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

The art of the slugfest was on display on Wednesday's episode of WWE NXT.

Oney Lorcan let a barrage of uppercuts fly. Eric Young showed off his punching power. Elias Samson issued his own hard-hitting offense.

Quick bouts offered brief glimpses at these NXT stars and their striking abilities.

By the end of the night, four men qualified for an NXT Championship No. 1 contender's Fatal 4-Way match next week. Andrade "Cien" Almas and others may have been the ones to advance, but it was often the losers who most impressed.

Lorcan shined in defeat against Bobby Roode. Samson looked solid before falling to Roderick Strong.

The following is a look at how those grapplers and their peers stack up against each other. Who are NXT's top prospects, ready to thrive on WWE's main roster? The wrestlers' looks, gimmicks, charisma, mic skills and ring work determined the rankings.  

Note: Wednesday's NXT featured no women's matches, so there are no changes in the women's rankings from last week.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2", 229 lbs	Elite presence, highly charismatic, fun ring work, growing number of excellent matches.
2.	Samoa Joe	6'2", 279 lbs	Compelling heel, versatile in the ring, NXT's best talker, intimidating.
3.	Scott Dawson	5'10", 224 lbs	Clutch in-ring performer, excellent tag team psychology, strong brawler, improving mic work.
4.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Excels as babyface, good energy, smooth ring work, strong connection with fans.
5.	Bobby Roode	6'0", 235 lbs	Working gimmick well, strong heel promos, highly dependable in the ring.
6.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	Has to regain momentum after latest injury, skilled striker, excellent in the ring, highly athletic.
7.	Eric Young	6'0", 224 lbs	Thriving as Sanity leader, skilled storyteller, strong presence.
8.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Recent 205 Live announcing work showcasing verbal skills, excellent in-ring technician, smooth offense.
9.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Harnesses gimmick well, growing connection with fans, solid ring work, excellent showmanship.
10	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Fierce bruiser, good facial expressions, strong striker.
11.	Roderick Strong	5'10", 211 lbs	Smooth in the ring, athletic, unproven on mic, hasn't stood out yet.
12.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Great potential, natural athlete, explosive offense, keeps progressing.
13.	Andrade Almas	5'9", 222 lbs	Has yet to show full potential, heel role a better fit, excellent athlete, underwhelming presence.
14.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Good brawler, excelling as tag team specialist, improved as a talker.
15.	Alexander Wolfe	6'2", 231 lbs	Good bruiser, solid striking, making good use of Sanity gimmick.
16.	Shane Thorne	6'1", 200 lbs	Smooth offense, athletic, strong showmanship, hasn't mastered babyface role.
17.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 190 lbs	Skilled bruiser, solid speed, good mat work, below-average charisma.
18.	Rezar	6'4", 308 lbs	Good acceleration, powerful, raw in the ring, still working on mastering monster role.
19.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Getting Eva Marie-like heat, growing viciousness, adequate in the ring.
20.	Tucker Knight	6'2", 282 lbs	Impressive power, good acceleration, plenty of intensity.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Buddy Murphy, Nick Miller, Akam

Samson the Savage

The Drifter is getting a reaction—you have to give him that.

Before his clash with Strong on Wednesday, Samson sat atop the entrance ramp and serenaded the Full Sail University crowd. His guitar skills are horrendous; his singing slightly less so.

And the audience let him hear it with a flurry of boos. Call it "go away" heat if you like, but the reaction for Samson is preferable to silence or polite applause.

In the ring, Samson flashed wild eyes. He was aggressive and vicious. As he bashed Strong, he showed the kind of ferocity he was learning to harness before his recent ankle injury.

Continuing to lean on this element of his game will be Samson's key to further rising up the ranks. 

Comfortable in a Dogfight

NXT doesn't seem interested in doing much with Lorcan. His TV appearances are sporadic. He rarely wins.

Zack Zimmerman wrote for ProWrestling.net, "Oney looked really good during his runs in this match, but I'm losing faith in them using him in a meaningful way after start-and-stop uses."

Zimmerman's point of view is understandable. Lorcan has been a low priority since joining the developmental brand in 2015.

Against Roode, though, he showed flashes of smashmouth excellence.

With his teeth gritted, he hammered his "glorious" opponent. His uppercuts and chops were as thunderous as usual. His mat wrestling was strong.

A faint chant for the hard-hitting bruiser broke out at one point.

It would be intriguing to see what Lorcan could become with more opportunities, more to work with character-wise and a sustained storyline. Chances are that he would turn some heads.

Questions Linger for Almas 

The process of figuring out who Almas is continued on Wednesday's NXT.

His suspenders are gone. Pyrotechnics now accompany his entrance.

And his run as a villain rolled on as he took on No Way Jose. It's a fitting role for him. As Top Rope Press' Ryan Fogarty wrote of Almas, "He looks so much more comfortable as a heel."

But in this match against Jose and others, it has felt as if Almas is still in a self-discovery stage. He was flashy at times and merciless at others. He lounged between the ring ropes before putting on a predator's scowl.

Is Almas a playboy or a pit bull? He doesn't seem to be putting the pedal to the floor to charge in either direction.

Cien is slowly striding toward the ideal version of himself. The journey will require some patience.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3"	Plenty of flair, strong showmanship, elite ring worker, promos improving.
2.	Ember Moon	5'2"	The total package in the ring, agile, powerful, harnessing gimmick well.
3.	Nikki Cross	5'1"	Sanity gimmick proving to be perfect fit, frenzied energy, intimidating, strong in the ring.
4.	Billie Kay	5'8"	Growing as a heel, good viciousness, sometimes awkward in the ring.
5.	Peyton Royce	5'7"	Solid heel work, not electric in the ring, average mic skills.
6.	Aliyah	5'2"	Unrefined in the ring, huge potential, great energy, strong presence.
7.	Mandy Rose	5'4"	Progressing in the ring, strong presence, has star quality.
8.	Daria Berenato	5'7"	Unique gimmick, strong strikes, good intensity.
9.	Liv Morgan	5'3"	Remains awkward in the ring, working on harnessing gimmick, good energy, plenty of potential.
10.	Danielle Kamela	Not listed	Unproven, raw, solid selling.

Predictions

Tye Dillinger's recent surge will continue in next week's Fatal 4-Way. Win or lose, The Perfect 10 will be one of the most talked-about wrestlers coming out of that match.

Aside from his underwhelming, brief showdown with Young on Wednesday, Dillinger has been on quite a roll. He's delivered some of his best matches to date. 

That won't stop anytime soon. Dillinger will make a strong push for the main roster in the coming months.

Daria Berenato is a long way from being in that position. She will, though, make noteworthy progress when she takes on Billie Kay next Wednesday.

She has one of the clearest and most compelling gimmicks in the women's division. Expect her to get closer to maximizing it in a hurry.