On 18 December at , Neville returned to seemingly congratulate Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann after his match only to attack Swann and his opponent TJ Perkins, turning heel and joining the Cruiserweight division. The following night on "Raw", Neville cemented his villainous turn after claiming that the fans only cheered him because he was "vulnerable or small" and proceeded to attack Swann along with Brian Kendrick after he interrupted him, followed by Perkins after he attempted to save Swann. Over the coming weeks, Neville would defeat multiple Cruiserweights in singles competition including Perkins, Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Swann in a non-title match. On 29 January 2017 at the Royal Rumble, Neville defeated Swann to capture the Cruiserweight Championship for the first time, marking his first title win on the main roster. Neville then started a feud with Jack Gallagher, and successfully defended his title at Fastlane against Gallagher.