10 New WWE Directions After Extreme Rules 2017

4. A New Challenger For Neville

Samoa Joe Bray Wyatt Seth Rollins Finn Balor
WWE.com

By defeating Austin Aries at Extreme Rules, Neville has effectively washed his hands of him. The clean submission victory reasserts him as the division’s undisputed alpha dog, and with a four-month reign already under his belt, ‘The King Of The Cruiserweights’ remains one of WWE’s strongest pushed wrestlers in 2017.

The outcome should set Neville up for a fresh challenge, and there are a couple of options available. The champ promised TJP a title shot a few weeks ago, but that’d mean booking a prolonged heel vs. heel feud - something WWE rarely do. Instead, WWE should look to the second hottest wrestler in the division at the moment, and book Neville vs. Akira Tozawa.

Tozawa overcame long-time rival Brian Kendrick in an exciting Street Fight on last week’s 205 Live. This gives him the momentum required to mount a title challenge, and his popularity is already there. Furthermore, Tozawa is one of the most talented wrestlers in the division, and someone who is yet to meet Neville inside a WWE ring. It’s a smart direction to take, and one that would likely result in an excellent pay-per-view bout.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.