WWE WrestleMania 33: Assessing The Potential Of All 14 Matches

12. Neville Vs. Austin Aries - Cruiserweight Title Match

Triple H Seth Rollins WrestleMania 33
WWE.com

There is no doubt in any reasonable person's mind that Neville and Austin Aries are more than capable of wrestling a match in the **** range or higher.

The phenomenal in-ring talent Neville has finally carved out a character that has properly resonated with WWE fans, dominating the Cruiserweight division with his scary deadlift power game and excellent character work. Aries meanwhile is showing glimpses of the man who in 2012 was the best wrestler in North America. An in-built narrative of Neville meeting his match and clinging desperately to his "crown" exists. The platform is there.

Truthfully, the two men have it in them to steal the show entirely. They probably won't be allocated enough time to do so.

205 Live needs a shot in the arm, and a showcase match could do just that, but as a Network exclusive it is low on WWE's list of priorities. Nobody is attending 'Mania to see it, a message that will probably be relayed to them by a road agent, encouraging them to hold something back for the feature bouts.

Expect a retread of Neville's Cruiserweight Title win over Rich Swann at Royal Rumble a few months back: very good for what it is, but compromised by both positioning and length.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!