Enzo Amore Issues First Statement Following WWE Release
The past few months have been quite the whirlwind for the WWE cruiserweight division. For the greater part of 2017, Neville experienced his first run as a heel on the main roster and dominated the division as the top star. In NXT, Neville teased a heel turn, but it was never fully executed. On the main roster, Neville mostly filled the role of being quietly athletic, but seemingly reached a ceiling as a babyface. As a heel, fans witnessed a complete character change and ability to garner jeers from the crowd with his heelish mannerisms.
However, in the latter part of the year, Neville would be frustrated with his role in the company and walk out. Months earlier, popular star Austin Aries, who initially injected a positive shift in momentum for the division, ended up being released due to WWE not having any direction for him. In late 2017, former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was suspended after being arrested for false imprisonment and battery of his wife, female wrestler Su Yung. As a result, his cruiserweight championship opportunity would be forfeited, and he has not appeared back in WWE since.
In what is even more shocking news, the latest cruiserweight champion, Enzo Amore, was recently suspended by WWE amid rape allegations from 2017. Just hours before Enzo was scheduled to appear on the 25th anniversary of Raw, he became involved in a police investigation of the charges, which were phoned in on October 23 at around 2:30 p.m.
BREAKING: Eric Arndt (aka Enzo Amore) has been suspended; WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault. https://t.co/RjPuE6Wglt
— WWE (@WWE) January 22, 2018
Unfortunately for Enzo, what was first a suspension has now become a release. WWE fired Enzo (Eric Arndt, 31), and the state of the cruiserweight championship is undetermined. In an aggressive attempt to clear his name, Enzo’s counsel has released a statement of the allegations.
— REAL1 (FKA Enzo Amore) (@real1) January 24, 2018
Enzo’s representative, Timothy Eckstein, explained that Philomena Sheahan has made multiple public accusations against Enzo, including the one from last October. Eckstein added that Enzo “fully and unequivocally denies those allegations,” and is cooperating with the authorities to have it resolved in a timely manner. Sheahan explained to TMZ the details of her alleged encounter with Enzo.
The last televised match of Enzo was the January 8, 2018, episode of Raw, where he was defeated by cruiserweight championship No. 1 contender Cedric Alexander via countout.
