It’s been one of wrestling’s great frustrations the past year, the purgatory status of WWE Superstar Neville following his walk out of the company last October. Shortly after Neville’s self-imposed exile from the WWE Universe, the WWE froze his contract, meaning he would still have to return to finish his obligations before he could return anywhere else in the pro wrestling world. Fans of former indie sensation PAC would have to wait. And wait.
But this afternoon, when asked about the status of Neville and the WWE – a status that has flip flopped back and forth for as long as he’s been gone – the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer hinted that some big news was forthcoming, although it hadn’t been confirmed.
After a lot of quietness, there is news but nothing official https://t.co/btSlAmmULd
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) August 24, 2018
It comes a day after Cody Rhodes retweeted a GIF from when Neville and Arrow star Stephen Amell (whose booked for All In against Christopher Daniels) defeated the tandem of Rhodes (as Stardust) and his brief tag team partner, Wade Barrett. Cody expressed missing his former WWE workmate.
I miss Neville https://t.co/fTlGAA3pxa
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) August 23, 2018
Interestingly, one of the first replies to the Tweet was Young Buck Matt Jackson, who responded with the following:
https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1032726642823589888
Late this evening, Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet announced that according to his sources within the WWE, Neville was no longer under contract to the WWE. While the source confirmed Neville was no longer a WWE employee, Satin stated there was “(n)o word on when WWE parted ways with the wrestler, therefore it’s unclear if he’s still under a no compete clause.”
With no firm date when Neville and the WWE parted ways – either due to being granted his release or fired – it’s impossible to state when his no-compete clause would expire, allowing him to take bookings elsewhere around the world. One person who will be salivating at the thought of working with PAC somewhere in the world is Will Ospreay. The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion was one of the first to express interest in wrestling Neville once allowed, following the initial news last October. But the possibilities of PAC returning to a revitalized and booming global indie scene has limitless possibilities.
Yes I could. https://t.co/9U6TdMsFTX
— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) October 11, 2017
Who knows? Maybe Cody’s “missing” of Neville, and Matt Jackson’s comment “he’s good” was their sometimes not so subtle hints at something. Could we see The Man That Gravity Forgot in the Over The Budget Battle Royale?
