WWE Cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore recently spoke with The Sun about his former rival Neville, who has been off television for months and whose future with WWE is in question.
Despite their heated television, Enzo says Neville is one of his favorite people in the business and hopes WWE will do what is necessary to make amends with the British high-flyer. While Neville has not made any public comments regarding his absence, Neville alludes that WWE’s travel schedule may have been a factor.
“He worked the 205 division with the hardest schedule in silence, he was working Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then Mondays and Tuesdays,” said Enzo. “When guys were catching red-eye flights from the west coast after Raw, Neville was driving on to the next town or taking an early morning flight.
He continued, “It’s the hardest schedule in pro wrestling because you are closing out 205 [Live] at the end of the week. I hope Neville comes back and we feud. I have never seen a guy work like he does.”
Enzo said Neville was more agile in the ring than anybody he’s ever seen and compared him to Dynamite Kid. “I have seen him tear it up in matches that no one will ever see – absolute bangers – I would love to move around with him because that dude can dance.”
Head over to TheSun.co.uk to read the full interview.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore recently did an interview with The Sun to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Here are the highlights:
Neville’s crazy travel schedule and his ability as a performer:
“Neville is one of my favorite pros in the business. He carried NXT with that title and was a tag-team champion there. Then he worked the 205 division with the hardest schedule in silence, he was working Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then Mondays and Tuesdays. When guys were catching red-eye flights from the west coast after Raw, Neville was driving on to the next town or taking an early morning flight. It’s the hardest schedule in pro wrestling because you are closing out 205 [Live] at the end of the week. I hope Neville comes back and we feud. I have never seen a guy work like he does.
Who Neville is like in the WWE ring:
“He might move better than anyone has ever moved in a ring – like the Dynamie Kid. I have seen him tear it up in matches that no one will ever see – absolute bangers – I would love to move around with him because that dude can dance.”
You can read Amore’s full interview with The Sun by clicking this link here.
Talks between WWE and former Cruiserweight Champion Neville with regards to his eventual television return appear to be ongoing. The 205 Live superstar has not been seen on WWE programming since shortly after losing his title to current Champion Enzo Amore.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, WWE and Neville were in talks for a return at the company’s Eastern European tour but on the Smackdown side which would indicate a switch of brands for the UK performer and a natural way to distance himself from the Cruiserweight division. This was due to occur in late November but talks broke down and nothing has yet been confirmed.
How would you like Neville to return to television? On RAW, Smackdown or 205 Live?
Posted December 9th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: Neville.
You may remember that rumors were circulating of a ‘Mighty Mouse’ themed gimmick for the former Cruiserweight Champion Neville when he was first called up to the main roster…well it looks as though those reports weren’t far off the mark.
Former WWE employee James McKenna has tweeted a mock-up of the ring gear WWE had originally designed for Neville prior to his main roster debut.
You can check out the image below, it has elements of superhero characters such as Arrow and Nightwing, but mostly it just seems to reek of Hurricane Helms.
Step back, there’s a Geordie coming through…
unsure if i have ever shared this, but heres a mockup of what they initially wanted neville to wear in wwe and i was SO insanely glad they shot it down last minute. pic.twitter.com/ZXOQlXRMVz
In an update to Neville’s WWE status, the former King of the Cruiserweights has reportedly had “positive discussions” with the company regarding a potential return. Neville has been off television since last month.
There were several rumors going around regarding why he was unhappy, but we’ve heard from multiple sources that Neville grew frustrated with his positioning in the Cruiserweight division and wanted to be featured on the main roster again.
Since that time, WWE has made plans to bring several new faces to 205 Live, including NXT star Hideo Itami and former Impact Wrestling performer Rockstar Spud.
WWE recently released several performers, including Emma, Darren Young and Summer Rae. Neville was not part of that round of cuts, adding to the consensus that WWE remains optimistic a resolution can be worked out.
You’ll recall that Nia Jax had a similar situation to Neville, with reports that she “walked out” of a RAW taping and was unhappy with her creative direction. She returned just weeks later, citing a back injury and WWE rotating the schedules of the talent.
It seems that every source going has confirmed Neville’s departure from WWE, except for the man himself and the company that he is likely still contracted to.
However, with the speculation being ramped up more and more by the minute we felt that it would be a good time to list three of the top stars outside of WWE that Neville should step in the ring with.
Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay (photo credit: Forbes)
The similarities between Neville and British sensation Will Ospreay cannot be overlooked. Besides their shared homeland both men have seen success throughout the British independent scene as well as Japan. Ospreay’s current performances for New Japan and Neville’s run on the japanese scene as PAC produced some incredible matches for Dragon Gate and NJPW, including the bout with Finn Balor that supposedly convinced Triple H sign both men.
The build to this encounter would write itself, who is the better British high flyer? I can easily see this match happening on a Revolution Pro Wrestling card at some point in 2018 and it would be a blockbuster affair.
Hiromu Takahashi
Keeping with the theme of New Japan, Hiromu Takahashi is another name that should be given a shot against Neville.
While Hiromu has been taking time to establish his ‘therapy cat’ gimmick it is important to remember that he is one of the most explosive and dynamic performers in NJPW’s Juniors division.
Stylistically I believe that these two men would mesh well and Hiromu’s ‘dangerous’ character traits could lead to a bout that showcases technical proficiency as well as some outstanding high flying moments, hopefully Neville returns to Japan and the powers that be at NJPW make this bout happen!
Cody Rhodes
Ring of Honor World Champion Cody Rhodes
Finally, why not let Neville have a shot against the Ring of Honor Champion? Both men have a similar past with their shared experience in WWE and it would be a perfect opportunity for both to prove their worth to a company that seemingly let them fall between the cracks.
Cody has been building his reputation on the independent scene and is now the reigning World Champion in ROH, his platform as part of the Bullet Club has seen a division between fans of stable and New Japan in general, he is either loved or hated within the group.
Many fans of WWE lauded the abilities of Neville during his ‘King of the Crusierweight’ run and believed that he should’ve transitioned to a place higher on the card, this may well be his opportunity to break out on the heavyweight scene.
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Who would you like to see Neville face outside of WWE? Let us know in the comments.
As we’ve previously reported, former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville is reportedly “100 percent gone” from WWE. The company has yet to announce his departure due to the fact that they are still finalizing the terms of his release.
Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer reports that Neville is actually very happy since being granted his release from WWE:
“He’s happy. How’s that? He’s a happy man. He’s happy he’s gone. So, there you go. It’s really interesting watching like — we talked about it on Monday, kind of the grass is always greener and the sense that all these indie guys want to get into WWE, and all these WWE guys are envious of the indy guys having so much fun. It’s interesting.”
Posted October 21st, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: Neville.
Neville appears to be done with WWE after things came to a head last week.
Sean Waltman noted on his X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast that he spoke to Neville earlier this year and he seemed very frustrated with his role in WWE. It’s one thing to be making good money, but someone like Neville who is very passionate about wrestling has not been satisfied with his creative direction. Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated went as far as to say Neville has been “miserable” since January.
Waltman added that he thinks Neville did not handle the situation well, despite being unhappy for so many months. If you’re a WWE contracted performer looking to leave, walking out is the wrong approach and the company is not going to make it easy for him moving forward.
Neville, like Austin Aries, was unhappy that his WrestleMania 33 match was moved from the main card to the pre-show. The pre-show was not included on the WrestleMania DVD release, which cut him out of royalties from that event.
As we’ve been reporting for some time, Neville also didn’t like being on 205 Live, feeling that the show and the entire Cruiserweight division are perceived as inferior to the main roster. For what it’s worth, Neville was still featured in the opening video package on this week’s 205 Live.
While his future remains uncertain as it relates to becoming a free agent, people close to Neville say he’s very happy with his decision to leave.
Posted October 19th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: Neville.
WWE legend Chris Jericho recently appeared on Busted Open Radio and he weighed in on the current situation involving former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville and his alleged departure from the company.
When discussing the idea of Neville leaving to pursue outside opportunities Jericho had this to say: “It doesn’t surprise me because I think a guy like Neville, whenever I worked with him we had great matches,” 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. I think there’s a lot higher potential for a guy like Neville in the ring and also the character.”
Jericho also compared Neville to some of the bigger stars on the independent scene currently; “If he left you know that he’s gonna be one of those guys like Cody Rhodes, guys like the Young Bucks and Will Ospreay and Marty Scurll that are making a choice not to be in WWE and proving that it’s not the be-all, end-all if you’re not there,” Jericho said. “Look at Tommy (Dreamer) with House Of Hardcore, very successful outside of the reigns of the WWE.”
Do you think that Neville should leave WWE? Where would you like him to appear next? Let us know in the comments.
Credit toBusted Open and Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
The hottest topic buzzing around the professional wrestling newswire at the moment is the rumored walk-out from WWE by former Cruiserweight Champion Neville. It was reported that Neville asked for his release from the company before this past Monday’s episode of Monday Night RAW in which Enzo Amore dropped the Cruiserweight Title to Kalisto. While WWE has yet to confirm it has parted ways with Neville, Enzo Amore may have just done it for them.
Last night (Sat. October 14, 2017) WWE was in Regina, Saskatchewan for a live event in which Amore took on Kalisto. Before the match Amore cut a promo and referenced Neville’s current rumored situation with the promotion, saying “I took care of Cass, then made Neville quit. You’re nothing”:
It should also be noted that Dave Meltzer has reported that his sources believe Neville is 100% gone from the company. Despite this, WWE continues to deny that Neville has walked out.
As noted earlier this week, the original plans for the main event of Raw called for Neville to square off against the then-Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore in a non-title match. Kalisto wound up filling in for Neville, the title was on the line and Kalisto was crowned the new Cruiserweight Champion.
At that time it wasn’t clear why the match was changed, though it appears now we know what led WWE to chacne course. According to a report from F4Wonline, Neville ‘walked out’ of the arena before Raw went on air, apparently quitting the promotion in the process.
While WWE is denying the reports of him quitting, Neville’s future with the company remains in question and he did not appear on 205 Live on Tuesday night.
Neville was the Cruiserweight Champion from a while before losing the title recently to Enzo Amore. He lost the belt at the No Mercy PPV last month after which he had apparently turned face.
Though many fans were angry with the fact that he lost the title to Enzo Amore who himself has been in controversy lately due to stories of bad backstage attitude.
There have also been some unconfirmed reports of the former NXT Champion being frustrated with his spot on Cruiserweight Division and it’s been said that he wanted to compete on the main roster instead, which likely contributed to his unhappiness.
Meanwhile, the Young Bucks who have been on the radar of WWE for their recent actions posted the following photo, inviting the former Champion to join the Bullet Club:
As of this writing, Neville is still listed as an active superstar on WWE’s official website and It’s hard to say where this whole controversy will lead us because even if he wants to quit the promotion WWE can block his request for a release.
We’ll keep you posted on any further development in the situation.
Posted October 11th, 2017 in WWE, News. Tagged: Neville.
When Enzo Amore won the WWE Cruiserweight title against Neville many fans of the product let out a collective groan.
Ever since the Cruiserweight Classic the 205 competitors have not been showcased in the way that many had hoped and while the decision to put the belt on Enzo could be seen as ‘desperate’ this could be a positive for 205 Live and the Cruiserweight Division in general…why? Here’s why:
Everybody Hates Enzo
The Champion always has a target on their back. This has never been more apparent than when Enzo took a beating from the ENTIRE Cruiserweight Division on RAW. There have been rumors circulating for months regarding the temperament of Enzo Amore and how he seems to rub people the wrong way. Corey Graves made it clear on Bring It To The Table, stating that he flat out did not like the Certified G.
WWE has had a tendency to ‘over-bake’ story lines that include elements of reality, however with a personality such as Enzo and how frankly irritable he is why not play on that?
You can disregard Faces and Heels here, if EVERYBODY hates Enzo then you can feasibly put anyone from the division up against him.
He Can Talk People Into The Building
The Cruiserweight Classic was easily one of the best tournaments ever devised by WWE. The highlight packages and the self contained story lines flowing throughout the tournament were clear, concise and added a huge deal to what some see as a ‘spot fest’ style of pro wrestling.
The issue with 205 Live is that you now have a weekly show with no clear end goal, you need to produce content on a weekly basis and give fans a reason to tune in and give them a reason to care about the performers.
Love him or loathe him you cannot disagree that Enzo Amore has a magnetism, his natural charisma and ability on the microphone is something very different for the 205 Live program and it will add a very different dynamic to the show.
While Enzo is obviously not the most technically gifted in ring, he will be able to add a vocal element that no one else on the roster can offer.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore (Photo credit: Instagram @WWE)
In The End, Something Needed To Change
Neville was a fantastic Cruiserweight Champion. His portrayal as the King of the Cruiserweight’s completely reinvigorated his career and put him a step above everyone else on the 205 roster.
The issue is this, fans were not watching 205 Live on the WWE Network. It’s a fact that you cannot get past, are you are the sort of fan that believes Jinder Mahal shouldn’t be champion because he isn’t drawing ratings? Then you cannot disagree that Neville wasn’t pulling in the numbers.
I completely see why 205 isn’t securing viewership, it airs at completely the wrong time and it isn’t in front of a hot crowd, but if they won’t change the time slot or the location then what can they change? The Champion.
What they (WWE) believe is this, it doesn’t matter what time slot you’re on, if people want to watch you then they WILL tune in…we’ll see if Enzo is the man to move the needle.
Last night’s SmackDown was in Glendale, Arizona and was the second-to-last episode before WWE Hell in a Cell on October 8th. As you can see from the photos below, the Gila River Arena was nowhere close to being full.
New Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore came down to the ring selling a storyline injury from the beatdown he received from Neville at the conclusion of Monday night’s episode of RAW. The entire Cruiserweight Division also beatdown Enzo after he was attacked by Braun Strowman after RAW went off the air.
Enzo came down to the ring with a crutch at the beginning of 205 Live. Amore continued to take shots at the 205 Live roster and made fun of Cedric Alexander for lacking charisma. Enzo bragged about being a star and said that he put 205 Live on the map. Amore added that he is the reason people are staying up late on Tuesday nights and that the Cruiserweight Championship finally means something because it is around his waist.
Enzo said that he felt sorry for Neville because every day he has to wake up and look at that face in the mirror. The crowd didn’t react and Enzo added “that was the punchline, he is ugly” and some of the audience chuckled. Enzo said that he flew his mother to the show on Monday and she cried her eyes out because she had to sit there and watch a monster and an entire division black and blue her son’s beautiful blue eyes.
Amore got pissed at the crowd for chanting “one more time!” during the attack after RAW went off the air on Monday night. Enzo brought up the no-contact clause he had on Monday night from RAW GM Kurt Angle. Amore stated that if anyone put their hands on him, they forfeited their shot at the Cruiserweight Championship. Enzo added that it looks like he is going to retire as Cruiserweight Champion because the entire 205 Live roster broke the clause. Enzo once again called Neville ugly and claimed that he will never lay his hands on the Cruiserweight Championship. Enzo called Neville “sawft” and then hobbled out of the ring.
Neville faced Ariya Daivari in the main event of 205 Live. Before the match, he cut a promo and said that he knew exactly what he was doing when he attacked Enzo at the conclusion of Monday’s episode of RAW. Neville claimed that it was the best night of his life. He stated that he was aware that he sacrificed his rematch for the Cruiserweight Championship, but said he didn’t care and would do it again if given the opportunity.
Neville told Enzo to keep one eye open because he will attack him again. Neville said that he refuses to let 205 Live to degenerate at the hands of such a talentless little rat like Enzo. Amore was ringside for the match between Daivari and Neville. The match ended with Neville locking in the Rings of Saturn for the Submission victory. Enzo then hopped in the ring and attacked Neville with the crutch. Enzo then started a “you deserve it!” chant but nobody played along.
WWE No Mercy 2017 aired last night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman in the main event. In a match many thought was reserved for WrestleMania, John Cena faced Roman Reigns for the very first time. Here are my five takeawys from last night’s PPV:
Cesaro Is Tough As Hell
Cesaro and Sheamus faced Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins last night at No Mercy for the RAW Tag Team Championships. During the match, Dean Ambrose catapulted Cesaro into the ring post. Cesaro smashed face-first into the post and completely messed up his front teeth. Cesaro got medical attention next to the ring but was back on the ring apron awaiting a tag only a minute later. Cesaro is one of the most talented performers on WWE’s roster and is a true professional. He went on to finish the remaining 10+ minutes of the match. Sheamus & Cesaro fell short at No Mercy, but their match with Ambrose and Rollins stole the show.
Nia Jax Is Ready To Become Champion
Alexa Bliss defended her RAW Women’s Championship in a Fatal 5-Way against Bayley, Emma, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. Alexa Bliss won the match and retained her title, but Nia Jax was the best part of this match. She showed off her strength by hitting a Samoan Drop on Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss at the same time. Jax got Powerbombed off the ring apron and crashed to the floor. It was announced that Asuka is making her debut on the RAW roster at WWE TLC 2017 on October 22nd. Asuka and Nia Jax have battled down in NXT, but Nia has improved a ton since then. I can’t wait to see the two battle again on the main roster and hopefully for the RAW Women’s Championship.
The Cruiserweight Division Doesn’t Matter
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Enzo Amore defeated Neville last night at WWE No Mercy to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. He won the match after hitting a low-blow on Neville and then rolling him up for the pinfall. The match was astonishingly bad and when the crowd decided to make noise, they chanted “boring!”.
Neville destroyed the entire Cruiserweight Division but was made to look like an idiot last night at No Mercy. He had the match won numerous times, but ultimately decided to not go for the Red Arrow because the crowd cheered as he climbed the turnbuckle. It wound up costing him and he lost the much.
Enzo Amore is sometimes funny while cutting promos. He is never going to be good in the ring. WWE failed to build up anyone else on the 205 Live roster. Quite literally every single one of them is a better wrestler than Enzo Amore. However, thanks to WWE’s failures to build anyone up, Enzo Amore is now the Cruiserweight Champion. How is 205 Live doin? Not too good.
Braun Strowman’s Future Is Still Bright
Braun Strowman delivering a Running Powerslam to Brock Lesnar at WWE No Mercy 2017. (Photo Credit: WWE.com)
Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman last night in the main event of WWE No Mercy. The match was hyped up well for the past few weeks on RAW, but it wound up being just a decent match. Strowman had shown that he could dominate Lesnar on RAW recently and when he slammed him through two announce tables at SummerSlam. Even though Strowman lost tonight, it remains clear to me that Strowman is going to be integral part of WWE’s future.
I think he is already at the point where he should regularly be in the main event of WWE PPVs. While WWE might have other plans for now, there is no denying that Strowman has become a household name. Strowman lost tonight but he’ll be right back in the hunt for the Universal Championship in no time.
Roman Reigns Is The Guy
Roman Reigns after his victory over John Cena at WWE No Mercy 2017. (Photo Credit: WWE.com)
Whether you like it or not, Roman Reigns is “the guy” in WWE. I’m not a big fan of it myself, but it obvious that WWE is not going to shy away from pushing Roman Reigns at all costs. He defeated John Cena last night at No Mercy in a match that I thought would have been saved for WrestleMania. Cena raised Roman Reigns’ hand after the match and then went on RAW Talk and praised him some more.
Cena said that a burden was taken off his shoulders after his loss to Reigns. Cena also stated that Roman Reigns proved to him that he was in fact “the guy” over the past month leading up to last night’s match. Cena even became emotional during his appearance on RAW Talk and last night’s match clearly showed that Roman Reigns is without a doubt the top guy in WWE. He is the Big Dog and WWE appears to be his yard going forward for a long time.
Chris Jericho recently appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio and said he thinks it was a good idea for WWE to move Enzo Amore to the Cruiserweight division and 205 Live.
“He’s one of those guys that personality-wise he’s very bulletproof because he’s so over-the-top and he’s got such a good rap,” said Jericho. “But where else is he gonna go in the headlining position, in the heavyweight division on RAW? I think it was a great move because I don’t know what else you would do with him if you didn’t stick him in there unless he was just gonna be a manager or a commentator.”
The former Undisputed Champion explaining why he thinks WWE was smart to bring Enzo to 205 Live. Jericho thinks Enzo is a perfect fit for the Cruiserweight division and the show will benefit because he will bring more viewers to the show.
“He fits that vibe size-wise and more importantly he’s gonna bring eyeballs and attention,” said Jericho. “And people will actually pay attention to the matches that he’s in.”
Jericho also revealed some advice he gave to Cruiserweight Champion Neville, who might get the chance to work with Enzo Amore in the near future.
“I told Neville this months ago, I said, ‘There’s gonna come a time when you’re gonna have to make him look good, that’s the job of guys like you and me. It doesn’t matter if he’s good. That’s not his responsibility, that’s yours now,’” Jericho said. “Neville’s gonna have to do anything he can to make that match work the same way that all the great workers in time do that.”
Check out the complete episode of Busted Open Radio featuring the Chris Jericho interview here:
Big Cass faced Enzo Amore in a Brooklyn Street Fight last night on WWE RAW. Cass dominated the entire match, but everything changed when he charged at Enzo while Amore was leaning up against the ropes. Enzo ducked at the last second and Big Cass went flying out of the ring and landed awkwardly on his leg. The match was stopped shortly after this as Big Cass fell down while trying to hit an Empire Elbow. Enzo was awarded the victory as Big Cass was unable to continue due to being injured. WWE uploaded the following video of Cass using crutches following the match:
Cruiserweight Championship rematch announced for tonight’s episode of 205 Live
On last week’s episode of RAW, Akira Tozawa dethroned the King of the Cruiserweights and became the Cruiserweight Champion. During Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam Kickoff Show, Tozawa defended his Cruiserweight Championship. Tozawa seemed to be in control of the match, but things fell apart when he went for the Senton Bomb. Neville was ready for it and was able to get his knees up. Neville then connected with the Red Arrow onto Tozawa’s back for the pinfall victory.
On last night’s episode of RAW, Neville was interviewed backstage about becoming the Cruiserweight Champion once again. Neville bragged about his victory but was quickly interrupted by Titus O’Neil and Akira Tozawa. O’Neil informed Neville that Tozawa will invoke his rematch clause tonight on 205 Live.
Neville is once again the King of the Cruiserweights
On this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Akira Tozawa captured the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville via the Swanton Bomb. It was later announced that Neville would get his rematch for the title tonight on WWE SummerSlam.
Akira Tozawa was in control and went for the Senton Bomb onto Neville. Neville was able to get his knees up and Tozawa landed right on them. Neville then quickly hit the Red Arrow onto Tozawa’s back and is once again the Cruiserweight Champion.
WWE uploaded a new video in which Bayley provides an update on her injury and says that she wants to see Sasha Banks win the RAW Women’s Championship tonight at WWE SummerSlam. In the video, Bayley says she is already tired of sitting out and wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible.
Akira Tozawa finally defeated Neville during last night’s RAW broadcast to secure the WWE Cruiserweight Title. Tozawa took the pinfall win after hitting a top rope Senton on the ‘King of the Cruiserweights.’
Members of the WWE & NXT locker rooms as well as New Japan and Independent stars took to Twitter to congratulate the new champion. check out their reactions below:
Sami Zayn to match donations to his Syria campaign until SummerSlam
Sami Zayn’s campaign reached it’s goal of $48,000 and that money will be donated to the Syrian American Medical Society. It will prepare a vehicle as a Mobile Medical Unit to provide assistance to those in need in Syria. Sami has now announced that he will match any additional donations up to $10,000 before next week’s SummerSlam PPV.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville took to Twitter earlier today to offer some words of encouragement to those that have experienced failure. Neville will defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Akira Tozawa at WWE SummerSlam on August 20th.
WWE is having a Live Event tonight in Worcester ahead of tomorrow night’s RAW in Boston, MA. Finn Balor posted on Twitter that he sat in the crowd in the DCU Center 17 years ago and watched The Hardy Boyz perform. Balor noted that he will be tag team partners with Matt and Jeff Hardy at tonight’s event.
RAW June 26th 2000 I sat in these seats to watch #WWEWorcester The Hardy Boys wrestled that night Tonight they are my tag team partners pic.twitter.com/ds78hlw08L
Tonight’s episode of 205 Live was the go-home show for Neville vs. Tozawa on the GBOF Kickoff show. It also continued an angle with Jack Gallagher and the Brian Kendrick, as well as TJP and Rich Swann.
205 Live July 4th 2017 Talking Stick Arena Phoenix, AZ
Titus O’Neil and Neville Segment
O’Neil started the show off by promoting the GBOF match between Tozawa and Neville for the cruiserweight championship.
This brought out Neville, who said what he does tonight to Lince Dorado will be just a sample of what he does to Tozawa on Sunday.
1. Lince Dorado vs. Neville (non-title match)
Titus joined the announce booth.
Neville looked very aggressive, throwing Dorado knee-first into the stairs.
Dorado submitted to the Rings of Saturn.
Titus told Neville Sunday is his last day as champ.
Winner: Neville
In the back, Swann confronts TJP about why he requested a match with him for tonight.
TJP said he wants to bring back the old TJP, the one who won the cruiserweight classic, and its just friendly competition.
Swann says he’s not going to go easy on him.
2. Tony Nese vs. “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher
Nese beat Gallagher a couple of weeks ago by suckering Gallagher into believing he had an injured shoulder, allowing him to gain the advantage.
Nese attempted to sucker Gallagher in again at the end of this match, pretending to have a knee injury. Gallagher wasn’t fooled a 2nd time.
Gallagher nailed a headbutt and his running dropkick in the corner for the pin.
Winner: Jack Gallagher
After the match Brian Kendrick appeared on the big screen. He was dressed as a British soldier. He listed off famous battles the British lost and compared them to Gallagher.
Kendrick said he sees through Gallagher, and he won’t rest until he rids 205 Live of him.
In the back the doctor is tending to Noam Dar and his injured neck. Alicia Fox is there too, and Dar says he should focus on winning the cruiserweight championship. Fox disagrees and says Dar needs to get even with Cedric Alexander for embarrassing her. She says its not done until Alexander quits 205 Live.
3. Rich Swann vs. TJP
A big narrative in this match, was TJP trying to go back to being the guy who won the cruiserweight classic. As in, not being a bad guy.
They had a very back and forth and even match.
Finish of the match was interesting. They were doing a revolving pin combo spot, when Swann managed to pin TJP’s shoulders to the mat for 3. Right after, TJP continued trying to put a headlock on Swann but the ref stepped in and told him the match was over.
TJP seemed frustrated at the end of the match.
Winner: Rich Swann
After the match the two shook hands and showed good sportsmanship.
You probably noticed that WWE Cruiserweight Austin Aries was sporting some Kinesio tape during his match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) with Cruiserweight Champion Neville last week. Aries has not been inside the ring ever since and joined Busted Open with Dave Lagreca and Larry Dallas yesterday (Wed. June 7, 2017) to promote his new book, Food Fight: My Plant Based Journey From The Bingo Hall to The Big Time.
During the interview, Aries revealed he has some nagging injuries bothering him at the moment and could possibly be taking a few days off to help them heal:
“I’ve got some stuff going on, but just to be fair you could probably say that for a lot of the locker room. It’s kind of part of what we do, I don’t think anyone is ever 100%,” Aries said. “So I got a couple things going on and obviously at this point it might be a good time to take a little break which really could consist of two days to just adjust some of those things, try and get my mind and my body right and then come back and figure out what’s gonna be next and what the direction’s gonna be.”
WWE May Be Creating Theme Park Attractions In Orlando
International entertainment design companyForrec has apparently been working with WWE to create theme park attractions. The prospective projects include rides with WWE moves like the Moonsault, the Rock Bottom and a Suplex City themed ride. There was also a Triple H sledgehammer ride and a dark ride called Road to Wrestlemania. If WWE is considering creating a physical Hall of Fame, WWE could create an entire theme park around it in Orlando. You can check out some photos of the concept below:
A WWE theme park is in the works and some think it might be headed to Orlandohttps://t.co/twtk7qx72p
— @orlandoweekly.bsky.social (@OrlandoWeekly) June 5, 2017
TJP Comments On Getting A Title Shot Tonight On 205 Live
TJP defeated Mustafa Ali last night on RAW. Before the match, TJP asked Neville to hold up his end of the bargain and give him a shot at the Cruiserweight Championship. Neville told TJP that if he defeated Ali, he will talk to RAW GM Kurt Angle about giving him a title shot. TJP defeated Ali and was then attacked by Neville on the entrance ramp. Neville informed TJP that he will get his Cruiserweight Championship match tonight on 205 Live. After RAW went off the air, TJP was asked about Neville’s attack and the Cruiserweight Championship match. TJP responded with “You know what they say? Ask and you shall recieve” and then walked away.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville recently did an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. You can check out some of the highlights here below:
Paul “Triple H” Levesque is a guiding force with the Performance Center, as well as the creation of the Cruiserweight Classic and 205 Live show on the WWE Network. What have you learned from Triple H’s guidance?
“Hunter is a role model to everybody. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of respect for Hunter. Right now, I’m not concerned about him or his admiration or respect. All I’m concerned about, right now, is myself. I haven’t always been that guy. For the longest time, I was trying to please everybody, the WWE Universe included. Now, I don’t care. If Triple H likes me or dislikes me, that’s not important to me. What’s important to me is me. It’s taken me a long time to say that.”
What are your goals for storylines and feuds post your work with Austin Aries?
“Domination, baby. Domination. I am going to continue to house keep my kingdom. I’m never satisfied. If you think I’m satisfied now, that would be a big mistake. There is a lot for me to do, and this 205 Live and the Cruiserweight championship are just the first steps. You can mark my words–this is just step one.”
You can check out the full interview at this link.
Cruiserweight Ring Changeover Last Night At WWE Payback
Last night at WWE Payback, Neville defended his Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries. WWE’s production crew had to change the ring for a Cruiserweight division match and finished just as Neville was at the bottom of the entrance ramp. A reddit user posted a video of the ring changeover and synced it up with the footage from Payback.
Zack Ryder Comments On 10 Years With WWE
WWE Superstar Zack Ryder is currently out of action with a knee injury that he suffered back in December. Ryder is remaining active and working his way towards his return to the ring. Ryder took to Twitter today and stated that he made his debut in WWE 10 years ago today.
