WWE NXT Stock Up, Stock Down on the Brand's Prospects for Week of June 1

Even on a bad wheel, with his crutches in the corner, Tommaso Ciampa was the star of Wednesday's WWE NXT.

No one made the audience take notice more than Ciampa. The man who once was half of #DIY laid out his reasoning for plunging a dagger into Johnny Gargano's back. In the process, Ciampa looked more vicious and intriguing than he has on an NXT stage to date.

The show also featured Danny Burch clubbing his way to success and Alexander Wolfe underwhelming as a warrior with some screws loose while representing the Sanity faction.

Burch was the star of the match even with a blue-chipper in the opposite corner. Wolfe, meanwhile, continues to get lost in others' shadows.

The following is a look at how Burch, Wolfe, Ciampa and Hideo Itami fared on Wednesday night, looking at who most changed the conversation about their potential. 

Up: Danny Burch

In what was supposed to be a showcase for the new WWE UK champ, Burch made sure people were talking about him.

The unsigned veteran took on Pete Dunne in an engaging slugfest. Burch delivered hard-hitting offense, including some thunderous forearms. He was intense and nasty, right at home in a dogfight against The Bruiserweight.

This performance extended a recent stretch of good matches that stretches back to the United Kingdom Championship Tournament in January.

Burch has been used as filler to this point. His recent work, though, suggests NXT should bring him aboard on a regular basis and begin to spotlight him more often. At 35, he's not going to be high on WWE's list of prospects, but one can't ignore production.

Even: Hideo Itami

A change is coming for Itami.

After losing the NXT Championship bout against Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Chicago, he exploded backstage, cursing out his peers. WWE aired footage of the outburst on Wednesday's NXT.

Then he later apologized to Kassius Ohno in the parking lot. Tension simmered as the two men shook hands.  

His anger was partially powerful but not entirely convincing. If he's due for a heel turn, he'll have to better tap into his dark side moving forward.

The character shift has the potential to be a momentum boost for him, but it's unclear how we will handle it.

And it looks like we won't have to wait long to see the next stage of his transformation. Itami is set to face Oney Lorcan on next week's NXT. Should he grow vicious in that bout, it will be easier to tell how successful a villainous Itami will be.

Down: Alexander Wolfe

Wolfe and Eric Young teamed up to tangle with Roderick Strong and Ohno, and the German bruiser struggled to stand out during the action.

Young's aggressiveness, Strong's crisp offense and Ohno's heavy-handed strikes all entertained. Wolfe, unfortunately, didn't make much of an impact.

His unhinged routine hasn't been nearly as convincing as Nikki Cross'. Killian Dain remains more imposing than him. And overall, Wolfe has been the least noteworthy member of the group.

He hasn't hit his highest gears yet and is part of the reason Sanity hasn't been a smash hit.

The faction felt flat on Wednesday, especially with Cross not around. That's been a pattern of late. It's hard to argue with Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net when he wrote that Sanity is "kind of stale and lacking any actual direction or storyline motivation." 

That's bad news for Wolfe who needs this group to thrive to climb the NXT ladder.

Up: Tommaso Ciampa

Injury and all, Ciampa is soaring upward.

He explained his attack on his tag team partner at TakeOver: Chicago in a terrific promo on Wednesday night. Ciampa's emotion spilled out onto the canvas. He was equal parts heartless villain and brokenhearted friend.

His acting range was on full display during his speech. Ciampa jumped from angry to wistful, anxious to belligerent. 

The former NXT tag champ hasn't ever been this compelling with a mic in hand.

This was his breakout performance, a peek at what he's capable of in the right story and with the right motivation. Denny Burkholder of CBSSports.com was among the many who praised Ciampa's work:

A damaged ACL will prevent him from taking advantage of his current momentum, but when he and Gargano finally start warring, it's going to be special. Both men promise to improve their stock in the process.

Gargano has long looked the bigger star of the two, but Psycho Killer proved he has quite the ceiling himself.