7 Wrestlers Who Could Anchor WWE's New Cruiserweight Division

5. Hideo Itami

In terms of overall in-ring ability, there's no doubt that Hideo Itami is one of the best performers in WWE. They brought in the 33 year old, 180 pounder with high expectations. They recently signed a TV deal in Japan for NXT and he's a big reason why. He's hugely popular over there as KENTA. As Hideo Itami, it's about starting over. It's going to take him some time to familiarize himself with WWE's audience while also feeling comfortable in the ring. Some of his matches in NXT have had a hot crowd while at other times you can tell they're not into him as much as they should be. What will hurt him in WWE is that English is his second language. He's working on his English and he's really not that bad at it, but we've seen so many wrestlers in the past that were not given that fair shake because their lack of promos. Hopefully with Triple H more involved in the company and giving him a lot of attention upon his arrival that it's a sign of things changing in WWE. It's not about how big somebody is or where they are from. It's about talent. He has a lot of that. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have him start out in WWE as a potential first Cruiserweight Champion. That would establish him as a threat right from the beginning while earning the respect from the fans that still don't know much about him. From there, he could move on to other titles.