Opinion: Speculating how WWE can still salvage Hideo Itami's Main Roster run

What can WWE do to save Hideo Itami's career?

The question a few weeks ago would probably have been along the lines of 'What can WWE do to get Itami in the title picture?'

Unfortunately, the Japanese striker now seems to be in hot water after injuring The Brian Kendrick a week ago on RAW. He did not appear on RAW at all, this week.

Of course the rumored ban of his fishing move The GTS probably doesn't help things at all, especially since the finisher is one of the most over moves in WWE. The move was made famous by one Mr. CM Punk.

Itami being kept off Raw might have been the death blow for the former NXT standout. With that being said and the already murky waters of Itami's debut, is his run on the main roster salvageable?

Some might see this as a bad idea, especially with the family-friendly nature of WWE right now, but if WWE were to bring Itami out next week and have him brag about injuring Kendrick a couple of weeks ago, it would go a long way in making him look like a legitimate tough guy to The WWE Universe.

Not only that, it would also allow him to make the most of his troubled beginning on the main roster. It would quite instantaneously establish him as a threat to Enzo Amore's Cruserweight title.

Of course WWE is probably going to need to give him back his finisher and give him a manager to help with promos, but it would only add to him looking absolute unstoppable.

In fact, WWE should look no further then Paul Heyman himself as a possible manager for Itami. Not only would that gain Itami a lot of credibility on the main roster and show The WWE Universe that WWE has a lot of faith in him, it would even be a way to cover up his weakness on the microphone.

Just imagine Itami coming out with Paul Heyman by his side and talking up the fact that he put Kendrick in the hospital. WWE could even blur reality and fiction by saying that Itami was suspended from WWE for a week or two to get the fans riled up from there for his eventual return.

WWE has a lot of options from there, but one of the most interesting one's would be to put Itami up against up Kendrick or another member of The 205 Live roster with the caveat of Itami going back to NXT if he loses. If WWE can build it up right and get the fans behind Itami at the right time, this could be a high stakes match that actually raises his stock in WWE.

Another option would be to have him and Heyman talk up the fact that Itami injured Kendrick and have someone confront them during a promo. From there, WWE would have a lot of options including Aleister Black, Mustafa Ali or even Kendrick if they want to go for the revenge angle.

WWE could then do an open challenge angle, like they did with John Cena and Roman Reigns and then have Amore come out and run his mouth to Itami. The move doesn't seem out of character, especially since Amore is known for bragging about himself and would be a great way to coast him into a title match with Itami.

Itami then brutalizes Amore in the same way that Brock Lesnar brutalized John Cena at SummerSlam a few years ago and takes The Crusierweight title from him. After that, WWE could continue to book him in open challenge matches, keep Heyman as his manager and maybe even have him go after a few main roster titles as well.

In the end, WWE can still save Itami's career by making him look like a brutalizer and they would probably be very well off for doing so. Not only does this scenario for Itami give fans a great reason to watch 205 Live, it blurs the lines between storyline and real life, which has been known to be some of the best storylines of all time.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

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