WWE News: Neville To Feud With Chris Jericho Upon Return From Injury

Neville joined the laundry list of injured WWE superstars earlier this year, but his absence was mildly overshadowed by the likes of John Cena, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and Sting. Of those, only Wyatt and Cena made WrestleMania appearances, although neither were able to return in time for an actual match. Like Rollins, Orton, Sting, and even Luke Harper, Neville’s injury completely kept him out of the biggest show of the year.

The freak injury that sidelined Neville occurred during a match with Chris Jericho on the March 14 episode of Monday Night RAW. A spot he performed on a routine basis resulted in a broken ankle and broken shinbone, forcing Jericho to audible the finish to the match in what was a big topic of conversation at the time involving both participants and referee Charles Robinson.

And now, according to Cageside Seats, with Neville’s return imminent, ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’ has a built-in storyline in place, not having forgotten what Jericho did to him nearly four months ago. Though Y2J had nothing to do with the awkward setback, WWE will rebuild the program as if the injury was Jericho’s responsibility. What’s interesting is that originally, Neville was only supposed to be sidelined for two to three months, having not required surgery, rather being treated with a cast and crutches instead of surgery.

Obviously, Neville was kept out of action longer than the projected timeline, but there could be a number of factors responsible for the delay. For one, if the plan was to bring him back to begin a program with Jericho immediately, they had to wait for Chris’ feud with Dean Ambrose, and the subsequent Money in the Bank ladder match to subside. And of course, the WWE Draft and the upcoming brand split has and will impact every recent decision moving forward.

While the report states that Neville could return to television as early as next week, it might make more sense to hold him out until the Draft. Obviously, both Neville and Jericho would have to be drafted to the same show if plans for this program are to work. The two are already scheduled to wrestle on WWE’s live event tour in New Zealand and Australia, which is a further indication that they’ll engage in a rivalry on TV.

Neville’s injury happened nearly four weeks before WrestleMania 32, right as the company was in the beginning stages of putting together the Intercontinental Championship ladder match. As it happens, Neville was originally slotted for the match, but he was not going to win. Plans for the finish of the match changed several times in the weeks and days leading up. Ultimately, it was Zack Ryder who captured the title after being added to the bout at the last minute.

Ryder, who now appears headed for a feud for the United States Championship with Rusev, quickly dropped the belt to The Miz, who still possesses it now. There have been rumors that Neville would challenge for the IC title upon his return, but a program with Jericho might give him more of a rub, and from a storyline perspective, it makes more sense.

Two weeks ago on RAW, Jericho hosted Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on the Highlight Reel with the latter two agreeing to a match at Battleground. Some have speculated that Jericho would be added to the match due to his involvement with both in the ensuing shows. Yes, the Owens-Zayn match is being billed as their final encounter to settle the score once and for all, but it would provide a backup plan in the event Y2J’s Battleground dance partner was not quite ready. Chris did mention that he had “bigger plans” for the pay-per-view, and whether he was referring to Neville remains to be seen.