WWE's Neville Deserves A Push

Sunday at Extreme Rules, Cruiserweight Champion, Neville, re-asserted his utter dominance of the division by submitting Austin Aries. Neville continues to outclass his competition and is making his case for being one of the best attractions in WWE.

Perhaps we should have all seen it coming. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Neville canonized himself:

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"Pound for pound, I'm unmatched. This has traditionally been the world of the giants. For those who are smaller, we've always been fighting an uphill battle. The cruiserweight division consists of guys under 205 pounds, but I don't need to tell you what I do. You can watch me and then you'll understand what I do and what I'm all about. I don't want to labor the point. I'm not one of these guys who is going to build myself up to you for an over and put myself over. I do my talking in the ring. Austin Aries, however, is someone who is a better talker than he is a fighter. I am fundamentally a fighter before anything else."

Sure, Neville is in character here, but this next bit is all too close to reality:

"This is a big man's business, so for any guy who is considered undersized, you are constantly fighting an uphill battle. This has very much been a catalyst for my change in attitude. For too long, I have been overlooked. For too long, I have been disrespected. For too long, I had been too good. That is exactly why I have turned up in 205 Live, and that is exactly why I have behaved in the manner in which I have behaved recently. I am a product of this environment. I am inevitability, and now I am showing everyone what I am all about. I tried to play the etiquette game, the respect game, for too long, and it didn't work out for me. Now I'm rightfully taking what is long overdue."

Did we just witness Neville 3:16? For those unfamiliar, Neville is arguably the most talented performer in WWE. That said, his biggest knock was his lack of character direction. However, as shown above, his heel turn has done wonders for his career.

Neville is the only watchable act on 205 Live. 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.

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