Nasty Neville
Cruiserweight champ Adrian Neville is back in the WWE ring and he means business at the Fast Lane pay-per-view.
WWE pay-per-view special: Fast Lane Sunday 12 March e.tv (*194) 11:00
The Brits haven’t just invaded the WWE – they’re taking over the US-based sports entertainment giant. And one of the most vicious Superstars is Adrian Neville aka The Man That Gravity Forgot. It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane and it sure isn’t Superman flying across the ring – that’s Neville, whose been delivering his Red Arrow move to opponents since 2012.
A LEVEL HIGHER
And the 30-year-old isn’t just above the other wrestlers because he’s jumping from the top turnbuckle – he’s above them in his head too! “That’s all I think about when I think about my past matches,” explains Neville. “I’ve had a few matches where I was taken advantage of and I was trampled over and I just allowed it. In the future, it’s going to be different!”
So far, the Newcastle native has managed to keep to that resolution and he’s been especially nasty in the ring. He’s not content with just beating his opponents; instead, the four-time WWE NXT champ has taken to humiliating his victims after beating them and he’s getting booed almost as much as he’s cheered in the ring. The turn in his character kicked off in December 2016 and it seems the wrestler is loving his new role as a WWE baddie. “I am the best. No one can go toe-to-toe with me,” he brags. And the critics agree – Braun Wrestling (Twitter @Raw_Wrestle) tweeted in late December that “Neville is proof that even the simplest of heel turns can be very effective” [“heel” is the industry name for transforming into a ring villain], while Pro Wrestling Mag (Twitter @ProWrestlingMag) said that “the Neville heel turn has been a 2016 highlight! That was fantastic!”
STEPPING UP
That doesn’t mean that the 88kg star doesn’t have his fair share of rivals gunning for his title. At the Fast Lane payper-view, Neville’s going to be defending his title against fellow Brit wrestler Jack Gallagher. The 27-year-old made his WWE debut in late April 2016 at the WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament and while he’s 12kg lighter (Jack weighs 76kg), he’s no pushover. Jack’s training and previous careers were in the world of mixed martial arts and his speciality in the ring is submission moves. Now all that’s left for Jack to do is get Neville to stop jumping from those top ropes during their match…