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What’s the story?
Former Cruiserweight Champion Neville has been rumored for months to have quit the WWE and the latest report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter may have confirmed this.
In case you didn’t know...
Neville joined the Cruiserweight Division in 2016 after returning from injury. The Man That Gravity Forgot became a 2-time Cruiserweight Champion before losing the title to current champion, Enzo Amore and has been absent from WWE programming since.
The heart of the matter
The report from the Wrestling Observer said that Neville is still under contract with the WWE, but the company will make him sit out for the remainder of his deal.
There were rumors of the two working together to reach a deal to bring Neville back to the company, but those plans fell through and Neville still wishes to leave the WWE.
The reasons for the former NXT Champion’s desire to leave were rumored to be a combination of reasons – the earliest of which was not having his Cruiserweight Championship match with Austin Aries included on the sale of the WrestleMania 33 DVD.
After losing the Cruiserweight Championship to Amore at the No Mercy pay-per-view, Neville was planned to have a Lumberjack match against Amore, but that was what many believed to be the final straw that caused Neville to leave the company.
What’s next?
There is no official word on when Neville’s WWE contract will expire, so the former NXT Champion could be sitting out for the remainder of the year unless his contract ends prior to December 2018.
Author’s take
Neville was the best aspect of the Cruiserweight Division and his absence has been problematic for many. His in-ring ability is amongst the best in the company, but the former 205 Live competitor felt that the show was limiting his success – and rightfully so.
