WWE: How Can Neville Help Enzo Amore Look Strong?

There is no mistaking the fact that Neville is the “King of the Cruiserweights”, and despite a minor blip that allowed Akira Tozawa to secure the title for about a week, it seems like his reign could be never-ending. His newest challenger for the Cruiserweight Championship is Enzo Amore, who is less polished than the wrestlers Neville has been accustomed to facing.

Although Enzo Amore has no shortage of backstage heat, which was acknowledged on WWE programming, and has his struggles in the ring, there is no doubting his popularity among the fans. When Enzo made his much-anticipated debut on 205 Live, it was the first time I can remember hearing the usually worn-out live audience audibly rejoicing. It was an incredible reaction, and despite shortcomings in the ring, he could be Neville’s most marquee opponent.

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Recently, Chris Jericho said on Sirius XM’s Busted Open that Neville needs to be up to the task of making Enzo look good in the ring (hat tip to CageSide Seats’s Sean Rueter). Jericho knows that Neville has his work cut out for him, but it’s up to the self-proclaimed “King of the Cruiserweights” to make it happen.

I’ve been a fan of 205 Live ever since Neville’s reign first began, and the show features some of the most entertaining wrestling and storytelling in WWE. The problem is that it’s been difficult to get fans invested into the product. 205 Live is exclusive to the WWE Network, and it airs live after the fans have already sat through SmackDown Live, meaning the live audience is already worn out. Enzo has already injected new life into the division with his fast-talking, and it was entertaining to watch him cheat by grabbing the tights to thwart the heel trio of Noam Dar, Drew Gulak, and Tony Nese.

Although Neville has run rampant through the Cruiserweight Division, rarely suffering a loss, he has done a remarkable job of making his opponents look strong in the ring. Neville helped sell the devastating “Last Chancery” submission hold from Austin Aries, and it’s been entertaining to watch him bump for Akira Tozawa (particularly those hard barricade bumps he does where he lands right on his head).

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Putting over Enzo’s offense will be much more difficult, though. Firstly, Enzo’s wrestling isn’t crisp, and it puts the pressure on the person taking the move. Secondly, Enzo doesn’t have any recognizable moves, because he spent the vast majority of his time being squashed handily by Big Cass in his singles matches. From what I could tell in his 205 Live debut match, Enzo has a diving crossbody, a couple of other simple top-rope moves, a DDT, and his “Jawdunzo” move.

That should be enough to work with in Neville’s case, but there will have to be some creative spots. In order to sell this feud properly as something the fans should take seriously in the ring (not just on the mic), Enzo might have to steal a win. Back on July 25, Ariya Daivari defeated Neville by count-out on 205 Live after diving in and out of the ring, then throwing Neville into the barricade.

It was a fluke win in every sense, and I wonder if Neville and Enzo could follow a similar formula. That could be achieved by having Neville dominate the match, but Enzo suddenly catches him off guard. Either Enzo hits him outside the ring, Neville’s own move backfires, or Enzo cheats to win. It might be ideal to have a combination of multiple fluky events to emphasize the fact that Enzo stole the victory. I’d say that would fit his character perfectly, and it would match the way he captured the victory in that six-man tag match on 205 Live.

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Neville will end up vanquishing Enzo in this feud, because it would be a shock for there to be any other result. However, Enzo should still come away with a victory at some point, if for no reason other than to prolong this feud and increase its entertainment value. This has a chance to be one of 205 Live’s most compelling storylines if done properly, because we know the babyface/heel dynamic between these two will enthrall the crowd on the mic. But the mic work has to be backed up in the ring, and that’s where Neville’s greatness must come into play. His selling and creativity will need to be on point, as Enzo will need to be carried in the ring.

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