With WrestleMania 34 coming up and major names like Bill Goldberg and Batista being rumored to make their returns to WWE television, the expectation is Raw will be getting more star power, especially with the 25th-anniversary show coming up in January. However, another huge star could be making their return to WWE programming before the end of 2017 after leaving the company disgruntled roughly two months ago.
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville walked away from WWE and asked for his release from the company. There have been rumors about him working out a return to television with WWE officials, but he hasn’t made his return to Monday Night Raw or 205 Live for the past two months. It’s been reported that a new round of talks have also fallen through between the two sides, but his return plans have been revealed.
It’s now being reported that WWE officials are hoping to bring Neville to SmackDown Live instead of back to 205 Live or Raw because they want to separate him from the Cruiserweight division entirely. On paper, “The Man That Gravity Forgot” on Raw would be too familiar since the cruiserweights still have a couple of matches on the show every week. 205 Live does air after SmackDown Live , but it’s a better spot for Neville.
If Neville and WWE officials can eventually work out a deal to get him back on WWE television, he should be featured on SmackDown Live . Unfortunately, there is no confirmation that Neville is prepared to return to the company. The former “King of the Cruiserweights” will have more opportunities if he returns, but his character was a full-blown heel when he walked out. On paper, he could be featured as a babyface or a heel.
His character gained a ton of momentum as a heel in the Cruiserweight division and he could continue that run on SmackDown Live , especially against the current WWE Champion AJ Styles. WWE officials may not be willing to give him such a huge push upon returning since he did walk out on the company. For Neville, the matter at hand is for him to wait for his WWE deal to expire or to return to SmackDown Live and finish his run with the company on much better terms. How Neville chooses to end his WWE career is up to him.
