One of the first things a superstar must do when they jump from face to heel is change up their move-set. It has been a long-standing wrestling tradition that ariel moves are for faces because crowds pop when they see them performed. Neville made a heel turn at Roadblock when he decimated good and bad guys alike, but he still used his grandiose top-rope finisher ‘The Red Arrow’ in the process.
Neville defeated Lince Dorado on Raw using a new finishing maneuver which bared resemblance to the ‘Rings of Saturn’ submission. After Dorado tapped to the hold, the former NXT Champion applied it once more for good measure. This solidified Neville’s intentions to keep this move in his repertoire.
However, the second application of his new finisher saw Rich Swann running down for the save. Neville already made his intentions to take the cruiserweight champion down quite clear, and Swann keeps rising the challenge. Fans of the high flyer who have been clamoring to see him mix it up in the cruiserweight division since the CWC’s inception this past summer are finally getting their wish.
It is a refreshing change of pace to see Neville’s character receive this update. Giving him a punishing submission move as a finisher not only establishes a more vicious side to the Englishman, it also puts him at less risk for another injury.
After @WWENeville's victory on #RAW, #Cruiserweight Champion @GottaGetSwann rushed the ring to save @LuchadorLD from further injury. pic.twitter.com/lJP377eGma
— WWE (@WWE) January 10, 2017
The Rings of Saturn is a scissored armbar submission which was popularized by Perry Saturn during his WWF run in the early 2000s. Let’s just hope Neville doesn’t borrow the moppy gimmick as well.
Heel Neville is turning the cruiserweight kids game into a man’s game.