WWE NXT Stock Up, Stock Down on the Brand's Prospects for Week of June 22

Not everyone's journey at WWE NXT is a steady, upward climb. Alexander Wolfe is a reminder of that.

The German brawler has not won over the Full Sail University crowd. He hasn't grown dramatically as a performer. He hasn't made his case to be called up to the main roster.

On Wednesday's NXT, he delivered another underwhelming performance. Peyton Royce, Sonya Deville and Aleister Black all outshone him.

There is something uniquely satisfying about seeing NXT prospects improve and evolve until they become full-fledged stars. Royce seems well on her way to doing that. Deville has taken significant steps in that direction. Wolfe has not. At least not yet.

The Sanity member may well eventually catch fire, but he didn't do so on Wednesday's show. His stock went down while Royce's and Deville's kept rising.

Up: Peyton Royce

She may not be as iconic as she and Billie Kay claim they are, but Royce has steadily gotten better during her time at NXT.

On Wednesday night, she took on Ember Moon in a match that showed off her heel acumen. Royce was vicious. She yanked on Moon's hair. She twisted her foe in submissions and seemed to delight in her pain. Her facial expressions were excellent throughout.

Whether she was screaming in pain or issuing a battle cry, Royce did all the small things well.

Moon is the better athlete and has the higher ceiling, but Royce looked like the star here. That's saying a lot.

This is nothing new. As Total Wrestling magazine pointed out, Royce has made consistent progress:

And that's all you can ask of an NXT prospect. WWE officials have to be taking notice of how she's been able to refine her game. 

Down: Alexander Wolfe

Sanity has been a disappointment outside of Nikki Cross. The group that should have been an unhinged pack of wolves has come across more like some neighborhood strays.

And Wolfe has shown the least presence of the whole faction.

He and Eric Young teamed up against The Ealy Brothers on the latest NXT, and Wolfe failed to impress. His anger and viciousness felt uninspired. He wasn't a believable madman.

Nothing he did in the bout stood out.

Young showed himself to be the better striker here. Wolfe, meanwhile, isn't slugging his foes with the kind of authority a true bruiser should be.

Wolfe needs a standout moment or standout match in a hurry.

Up: Sonya Deville

In her best overall match to date, Deville took down Rachel Evers (aka Rachael Ellering). 

The former MMA fighter infused her cagefighting background well here. Her strikes and takedowns had a distinct MMA flavor.

Deville was more aggressive than she's been in the past. She looked genuinely angry when Evers tried to match strikes with her.

And more and more, Deville is looking comfortable in the ring. 

She began her NXT career hesitant and unsure of herself. A more confident Deville is emerging over time. 

While still green and unrefined, Deville is giving WWE officials reasons to be hopeful.

Up: Aleister Black

Kassius Ohno and Black wailed on each other in Wednesday's main event.

The hard-hitting battle felt like something one would see on the United Kingdom independent circuit. The strikes were thunderous. Neither man held back.

Black looked good on both offense and defense.

His kicks clacked against Ohno's body. When taking elbows, Black sold well, looking punch-drunk and off-balance on the mat. Ohno served as an ideal slugfest opponent, and Black took advantage of it, helping make the bout dramatic.

WrestleView.com had high praise for the contest:

This is one of the few competitive matches Black has been in with NXT. It wasn't a classic but more than worthy of its main event spot.

There's no doubt Black will be asked to close out more shows in the near future.