The Latest on Neville’s WWE Status

Last fall, one of the most remarkable stories in all WWE was Neville’s sudden departure from the company. His absence has been filled with mostly speculation, but we now have an update on his status.

Rumors have Neville returning to WWE, while other reports say he’s in contract limbo. And according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, both of those stories are correct.

“Yeah, he’s hanging out at home, waiting to figure out how he’s going to get out of his WWE contract. Or if he’s going to come up with some way to come back to WWE. We’ll see if that ever happens,” he said.

There’s no exact word on when Neville’s WWE contract does expire, but he seems content with sitting it out barring the emergence of a juicy opportunity.

In October of 2017, Neville walked out on WWE. The reason for his exit has been highly speculated but most reports have him being upset with his position on the card as a member of the cruiserweight division. Others say he was inspired to leave the company after seeing the likes of Cody Rhodes making more money on the independent scene.

Neville dropped his Cruiserweight title to Enzo Amore back at No Mercy and hasn’t been seen on television since the Sept. 26 episode of 205 Live. WWE denied that he had been granted his release, but he was eventually removed from the 205 Live opening video.

It’s not hard to imagine Neville being disgruntled. Having endured some tough challenges on the main roster, he was forced to re-invent himself. To his credit, he did and had one of 2017’s better success stories.

Many forget that Neville was the original figurehead of NXT. Peers like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have gone on to become more relevant in WWE, but perhaps Neville’s opportunities are on the way, provided he does return.

Since Neville’s departure, 205 Live has endured quite the tumultuous period. After Enzo Amoreassumed the Cruiserweight throne, fellow high flyer, Rich Swann was involved in an ugly public episode with his wife that lead to his eventual release. But 205 Live suffered a near fatal blow with the scandal surrounding Enzo Amore. WWE was forced to fire Amore and the Cruiserweight Championship has yet to gain a new master.

If Neville does come back, he likely won’t be a part of 205 Live. Instead, a logical landing place for him would be the US Championship scene on SmackDown.

We’ll keep you posted as this story develops but Neville’s return or at least its possibility will be a perpetual storyline in 2018.

[H/T Ringside News]