{"id":8520,"date":"2017-10-12T00:37:13","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T04:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=8520"},"modified":"2017-10-12T07:41:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T11:41:37","slug":"pac-to-the-future-11-possibilties-for-post-wwe-neville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2017\/10\/12\/pac-to-the-future-11-possibilties-for-post-wwe-neville\/","title":{"rendered":"PAC To The Future: 11 Possibilties for Post-WWE Neville"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since word began to trickle out late Monday night that former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville<\/strong> had possibly walked out on the WWE<\/a> during Raw<\/strong><\/em> and requested his release, the internet community and wrestling world has been a buzz with the intrigue. Reports have varied from source to source, but things definitely seem to be pointing to the fact that Neville did indeed walk out in apparent frustration. Whether he’s granted his release or things are smoothed over this week still remains to be seen. At the time of writing, neither the WWE nor Neville himself have issued any comment on the situation.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But should Neville find himself “future endeavoured” or “mutually” granted his release from the WWE, it opens up a floodgate of opportunities for the man formerly known worldwide on the indies as PAC<\/strong>. Granted, back in 2012 when PAC signed with the WWE, he was considered one of the great high flyers in the world. But in 2017, the indie landscape has exploded with opportunity – just ask former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes<\/strong> – and his native United Kingdom’s wrestling scene has become an international sensation, thanks to the likes of PROGRESS, ICW, Rev Pro, OTT, WCPW, IPW:UK<\/strong> and many, many more. PAC in 2017 stands to make a\u00a0lot\u00a0<\/em>more money on the independent scene that 2012 PAC ever did.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pre-WWE Finn Balor (Prince Devitt) and Neville (PAC) in NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a storied indie career prior to joining the WWE – he’d been wrestling for eight years on the indies before heading to NXT – Neville, as PAC, could revisit some legendary feuds with old foes (or friends), most of whom have emerged as bigger stars now than they themselves were in 2012 and earlier. Unlike Cody, he wouldn’t need to create a random list of dream opponents (although he probably could) – a whirlwind visit through his past could easily produce a solid year’s worth of matches that would be amazing stuff for old and new fans alike. Here’s a look at 11 possibilities we would love to see happen should Neville return to the indies as PAC, “The King of the Indies”, based on if he was granted his release by November 1st (which would mean his no-compete would expire on February 1, 2018).<\/p>\n

#1. NJPW BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Neville was just entering his prime when he competed in his first NJPW Best of the Super Juniors<\/strong> in 2012. This annual showcase tournament has become one of the most prestigious and anticipated tourneys in pro wrestling, featuring wrestlers, ironically, in what would be akin to the same Cruiserweight Division he just left in WWE. But in NJPW, the Junior Heavyweight Division is treated with far more respect, by the fans, media and wrestlers alike. As PAC, Neville did extraordinarily well for his first time, making it to the final four of the field of 18, that included Prince Devitt<\/strong> (aka Finn Balor), Low Ki<\/strong> and eventual winner Ryusuke Taguchi<\/strong> (who defeated PAC in the Semi-Finals). But his first BOTSJ ended up being his final one, as he joined the WWE later that year. With the tournament running through May and June of 2018, Neville would be more than able to return to the tournament, where he could have some dream match-ups with the likes of Will Ospreay<\/strong>, Dragon Lee<\/strong>, or 2017’s winner, KUSHIDA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/video\/x12ql50_10-prince-devitt-vs-pac-njpw-best-of-the-super-junior-xix-the-door-to-the-glory-06-06-2012_sport<\/p>\n

#2. PWG BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Photo: PWG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Much like NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors, Neville only ever competed in one of PWG<\/strong>‘s Battle of Los Angeles<\/strong> events. And while today it’s another of the most highly regarded indie tournaments in the world, when PAC entered BOLA in 2007, it was only the company’s third BOLA in their short history. While he wrestled sporadically with PWG over six years (2006 until he joined NXT in 2012), he spent nearly a full year with the company from late 2006 through 2007, facing the likes of Kevin Steen<\/strong> (aka Kevin Owens), El Generico<\/strong> (aka Sami Zayn), AJ Styles<\/strong>, and Joey Ryan<\/strong>, winning PWG World Tag Team gold with Roderick Strong<\/strong>, and challenging for the PWG World title on two occasions, both in defeat, against Chris Hero<\/strong> (aka Kassius Ohno) and El Generico. But BOLA in 2017 is a far bigger deal that it was back in those formative years, and Neville returning for 2018’s in the early days of September would be a delicious treat to see him interact with a lot of the indie’s top emerging stars.<\/p>\n