Hideo Itami To Make WWE Return In June?

It's been a long, hard road of rehabilitation for NXT superstar Hideo Itami, but according to The Wrestling Observer, his path back to competition is almost complete. The newsletter is reporting that Itami's shoulder has healed to the point where he is expected back in action within the next few weeks.Itami debuted for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000, but soon left the company along with most of its major stars to form Pro Wrestling NOAH. He initially competed under his real name, Kenta Kobayashi, but soon became KENTA to avoid confusion with the legendary Kenta Kobashi. While Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, and Jun Akiyama helped make NOAH one of the best wrestling organizations in the world in the early to mid-2000s, younger talent like KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji, and Takeshi Morishima started to rise up the card.Tragedies, retirements, and disputes led to the end of NOAH's dominance and the company's "old guard," putting KENTA in the driver's seat by 2013. The company slid further, though, and in 2014, KENTA signed with WWE. His acquisition was highly touted by the company and he joined the NXT brand under the Itami name.Itami found success in NXT, winning a tournament to earn the right to compete at WrestleMania 31's battle royal, but in May of 2015, he was put on the shelf with a shoulder injury. Initial reports indicated he would miss about eight months of action, but he suffered from complications after surgery and his recovery was slow. By the time Itami returns, he'll have missed well over a year of action.