10 Times WWE Got Buyer's Remorse

6. Hideo Itami

Chris Jericho Vince Mcmahon Disappointed
WWE

Sami Zayn couldn't hide his smile when Shinsuke Nakamura debuted against him at 2016's TakeOver: Dallas. The world stopped alongside the 'Underdog From The Underground' to try and make sense of this maverick from New Japan Pro Wrestling ready to kick his way through the competition on the wrestling world's other hottest product.

Somewhere literally and figuratively far away, Hideo Itami had to be crestfallen.

Almost certainly aware of the institutional marginalisation of international performers despite a healthy start to his WWE run with NXT, the former and future KENTA's May 2015 came at exactly the wrong time for his fellow countryman to making such an incredible debut.

All the worries were confirmed when he made his overdue return later that year to unsettling indifference, before another injury put a bullet in him ever getting a fair shake in NXT. By the time his release was mutually agreed in early 2019, so too was the discontent - neither party benefitted from an overtly challenging five year relationship, despite New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax profiting hugely from his signing as a weathered icon looking for redemption.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett