WWE Armchair Booking: How to Maximize the Neville vs. Stardust Feud

It may be low on WWE's list of priorities, but the Neville-Stardust feud has the potential to be one of the better narratives heading into SummerSlam.

There's a comic book feel to this story of a high-flying dynamo looking to fend off a fiendish villain. Playing off that is smart.

Make Stardust look like one of those would-be masterminds out to cut a hero out of the sky. Make Neville feel even more like a gravity-defying do-gooder plucked from the world of comics.

WWE has a shot here to showcase Stardust, presenting him as a dangerous, unstable threat. It can also use this battle to further push Neville. A resounding win against Stardust after a strong story would boost The Man Who Gravity Forget, prepping him for whatever the company has planned for him next.

And throwing in a celebrity, who has made it clear that he wants to be a part of the action, wouldn't hurt either.

The Bent Arrow

Stephen Amell, of Arrow fame, has been teasing a possible match with Stardust with months. The two have traded barbs on Twitter, and the pseudo rivalry has even spilled onto Raw. 

It makes sense to welcome a willing celebrity to the spotlight but not the ring itself. Pro wrestling's love affair with celebrities often turns ugly when it starts booking untrained wrestlers for matches. Instead, have him be a central part of the story between Stardust and Neville, a side attraction with some name power.

Amell appears on Raw as he has done before. He's in the crowd cheering on Zack Ryder, who faces off against Stardust.

The face-painted oddity gets distracted by the actor's presence. That leads to Ryder scoring an upset win.

Enraged, Stardust throws a fit at ringside. At first, it's comical. He pulls at his hair and stomps his feet on the floor. The situation then becomes violent.

Credit: WWE.com

Stardust yanks Amell out of the crowd and throws him in the ring. He hits The Queen's Crossbow, knocking Amell out cold. Stardust then ties up the actor in the ring ropes, grabs a steel chair and threatens to wallop the man who cost him a win.

In comes Neville.

The fan favorite leaps into the ring, kicks Stardust to the mat and nails him with a standing moonsault. Stardust retreats, promising to make Neville pay for his intrusion. 

Haunting Star

Over the next few weeks, Stardust stalks Neville, looking for opportunities to pounce on him. This is WWE's chance to build up the heel as a real threat. He should leave fans with lasting images of his mercilessness, cunning and madness.

A bit of creativity will have Stardust portrayed as the wacky archenemy while Neville generates sympathy as the victim.

Credit: WWE.com

One night on Raw, Neville and Viktor wait for their match to start. The commentators notice there's no referee. There's some confusion in the ring and some scrambling from the employees at ringside.

Stardust then emerges in a referee uniform. He informs the crowd that the official signed to his match isn't available. He implies the ref is hurt thanks to him.

The match, not surprisingly, isn't called fairly. Stardust favors Viktor at every turn, counting faster for the member of The Ascension and allowing him to choke Neville without admonishment.

That leads to Neville losing and Stardust taking advantage of a hurt foe. He clobbers the high-flyer after the match with both Viktor and Konnor adding their cheap shots as well. 

Neville promises to make Stardust pay. That vengeance will have to wait, though. 

He's booked to tag with Los Matadores against The New Day on the next SmackDown. Throughout the contest, one of the bullfighters doesn't tag in at all. Attentive fans will notice that it's not Fernando standing in the corner but Stardust in full Matadores attire. 

Near the end of the match, the real Fernando comes limping out. It's clear that he's been tied up somewhere and has just now escaped. El Torito and Diego look at each other in confusion. They realize what's going on too late.

Just as Neville goes for Red Arrow, Stardust pushes him off the top turnbuckle out onto the floor. He then pounds on his enemy until Neville is counted out.

Summer Vengeance 

Neville vs. Stardust is set for SummerSlam. Amell demands to be in Neville's corner.

There are a number of elements to play with in the promotional videos leading up to this. Aside from the obvious revenge angle, WWE can draw parallels between Neville, an in-ring superhero who uses Red Arrow as his signature move, and Amell who plays a superhero on TV named Green Arrow. 

Credit: WWE.com

The actual match should be played as the villain getting his comeuppance.

A fiery Neville dominates early on. He abuses Stardust with hard kicks and high-flying moves. A missed Shooting Star Press creates a shift in momentum, however.

Stardust is on the attack for a while, but Neville comes charging back. When the referee gets knocked out during the battle, Stardust looks to even things up with the help of a steel chair. That's where Amell steps in, yanking the chair out of his grip and landing one clean shot.

The referee comes to just as Neville is ascending the ring ropes. Red Arrow spells the end for Stardust. 

Neville and Amell celebrate in the ring, the former getting a signature moment with the help of the latter.

With so many big matches likely on the SummerSlam card, this midcard clash isn't likely to get much time. The story leading up to it, though, is key to this being a boost for the former NXT titleholder.

The hero vanquishes the villain; the emerging star continues his emergence.