WrestleMania 33: Austin Aries vs. Neville full match preview

Austin Aries vs. Neville (c)

Cruiserweight championship match

For a division that’s only about six months old, the cruiserweight championship match feels like a pretty big deal given who’s involved.

On one side, we have the champion Neville. He’s been around NXT and WWE for awhile but never has he been as on top of his game as he is now. Gone are his smiling, cape wearing ways. Instead we’ve got an aggressive, vicious Neville who is full of confidence and has the biggest chip on his shoulder.

His new attitude quickly led him to defeat Rich Swann for the cruiserweight title. While fellow Englishman Jack Gallagher put him through a hell of a fight, the self-proclaimed King of the Cruiserweights persevered in the end.

Neville doesn’t like anyone and it shows. In his mind, everyone is beneath him and they should all bow their knee to the King. He may not be likable, but he’s a hell of a champion.

The man who will be facing him at WrestleMania is the best contender that the cruiserweight division has to offer in A Double Austin Aries.

Like Neville, Aries entered the cruiserweight division with quite the resume. He’s a former Ring of Honor champion. He’s a former TNA champion. And now he’s looking to claim his first WWE prize.

Much like the champion, Aries is extremely talented and wildly entertaining in the ring. He has a fluidity to his style where it’s just fun to watch him move.

When it comes to confidence, like the champion he has an abundance of it. His cocky attitude is as much a part of Aries as his talent in the ring. Hell, the man calls himself the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. That’s a wee bit cocky.

People who may not have followed Austin to this point learned about his attitude when he worked commentary on 205 Live and during the cruiserweight segments on Raw. That stint was to buy time as as he healed up from an orbital bone fracture. As soon as he was healed, he set his sight on the champ.

Now we have two men who are very talented, completely confident, and think that no one is above them. It’s no surprise that when they get in the ring together, they cannot stand each other. Put these two in the ring with microphones in their hands and you get a King who is offended that there’s someone who claims they’re the greatest person ever stating he’s in a league of his own. It’s because of their similarities that they dislike each other so much. That and the fact that only one of them can be champion.

Their bout at WrestleMania should be a treat for all watching. Two men at the top of their game going head to head for the cruiserweight prize. The cruiserweight division is still finding its footing, but its representation at the Show of Shows will do its best to steal it.

Either man could walk out as champion on Sunday and both would be a good standard-bearer for the division. Whose self confidence will be rewarded? We’ll find out at WrestleMania, whose pre-show starts on Sunday at 5 EST (this is a pre-show match) on the WWE Network. And keep it here at CagesideSeats.com for all of your WrestleMania 33 coverage