How Mark Henry Helped Turn This WWE Champion Into a ‘F–king Killer’

In less than a year, WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Neville, went from being a flying trapeze act to one of WWE’s top heels. The rapid change likely had multiple inspirations, but the biggest agent of change was Mark Henry.

As a recent guest on VIP Lounge with MVP, Henry covered the transition of Neville and how he personally helped influence Neville’s formidable character:

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“We talked about storylines and how to make him a f–king killer and all of this stuff. It worked. They used to treat Neville like Mighty Mouse and I told Vince, I said, ‘Hey, Neville is somebody I just believe in. … He’s a legitimate tough guy. He’s 5-6 or whatever it is but if you had to put him against a bunch of dudes you got in your locker room right now, I think Neville would kick their ass.’ I told Neville, ‘You have to believe it. If you don’t believe it, it’s not going to happen.’ ” I told him, ‘You need to be me.’ That motherf–ker is killing it. I love Neville’s sh-t right now.”

Neville found Henry’s advice so profound that he gave him a tearful thank you after his WrestleMania 33 victory. Henry spoke about how moments like that are for all parties”

“Eventually you’ve got to go from being a talent to being a guy that makes talent. I love the fact he’s had the success because it’s got my fingerprints, but I love the fact he’s had success because it’s just f–king good for the business.”

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Neville’s surge into dominance has been a blast to watch. He is unconditionally one of the most talented wrestlers in WWE. He’s been so good on 205 Live that WWE has to be considering another big change for his character.

The question begs, when does he infiltrate the heavyweight ranks? He is starkly larger than the main event contemporaries like Finn Balor and AJ Styles. One could make the case that his persona is one of the most well developed on the roster. All of this points to Neville getting a real run at the top.

Many forget that Neville was the original figurehead of NXT. Peers like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have gone on to become more relevant in WWE, but perhaps Neville was scheduled for a slower burn. If Neville were a stock, it would be time to buy.