10 Wrestlers Who Went From Champion To Jobber In Different Promotions
3. KENTA
In another life, the arrival of KENTA (known to WWE fans as Hideo Itami) should've opened the door for a gluttony of masterful showdowns for the former Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Noah legend.
He was positioned as a rather big deal upon arriving on the black and gold brand too, joining forces with Finn Balor to see off The Ascension at TakeOver:R Evolution and even earning a spot in WrestleMania 31's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Ok, perhaps that honour wasn't all that glamorous, but it was at least a step in the right direction.
Sadly, the former GHC Heavyweight Champion's momentum was stifled by serious shoulder and neck injuries, meaning that he only challenged for the NXT Championship on one single occasion, in a losing effort against Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Chicago.
A limp transition over to the "main roster" as part of 205 Live saw Itami pick up a few victories, but he was never able to breakout on the show and frequently came up short in his quest for Cruiserweight gold. An inevitable move away from the company was finally realised in February 2019 and KENTA has been causing chaos in NJPW and AEW ever since.