Chris Jericho Says Neville Reminds Him Of Deceased WWE Superstar
Neville has been in the headlines for over a week after reportedly no-showing Monday Night Raw and forcing the WWE to change their plans for the Cruiserweight Championship. He was rumored to be unhappy with the WWE and subsequently quit the company. Chris Jericho recently discussed Neville’s situation, and he compared his talent to a deceased WWE superstar.
As reported last week, Neville was not pleased that he was going to job to Enzo Amore, and there were no plans for him to get out of the Cruiserweight division. He was also unhappy from being omitted from the WrestleMania 33 DVD, causing him to lose royalties from the show because he was on the Kickoff Show.
There were different reports regarding Neville no-showing Monday Night Raw last week or walking out after knowing the plans for him. The current speculation surrounding Neville is that he’s “100 percent gone” from the WWE, per The Wrestling Observer(h/t Wrestling News). Neville reportedly wants to go back to the independent circuit and re-invent his character, just like Drew McIntyre did in 2014.
Chris Jericho, one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time, weighed in on Neville’s situation in an appearance on the Busted Open Radio podcast. Jericho noted that Neville is a great worker with potential, and he would thrive on the independent circuit. He added that Neville is going to be successful outside the WWE just like Cody Rhodes, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, and The Young Bucks.
“Y2J” also discussed Neville’s talent and work rate. He compared “The King Of The Cruiserweights” to a controversial and deceased WWE superstar Chris Benoit. Jericho told the podcast (h/t Wrestling Inc.) that Neville reminds him of Benoit because of his hard-hitting and innovative style.
“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.”
Chris Jericho and Neville had some good matches in the past couple of years on the main roster. But one of them might have indirectly caused Neville to get lost in the shuffle. As reported by WWE.com, Neville suffered a broken ankle in a match against Jericho in the March 14, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw. He missed WrestleMania 32, and he was out for four months.
Neville returned on the July 25, 2016 edition of Monday Night Raw, but there were no big plans for him. He feuded with The Dudley Boyz, Curtis Axel, and Bo Dallas before moving down to the Cruiserweight division last December. He dominated the 205 Live superstars, and he should have moved up to the upper mid-card scene.
Meanwhile, for those who do not know, Chris Benoit is a former WWE superstar that worked for the company from 2000 until he murdered his wife and son before committing suicide in 2007. Benoit was subsequently removed from the WWE history books. Chris Jericho worked lots of matches with Benoit, and he knows what he’s talking about when comparing him to Neville.
[Featured Image by WWE]
