WWE Missed Opportunities: Neville the Latest Superstar to Be Rushed

After spending over two very successful years on the WWE NXT roster, Adrian Neville finally debuted on the main roster the night following WrestleMania 31. Going by only "Neville," he made quick work of Curtis Axel.

This was a perfect debut for a Superstar who could have come to the main roster much earlier than he did. But the fact WWE chose to wait so long before unveiling him to its mainstream audience is no reason to rush him up the ranks.

What happened to WWE having patience and properly building programs?

In just his second appearance on Raw, Neville was in the ring with the WWE World Heavyweight champion, Seth Rollins. Since that time, he's had matches with Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus.

Credit: WWE.com

Two of those three matches have resulted in losses, the other a win by disqualification. But the match results aren't even the biggest problem here. Why is Neville already in the ring with these guys?

At this rate, he'll be answering John Cena's open challenge this coming Monday.

This is a prime example of what made wrestling much more exciting many, many years ago. For those of you who have been watching since the 1980s, you'll remember a time when you were lucky to see two "big-name" wrestlers face each other on free television.

Instead, you would see one guy you knew showcase his talents by destroying some jobber who you knew had no chance of winning the match. That's just how WWE was programmed at that time.

Monday Night Raw changed that in 1993, but even then, you never saw Shawn Michaels face Bret Hart. Instead, you'd get Shawn Michaels vs. Max Moon and Bret Hart vs. Hakushi.

However, matches like that helped to properly build a program. Having the two guys who were going to face each other on pay-per-view never face each other on television was the right move. By the time that match actually happened, you couldn't wait to witness it.

In today's WWE, by the time a pay-per-view rolls around, you've already seen the match on television countless times. Why should you care to see it again?

It seems evident that Neville has the ability to reach the top of WWE at some point. But he's already faced Rollins and Ziggler, two of the most intriguing opponents for him on the roster.

Sure, with more time, those matches could be even better. Sure, the feuds between the men could become even more intense. But WWE still should have saved these matches.

Instead of being rushed into matches like this, Neville should be placed into a midcard-level feud with someone such as Stardust.

This would allow Neville to establish himself on the main roster, giving him a slow build to success. The best Superstars are built through the ranks, and while some may consider his time in NXT as doing so, he shouldn't be thrust into such high-profile matches just after debuting.

Instead, keeping Neville under the radar and having him strike at the most opportune time would have much more impact than the current path he has taken.

Of course, it seems that in today's WWE, going after the biggest Superstars is the way debuts work. Take The Shield and Paige, for example.

For those fans who would prefer to see new Superstars start small and come along slowly, those days appear to be something of the past.