Will Neville Return at Survivor Series 2017?

It’s been a few weeks since news broke that Neville had walked out of WWE. In that time, the man that gravity forgot has not been heard from. Not in interviews, certainly not on WWE television, not even on Twitter. His last tweet at the time of writing remains one of disgust at the poor excuse for a t-shirt that WWE Shop released for the King of the Cruiserweights.

We’ve been told that this is the reality era for several years, and as such, have witnessed multiple storylines that manipulate perceived realities to engage with the smart fans, those of us who follow the backstage drama online. Since the supposed walkout, WWE has flatly denied that Neville left the company, while his radio silence doesn’t tell us much of anything. So, did he really leave?

There’s been plenty of speculation about where Neville might next appear. Impact Wrestling has been mentioned in passing by some pundits, while Ring of Honor and NJPW appear to be the fan favourite options. However, what if this is all a work? What if WWE has played us all and is gearing up for Neville to return in spectacular fashion at Survivor Series? Through the power of fantasy booking, here’s how it could happen:

While the rosters of Raw and Smackdown wage war at Survivor Series, the cruiserweights will find themselves left out of the battle for brand supremacy. Although the division is a part of the Raw roster, it’s a quasi-brand in its own right with its own show, 205 Live. There’s also no Smackdown counterpart for the cruiserweights to fight with.

Meanwhile, Enzo Amore once again finds himself as champion, having ended Kalisto’s short reign. He also finds himself surrounded by a group of henchmen. Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese, Drew Gulak, and Noam Dar have all sided with Enzo, assisting him in beating down his lucha foe. This is surely leading to a Survivor Series match, with Team Enzo facing a Kalisto-led band of babyface cruiserweights. Let’s say Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali join Kalisto. Their team is still one man short and this could be played upon during the build to Survivor Series, all while the commentary team conveniently fails to remember that Neville exists. Or, for added drama, perhaps a fifth member is found – Gran Metalik, maybe – only to be found unconscious backstage during the Survivor Series kickoff.

Team Enzo makes its way to the ring first, followed by Kalisto, Swann, Alexander and Ali, who all pause at the bottom of the ramp.

‘What’s the matter? Down one man already?’ Enzo mocks from the ring. ‘You can always forfeit now.’

Kalisto smiles as his team forms a parting, making way for a fifth man. The crowds have already been chanting ‘We Want Neville’ during recent cruiserweight encounters, and a smart Survivor Series crowd will be hot on it. Anticipation builds for a few moments before the work ‘King’ appears on the titantron, accompanied by heavy chords breaking orbit. The crowd erupts as the King returns to his kingdom, marching down the ramp without pause, slides into the ring ahead of his teammates, making a beeline for the man that stole everything from him.

It may be wishful thinking, but if Neville’s problems with WWE are indeed false, this could make for the most exciting cruiserweight moment since the Cruiserweight Classic.