From the WWE Rumor Mill: Disappointing update on WWE's negotiations with Neville

What’s the story?

Former Cruiserweight Champion Neville was rumoured to be in negotiations with the WWE regarding a return, but those negotiations have halted according to a report published by PWInsider.

In case you didn’t know...

Neville joined the Cruiserweight Division in late 2016 and went on to become the fourth Cruiserweight Champion at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Neville would go on to hold the title for nearly 200 days before losing it to Akira Tozawa.

Neville would regain the championship at SummerSlam, but would lose the title again to Enzo Amore prior to leaving the company.

The heart of the matter

After losing the Cruiserweight Championship to Amore, Neville reportedly walked out of the WWE following creative disputes. Reports emerged later that 'the Man Gravity Forgot' was negotiating with WWE and that the two were close to a deal.

However, with the reports of Neville’s talks with WWE being abruptly halted, his status with the company is currently unknown, but more than likely leading towards Neville leaving the company to wrestle elsewhere.

One of the reasons for behind the desire to leave was being left off the WrestleMania 33 DVD, a problem his former rival Austin Aries spoke on prior to his exit from the company.

However, one of the main reasons he wanted to leave was rumoured to be to build his name in another company, possibly NJPW.

What’s next?

There has been no information revealed regarding the status of Neville’s contract and when it’s set to expire, so there’s no way of knowing when Neville’s termination with WWE will be official.

The halted negotiations could resume and lead to the King of the Cruiserweights returning to WWE television, but that is pure speculation at this point.

Author’s take

Neville’s presence in 205 Live is greatly missed and would be very helpful to the Cruiserweights as they prepare for their exclusive house shows in 2018.

Hopefully, this situation is resolved soon.