WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of Oct. 6

Transformations, failed or otherwise, filled the screen on Wednesday's WWE NXT.

As the developmental brand's prospects battled for position on the company ladder, many underwent major changes to their gimmicks, attitudes and stocks.

Andrade "Cien" Almas ditched his smiling-playboy act in front of the Full Sail University fans. He instead slipped on a more merciless persona. That may prove to be the key to him reaching his potential.

Patrick Clark from WWE Tough Enough tried a new splashy shtick seemingly inspired by Adrian Street. Peyton Royce, meanwhile, has steadily been morphing into a Poison Ivy-inspired heel. She has grown more vicious as her gear has grown more green.

The second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament kicked off Wednesday night, offering glimpses of a number of NXT talents. 

The following is a look at those wrestlers, the revamped Almas and others, gauging how they all stack up against each other as WWE prospects. The grapplers' looks, gimmicks, presences, ring work and mic skills 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	Beastly presence, elite-level heel, excellent talker, strong ring work.
3.	Bobby Roode	6'0", 235 lbs	Charismatic, flourishing with current gimmick, experience in the ring shows.
4.	Scott Dawson	5'10", 224 lbs	Excellent bruiser, top-notch tag team work, delivers in big matches, growing as a talker.
5.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	Skilled striker, good intensity, has yet to move into main event territory.
6.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Compelling as a babyface, smooth offense, strong ring work, good connection with fans.
7.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Excellent technician, experienced, dependable, lacks elite "it" factor.
8.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Having great fun with gimmick, solid mat work, a lot of potential.
9.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Aggressive, intense, excellent brawler, not magnetic on the mic.
10.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Good brawler, excelling as tag team specialist, improved as a talker.
11.	Andrade Almas	5'9", 222 lbs	Athletic, solid showman, high ceiling, persona still in progress.
12.	Shane Thorne	6'1", 200 lbs	Star quality, good showmanship, athletic, smooth.
13.	Rezar	6'4", 308 lbs	Strong intensity, good striker, powerful, good acceleration, largely unproven overall.
14.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Silly gimmick, good energy, strong footwork, inconsistent in the ring.
15.	Buddy Murphy	5'11", 227 lbs	Lacks presence, explosive, impressive power, poor talker.
16.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Has shown flashes of compelling viciousness, lacking charisma, gimmick needs development.
17.	Steve Cutler	Not listed	Solid ring work, below-average presence, persona slowly developing.
18.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 199 lbs	Intense, skilled striker, solid potential.
19.	Wesley Blake	6'1", 240 lbs	Underwhelming presence, solid all-around ring worker, doesn't stand out.
20.	Akam	6'3", 290 lbs	Raw, inconsistent striker, intimidating presence.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Alexander Wolfe, Sawyer Fulton, Patrick Clark

Clark Leaves Us with Many Questions 

When the little-seen Clark competed against Rich Swann from Raw's cruiserweight division, he sported a whole new look.

Clark donned a colorful bandanna and sparkly pants. He was sassy and flamboyant, loud and showy.

Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com was confused by Clark's shift in attire:

It was hard to tell what Clark was trying to do here. And it's odd he has experimented with so many looks already.

This may change with time, but the new gimmick didn't seem to fit Clark. He looked to be playing a role rather than becoming his character the way that Tyler Breeze and Bray Wyatt have.

Credit: WWE.com

In the ring, he reminded fans of his potential. Clark is quick and agile, but he's still a work in progress. Officials can't be confident about putting him in a big-match scenario right now.

He's just too raw.

He will have to develop his overall ring work as he tries to find a persona that works for him. The character he introduced on Wednesday night is likely not that.

Akam Needs to Turn Up the Dial

The Authors of Pain dominated again. Akam and Rezar bowled over The Bollywood Boyz to advance to the second round of the Dusty Classic.

These men are supposed to be monsters devouring lesser foes. To an extent, Akam pulls that off, but he's not yet thriving in that role.

Against Gurv and Harv Sihra, he landed too many soft strikes. Some of his forearm blows looked half-speed. His kicks were not nearly as thunderous as they needed to be.

His rage in the ring is good, although Rezar outdoes him on that front, too. Akam needs to unleash his inner beast in order to make this gimmick work. 

A New Almas Emerges

Almas has not been a resounding success thus far.

Since debuting at NXT, he has been mostly underwhelming. He has shown less "it" factor and presence than one would hope. On Wednesday, his tag team partner, Raw cruiserweight Cedric Alexander, outdid him in those areas.

Alexander was the more compelling of the two as they took on The Revival. That's too often been the case with him.

He will now get a chance to reinvent himself, though, and that may be his ticket to tapping into his talent more.

After losing to the tag team champs, Almas erupted, throttling his own tag team partner in frustration. He wasn't the most convincing heel during that attack and while gloating afterward, but he already looked more comfortable than he has been in NXT.

Indy wrestler Gran Akuma talked up the match and the moment following it:

Perhaps that will serve as a catalyst for Almas, one that changes his NXT fortunes. It's time for him to start outshining somebody.

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"	Intense, athletic, experienced, gimmick has big potential.
3.	Nikki Glencross	5'1"	Strong mat work, pit bull energy, her experience shows in the ring.
4.	Peyton Royce	5'7"	Good showmanship, solid heel work, not electric in the ring.
5.	Aliyah	5'2"	Compelling energy, comfortable as a heel, improving in the ring, high ceiling.
6.	Mandy Rose	5'4"	Progressing in the ring, strong presence, has star quality.
7.	Billie Kay	5'8"	Good showmanship, has found groove with gimmick, wooden in the ring at times.
8.	Liv Morgan	5'4"	Solid presence, OK talker, good energy, raw in the ring.
9.	Daria Berenato	5'7"	Unique gimmick, strong strikes, good intensity.

Can Royce Hang with the Best? 

Royce has been studying the art of being a heel.

In her bout against newcomer Danielle Kamela, she was indignant and vicious. She sneered constantly and looked to be enjoying hurting her foe. For good measure, she drove her chin into Kamela's head.

But while her character and villainy acumen are improving, Royce has yet to stand out in the ring.

The match on Wednesday night was sluggish and uninteresting. That can partly be blamed on her wrestling such a raw prospect, but Royce has never produced a notable bout in NXT.

Asuka and Ember Moon, however, have plenty of excellence on their resumes. As Royce gets more opportunities, NXT officials will have to see if she can produce her own memorable action. She can't progress in the division without doing so.

Predictions

The powerhouse Dan Matha never got a chance to make his debut. Samoa Joe clobbered him before his match could even start.

As much as WWE has hyped Matha with vignettes recently, he's not bound to fade from the spotlight after this. Look for Matha to go on a rampage of his own the next time we see him.

Matha's build and size will inspire NXT to present him as a predator on the prowl.

The Dusty Classic is in line for at least one masterpiece. Should Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa win their first-round matchup, they will meet The Revival in the second round.

Their previous encounters have all been engrossing, dramatic affairs. The same will be true for this latest collision, and it will end with Gargano and Ciampa upsetting the champs.

The Revival doesn't need the momentum born from winning this tourney. Gargano and Ciampa, though, will have their star power increased by making it deep into the event.