Hideo Itami Is Finally Hitting His Stride On WWE 205 Live

Hideo Itami’s run in NXT was noticeably derailed by injuries. However, his presence on 205 Live is doing wonders for the Japanese sensation’s momentum.

Upon debuting in NXT four years ago, there were already huge projections for Hideo Itami despite his size.

Known for his international reputation and his savage striking skill, Hideo Itami appeared to be set for success before suffering a shoulder injury that not only kept him out of a scheduled match at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable but also out of action for a year.

Just shortly after returning, Hideo would find himself on the shelf again, preventing him from teaming with Kota Ibushi in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.

Hideo had the benefit of emerging in NXT before big name signings to the brand became commonplace. During his time of inactivity, the roster loaded up with the likes of Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, Aleister Black and others. Within years—if that—the NXT roster arguably became too deep for Itami to make the impact that he would’ve if he were healthy years prior.

Hideo Itami returned to NXT in stellar fashion, laying out then-NXT Champion, Bobby Roode with a GTS. Despite this, his NXT Championship match at NXT Takeover: Chicago took a backseat to the stellar ladder match between D.I.Y. and The Authors of Pain.

Even though Hideo lost, it was his character development afterwards that made him a more compelling entity.

Hideo’s gradual shift in attitude arguably made his final months in NXT the most entertaining stretch of his run there. His series of shortcomings eventually boiled over into violent bursts of aggression. He became the bitter spark plug hell-bent on getting respect from fellow wrestlers and the fans.

WWE briefly hit the reset button on Hideo Itami by having him debut as a face on 205 Live, teaming with fellow Japanese native, Akira Tozawa. However, his late-NXT run mean streak slowly started to show during their tag team matches, leading to the team’s split and a blowoff match which Itami won.

Since returning to singles competition, Hideo has set his sights on Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship, recently besting fellow contenders Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in an exceptional triple threat match.

Given the backstage confrontation Itami had with Cedric Alexander on the last edition of 205 Live, it appears that the former will be getting his shot at the Cruiserweight championship sooner rather than later.

Itami’s chance at becoming NXT champion was hindered by two devastating injuries and a spree of big name roster additions. On 205 Live, Hideo doesn’t have to worry as much about slipping down the pecking order as the roster isn’t as deep as NXT’s. He has been in multiple main events recently and may be next in line for a shot at the Cruiserweight championship.

Considering Cedric has already beaten Mustafa Ali, Buddy Murphy, and Kalisto, no one is currently a better bet to take the Cruiserweight title from him than Hideo Itami. As champion, Hideo would bring a viciousness to the Cruiserweight title scene that has not been seen since Neville’s near 300-day run.

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Before, Hideo seemed out of his depth—through no fault of his own—for a decent part of his stay in NXT. Now, he’s a Cruiserweight title reign away from cementing his post-injury resurgence and establishing himself as the top competitor on 205 Live.