Neville exclusive interview - WWE Superstar talks Bo Dallas match up, NXT & more!

by Daniel Falconer | 30 May 2015

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Neville / © 2015 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom, Neville is one of the latest WWE Superstars to really take the bull by its horns and give all he has when he enters the squared circle. At 5'10" and weighing in at 194 lbs, he's not the biggest competitor, but he's certainly one who doesn't allow that to get in the way of his goals and ambitions.

Now a main fixture in the huge WWE brand on Monday Night Raw and Smackdown, he's become an instant fan-favourite and will this weekend go one on one with Bo Dallas at the WWE Network exclusive pay-per-view event, Elimination Chamber.

Female First got the chance to chat to 'The Man That Gravity Forgot' ahead of that fight to find out how he's feeling about the battle ahead, which competitors he'd love to go up against and more. Read on to find out what he had to say.

We saw you recently make the move up from NXT to the main WWE roster, how did that feel?

It was surreal. Growing up, my wildest dream was always to be part of the WWE, and I'd been in NXT by that time for two and a half years, so I felt very, very ready to go. So when I actually made the move, it was quite surreal to be there performing on Monday Night Raw - a show that I've watched growing up my whole life. It was weird but it was certainly an incredible experience that I'll never ever forget. Like backstage, that night after Wrestlemania, it was unbelievable.

How does that process work of going from NXT to WWE?

Right now, NXT is kind of a brand in itself. It's a show that airs on the WWE Network and it has a huge, growing following. So what you'll do is you'll get signed to a developmental contract with the WWE to work in NXT, and then from that point on it's very much on your own merit that you go forward, and if you impress and you find success on NXT, then you get scouted for the main product - for Raw and for Smackdown - and that's what happened for me.

Was there anything unexpected that came with the transition?

Honestly, I'd say what was unexpected was the opportunities I got. I feel like I was very fortunate in the sense that I got threw in the mix pretty much straight off the bat. I was mixing it up with guys like King Barrett and guys like Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler - these guys who are successful in their own right on the main product, on Raw and Smackdown - so I guess that was a little bit unexpected, that I got those opportunities so early on from debuting, you know?

You're hugely popular with the crowds and WWE Universe, do you think you'd like to go the other way and go full heel?

No, not at this point. I'm enjoying the ride now, I'm very flattered by the response I do get, I think it's incredible and I'm just new, so I'm enjoying the way things are going right now, as they are.

We saw you on NXT end Bo Dallas' reign as NXT Champion and that storyline is developing even now with him attacking you this past Monday on Raw - now you're set to go one on one at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, what are your feelings going into that match?

Like you said, me and Bo have a lot of history. We've got a little bit of unfinished business, so I'm very much looking forward to being able to step into the ring again with Bo. Taking nothing away from Bo, he's an outstanding athlete and a great competitor, and he tests me, he really does test me so... I love competition, I'm a very competitive person so I'm looking forward to the opportunity again to stand there with Bo and go at it.

Is there anyone in particular who you'd like to be involved with in a storyline going forward?

Yeah, it's a huge list. I think right now the main roster, there's so much talent there, and like I said I'm very competitive, so I like to test myself against a whole spectrum of WWE Superstars that are out there now. You know, guys who are different in so many different ways. You've got guys like Stardust compared to guys like Bray Wyatt. You've got guys like Bo compared to guys like Seth Rollins. Everybody's so different so you know, right now I'm just taking every day as it comes and I'm just enjoying being in the mix and enjoying getting the opportunity to compete at this highest level, week in, week out in front of the world. It's really quite surreal to me.

What would be your dream match-up - as in opponent, type of match etc.?

Again, it's so hard to single one out. Obviously you know, when you talk about dream matches and you talk about the WWE, you can't not mention John Cena. I wrestled John a few weeks back on Monday Night Raw, in one of my favourite, favourite matches that I've ever had. I feel like it was competed at a really high level and I feel like I surprised John with the fight that I brought. And also the end to that match was quite inconclusive, so I'd love the opportunity to do that again with John, perhaps on an even bigger stage than Monday Night Raw - maybe a pay-per-view or something - that would definitely be one of my dream matches. But there's so many it's hard to single out one, but John would definitely be one that springs to mind.

Neville versus John Cena / © 2015 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

There's obviously a lot of talent bubbling away in NXT, who would you like to make the move up next?

I think Finn Balor. He's an incredible talent, and a man that I've known for, going on 10, 11 years, no, longer than that actually, probably about 14 years now. Not only is he an unbelievable talent but he's a good friend of mine so I'd love to see Finn make the jump. I think he's a very worthy candidate for the next jump, but you never quite know what's gonna happen and that's the beauty of WWE. You never know who's gonna move where, when, you never know quite what's gonna happen, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

We have WWE Tough Enough coming to the WWE Network later this year, what advice do you have for those taking part?

I guess the main advice that I'd give to any young and up and coming talent that's trying to break in, it's just to be different, to stand out from the crowd, because there is so much competition out there, people jostling for positions and trying to get a spot, so the main thing is just stand out, be different and catch people's attention, that's the best thing you can do. But obviously on top of that, work hard, have a good attitude, be respectful, but to stand out I think is the main thing.

What's next for you, do you have your eyes set on any particular prize?

I'm still very much cutting my teeth here on Raw and on Smackdown, I'm still getting to know the landscape up here, so I'm trying to take every day as it comes. I'm generally a highly motivated person, I always try and be the very best I can be, so I'm just gonna try and take every day and be the best that I can be, and prove myself to the WWE Universe and the WWE in general, and see how far I can go. Who knows what the future holds? I feel like the sky's really the limit and I'm just gonna keep my head down and work my ass off.