8 Amazing Wrestlers That FLOPPED In WWE

Arriving in an era when wrestling’s global infrastructure meant that fans were less able to plug into the Japanese indie wrestling scene, Kenta Kobashi's exposure was low, but his reputation was high. Having enjoyed a short run in Ring Of Honor (including an excellent encounter with Samoa Joe), WWE signing Kenta for their burgeoning NXT brand was presented as a major coup back in 2014. 

Despite regularly receiving rapturous receptions at Full Sail University, the rebranded Hideo Itami was never fully pushed to the top of the card by the Black and Gold brand. He had sensational matches with Tyler Breeze and began to build momentum, including earning a spot in WrestleMania 31’s Andre the Giant Battle Royal, but that would prove to be as good as it got for Itami. 

Disaster would then befall Hideo when a shoulder injury sidelined him for a full calendar year. When he eventually returned, the NXT roster was almost unrecognizable, and Itami found himself out of the shuffle and feeling like yesterday’s news. The originator of the GTS never significantly recovered his standing with fans and was then only used as a makeshift opponent for the likes of Bobby Roode and Aleister Black, before eventually being released just over three years after signing with the company.