10 Most Disappointing Wrestlers Of 2016
9. Hideo Itami
It looked like Hideo Itami was en route to NXT Championship contention back in 2015. His transition to mainstream American wrestling hadn’t always been smooth, but he was a huge favourite at Full Sail University, and exuded the kind of star aura that most WWE trainees can only pray for.
Itami was set to wrestle Tyler Breeze and Finn Balor for contendership in May, but injury struck. The former KENTA was ruled-out with a serious shoulder injury, and after initially being pegged for a January return, he suffered setback after setback. Itami finally returned to NXT television 15 months later, but in one of the year’s cruelest twists of fate, he lasted just two months before the injury bug returned, and he was sidelined with a fresh neck injury.
It’s unclear when Itami will be given the all-clear to resume his career, but the past two years have been nothing short of disastrous. Itami should have been a regular title contender by this point, and he has now missed 18 vital months in his WWE development. Aged 35, it’s entirely possible that Itami has now missed the boat on WWE stardom.
Fingers crossed he’s able to make a full recovery, as Itami looked a lot more like his old NOAH/ROH self after returning in August.