In a non-title match Tuesday night on 205 Live, Neville defeated cruiserweight champion Rich Swann after the British Superstar laid down a challenge on Raw.
WWE provided the result:
Aaron Oster of the Baltimore Sun praised Neville's work as a heel:
After being absent from WWE programming for several weeks, Neville returned at Roadblock: End of the Line following Swann's successful title defense over T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick in a Triple Threat match.
While Swann appeared to think the Man That Gravity Forgot was about to congratulate him, Neville instead shocked the WWE Universe by attacking him and turning heel in the process.
That set the stage for a tag team match pitting Neville and Kendrick against Swann and TJP last week on 205 Live, which saw Neville and Kendrick come away victorious.
Neville then called out Swann on Raw, and commentator Austin Aries explained the reasoning behind the former fan favorite's new attitude, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:
Despite Neville's newfound mean streak, Swann didn't back down, as he agreed to lock horns with the former NXT champion, via WWE's official Twitter account:
Neville has proclaimed himself "King of the Cruiserweights" since his return, and leading up to 205 Live, it was difficult to argue with his assessment.
While he was previously shuffled aside and branded an underdog as part of WWE's regular roster, Neville is suddenly a dominant force in the cruiserweight division, as he holds a size, strength, speed and athleticism advantage over almost everyone else.
There is no question that Neville's accomplishments on the main roster have been dwarfed by what he did in NXT, but making an impact in the cruiserweight division could be precisely what he needs to kick-start his career.
Winning the Cruiserweight Championship would go a long way toward achieving that, and Neville had a golden opportunity to establish himself as the No. 1 contender Tuesday.
Neville's victory over Swann on 205 Live likely makes him the top challenger for the title, which means he figures to get a shot at the Royal Rumble or perhaps even earlier.
Nobody has proved capable of slowing down Neville since his entry into cruiserweight competition, and after taking care of the champion Tuesday, it may only be a matter of time before Neville is wearing championship gold for the first time on the main roster.
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