1. Make Him A Cocky, In-Your-Face, Fight-Starting Heel
WWE doesnt seem to know why KENTA was such an enormous star in NOAH. It wasnt just because he was an excellent striker with a kickboxing background. It wasnt just because he had one of the most impressive finishers in wrestling. It was mainly because he was booked as a s**t-starter who didnt respect his opponents. KENTA was presented as having a 'little man complex', which made him want to prove his worth at every opportunity. However, on more occasions than he wouldve wanted, KENTA ended up playing the role of a fighter who slapped his opponents, hit extremely hard (even by strong style standards), and rubbed some people the wrong way. THAT is what worked in NOAH: KENTA made up for his small stature by hitting harder than what was acceptable, which created a feeling that, whenever hed hit his signature moves, there was genuine concern that hed break a part of his opponents body. This is what WWE needs to do with Itami: have him get in peoples faces and be disrespectful, only to back up his cockiness with a devastating arsenal of strikes. This would not only lead to some great storylines, but also some more unique and exciting matches the likes of which have yet to be seen in NXT.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
