WWE NXT Stock Up, Stock Down on the Brand's Prospects for Week of July 20

Oney Lorcan and Ember Moon may have been the victors in their bouts on Wednesday's WWE NXT, but it was the Superstars they defeated who most improved their stock.

Danny Burch emerged from his battle with Lorcan with a bloody face and increased buzz. Ruby Riot showed off a wider range of weapons in a strong opening bout.

The latest NXT focused a lot on wrestlers positioning themselves into contention for championships. To that end, Birch and Riot didn't make any progress, but they both had folks talking about their performance en route to defeat. 

Burch continues to demand more spotlight with his current stretch of smashmouth excellence. Riot had her best NXT match to date.

Meanwhile, No Way Jose was unimpressive, and Killian Dain didn't maximize his spot in the main event. Wednesday night instead belonged to lesser-known names. 

Read on for a look at all those NXT prospects and how they changed their momentum in Full Sail University's latest showcase of WWE's developmental brand.

Up: Danny Burch

It didn't last long, but Burch's collision with Lorcan was a marvel to watch. The foes smashed into each other, issuing heavy-handed strikes and packing a ton of violence into a small space.

Lorcan's skills in slugfests are well documented. 

Burch, though, has been mostly an enhancement talent. It's been only in the past few months that he's been allowed to show off more what he can do with a pair of closed fists. He's taken full advantage.

As John Moore of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Burch has been great in his recent NXT run."

Against Lorcan, the crowd was revved up as Burch went on the attack. The British bruiser hit a nasty clothesline and some hard shots that made one slide closer to one's seat. 

He came out of it busted open, looking more rugged and dangerous than ever. 

Burch looks like the kind of brawler who might be champion of an underground fight club. He would make for a compelling enforcer for an NXT or WWE stable. 

Down: No Way Jose

Despite being the bigger man and having outrageous hair and a look-at-me gimmick, No Way Jose got lost in his match. 

The green Cezar Bononi outshone him. Jose didn't show as much energy during the bout as we're used to seeing. He had few highlights outside of the pop-up punch that put Bononi away. 

Jose's presence has waned of late.

The conversation surrounding him used to be how his silly gimmick may get in the way of his potential. Lately, there hasn't been talk of him at all. 

This match didn't do anything to change that. A man that size dancing around in the ring shouldn't be this forgettable.

Even: Killian Dain

Dain and Drew McIntyre clashed for the right to fight for the NXT Championship against Bobby Roode.

McIntyre was the more compelling star here by a good margin. Dain looked quite aggressive at times. He pounded McIntyre into the canvas. He stalked his foe like a monster lurking in the dark.

None of it was especially convincing, though.

Dain has been more intimidating in the past. He's been more vicious and interesting in other matches. This was his biggest singles match of his career, and it was mostly fine.

That's not exactly maximizing one's minutes.

It doesn't help that the crowd went quiet when he was on the attack either. In one of his first chances to break away from the Sanity faction, Dain didn't hit a home run.

Up: Ruby Riot

Moon outlasted Riot to move closer to a shot at the NXT Women's Championship. The tattooed dynamo, however, made quite the impression in the loss.

Riot has seemed constrained in the ring up to this point but pulled out a number of new moves to take down Moon. Her offense was varied and creative. She wowed the crowd with a senton and a Frankensteiner from the top rope.

She was fast, energetic and fun to watch throughout.

Riot and Moon outdid everything else on the card. WrestleView.com was among those handing out praise to both women:

This was the best Riot has looked in NXT to date.

Moon for a long time looked like the clear No. 2 NXT female behind Asuka. With Nikki Cross' emergence and Riot looking great here, the top of the food chain isn't nearly as clear.

A feud with Cross or one of the recent signees would a great chance for Riot to keep this momentum alive and keep shifting the conversation about who stands where in the women's division.