10 WWE Disasters That Saved Themselves

10. Hideo Itami

His signing may have helped kickstart WWE's indie talent raid, but Hideo Itami was never a good fit for several reasons:-

1. An inability to cut promos in English.

2. Having to abandon signature moves like the Go to Sleep and Busaiku Knee Kick because other WWE wrestlers had already adopted them.

3. Being made to tone down his bruising, concussive style to fit WWE's safer mould.

4. Debuting as a babyface. KENTA excels as a d*ckhead piece of sh*t. Why wouldn't you let him be a d*ckhead piece of sh*t?

Throw his rough injury record into the mix and you have a recipe for disaster that was only slightly assuaged with his late-run NXT heel turn, before Itami left to enter a listless period on 205 Live, where he was visibly out of shape and disinterested.

Negotiating an early release from his WWE contract may have saved KENTA's career. Departing in January, he re-emerged in NJPW in June, embarking on a G1 Climax run rife with flashes of his former badassery. A jaw-dropping heel turn to join Bullet Club preceded the year's most emotional memorable angle as he scrapped with training partner Katsuyori Shibata on finals night and while he'll never be the wrestler he once was, the new NEVER Openweight Champion hasn't felt so alive since leaving Pro Wrestling NOAH.