The NXT Five: Analysing and grading their WWE careers

#2 Hideo Itami

Does Hideo Itami deserve better than 205 Live?

Key quote from WWE.com interview: "Everything changed [leaving Japan]. I wanted more. I wanted to be famous. I wanted to prove to myself... When I started, I didn’t think about WWE, but my dream became bigger and bigger."

NXT career: After debuting in NXT in October 2014, Hideo Itami’s early success led to him competing in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. However, he went on to miss 20 of the next 24 months due to injuries before ending his time in NXT with TakeOver losses against Bobby Roode and Aleister Black.

WWE career: Itami won two matches on Raw after his call-up to the main roster in December 2017. Since then, he has been exclusive to 205 Live – a show which gets fewer viewers than NXT on the WWE Network – and he is yet to win the Cruiserweight Championship.

WWE future: Itami recently competed in a one-off match for Japanese promotion NOAH and there is often speculation that he could permanently return to Japan. WWE even used the rumours in a storyline in 2017, with Itami insisting he “worked too hard to get here” to leave America already.

Verdict: There was a huge buzz around Itami, then known as KENTA, signing with WWE – so much so that Hulk Hogan flew all the way to Japan to be the ‘contract officiator’ in the deal. Needless to say, his current role on 205 Live isn’t how anybody imagined he would be used on WWE television after his high-profile signing.

Grade: D