What Can Hideo Itami Bring to WWE NXT?

Now that he’s back, what’s in store for Hideo Itami?

The signing of Hideo Itami (the former KENTA) was one of the biggest news stories in WWE back in late 2014. He, along with Prince Devitt, were brought over from Japan, and both being huge international stars, there was much buzz about their arrival to NXT.

However, Itami suffered a serious shoulder injury in the spring of 2015. He was initially to be out for six months, but complications from his surgery prolonged his recovery, and he just recently returned at a live event on June 30, a little over a year later.

When Itami signed with WWE, NXT at the time was still growing. He debuted at the third Takeover live special, R-Evolution, on the same card with Kevin Owens and Finn Balor (the former Prince Devitt), the latter of whom he partnered with in a tag match against The Ascension. Since then, NXT has grown leaps and bounds and by all accounts, is not the same NXT that Itami had joined. For one, when he was brought onboard, NXT was still regarded as WWE’s developmental program. Fast forward two years later, NXT is being labeled as its own brand and, in the eyes of many, the superior show compared to Raw and Smackdown.

All of this transformative change happened essentially with Hideo Itami on the sideline. Prior to his injury, Itami partook in Wrestlemania weekend down in Silicon Valley. He wrestled at Axxess to earn the right to be included in the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale. At a live event in San Jose, Itami received probably the biggest pop of the night when he finally connected with the finishing move he invented, the G.T.S, during his match with Tyler Breeze. Finally, during the Wrestlemania 31 kickoff show, Itami competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale, however, he was eliminated. Itami was on the rise and an unfortunate injury brought his momentum to a halt.

In his absence, NXT signed two more world-renowned Japanese wrestlers in Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura. Asuka, upon her arrival, has dominated the NXT Women’s Division, eventually dethroning then-champion Bayley, and becoming just the second Japanese woman to hold a Woman’s title in WWE (after Bull Nakano). Shinsuke Nakamura debuted at Takeover: Dallas to much fanfare in a highly anticipated dream match against the heart and soul of NXT, Sami Zayn. The match lived up to and exceeded all expectations for Nakamura’s showcase, with many regarding the encounter as an early contender for 2016 Match of the Year. Nakamura’s debut was far more hyped than even Kenta’s own.

Itami’s brief run before getting hurt was mostly run of the mill

Perhaps more importantly, both Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura have been presented in a much different light than previous Japanese wrestlers in WWE such as Taka Michinoku and Kenzo Suzuki. Upon his debut, NXT appeared to follow the same formula with Itami, giving him a rather generic Japanese-theme song. Itami’s limited capacity to speak English didn’t lend its way to many promos either, resulting in the inability to develop a character. Additionally, his style is noticeably less impactful than that of Asuka, nor does it have any of the flair of Nakamura’s. Furthermore, WWE appears to not have allowed Itami to use the G.T.S. as a finisher, largely due to the strained relationship between the company and CM Punk, who adopted the move. In total, Itami’s brief run before getting hurt was mostly run of the mill.

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WWE has an amazing talent in Hideo Itami, so what can they do to re-introduce him to the audience post-Nakamura? Perhaps some of the changes will be purely cosmetic; new ring gear and new music, or at least a remix. One of the things that hurt Itami due to his injury was that he hadn’t had a real significant feud outside of Tyler Breeze in a series of matches for the number one contendership. Now that he’s back, WWE can have him feud with a couple of big names who are still in NXT, depending on if they have him come back and pick up where he left off as a babyface, or switch it up and return as a heel.

Following Austin Aries’ feud with No Way Jose, NXT can have the recently-turned heel Aries feud with Itami, leading to a match at Takeover: Back to Brooklyn. It would be the perfect venue for Itami’s PPV return; outside of performing in front of the Wrestlemania 31 pre-show audience, Itami has yet to wrestle in front of a sold-out capacity crowd. If NXT decides to turn Itami into a jealous heel, he could have a send-off rivalry with Finn Balor (assuming Balor’s match with Nakamura is not his last match with NXT), or perhaps most intriguing, against Shinsuke Nakamura. Whether it’s against Balor or Nakamura, the event would still have to be Back to Brooklyn.

Or perhaps, WWE can simply call-up Itami to the main roster without much of a farewell NXT match as they did with Apollo Crews, Enzo & Cass, Dana Brooke, and recently, Billie Kay (though the latter might have been a one-off). If WWE were to do that, the logical feud for Itami would be Kevin Owens, who was the one last seen when Itami was laid out in the Full Sail parking lot. Owens’ rivalry with Sami Zayn is set to end (or at least this chapter in their ongoing saga) at Battleground; if Owens is not in the title picture after, a feud with Itami would be a great way to introduce him to the bigger WWE universe.

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The playing field has expanded considerably since Itami initially got injured. Many big names have entered NXT. This would be the perfect opportunity for Itami to re-introduce himself to WWE and have potential match of the year candidates with several of these big time players.

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