Neville’s Greatest WWE Matches, Ranked & Reviewed

The wrestling world has been in mourning following the passing of Benjamin “PAC” Satterley, with tributes pouring out from friends, colleagues, and fans in the last few days. Throughout his wrestling career, PAC wrestled in a whole manner of promotions, most notably of which included both AEW & WWE. His quality of work in AEW in particular saw him deliver many standout clashes, but he also showcased plenty of his skills during his time as “Neville” in WWE too.

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look across the WWE career of Neville to determine the very best matches that deserve acclaim and attention. These ratings will be compared to those from Cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

8

Neville Vs. Austin Aries (WWE WrestleMania 33 Kickoff)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 3.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.36

Although this match came on the kickoff for WrestleMania 33, it ended up being one of the most enjoyable contests of the whole night. Neville defended the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in a match that managed to bring in an initially disinterested crowd, and told a good story of a vicious but impressive heel beating down a resilient babyface.

The action was crisp, clean, and saw the two connect well. Neville would take a cheap shot at Aries’ injured eye, opening the door to a win and successful title retention.

7

Neville Vs. Chris Jericho (WWE Beast In The East)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.70

At the unique televised house show event in Tokyo, Neville and Chris Jericho opened up WWE’s Beast In The East with a very serviceable singles match that saw a confident, intelligent veteran taking on a rising star who worked from below to try and showcase his quality and pick up an upset win.

The crowd was red hot for Jericho to begin with, but Neville won them over with his impressive in-ring work, creating a contest that got better and better as it went on. Neville ultimately succumbed to Jericho’s Liontamer, but he looked great in defeat.

6

Neville Vs. Sami Zayn (NXT 11/13/2014)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.78

Neville put his NXT Championship on the line against Sami Zayn on an episode of NXT at the back end of 2014 in a match that set the stage for what would come in their rivalry. These two incredible in-ring workers displayed wonderful chemistry between the ropes, though it was Zayn who proved to be the fans’ sentimental favorite.

Neville missed the Red Arrow late into the match, injuring his leg in the process. However, a concerned Zayn was caught napping as Neville rolled Zayn up in a pinfall to win the match, revealing that his injury was a ruse. Zayn’s lack of killer instinct cost him, and Neville proved he was willing to go above and beyond to keep his title.

5

Neville Vs. Finn Balor (NXT TakeOver: Rival)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.26

Two of NXT’s greatest stars battled it out at NXT TakeOver: Rival, in what was in many ways a passing of the torch moment at the time, as Neville was set for a full-time call-up to the main roster, with Balor taking over as the face of WWE’s developmental brand.

The matchup started off slowly, but when things got more intense, quicker, and impactful, it developed into a terrific clash. Neville’s continued descent into someone more cocky and physical was great, but it was Balor who stood tall with a Coup De Grace.

4

Neville Vs. Seth Rollins (WWE RAW 08/03/2015)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.92

Seth Rollins issued an open challenge for the WWE Championship on Monday Night RAW, which was answered by Neville. While the pacing was pretty steady and not too crazy for the most part, Neville showed his quality and ability to hang with anyone on the roster, making himself Rollins’ equal as they went back-and-forth.

In the latter stages, Neville came moments away from winning with a roll-up, which pumped up the crowd, before then coming even closer after a Red Arrow with one of WWE’s best executed near-falls ever, with everyone missing Rollins’ foot on the rope. A frenzied audience made a Neville upset believable, but in the end it was Rollins who stood tall with a Pedigree.

3

Neville Vs. Sami Zayn (WWE NXT 01/14/2015)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
• Cagematch.net Rating: 7.81

Neville & Sami Zayn would have an even better match in their feud, but this conclusion to their rivalry served as a very strong matchup. Zayn put his NXT Title on the line, carrying good levels of intensity and focus as he managed to take down his rival. Both men once again displayed their very natural chemistry with one another, with this feeling like an authentic struggle for the gold.

While this was more predictable than some of their other matches, and while it didn’t have quite the same levels of quality as their best match with one another, this still had electric sequences, big counters, near-falls, and more, all leading to Zayn hitting the Helluva Kick to retain his championship.

2

Neville Vs. Sami Zayn Vs. Tyler Breeze Vs. Tyson Kidd (NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.81

One of the best defenses of Neville’s NXT championship reign came at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, defending his prize against the talented trio of Sami Zayn, Tyson Kidd, and Tyler Breeze, in an action-packed contest which proved to be a wonderful showcase of all four men’s characters and in-ring skills.

At times, some of the wild multi-man sequences may have seemed slightly choreographed, but the pace of this match was breathtaking, flowing in a way that retained audience interest the whole way through. The crux of the story centered around the strained friendship between Zayn & Neville, with the latter once again willing to take underhanded steps to winning, which he did once again here.

1

Neville Vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: R Evolution)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.40

The greatest match of Neville’s WWE career is one of his best in any promotion, defending the NXT Championship against Sami Zayn in a stunning main event. Not only was the in-ring work flawless, but it was helped along with sensational character work from both men, with Neviille flirting with a full-blown heel turn and Zayn fighting with his morality, in the end not succumbing to taking shortcuts and winning the match with pure babyface resilience.

Zayn won the match in front of a blistering crowd, securing the NXT Championship. These two long-time friends embraced post-match in an emotional moment, before Kevin Owens shocked the world with a heel turn and brutal attack on Zayn.