10 Post-WWE Runs That Were Nothing Like We Expected
7. KENTA
Hideo Itami developed a bad reputation for being made of glass during his time in NXT. Whenever a hot angle was lined up for the former Pro Wrestling NOAH stalwart, the perils of injury would strike. A promotion to 205 Live ultimately played out more like a demotion with the frustrated Itami leaving and returning to his native Japan in 2019.
Most fans expected a NOAH return making his entry into New Japan's 2019 G1 Climax all the more surprising. Poorly received by the New Japan faithful, KENTA turned heel, joined the Bullet Club and beatdown his old pal Katsuyori Shibata. The typically polite audience proceeded to boo the GTS innovator like there was no tomorrow.
KENTA has since found his voice again as a mean-spirited, snarky heel. While years of wear and tear have slowed his wrestling when compared to his late noughties prime, KENTA's character work has never been better. He has become a key moment in AEW history for years to come recently by firing the first on screen shot of an AEW/New Japan working relationship.
Considering how in the dumps his career appeared to be by the end of his time in WWE, this villainous resurgence was the last thing anyone expected.