5 Reasons Neville Wants To Quit WWE
2. The Lure Of - And Unfinished Business With - New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling, in 2017, has entered a hitherto unseen stratosphere of critical acclaim. The top-tier matches promoted this year are simply unbelievable in their fusion of psychology, athleticism, brutality and gravitas - and critical acclaim is as similar a lure as fan appreciation.
You suspect that this is what Neville is in the game for. The man is an artist, as devastatingly underscored by the promotion of Enzo Amore, parasite, at his expense. Neville's 2012 stint with New Japan was brief, but not brief enough to become a mere footnote; he got over there immediately. Officials even awarded him with a landmark victory over company legend Jushin 'Thunder' Liger. They liked him then. They'd love him now.
New Japan is also a meritocracy. Under booker Gedo's immaculate stewardship, it isn't a toxic environment in which performers are punished for failing to get over in stymied roles. Tetsuya Naito failed to replace Hiroshi Tanahashi as company Ace between 2013 and 2014. He wasn't jobbed out nor humiliated on television, nor demoted at the expense of an inferior talent. Gedo retained his faith, and it paid off: Naito in 2017 is now the biggest star on the puroresu landscape.
It isn't a litmus test with shifting goalposts. It's a company antithetical to WWE in every conceivable department - a promised land for a performer who simply belongs there in either - or both - junior and heavyweight divisions.