5 Reasons Neville Wants To Quit WWE

5. The Stigmatisation Of 205 Live

Neville's sheer commitment to his gimmick was commendable. His work was subtle and method acting-level comprehensive. When he emerged on the Monday Night RAW following No Mercy, to confront new Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, he looked frazzled. His hair was a shock of dried strands. His eyes looked hollowed out. His skin was Sheamus-pale. Instantly, the dejection of losing his title to this literal pretender was manifested all over his physical form. The man looked as if he had walked for miles through the night, searching his soul as the birds stirred awake. Neville had evolved into an expert pro wrestling psychologist.

Nobody took any notice because 205 Live, the brand Neville had been tasked with carrying, was doomed to failure by its creators and treated as an inconvenience by its intended audience. There is too much good wrestling to catch up on in 2017. 205 Live, a toned-down continuation of the Cruiserweight Classic, presented fans with the sort of wrestling available virtually everywhere else in the workrate era, performed by talents we hadn't been afforded any opportunity to connect with. The curious initial focus on Alicia Fox and her love triangle story alienated the slim viewership immediately. It could not have acted as a more fitting metaphor for WWE's tired sports entertainment storytelling crutches - and this was meant to be the pro wrestling show.

All connected with the show were stigmatised as irrelevant. This included both King and peasants alike.