Hideo Itami has shared a photo from his recent shoulder surgery. Appearing on Twitter, the photo demonstrates the extent of operating that was required. Surgeons were required to make a major incision from the shoulder down to his arm pit. This has now been stitched up and looks sure to leave a nasty scar. The recovery time for Itami is expected to be six to eight months. That means WWE fans may not see him again until 2016. That's a disaster for him, as he'll have been with WWE for over a year without any major role on the main shows. As a big star in Japan he would make a lot more money and wrestle in front of a lot bigger crowds. His involvement on WWE's NXT hasn't even been that good, mostly restricted to average matches with Tyler Breeze. He did get the spot in the WrestleMania Andre Battle Royal, but it was very brief and limited to a pre-show. At this point, he must surely be asking himself if he has made the right decision in joining WWE. At 34 years of age he's only got a few really solid years left in him, especially given the style he has been accustomed to working. If WWE bring him back in eight months just to do more NXT shows, there's going to be a whole lot of frustration for Itami. He surely envisioned himself on the main shows a year into his WWE career.
