Neville recently spoke with Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin of Ring Rust Radio. The full interview can be heard above and you can read some highlights below:
Donald Wood: The jump from NXT to the main roster can be a daunting concept for many stars, but your transition has been seamless. With smaller wrestlers not always finding success in the WWE, were there any concerns from you about making the move and how do you feel the fans and the people backstage are reacting to you?
Neville: I think NXT prepared me for Raw and Smackdown more than I ever could have hoped for. I was with NXT for about two years, so by the time I debuted on Raw I felt very much ready. There was a level of concern but I was lucky in the sense that I got the chance to wrestle some of the top guys early on. Guys like Seth Rollins, Sheamus, and more recently John Cena. So it was a concern that I wouldn’t get those types of opportunities when I came in but I was fortunate enough to get them and grab them. I was very happy in the way I transferred and the opportunities I got.
Mike Chiari: Not long after your main roster debut you put on a great match against John Cena for the United States Championship and it almost looked like you were going to win title before Rusev interfered. What did going shot for shot with one of the biggest stars in WWE history mean to you personally, and what do you think it did for your credibility in the eyes of the fans, especially the ones who weren’t familiar with your work in NXT?
Neville: That match was huge for me. It was very surreal to be standing across the ring from John Cena on Monday Night Raw. I think it really did a lot for me. It was a real opportunity I needed and John is a WWE Superstar. He has been the top guy in the WWE for years and years. So the fact that I had that opportunity and went toe to toe with him was amazing. It put me in front of the eyes of the WWE Universe and the world. That was a really cool experience, it was so much fun and it was priceless.
Brandon Galvin: Shortly after your debut on the main roster, you surprised a young WWE fan on the Meredith show, which created a ton of buzz. How rewarding was that experience for you and what do you consider to be the most rewarding part of being a WWE Superstar?
Neville: That’s the most rewarding thing for me to reach out to the kids. It’s really crazy but it’s the most important thing we do. I really didn’t expect that reaction like everyone gave me being on the Meredith Vieira show. I was sitting in the pit in back, and it made me realize how important what we do really is. That’s the most important thing is how we reach the WWE Universe and how we inspire people in their life. If I can do that and be given the chance to do it, it’s really the best thing we do.
Donald Wood: With the success of stars like Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, yourself and many others, there is no denying the influence of independent wrestling. How did working the indie scene before coming to NXT help you prepare for the WWE experience and what are some of the difference you didn’t expect?
Neville: The landscape is completely changing and I love it. The way things are working out and the opportunities people I grew up with are getting. I feel the independent scene is important and it fueled my passion for four years. It taught me the life lessons that helped make me who I am today and helped me on the path I followed to living my dream job every day. The independent scene is hugely important and the roads you travel in it shape you. My career path is the best I could have hoped for and that’s thanks to independent wrestling and territories across the world.
