How far can Neville go?

[MCMG]

The night after Raw, Neville (formerly Adrian Neville) debuted on the main-roster. He has since been given good time to show what he can do including a match against the champ, Seth Rollins. Last night he had a decent match with Ziggler but he did a phenomenal 450 splash outside the ring that was undoubtedly the highlight.

There is an argument to be made Neville is the greatest wrestler NXT have had thus-far (in terms of contribution, of course). If you look at the current group of NXT wrestlers- Owens aside- they all had their best match with Neville. You can probably add Tyson Kidd to that list too.

It seems he might be placed into the IC title scene. Along with guys like Ziggler, Sheamus, Barrett, Bryan and Stardust. That seems like a good place for him because they are good opponents and all have interesting characters. People care about them and hopefully they care about Neville as a result.

Neville has been given a big spotlight thus far. Matches against Rollins and Ziggler are big even if he lost both. I am curious, however, about how far he can go in the WWE. Many would suggest he is nothing more than a mid-carder. He is the next Kofi or Benjamin. He'll hold the mid-card titles and have the odd tag-title reign too but that's it.

Is there enough evidence to suggest Neville can be more? He has an incredible body of work down in NXT. His matches with the likes of Zayn and Balor were fantastic. Sure it is still early but he has been given a chance to shine on the main-roster. His promo ability will undoubtedly hinder him but, in a weird way, that might help his persona as a smaller guy.

I reckon Neville is destined for the mid-card and nothing more but maybe, just maybe, there is something more for him. I wonder, can Neville be a main-event level talent?

 

[Prince Vee]

You know some guys can't get buried even if everyone around them are against him. Such an example is Daniel Bryan. He had tons of experience in the indies but came to WWE as just a stable member but look where he's now?

As far as Adrian Neville is concerned, he got a great talent and some unique abilities that the WWE haven't seen in a long while or we can say WWE haven't seen at all. He certainly gonna win the Midcard titles but it's not impossible to keep him off the Main Event scene!

And he's pretty decent in the mic too and he got the look charisma and whatever you ask for! He's the Money, Merchandize and the Man for WWE in the near future!

Cheers!

 

[Creepy Old Man]

He's small, English, odd-looking and not particularly good on the mic. On the plus side, he has a good physique and can do interesting flips.

So, he's basically today's Dynamite Kid: a born mid-carder. He could go on to become a prominent one and even get a short "thank you" world title reign down the line, but the mid card is absolutely Neville's home. That's not to say he can't become an all-time guy and be remembered fondly, it's just that he'll be more of a Billington or Malenko than a Bret or Shawn.

 

[blueskyy]

I agree, Neville is good. Thus far, he has had great matches with everyone he faces. BUT, the one thing going against him is his height (although his build does make up for it to a certain extent). The ring does look extremely high when he is in it. By my estimate, he is shorter than Dolph Ziggler, only slightly shorter than Daniel Bryan, and just a bit taller than Tyson Kidd... It is hard to put someone on the top and keep him on top for someone who looks only 5' 8".

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's a lot of potential upside for Neville that MIGHT take him quite far in WWE even with Vince McMahon at the helm.

Neville's a young man at only 28 years old and he has a ton of international exposure and experience in various promotions across the world and with various styles in his 11 years in the business. He already had a following and being able to view NXT on the WWE Network has expanded that following to include a good portion of the WWE audience. Even if a lot of fans don't have the network, it's not at all unreasonable to speculate that they have friends or relatives who do and have seen Neville's work in NXT.

Neville's freakishly agility and balance are borderline superhuman and it was touched on during Booker T's commentary when he mentioned that while a lot of people do various flips, Neville is in complete control of his body while doing it. They also touched on the fact that he can do more than just flip all over the place as they pointed out that he's physical and tough during his matches.

One thing going against Neville is that he isn't a tall guy, he's about 5'10" I think, but that could be countered in Vince's eyes by his build. Neville's built really well and he has a thick, sort of stockiness that puts me somewhat in mind of Chris Benoit in that is build and muscular development give the impression that he's heavier than he really is. I think he's billed at about 195 pounds, but he could easily pass for maybe 230. His stocky, muscular build coupled with his agility also puts me in mind of someone with a gymnastics background as a lot of male gymnasts have a similar sort of stockiness to them.

Neville's catching on with fans inside the ring, but what'll ultimately decide whether he reaches another level is his ability to develop a rapport with fans. He's looked great in his efforts against Rollins & Ziggler, having a ton of athletic ability along with entertaining matches is always a huge plus, but he has to make fans invested in him as a person. If he can do that when given a chance, he could be a major player over the next decade.

 

[OYDK]

Neville has a ton of upside at this point. He's one of the few guys to transition from NXT to the main roster almost seamlessly, and fans can't help but get behind the guy. His arsenal of moves in the ring is incredible; I've never see anybody do a 450 from the barricade in 20+ years of watching pro-wrestling. His mannerisms are great and he looks very comfortable in front of a large audience. He's also a lot more jacked up than I thought he was... almost reminds me of a slightly smaller Chris Benoit.

That being said, it's very early and they seem to be taking it slow with Neville. I'm interested to see who his first legitimate feud is going to be with, but that may not happen for a few months. The sky is the limit for somebody with the talent of Neville, it all really depends on how he develops his character and connects with the audience. I can picture Neville possibly holding the World Championship one day, but it's going to be a long, tough ride for him to get to the top.

 

[L@RISANO]

Neville, alongwith the Lucha Dragons, especially Kalisto... I feel all 3 Post-Mania debutants can do well on the roster. I can't any of them making it as nailed on Main Event talent going forward, but I can see Kalisto and Neville being handy Upper Midcard acts who constantly fight for the IC/US titles at certain times.


Neville might have shots at MitB and even a Multi-Man WWE WHC fight could happen also, but at this point, until I see his work outside of the ring more closely... I can't see him going beyond that at this point.

 

[ProfessorHolmes]

I think he should answer Cena's open challenge.mi know they won't put him over then but gives him even more credibility. They need to move quick before drawing it out and running out of top stars for him to lose to and still garner fan interest. No matter how good in the ring,mid they job him out too long, it won't matter.

 

[Stan Hansen]

He's a big time player. He's short but he's built well and he's athletic as hell. He can put on a good match with almost anyone. He reminds me a lot of John Cena to be honest. Now John Cena isn't the high flyer but both are built and powerful. Both can work (even though many want to deny Cena can work a match, the guy absolutely can and has numerous times) and make a good match with all varieties of opponents.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I see him as being a fixture of the mid-card, but he could get over and shoot straight to the top. Everything he has is working for him. The only downside that I could see WWE being concerned about are height and mic skills. Neither of which held Daniel Bryan back, but we've even seen return to the mid-card.

Neville will hold multiple IC titles, he will be a fixture of MITB ladder matches, he will have a few tag team title reigns that will be exciting and add prestige to those titles. He will fly in a few WrestleMania moment highlight reels for years to come.

This is all speculation though. There's a lot of interest in him fighting Cena for the US title. It would be crazy to see him take the title off Cena. Him and Cena could make an interesting tag team some day too. Sky's the limit for Neville, hopefully bad WWE booking doesn't get the best of him.

 

[Alastor]

I see Neville as the next Kofi, the high flier that get spots in gimmick matches and make to look strong to compete with the main eventers. He should probably stay in the mid card until he develops a character that fans can get behind.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I'm not sticking my neck and saying this WILL happen but from what we have seen so far of him and as someone else pointed out, the overall upside internationally of Neville, I can see him getting a main event push probably next year.

WWE is again getting serious about European tours and it's almost inevitable now they're going to push the button on some kind of UK PPV in the next 18 months. Perhaps not a Big 4 to start with but with NXT also looking to tour internationally someone like Neville is a popular attraction who can translate to the US and sell a UK RAW show or make people tune stateside cos they know the match is going to be stellar.

No one said Seth Rollins was gonna be "the pick" from the Shield but he is... and like wise, as much as people are calling Balor, Owens or Zayn... Neville actually has the best overall package and experience of them, he's not winning matches but he's only "just" coming up short against top level names, he's defo a contender for Money In The Bank later this year as a dark horse. While Rollins is the first "NXT Champ to be WWE Champ", Neville is more closely associated with NXT as it is now rather than when Rollins was there 3 years ago. It is very much in WWE and NXT's interests to keep pushing him, as it not only makes NXT look stronger, but inspires those working there that there isn't just mid card hell to look forward to.

I am not saying he'd get a long reign, hell he might get a one week one, shocking someone at a UK show and then losing it right back like Sting did with Vader back in the day, but he's more likely than Barrett right now to get that first English World Champ honour...

 

[Hem]

Even though he is one of the best talents on the roster as far as in ring work is concerned, he will be held back due to his small body, which is still built very well kind of Chris Benoit like, his look and his promo skills which to me are pretty hit or miss.

I think he has the potential to be the face of the mid card, basically the position Ziggler holds. He can have an occasional feud with the WWE Champion but he will never be one of THE top 5.

He's crazy talented in the ring and the fan support for that shows. His work and the fans will be the two biggest factors that determine how far he goes.