Bayley (NXT Women's Champion)
Alexa Bliss
Dana Brooke
Emma (now a heel)
Nia Jax
Asuka
Evie
Eva Marie
Athena
Carmella
Billie Kay
There are a lot of reports that Blue Pants is done with NXT, but she rarely appeared anyway
With Sasha Banks officially gone from NXT after the last Takeover, we're now left with an almost drastically different NXT Women's Division. With the exception of Bayley, we're seeing a lot of new faces. In your opinion, will this new crop of ladies live up to the standards that Banks, Charlotte, and Lynch laid down?
In my opinion, this group has the potential to meet those expectations. Asuka has only had one match, but if that match is what we should come to expect from her combined with her reputation coming out of Japan, she may already be the best female in-ring wrestler we have seen in NXT. Yes, even ahead of Banks. It wouldn't even surprise me if she turned out to be a better all-around wrestler than Banks, and this is coming from someone who was a HUGE Banks fan before it became cool to be one. Like @Hanley! pointed out in his thread, Asuka does a marvelous job putting her character/personality across in the ring. It's a trait very few wrestlers, male or female, seem to do well and those who do are that much better for it (Banks, Owens, Lesnar, Sheamus to a lesser extent). I don't need to hear her talk to know who she is. I love that. I don't think I will ever prefer her over Banks simply because Banks might be one of my favorites ever, but it wouldn't surprise me if she turned out to be better. I really wish Banks could stay one more month in NXT because I would love an Asuka/Banks match.
Nia Jax made her debut on the recent NXT episode. It's too early to make a fair evaluation about her, but she's obviously different than everyone else in the pack. She could be that monster female that NXT has never had at their disposal and it wouldn't surprise me at all if she ended up being the one to take the title away from Bayley down the road. Hopefully she doesn't go on a Corbin-like run when it comes to squashing people, which he seemed to do for what felt like a decade without much character development until his heel turn.
I REALLY like Alexa Bliss. She still has ways to go in the ring but as far as character portrayal goes, I'm a big fan. She's a great heel and her job as a manager saved the title reign of Blake & Murphy. I'm looking forward to her feud with Bayley. Carmella won't ever do anything as far as challenge for the title or anything, but I like her too. She's good for what she is asked to do.
Also, someone who hasn't gotten enough praise for what she has done in NXT is Emma. She's done a great job as a heel in my opinion. A good wrestler too, which I think some people tend to forget. It was her match with Paige at the first Takeover that got people beginning to see how seriously the women's division would be taken in NXT.
There are a couple of others who haven't debuted yet (Billie Kay, Athena) or aren't signed but have made appearances and could be signed in the future (Evie) who a lot of people are high on. I'm not sure the division will be able to match the match quality of the Charlotte/Banks/Lynch/Bayley era (Paige and Emma too if you want to include them) because as of now Asuka is the only one on that level (I like Bayley a lot but she's not all that good in the ring, not Charlotte/Lynch/Banks caliber anyway) of the old guard. That could change with Athena, Kay, Jax, Evie, hell maybe even Bliss if she continues to get better, but as of now that isn't the case. What this division does have is a lot of personality and depth, maybe even moreso than we have seen in the past. I'm excited for the future of NXT Women's Division.