Life in WWE sure hasn’t been easy for Hideo Itami. He’s had one of the worst injury histories of anyone in the company since he signed back in 2014. His time in NXT has been one of halted momentum and wasted opportunities due to events entirely out of everyone’s hands.
Itami’s time with the company hasn’t been entirely devoid of highlights, of course. Him hitting the Go 2 Sleep in San Jose at NXT’s biggest road show at that point was legendary and nearly broke the internet. And he won an AXXESS tournament that same WrestleMania weekend to earn a spot in the second Andre the Giant battle royal at WrestleMania 31.
But other than that, it’s been rough sledding. Itami’s recent work in NXT has involved him feuding with Kassius Ohno and coming up short in his NXT Championship match against Bobby Roode. Back in October, a report came out that indicated Itami would be heading to the main roster as part of the cruiserweight division. It looks like that was right on the money.
During Tuesday night’s 205 Live, WWE aired a promo teasing the impending arrival of Itami. It’s pretty badass.
The steady revitalization of the cruiserweight division continues. Enzo Amore was a great start, and his work on Raw, along with the undeniable Drew Gulak, has led to renewed interest in 205 Live. Itami should add another dimension by introducing a legitimate, terrifying ass-kicker. It’s certainly not going to hurt anything.
Between Paige’s new faction on Raw and Ruby Riot’s crew on Smackdown Live, that marks six (6) NXT call-ups announced in two days. Slow down, guys. We’re getting whiplash.
(Just kidding; don’t slow down. This is great.)
