What if Neville hadn’t left WWE television?

Neville got an extended run in his heel King of the Cruiserweights gimmick, which he spent most of reigning as WWE’s Cruiserweight Champion. While his work during this time was quite good and well received by hardcore fans, Neville was reportedly unhappy with his place in the company. Things came to a head when he was booked to drop the title to Enzo Amore—new to 205 Live and a shell of the worker Neville was. While WWE hinted at bigger plans when Neville beat up Amore badly in a main event segment of Raw, and suggested a double-turn, that would end up being Neville’s last televised appearance for WWE.

Neville remained under contract with WWE. Rumor has it the company didn’t want to let him go off to New Japan and set an uncomfortable precedent for talent looking to get out of their WWE deals. Nonetheless, The Man Who Gravity Forgot is now out from under WWE’s thumb and will be interesting to see what’s next for him.

But what if Neville hadn’t left WWE television in the first place? What might his trajectory have looked like, and how might it have impacted WWE’s bigger picture. This article speculates about five possibilities.

5. Neville reigns over 205 Live again

Neville may have won his Cruiserweight Championship back from Enzo Amore.

While Vince McMahon clearly had a vision for using Enzo Amore’s gift for gab to make him the face of 205 Live, it seems probable that one of two outcomes was bound to happen. As we saw in reality, Amore’s real life alleged sexual assault scandal would have caught up to him and cost him his job. Or, if WWE had allowed him to stay on (and not even demoted him) his limitations as an in ring performer would have worn thin with fans and colleagues until WWE had to make a change.

So, whether Neville was booked to beat Amore outright, or he was selected to take up the championship mantle after Amore was let go, he would remain the most obvious choice to represent the division as its champion. His combination of name recognition, physique, established credibility, and flashy finisher all would keep him a safe, comfortable choice for WWE.

4. Triple H doesn’t take over 205 Live

Triple H may not have taken over 205 Live if the bottom hadn't fallen out so completely.

We may never the full extent of the backstage machinations that led to Triple H taking the creative reins of 205 Live. The general sense, though, I s that WWE recognized it was a niche product best catered to hardcore fans, and given Helmsley’s sensibilities and foothold with NXT, he was a natural choice to takeover after the failing division lost its top two stars in a matter of months.

It’s possible WWE would have come to similar conclusions about how best to cater to the 205 Live audience with Neville still in the mix. However, as the division’s de facto marquee star, he could have bought it time, and made management more committed to keeping the brand featured on Raw. With him out of the mix, and a relatively anonymous crop of talents, there was little to lose in making the division WWE Network exclusive, and letting Triple H see what he could make of it.

3. Neville re-enters the heavyweight ranks

Neville may have found himself back amidst the heavyweights.

When last we saw Neville, he attacked Enzo Amore in direct contradiction of orders not to physically engage with him, on penalty of not being able to challenge for the Cruiserweight Championshp again. Many theorized that WWE was setting up Neville as an anti-authority face who’d find his way back to the title mix and eventually give Amore his comeuppance?

Another possibility? Maybe WWE would have simply moved Neville back into the heavyweight ranks for fresher matchups and the chance to broach the main event status he had achieved back in NXT. There’s no guarantee he would have succeeded in that context, but it might have opened up quite a few fresh matchups, be it on Raw or SmackDown, and made available a number of new possibilities for his character. On the flip side, he might have gotten lost in the shuffle, though, not unlike what happened during his initial face run on the main roster.

2. Neville vs. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan vs. Neville might have become a reality.

Daniel Bryan retired from the ring in February 2016, after missing two extended stretches due to his head injuries. It was great to see Bryan return to action this year, and part of the fun has been seeing him booked against an array of talent he hadn’t gotten to work before on SmackDown, ranging from Jeff Hardy to Shelton Benjamin to Rusev.

One match we’ll never see in a WWE ring, however, is Neville vs. Daniel Bryan. Granted, even if Neville had stuck around, its far from a foregone conclusion that WWE would have booked this one, as Neville may have stay put in the Cruiserweight division, or at least on Raw. However, the possibility would have been opened, and this pair of technically savvy in ring wizards with indie backgrounds may well have been able to light a WWE ring on fire. Whether it were a one off TV match, or a proper program, this will go down as a dream match for which the timing just never lined up.

1. More Cruiserweight Championship defenses on main cards

Neville represented the Cruiserweight division's best shot at escaping the pre-show.

In the likely event that WWE were to have kept Neville in the Cruiserweight ranks for at least a period of time, there’s a very real chance that he may have kept the division represented on the main card of PPV shows.

In losing Enzo Amore and Neville in close succession, and in then moving the Cruiserweight division off of Raw (Triple H says to keep them form being over exposed), the division may have wound up more competitive and interesting as a stand alone brand. Nonetheless, it also lost marquee value. The casual fan who only watches Raw and SmackDown won’t necessarily recognize a Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, or Buddy Murphy. So it is that, despite the show being a hit with hardcore fans since the Triple H overhaul, the Cruiserweights simply haven’t had a place on proper PPV cards.

Maybe things worked out for the best, but particularly if the edgy face character Neville was edging toward in the end had caught on, he could have been an interesting attraction for fans of any stripe.