Blink and you will miss it – Aries fight will be easy victory for me
CRAIG JOHNS CHATS TO WWE STAR NEVILLE AHEAD OF WRESTLEMANIA AT THE METRO RADIO ARENA
HIGH-FLYING Geordie WWE superstar Neville is in a foul mood ahead of Wrestle Mania.
The one-time fan-favourite, who was brought up in Lemington, has had a change in attitude since returning to the ring in December after almost a year out through injury.
Neville returned with a new self-centred, singleminded manner as he switched from the babyface good guy to heel.
But he’s reaped the rewards of the new approach as he captured the recently re-established cruiserweight championship at the Royal Rumble, and he’s dominated the division since.
Neville has a new opponent now, however, heading into the biggest event in wrestling – Wrestle Mania. Former TNA and indie star Austin Aries has stepped up and will challenge the jumping Geordie at the WWE’s flagship event which this year takes place in Orlando, Florida on April 2.
Many believe the Neville-Aries match-up could steal the show, but Neville insists he’s only interested in one thing. “Austin Aries is not a tough rival, he doesn’t compare to me,” Neville explains in his still strong Northern twang. “I don’t know why everyone is blowing this out of proportion. Wrestle Mania is just going to be another example of what I do. Wrestle Mania is about me, it’s not about Austin Aries. Austin Aries is just another person who’s going to fall to the king.
“I hear people throwing these terms around like ‘dream match,’ ‘long overdue match’ or whatever. I see Austin Aries feeding into this; his own ego is spiralling out of control. What’s going to happen though is that at Wrestle Mania it’s going to be run of the mill for me. Don’t expect this 20-30 minute dream match, it’s going to be a quick affair.
“I am going to expose Austin Aries on the grandest stage of them all in front of the world. It is not going to last long, mark my words.
“I’m not concerned with appeasing people with a dream match. I don’t care about that. All I care about is Neville and my championship.”
For Neville, performing at Wrestlemania feels long overdue. The British star has been wrestling all over the world for more than 10 years now, before finally finding his way to the pinnacle of sports entertainment – signing with the WWE in 2012 where he first performed in the NXT development brand before his main roster push.
Last year his Wrestle Mania dreams were shattered just weeks away from the event when he suffered the foot injury during a match with Chris Jericho on Monday Night Raw. And while the injury was a blow, he’s pleased that he will finally get that ‘Mania moment to showcase why he is the best (in his own mind at least). He said: “More than anything, Wrestle Mania is about my overdue Wrestle Mania moment. I have been a wrestler now for 12 years and forever on this chase. You chase this dream at the top of the mountain – Wrestle Mania.
“This year it is about me, it is about my career, and it is about me finally achieving what I have deserved for so long and that is my very own Wrestle Mania moment; my moment in the sun, so everyone can just look on me – look on the king of the cruiserweights – and realise just how very good I am.” Neville also credits the injury, and subsequent absence from WWE TV, as the awakening that led to his new persona. He continued: “As an athlete an injury is always a huge blow. The timing was terrible too – a few weeks from Wrestle Mania. But that’s life and the nature of this business.
“What hurt me the most in that process was how easily I was forgotten, how I was overlooked, how there was very little compassion shown towards me. I felt very much for the longest time that I wasn’t part of the WWE any more and the Universe (WWE’s fans) treated me exactly like that. They forgot I even existed. That was a bitter pill to swallow and that was very much the catalyst to this new attitude that you see now. The injury was part of the process, something I had to get through, to get to where I am today.
“All that has happened in the past few months, when you’ve seen this ‘rejuvenation of Neville’ as everybody likes to call it, has been a switch in attitude. I have started putting myself first.
“I have stopped relying on others to do right by me and I have done right by myself. You’ve seen the results so you can’t argue with my methods.”
While Neville’s only concern is winning, you can expect the styles of Aries and Neville, real name Ben Satterly, to gel well in their cruiserweight championship clash. Neville should finally get his Wrestle Mania moment and will be a good bet to steal the show.
Don’t miss Wrestle Mania 33 live on the awardwinning WWE Network on Sunday. Catch Neville this May when WWE Live returns to the UK – including a stop-off at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena. For more information, visit www.bookingsdirect.com
I don’t know why everyone is blowing this out of proportion. Wrestle Mania is just another example of what I do WWE star Neville