8 Big Questions Raised By Neville Walking Out On WWE
What next for 'The King Of The Cruiserweights?'
Neville has been one of WWE's top performers in 2017. Reborn as 'The King Of The Cruiserweights,' he has crafted one of the company's most enjoyable characters since turning heel, becoming a true must-see act in the process. His pay-per-view matches are routinely excellent, and while much of his best work has taken place on 205 Live (a brand nobody watches), his consistency is astounding.
Now, it looks as though the Englishman is on his way out of the company.
The news was initially reported by Twitter user @WrestleVotes, and corroborated by the Wrestling Observer and Pro Wrestling Sheet - two of the most reliable sources around. If true, it'll be WWE's loss and everyone else's game. Neville isn't a main eventer, but has proved himself a massive asset in 2017, and he'd be an immediate boon to any smaller promotion.
This isn't a good look for WWE. Sure, Neville is just one wrestler in a pool of hundreds, but he's one of the hardest working guys in the business, a world-class in-ring performer, and he'll be a white-hot free agent commodity. The situation poses a number of questions about the wrestler and company, and none reflect well on the latter...
8. Was This Triggered By Enzo Amore?
Neville ascended the cruiserweight ranks the old-fashioned way: through great matches, and great character work. 205 Live's upper tier didn't hit the same heights as WCW's old division, but his reinvention as 'The King Of The Cruiserweights' made WWE's lowliest brand worth watching. He clawed his way to the top, and while he still wasn't getting the Raw opportunities his work warranted, the Geordie became one of 2017's most consistent performers.
Enzo Amore is the antithesis of this. A one-note, gimmick-driven act, he's one of the company's worst in-ring performers, but a magnetic personality WWE hoped would draw eyes to 205. His ascension was swift. Crowned Cruiserweight Champion within weeks of joining the division, Enzo has since closed three consecutive Raws with his matches and promos - an opportunity never afforded to Neville, despite his undeniable talent.
It's extremely likely that this had everything to do with the Englishman's walk-out. He'd spent the year grafting to build something worthwhile on 205, but was replaced by a vastly inferior act in the blink of an eye. It sends the message that outlandish gimmicks are still all that matters in WWE, and that all Neville's work was for nought.