10 Things Everybody Got Wrong About WWE In 2016
8. Hideo Itami Did Not Make A Triumphant Return
As far as bad years go, Hideo Itami has just been stacking them up lately. His 2015 got off to a slow start when he was overshadowed by tag team partner Finn Balor, but things got worse. After competing at WrestleMania (in a less-than-auspicious role), Itami suffered a shoulder injury that looked to put him out of action for the rest of the year.
With Itami due to return to action in January, fans hoped that he'd finally deliver the goods in 2016. Instead, his situation proved to be worse than initially feared, with complications involving his shoulder threatening to keep him out a good while longer. It wasn't until the end of June that he finally returned to action. He made his TV return in August.
Many onlookers remarked that Itami seemed to have lost something in his time off - either his shoulder injury had permanent affected his mobility, or he wasn't fully healed despite returning. A feud with Austin Aries was teased, but it ultimately went nowhere - on October 1, Itami was hurt again, injuring his neck in a match. Though he promised to compete at NXT's Japanese debut in December, he was unable to do so. Nobody knows when he'll be back in action.