,9", 222 lbs	Wisely made changes to ring gear, impressive high-flyer, has yet to reach full potential.
12.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Excellent tag team psychology, good striker, has improved as a talker.
13.	Shane Thorne	6'1", 200 lbs	Good showmanship, athletic, smooth, star quality.
14.	Rich Swann	5'6", 165 lbs	Fantastic athlete, charismatic, fun energy.
15.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Lots of potential, not yet strong enough as an in-ring performer for the top tier, inconsistent, physically gifted.
16.	Rezar	6'4", 308 lbs	Playing monster heel well, aggressive, good acceleration.
17.	Buddy Murphy	5'11", 227 lbs	Lacks presence, explosive, impressive power, poor talker.
18.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Has shown flashes of compelling viciousness, lacking charisma, gimmick needs development.
19.	Steve Cutler	Not listed	Solid ring work, below-average presence, persona slowly developing.
20.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 199 lbs	Underwhelming energy on the mic, solid striker, good intensity.

Prospects outside the top 20: Wesley Blake, Sawyer Fulton, Akam

The New and Improved Itami 

Following his return from shoulder surgery, Itami has been on a steady climb. He has looked more intense, focused and compelling each week.

On Wednesday, he took on Drew Gulak from the Cruiserweight Classic tournament and produced a quality, hard-hitting match.

He hit Gulak with thunderous kicks and stinging slaps. More and more, his strikes have become as good as they were during his days in Japan. 

Itami also showed off his range, going from a playful showboat a la Dolph Ziggler to a roaring animal on the prowl.

The long-forgotten man in NXT has quickly become one of the brand's top talents. The folks at Busted Open radio are among those pleased about the idea of Itami potentially joining Raw's cruiserweight division:

Itami certainly looks ready for the jump. Unless he's going to charge onto the NXT title scene, the developmental level isn't the place for him anymore.

The (Emerging) Authors of Pain

Akam and Rezar ganged up on another pair of jobbers in a display of brute force.

The Authors of Pain dominated Chris Payne and Doug Sessa, providing only a small look into their potential. As with Baron Corbin's early matches, these short, one-sided bouts don't give one much to digest.

One constant during these squashes, though, is that Rezar has been a more convincing beast than his partner.

When Akam clubbed his foe in the corner, it wasn't nearly as eye-catching as when Rezar went on offense. Akam's barking at his fallen opponent wasn't as scary as Rezar's.

Early on, Rezar appears to be the more promising prospect of the two. Akam, however, will get more opportunities to disprove that. The Authors of Pain are due for tougher challenges ahead. 

OK Jose

It would be a historic achievement if Jose already made it to the level where he could hang with Bobby Roode.

Roode has been wrestling for 18 years; Jose has only been at this for three. When the Dominican dancer took on the former TNA world champion on Wednesday's NXT, that gap in experience was obvious.

Jose was generally underwhelming.

His strikes were inconsistent, and some of his punches looking marshmallow soft. Jose didn't show enough fire, either. It's no wonder that the crowd was more interested in the veteran.

Ryan Fogarty of Top Rope Press described the scene: "No Way Jose is giving it everything he's got, and the crowd is still chanting 'You're not glorious.'"

Jose's size and natural physical ability will afford him many an opportunity. For now, though, he's a work in progress. Jose excelled against Austin Aries at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, but he swung and missed opposite Roode.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3"	Top-notch in-ring performer, excellent striker, great presence, limited English-language skills.
2.	Ember Moon	5'2"	Great ferocity, highly skilled in-ring performer, excellent presence, has quickly won over NXT fanbase.
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.	Aliyah	5'2"	Strong work as a heel, solid presence, fierce, impressive growth so far.
8.	Liv Morgan	5'4"	OK mat wrestler, raw overall, good potential, solid presence.
9.	Billie Kay	5'8"	Wooden in the ring at times, adding depth to gimmick, strong kicks.

Morgan Remains Several Steps Away

On Wednesday's NXT, Morgan knocked off Rachael Fazio and then called out current women's champ Asuka. 

She may be gearing up for a clash with Asuka, but she's not nearly ready to flourish in that spot. Morgan has shown plenty of glimpses of her potential, but her rawness is unmistakable. 

Against Fazio, her offense was a touch lifeless at times. Her mat work didn't look natural. She still goes through the steps of the in-ring dance too mechanically. 

Her rant was better than the match. She was catty and aggressive. And Morgan has solid charisma to build on. Still, there wasn't enough oomph behind her words.

Like with her wrestling, she doesn't seem comfortable with the medium yet.

Predictions

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe II is going to be a thriller.

Their first showdown, when Nakamura dethroned Joe at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August, was somewhat of a letdown. It didn't live up to its hype or the potential of either man. These two are set to remedy that.

Joe attacked the NXT champ on Wednesday night, blasting him against the metal ring steps.

That moment will lead to a focused, vengeful Nakamura looking the best he has to date at NXT. With added personal issues, the rematch will outdo the first meeting by miles.

Meanwhile, Asuka is going to trample Morgan.

The champion has been a wrecking ball. The up-and-comer looks like a mild irritant awaiting her.

This will likely be a test for Morgan, a chance for officials to get a taste of what Morgan looks like against top-flight competition. But to continue the storyline of Asuka's dominance, that test will end with Morgan out cold in a hurry.