WWE NXT: Updated Prospect Rankings and Analysis, Predictions for Week of Jan. 5

Crowd reactions spoke volumes about where several WWE NXT prospects stand.

NXT's trip to Melbourne, Australia, served as a homecoming for Aussies Buddy Murphy, Shane Thorne and Billie Kay. Even in his home country, though, Murphy didn't generate an impressive amount of noise from the audience.

Tye Dillinger, an Ontario native, outshined him in that area.

Wednesday's NXT saw Thorne at his best in a tag team title bout, and Kay had her moments against two rivals at once. The crowd appreciated all of it.

How did the Australians impact their stock while performing in front of a favorable fanbase? Who among the NXT roster has proved ready to thrive on the main roster?

The following is a look at where Throne, Dillinger, Kay and others stack up against each other. The prospects' charisma, gimmicks, looks, mic skills and ring work determined the rankings.

Male Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height/Weight	Notes
1.	Shinsuke Nakamura	6'2", 229 lbs	Star quality, elite showmanship, great presence, superb in the ring.
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	Gets the best out of opponents, excellent striker, excels at tag team psychology.
4.	Johnny Gargano	5'10", 190 lbs	Excellent babyface, smooth offense, speedy, long list of good matches at NXT.
5.	Bobby Roode	6'0", 235 lbs	Experience shows, good promos, having fun with gimmick, dependable overall.
6.	Tye Dillinger	6'3", 223 lbs	Improved intensity, great connection with crowd, fun energy, in the midst of hot streak in the ring.
7.	Hideo Itami	5'9", 182 lbs	Has to regain momentum after latest injury, skilled striker, excellent in the ring, highly athletic.
8.	Eric Young	6'0", 224 lbs	Thriving as Sanity leader, skilled storyteller, strong presence.
9.	Austin Aries	5'9", 202 lbs	Recent 205 Live announcing work showcased verbal skills, excellent in-ring technician, smooth offense.
10.	Tommaso Ciampa	5'11", 210 lbs	Fierce bruiser, good facial expressions, strong striker.
11.	Andrade Almas	5'9", 222 lbs	Finding groove at NXT, strong striker, athletic, growing into heel role.
12.	Roderick Strong	5'10", 211 lbs	Crisp ring work, varied in-ring arsenal, struggling to stand out.
13.	Dash Wilder	5'10", 222 lbs	Good brawler, excelling as tag team specialist, improved as a talker.
14.	No Way Jose	6'3", 245 lbs	Great potential, natural athlete, explosive offense, keeps progressing.
15.	Shane Thorne	6'1", 200 lbs	Athletic, good presence, marketable look, not yet an elite babyface.
16.	Alexander Wolfe	6'2", 231 lbs	Good bruiser, solid striking, making good use of Sanity gimmick.
17.	Oney Lorcan	6'1", 190 lbs	Skilled brawler, good intensity, solid on the mat.
18.	Rezar	6'4", 308 lbs	Raw, excellent intensity, learning monster-heel role.
19.	Nick Miller	6'1", 230 lbs	Powerful, solid ring work, hasn't stood out yet personality-wise.
20.	Elias Samson	6'0", 217 lbs	Works gimmick well, serviceable in the ring, getting Eva Marie-like heat.

Prospects just outside the top 20: Tucker Knight, Buddy Murphy, Akam

The Crowd in Dillinger's Hands

When Dillinger and Murphy teamed up to take on Bobby Roode and Elias Samson, the audience made it clear who it was most interested in. The Perfect 10 received the loudest, most ardent reactions before and during the bout.

As for Murphy, being in his home country garnered him a bigger response than normal, but still an underwhelming one. 

An intense, focused Dillinger compelled on offense. Whether he was stomping on Roode in the corner or chasing down Samson, he pulled in the fans. Add his usual showmanship and playing to the crowd, and Dillinger was the star of the match.

When his foes took control, Dillinger sold their offense dramatically. He made it easy to engage, to root for him to overcome his opponents.

That's become the norm for him as he's found his groove as an in-ring storyteller.

Long Way to Go for Moss

For the little-seen Moss and Tino Sabbatelli, facing the former NXT tag champs was a major opportunity. The Revival served as a measuring stick for the pair of unpolished prospects on Wednesday's NXT.

Both Moss and Sabbatelli had promising flashes here. The former football players showed off plenty of athleticism and power.

But as John Moore of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Moss and Sabbatelli are still very green." 

That showed in Moss' case with inconsistent strikes. He issued an excellent clothesline seconds after hitting a weak back elbow. Overall, he doesn't look natural in the ring. Moss seems to be hesitant at times, unsure of himself between the ropes.

And even against a hot act like The Revival, Moss and Sabbatelli left the crowd quiet. Progress is going to be slow for the up-and-comers.

Throne at Home

An NXT Tag Team Championship clash proved to be TM-61's best effort to date.

Thorne and Nick Miller challenged DIY in an electric match. The Australian challengers got quite the reception from their home-country fans. It blew what Murphy received out of the water.

Miller had some strong moments, but as usual, Thorne was the bigger star of the two.

The tattooed babyface was cocky and flashy, making his presence felt in the bout. Throne had an excellent exchange with Tommaso Ciampa as the opponents ducked and evaded each other's attacks. He sold a Lumbar Check like it just about killed him, too.

This was miles better than their effort against The Authors of Pain in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals. It's clear that with top-level foes, TM-61 can be mighty fun.

Connecting more deeply with fans will be that duo's key to success. Thorne and Miller haven't bonded with most fans the way they clearly have with Australian ones.

Female Wrestlers

Rank	Wrestler	Height	Notes
1.	Asuka	5'3"	Great showmanship, skilled submission wrestler, top-tier in-ring work, presence aplenty.
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"	Strong showmanship, playing heel role well, sometimes awkward in the ring.
5.	Peyton Royce	5'7"	Comfortable as a heel, good aggression, solid ring work.
6.	Aliyah	5'2"	Good energy, high ceiling, coming off solid performance on SmackDown.
7.	Mandy Rose	5'4"	Progressing in the ring, strong presence, has star quality.
8.	Daria Berenato	5'7"	Inconsistent ring work, learning to harness gimmick, good intensity.
9.	Liv Morgan	5'3"	Remains raw and unpolished, strong energy, uses gimmick well.
10.	Danielle Kamela	Not listed	Unproven, raw, solid selling.

Morgan's Slow Climb

Ember Moon stands several rungs above Kay, who remains well above Morgan.

The Triple Threat match between the three wrestlers on Wednesday's NXT was a reminder of that hierarchy. Moon looked like a championship contender. Kay showed off her improved heel acumen. Morgan still looks like a novice.

She's too often unnatural in the ring. Her movements feel forced.

And her strikes were the worst of the bunch. Moon and Kay knocked each other around with solid forearm shots; Morgan dished out a flaccid attack.

Her exuberance and strong handle on her gimmick will help Morgan, but her ring work needs a ton of improvement moving forward.

Predictions

The Revival will be among the first WWE call-ups of 2017. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have been tearing it up too long on the developmental brand not to get a shot on the main roster.

DIY can be the centerpiece of the NXT tag division as The Revival moves on to either Raw or SmackDown.

Both of those brands' champions would benefit from feuding with the smashmouth kings. WWE is going to recognize what it has in The Revival and promote the duo in the next few months.

In the women's division, meanwhile, Kay will make more of an impact than her friend Peyton Royce over time.

Royce is the better worker, but Kay has shown more personality and sizzle. Her glamorous entrance in front of the Australian crowd was proof of that. 

Royce will slide into more of a sidekick eventually. Kay is the bigger star of that pair.