10 Crucial Booking Steps Needed To Save Hideo Itami’s WWE NXT Career

4. Make Him A Paul Heyman Guy

Despite their attempts to help him improve his English, Itami isn€™t the best at cutting promos. In fact, he was never that good of a promo guy in the first place; he was always someone who let his actions do his talking for him. To really elevate Itami€™s career, it would make perfect sense for him to have Paul Heyman as his manager. Heyman can sell things on the microphone like no one else, and he€™d do an excellent job of making Itami seem like a far more dangerous wrestler. Not only would Paul Heyman be a welcome addition to the NXT roster, but he would be perfect for Itami in so many ways. Heyman could wax lyrical about how awesome Itami is at what he does, while Itami would just stand there looking angry. It€™s a simple formula that has worked wonders for Brock Lesnar, and would work in the exact same way for Itami. The fact that WWE still have to rely on Funaki to translate basic interview questions for Itami is a perfect indication of the language barrier still bothering him in NXT. And since WWE superstars must sell tickets with promos just as much as with their wrestling matches, it makes far more sense to pair Itami with a masterful speaker like Heyman than to have him continue struggling with the English language.