Business has really picked up in the WWE cruiserweight division over the last few weeks. Enzo Amore won the Cruiserweight Title, then lost it, and Neville reportedly walked out before Raw a few weeks ago.
WWE has yet to issue an official statement regarding Neville’s status, but it was recently reported that he is 100% done with the company. What’s next for Neville and whether or not the two sides can reconcile remains to be seen, but there’s little doubt that one way or another Neville will be looking to return to the ring as soon as possible.
When asked about rumors of Neville’s WWE departure during an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Chris Jericho said that he’s not surprised and he thinks that Neville wasn’t really getting his shot in WWE (H/T to WrestlingInc for the transcription).
“It doesn’t surprise me because I think a guy like Neville, whenever I worked with him we had great matches,” Jericho said. “He reminds me a lot, actually, of working with Chris Benoit in that he’s very hard-hitting, he’s very solid, very graceful and not stiff in the least, just a really innovative, smart worker. I think he wasn’t really getting his shot in the WWE, and the cruiserweight thing is fine but let’s be honest, it is what it is. I think there’s a lot higher potential for a guy like Neville in the ring and also the character.”
Jericho noted that leaving WWE is a risk, but Neville has everything he needs to succeed, and he could end up becoming a bigger star by taking a chance on himself.
“It’s a big step, it’s like walking off the side of a building and being told that there’s a net at the bottom, but you can’t see it,” Jericho said. “So you don’t know for sure if he’s making the right decision as of right now. But talent-wise, character-wise and intelligence-wise, he’s got all three of those things. So he’s not making this decision lightly, and I think wherever he ends up he’ll be probably a bigger star than he was before just by getting a bigger opportunity.”
Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks have certainly proved that you don’t need WWE to succeed in the wrestling industry. So, it should be interesting to see what the future holds for Neville.
