This article was in the process of being finalised when Neville suffered his injury on Raw. However, it’s presented a perfect opportunity to take a step back and re-assess how he’s booked on the main WWE roster.
As wrestling fans, we spend a good chunk of our time sighing. Of course, when things are great, being a wrestling fan is a great thing. But there’s always something to be dissatisfied with and it normally pertains to how a certain wrestler is being used.
We see it often with the Zack Ryder’s, Tyler Breeze’s and Jack Swagger’s of this world. But one man who definitely should be used better, at least in my view, is Neville.
A stalwart in NXT, Neville made his debut the night after WrestleMania and was met with roaring cheers by a passionate crowd in San Jose. He swiftly defeated Curtis Axel, evoking a great sense of excitement for ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’.
For a while, there was a real buzz surrounding Neville – evidenced in the fact that they nicknamed him ‘the New Sensation’. And rightly so, because he is an extraordinary athlete who does things we’ve never seen before in a WWE ring.
It’s easy to forget that he would have claimed the United States Championship in a thrilling match with the company’s go-to guy John Cena, had it not been for interference from Rusev. It seems strange that WWE didn’t go anywhere with this and Neville was cast aside from a potential angle.
He was also mightily close to winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins with some unbelievably tight calls and questionable officiating. His list of accolades continue with him being the longest reigning NXT Champion as well as the Slammy winner for Breakout Star of the Year.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJUVE0X63Ck]
But yet again, WWE haven’t taken that accomplishment anywhere. He accepted his award, yet, was merely an afterthought when Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler got into a bit of a scuffle.
He’s not being totally ruined by any stretch and has had a promising start to his WWE main-roster stint. The Brit was runner up in the King of the Ring tournament in 2015 and I personally thought he had a genuine chance of winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, with the way he ended the go-home Smackdown show on top and had the contract won at the Pay-Per-View before Sheamus yanked him down.
It’s just frustrating to see such an outstanding talent not being used effectively. He’s had a few series’ with the likes of Stardust and Bo Dallas but is yet to have a meaningful storyline. It’s quite clear that he isn’t blessed with natural charisma and personality and that has led to some awkward skits.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYrsqPqqfPg]
However, in the ring, he’s among the very best in the business – his facial expressions, intensity and ‘selling’ are second to none. And though he has an array of incredible aerial moves in his arsenal, it’s not as if he is a flip merchant. He can work a number of styles and is a well-rounded wrestler capable of producing the unexpected.
Two matches in recent weeks against Finn Balor and Kevin Owens have reminded fans just how good Neville is. With his injury, you can’t help but feel extremely bad for him, as he will miss an opportunity to make his WrestleMania debut in front of a record-breaking crowd in Arlington. A place in a multi-man title match may have been the best way to truly put him on the map.
When he returns, hopefully a big deal will be made out of it.
At 29, Neville still has time on his side but here’s hoping he reaches his unfulfilled potential sooner rather than later.