The former Hideo Itami appeared on New Japan’s Dominion event in Osaka over the weekend. He was accompanied to the ring by Katsuyori Shibata and then declared himself for this summer’s G1 Climax tournament. KENTA sat down with NJPW commentator Chris Charlton recently and spoke about why he signed with NJPW, his history with Shibata and more.
Charlton asked KENTA why he signed with NJPW after leaving WWE and having been so associated with Pro Wrestling NOAH in the past.
“Now New Japan goes worldwide,” KENTA said. “I want to show my wrestling to the world as KENTA, not Hideo Itami. I want to show my wrestling to the world and New Japan goes worldwide, US, UK, everybody knows New Japan. So, I decided New Japan.”
KENTA also spoke about Jon Moxley debuting in New Japan and the time they both spent in WWE. He mentioned that in WWE, KENTA and Moxley were on separate paths.
“(Moxley) was the top of the top in WWE but, you know, I was not,” KENTA said.
Charlton then asked if KENTA is interested in wrestling Moxley in the G1.
“Definitely,” KENTA responded. “I want to have a match with him because now I’m not just stupid Hideo Itami, now I’m KENTA. I want to fight him as KENTA.”
KENTA also spoke on his relationship with Katsuyori Shibata and more. The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
The former Hideo Itami was announced for this year’s G1 Climax tournament today in Japan. Katsuyori Shibata made a surprise appearance at NJPW’s Dominion event today in Osaka and accompanied KENTA to the ring. KENTA then declared he will enter this year’s G1 Climax tournament.
The 38-year-old KENTA last competed for WWE in January. He dropped a match to Akira Tozawa on an episode of 205 Live from January 29th. News of his release broke the following day.
The first night of this year’s tournament will be on July 7th from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The tournament will then resume in Japan the following week. Following the 1st night in Dallas, the tournament will run from July 13 to August 12th. The final 3 nights of the tournament will all be held in the Nippon Budokan.
New Japan has yet to confirm a list of participants for this year’s tournament.
KENTA In New Japan Pro Wrestling
KENTA has previously only wrestled 2 matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He lost a match to Wataru Inoue at NJPW Cross Road in 2002. KENTA also competed in a multi-tag match at a joint NJPW/NOAH/AJPW show titled “All Together” from 2011.
As we reported earlier this week TJP, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson, Tye Dillinger, and Hideo Itami were all released from their WWE contracts. Itami had publicly announced that we would be leaving. Dillinger also made some comments this week on social media confirming his release.
There appears to be some reasoning for the recent releases. According to the Wrestling Observer Arn Anderson was constantly in conflict with Vince McMahon. The actual details are few and far between but apparently a recent house show involved an incident which the WWE CEO was not happy about. Anderson took full responsibility for the incident and was subsequently terminated from the company.
TJP’s release is reportedly for disciplinary reasons. WWE are quite reluctant to ‘fire’ anyone currently due to the new landscape of professional wrestling (see: AEW). Again details are scarce but WWE felt firing TJP needed to be done.
Itami and Dillinger asked for their releases from WWE. With the aforementioned change of landscape both clearly feel that there are opportunities for them elsewhere.
Bruce Prichard, Steve Corino, “Hurricane” Shane Helms, Sonjay Dutt, Shawn Daivari, “Abyss” Chris Parks and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett have all recently joined the company in backstage roles.
Cruiserweight Classic winner TJ Perkins and Tye Dillinger have both vented publicly about their frustrations. Dillinger issued a statement earlier this week telling fans on social media that he requested to be released. He expressed gratitude for his time with WWE and wrote,
“To the male and female locker rooms, coaches and producers, to the production/ring crew, all the way up to the very top of WWE and most of al the fans…I wish you all the very best and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.”
TJP wrote the following in response to WWE’s announcement:
Thanks for giving me a chance and letting me play for the team I grew up watching ????? https://t.co/r7001mqjx2
As noted early Friday morning, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has also been released. Anderson had been working with talent backstage as a producer. AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes commented on AA’s situation:
Love AA. I stole all of his catchphrases & use them on a daily basis. He went to bat for young talent & at the same time is essentially responsible for all of the current top guys & “golden circle”. He’s not corporate, but that’s a compliment. Can’t take wrestlers outta wrestling
Two more WWE stars have been granted their releases from the company today (Fri. February 22, 2019). WWE announced that they have come to terms on the release of former Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins and 205 Live star Hideo Itami. WWE did not wish either man good luck in their future endeavors.
Perkins signed with WWE back in 2016 after winning the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament. With the tournament win, he also captured the Cruiserweight Championship. He’d go on to lose the strap to Brian Kendrick at that year’s Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV). As for Itami, he has been rumored to be leaving the company for quite some time now.
It was reported last month that the Japanese star asked for his release from the company. This came after his loss to Akira Tozawa on the January 29th episode of 205 Live. Itami was reportedly unhappy with the way he was being used. As of this writing, four releases were granted today by WWE. Those being Arn Anderson, Tye Dillinger, Itami, and TJP.
This makes things particularly interesting now that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is on the rise. Perhaps some of these names could be seen at Double Or Nothing in May.
What do you think about WWE’s decision to release TJP and Itami?
The wrestling world is still reacting to Dean Ambrose’s decision to leave WWE once WrestleMania 35 has passed. Despite the money WWE was offering, Ambrose was reportedly not interested, instead wanting to explore new avenues and opportunities. Since the news broke, many within the industry have offered their thoughts on Ambrose’s decision.
One such individual is Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. Commenting on the Ambrose situation on his podcast, X-Pac 12360, Waltman would give his thoughts on not only Ambrose leaving WWE but also on Hideo Itami’s recent request, and granted, release.
Hitting The X-Factor
“You don’t abuse someone like that on their way out. You don’t shame them, or humiliate them because you want them to come back. It’s like the statement WWE made. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, this must be a work because they never come out and say this type of thing,’ this is a different time and Dean Ambrose is not a talent that you go ‘we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors’ to because you want him back at some point.
You use him to do honors for other people on the way out but within reason. Dean Ambrose came back from his time off in shape, looking good. His whole game was on point, every aspect was on point. He’s either going to show up in AEW or he’s just gonna go out and find himself.”
Regarding Hideo’s release request, X-Pac would say the following:
“I think around the time that he signed with WWE, no one had more of a buzz in wrestling than KETNA. […] this guy is pound for pound the best in the world. That’s the kind of talk you heard about. I am just thinking [about] how he’s so great of a performer, everyone likes him too, you don’t hear anything bad about him, behind the scenes or any other matter. Just what a string of bad luck for him.”
Add Hideo Itami’s name to the list of Superstars who will be leaving WWE shortly. According to a report from Fightful, Itami asked for and was granted his release from the company. He finished up with WWE last night.
Itami, like many other Superstars asking for their releases lately, was unsatisfied creatively. He will likely have to sit-out a 90-day no-compete clause before being able to wrestle for another promotion. If this is the case, he would be free in May.
Itami, who recently changed his Twitter handle to his old in-ring name, KENTA, posted the following to his social media channels on Tuesday night.
KENTA wrestled with ROH from 2005 to 2009. Itami spent 2000-2014 building up his name in Pro Wrestling NOAH before signing with WWE in 2014.
Renamed Hideo Itami, he was sent to NXT but only achieved modest success there. Injuries hampered his momentum in NXT before he finally debuted on the main roster for the 205 Live brand in 2017.
205 Live star Ariya Daivari is campaigning for Hideo Itami to become WWE’s new Cruiserweight Champion. Itami will face Buddy Murphy, Akira Tozawa and Kalisto in a Fatal 4 Way match for the Cruiserweight title this Sunday at the Royal Rumble.
Daivari tweeted a video of WWE Champion Daniel Bryan describing just how dangerous Hideo Itami is. Nearly 13 years after they battled each other in Ring of Honor, Bryan says he is still feeling the effects of Itami’s brutality.
“Hideo Itami. Is Hideo Itami dangerous? Well, I can’t hear out of my left ear,” Bryan stated. “You see, Hideo Itami and I were fighting in Ring of Honor in 2006, and we got into a battle of strikes, a battle that I lost. A battle that ruptured my ear drum, and shortly thereafter, not only could I not hear out of my left ear, I can’t even go under water.”
Bryan continued, “So, is Hideo Itami dangerous? Yes, he’s dangerous, and if I ever see Hideo Itami on SmackDown, he’s going to get all that’s coming to him.”
205 Live’s Mustafa Ali recently moved up to Smackdown Live, which could pave the way for more cruiserweight talent on the main roster. Itami’s WWE run has been plagued by injuries thus far, so it remains to be seen if we’ll ever get a chance to relive his rivalry with Daniel Bryan.
Watch Daniel Bryan talk about how dangerous Hideo Itami can be:
Cody Rhodes Wants To Know About Independent Wrestlers
After we exclusively reported about it, new signs are emerging regularly, and they are all pointing towards the rise of a new wrestling promotions involving some of the biggest names of the independent circuit.
One of these names is none other than a former WWE Star and one of the three promoters of ALL IN, Cody Rhodes and he is having fun with these reports until the official announcement.
Cody is currently out of action with an injury, but he is not letting the injury keep him out of headlines, and he is playing with all the reports about AEW with tweets such as this:
Curious
Who are some of the hottest male/female independent acts not signed anywhere?
This week’s episode of 205 Live saw the former NXT Star Hideo Itami returning to the show. He wrestled a match on the episode and defeated a local talent.
After the match, we also saw the return of Ariya Daivari and the two had a confrontation. Daivari then proceeded to beat down the local talent Itami had just defeated, and these events make it seem like Ariya and Hideo have formed a team.
It’s worth mentioning here that the local talent who was used for this segment was Levy Cruise. He also appeared on this week’s Raw as part of the conga line with No Way Jose.
Japanese wrestling legend Naomichi Marufuji recently spoke to Tokyo Sports on his bout with the returning Hideo Itami/KENTA in Pro Wrestling NOAH. The bout took place this past Saturday for Marufuji’s 20th Anniversary show.
During the interview Marufuji expressed his pleasure at being able to face his longtime foe once again. The former GHC Heavyweight Champion claimed that is “grateful” to Triple H for allowing Hideo Itami to return to Japan. Marufuji also stated that if he “hears a voice” he would “definitely go to WWE for one match.”
Marufuji defeated Itami at Saturday’s event after hitting the Pole Shift Emerald Flowsion for the three-count at around the 34 minute mark. This came after Marufuji kicked out of the Go 2 Sleep.
After the bout Marufuji was greeted in-ring by the entire NOAH roster, this was lead by Go Shiozaki. The former GHC Champion thanked Itami personally for returning and also thanked the fans in attendance.
The idea of a Japanese star heading to WWE for a special one-off appearance is not unprecedented. Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger appeared at NXT Brooklyn in 2015 and faced Tyler Breeze in a special attraction match.
In this Tokyo Sports article Marufuji talks about how grateful he is that Triple H allowed Hideo Itami to participate in his show and that he wants to repay the favor. If he "hears a voice" he will definitely go to WWE for one match. #noah_ghchttps://t.co/XtTDXEDYDD
Naomichi Marufuji celebrated his 20th anniversary in wrestling today. A special anniversary show was held today and Marufuji wrestled his former partner KENTA, also known as Hideo Itami.
Before the match, Marufuji admitted he felt some jealousy in 2014 when Itami left for WWE.
“(Itami) and I are on different paths,” Marufuji said to Japanese media recently. “I did feel some jealousy when he went to America because I had decided that I had to do it ‘here.’ I don’t want it to be lost in the meaning of his going to America, I have been thinking about that. Because of the excitement, I want to show content that matches it, and above all the ‘results.'”
Marufuji would continue to speak on his former partner and rival. “He will not give up, and I want to take advantage of my ability to win,” Marufuji continued. “I think he is thinking many things, especially about the reaction of the fans when he was displayed on the monitor at Korakuen. I think that was the most and best ‘real.’ I want him to have an explosion like that at the venue. Everyone had hoped for him, and that was the proof.”
Earlier this year, it was revealed WWE was allowing the cruiserweight to perform on the show.
In 2003, both Tokyo Sports and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji as the top tag-team in the world. The Wrestling Observer would give them the honor in 2004 as well. In 2006, Tokyo Sports would award them the “Match of the Year” for a match they had against each other.
By 2014, each had established themselves as a top guy in Pro Wrestling NOAH. KENTA was looking to do something else with his career, however. He signed with WWE, reported to the Performance Center, and adopted the name of Hideo Itami.
Tomorrow night will see the long anticipated return to Pro Wrestling: NOAH for WWE 205 Live competitor Hideo Itami/KENTA.
We reported the new working agreement between WWE and NOAH a few months ago, this was around the NOAH Korakuen Hall show in June.
Hideo Itami in WWE
Itami has struggled to find his place in WWE. Expectations were high when he signed with the company in 2014 but injuries set him back and prevented him from moving up the card. He is now part of the 205 Live brand.
Rumors of Itami Going Back To Japan in 2017
Last summer there were rumors that Itami was going to go back to Japan full-time. The rumors started after Itami lost an NXT Championship match at Takeover: Chicago (the first one). Rumors were then that Itami had discussed giving up on WWE and going back to Japan. He then dispelled those rumors in the segment below which aired on NXT programming last summer.
Itami sent out a tweet hyping the match which you can see below, here’s a rough translation: “The best time to get distracted though. Finally tomorrow. Honestly, please call me like you want to call me. No good or bad sticking there at all. Anyway, it is the best one day. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
Cedric Alexander is now the second longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion in the title’s short lineage. He is currently at 101 days as champion, 96 days short of Neville’s 197-day record.
Last night on 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick made an announcement regarding who Alexander’s next title defense will be against. Maverick announced a #1 contenders match for next week featuring 4 of the division’s top-ranked competitors.
Next week, Mustafa Ali, TJP, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak will meet in a fatal 4-way match. The winner will earn a title shot against Cedric Alexander.
205 Live Title Picture
Alexander won the title by defeating Mustafa Ali in the finals of a tournament to declare a new champion. The title had been vacated after Enzo Amore was released from the company. Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show.
Since then, Alexander has defended the title against Kalisto, Buddy Murphy, and most recently, Hideo Itami.
205 Live 7/17 Results
TJP defeated Noam Dar
This was a rematch from two weeks ago when Dar defeated TJP in under 30 seconds.
Drew Gulak defeated Danny Garcia
After the match, Gulak stated his case for a Cruiserweight title shot.
Danny Garcia wrestles indies in the Toronto area.
Lio Rush defeated Akira Tozawa
Rush wins his first real test since debuting on 205 Live.
Rush pulled Tozawa off the top rope as he was going for his Senton. This allowed Rush to hit his frog-splash for the win.
5 matches have been confirmed for WWE’s Smackdown and 205 Live shows tonight. Both shows will emanate from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH.
Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles will go one-on-one for the 7th time in their rivalry tonight, not including house shows. It will be just the second time they have faced each other without a single’s title on the line.
Additionally, the main event of 205 Live will feature a Cruiserweight Championship match. Cedric Alexander will defend the title against top contender, Hideo Itami.
Smackdown Live 7/10/18 Preview
Team Hell No Kick-Off Smackdown
MizTV will kick off Smackdown tonight. The Miz’s guests will be Daniel Bryan and Kane.
While not invited on the show, one might suspect Team Hell No’s opponents at Extreme Rules, the Bludgeon Brothers, might make an appearance.
Even though Bryan and the Miz aren’t currently in a program with one another, the two long-time rivals always have an interesting back and forth whenever they are in the same segment.
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura
At Extreme Rules, both AJ and Nakamura will have championship matches. Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Rusev and Nakamura will challenge Jeff Hardy for the US title.
This will be the 7th match between the two (not including house shows). They are 2-2-2 against one another:
WrestleMania 34 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Title
Greatest Royal Rumble – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (double count-out) – WWE title
Backlash 2018 – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (No-contest) – WWE Title
Smackdown May 15th, 2018 – Shinsuke Nakamura defeated AJ Styles
Money in the Bank 2018 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE title.
Asuka vs James Ellsworth – Lumberjack Match
Asuka will challenge Carmella on Sunday for a chance to win her first title on the main roster. She’ll get to enact some revenge on James Ellsworth tonight, however.
Ellsworth’s return to WWE at the Money in the Bank PPV caused enough of a distraction to allow Carmella to pull off a huge upset and defend her title.
Asuka might be looking for revenge tonight but rest assured Carmella is probably looking for an opportunity to soften up her opponent for Sunday.
Tye Dillinger vs Samoa Joe
Last week in a WWE exclusive, R-Truth volunteered up Tye Dillinger to take on Samoa Joe this week.
Truth had originally been trying to recruit Tye as his newest tag-team partner but some comic hijinks resulted in Truth challenging Joe on Tye’s behalf instead.
Sin Cara vs Andrade “Cien” Almas
In a match that has been pushed to the back-burner for a few weeks, Andrade Almas will finally face Sin Cara tonight.
The angle they have been going with is that Sin Cara and Almas used to be friends but now Almas has adopted a new outlook under the guidance of Zelina Vega.
205 Live 7/10/18 Preview
Only one match/segment is scheduled for 205 Live tonight.
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Cedric Alexander (c) vs Hideo Itami
Cedric Alexander insisted 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, make this match as Itami defeated top-contenders Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match on June 19th.
Maverick was hesitant only because Itami has been interfering in matches and the GM didn’t want to reward bad behavior.
Alexander is the 8th champion in the title’s lineage and the belt is currently in its 10th reign.
Not including house shows, Alexander will be attempting to defend the belt for the 3rd time.
Should Alexander be victorious tonight, his reign will move into the second longest all-time position, passing Enzo Amore’s 2nd run with the belt of 93 days. The longest reign in title history was Neville’s 197-day run between January and August of 2017.
Neville’s 7-title defenses during this reign is also a record.
Last night on 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick scheduled Cedric Alexander’s next Cruiserweight title defense.
2 weeks ago, Hideo Itami defeated Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match. Maverick has now scheduled the Itami versus Alexander match for next week.
This week on 205 Live, Mustafa Ali and Buddy Murphy would meet in a no disqualification match. The winner of the match is likely in a position to challenge the winner of Hideo Itami vs Cedric Alexander title match next week.
205 Live Results 7/3/18
Century Link Center Omaha, NE
1. Noam Dar defeated TJP
TJP has been asking Drake Maverick to give him better competition for several weeks now. Maverick told him he had picked his opponent for this week himself. TJP questioned whether Maverick should actually be doing this every week, seeing as he is the GM of the brand.
Noam Dar was the surprise opponent. The returning Scottish SuperNova made short work of TJP.
2. Akira Tozawa defeated Jason Strife
Lio Rush came out to do guest commentary during this match.
This was the 3rd straight victory for Tozawa on 205 Live. He defeated Tony Nese last week and another local talent 2 weeks before that. His last loss was to Drew Gulak on an episode of Main Event from June 4th, 2018.
After the match, Lio Rush said, unlike Tozawa he doesn’t wait for anything.
Rush then challenged Tozawa to a future match.
3. Mustafa Ali defeated Buddy Murphy (no disqualification match)
Ali started the match off with a diving senton to the outside on top of Murphy and things just kind of went from there.
Some of the big spots included Ali giving Murphy a Spanish fly from the guardrail on top of an announce table. Ali also gave Murphy a super-plex from the top an over-turned set of steel steps. Murphy also used the steps to jump over the ring ropes onto Ali.
The finish of the match began when Ali got tied up in the ring ropes and Murphy delivered several running knees to his face. After untying Ali, Murphy went for the pin but only got a close 2-count. Ali then fought back and gave Murphy a tornado DDT off the steel steps and got the 3-count for the win.
The commentators suggested Ali will be watching next week’s title match closely.
WWE 205 Live Superstar Hideo Itami will be making his return to Pro Wrestling NOAH when he faces Noamichi Marufuji on September 1st.
The man formerly known as KENTA appeared for Pro Wrestling NOAH over a 13 year span. He won the company’s Junior Heavyweight title 3 times and the GHC World Heavyweight Championship on one occasion.
Itami recently appeared in a pre-taped promo for the Pro Wrestling NOAH live crowd, according to his opponent Marufuji the “pop was so huge that you couldn’t hear the video” so he has posted the direct feed footage to Twitter.
You can check this out via the tweet below. The translation of Itami’s promo is as follows:
“Hello NOAH fans, I’m WWE’s Hideo Itami, formerly KENTA. I’ll be part of Marufuji’s 20th anniversary show on 9/1. It’s been 4 years since I was in a NOAH ring, I’m very excited to see you“
*Credit to Chris Charlton for the transcription
Last summer there were rumors that Itami was going to go back to Japan full-time. The rumors started after Itami lost an NXT Championship match at Takeover: Chicago (the first one). Rumors were then that Itami had discussed giving up on WWE and going back to Japan. He then dispelled those rumors in the segment below which aired on NXT programming last summer.
The wrestler formerly known as KENTA will be returning to Pro Wrestling NOAH later this summer. He will wrestle Noamichi Marufuji on September 1st, 2018.
It had previously been reported that WWE and Pro Wrestling NOAH had reached an agreement. Pro Wrestling NOAH announced the Itami vs Marufuji match at today’s show in Korakuen Hall.
Itami wrestled with Pro Wrestling NOAH for 13 years. He won the company’s junior heavyweight title 3x and their heavyweight title once.
It is not currently known if WWE and Pro Wrestling NOAH will continue a talent-sharing relationship past this match, however.
— ?????????? ?PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) June 26, 2018
Hideo Itami in WWE
Itami has struggled to find his place in WWE. Expectations were high when he signed with the company in 2014 but injuries set him back and prevented him from moving up the card.
Now on 205 Live, Itami seems to have taken over the top heel spot. He most recently defeated Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match. Itami will likely be the next to challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship as a result.
Rumors of Itami Going Back To Japan in 2017
Last summer there were rumors that Itami was going to go back to Japan full-time. The rumors started after Itami lost an NXT Championship match at Takeover: Chicago (the first one). Rumors were then that Itami had discussed giving up on WWE and going back to Japan. He then dispelled those rumors in the segment below which aired on NXT programming last summer.
Today marks the 9 year anniversary of Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa’s passing. Several stars from the likes of WWE, New Japan Pro Wrestling and beyond have posted tributes to one of the greatest performers of all time (you can see these at the bottom of the article).
Misawa made his professional debut in August of 1981 for All Japan Pro Wrestling. Misawa would go on to inherit the position of AJPW President following the passing of Giant Baba in 1999 and he went on to form the now iconic Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion.
Misawa is regarded as one of the greatest performers in the history of the industry, he famously garnered a six star rating from Dave Meltzer for his bout against Toshiaki Kawada in 1994 and his trilogy against Kenta Kobashi is heralded alongside Flair/Steamboat as one of the greatest ever.
Several stars such as Chris Hero/Kassius Ohno, William Regal and Daniel Bryan regard Misawa as one of their in ring inspirations. The Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion also holds a tribute show every June in honour of their founder.
205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, opened up last night’s episode of 205 Live by announcing Hideo Itami was suspended. Itami attacked Mustafa Ali and Buddy Murphy last week during their main event match and would miss last night’s show as a result.
Maverick would later book Itami, Ali, and Murphy to face each other in a triple threat match next week. The winner could move into a spot to challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship soon.
Throughout last night’s episode of 205 Live, both Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali asked Maverick for a match with Itami. Maverick decided then to give them both what they want. Now, all three will meet in a triple threat match next week.
Also this week on 205 Live, the Lucha House Party picked up a win over Jack Gallagher, Brian Kendrick, and Drew Gulak. Mustafa Ali also picked up a win over Tony Nese and Akira Tozawa picked up a win over a local competitor. Tozawa and Itami’s tag-team appears broken up permanently. We still don’t know when the brand plans to introduce tag-team titles but they continue to book tag matches on the show. There are also no plans for a cruiserweight match on the Money in the Bank PPV this weekend.
205 Live this week featured two matches in the cruiserweight division. The brand continues to build towards as the introduction of cruiserweight tag-team championships, although it is still not clear when those will be unveiled.
Jack Gallagher and the Brian Kendrick are in the middle of a rivalry with the members of the Lucha House Party over tag-team bragging rights currently. The team of Akira Tozawa and Hideo Itami had previously been teaming together but that after a couple of losses and the shoving match, the team appears to have disbanded.
Kendrick would face Lince Dorado from the Lucha House Party in single’s action this week. Meanwhile, at the top of the cruiserweight rankings, Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali would face off in last night’s main event.
205 Live 6/5/18 Results
1) Lince Dorado defeated the Brian Kendrick
In the first match of the night, Lince Dorado hit a springboard cutter on Kendrick for the victory.
With Gallagher absent this week (was at a wedding), Drew Gulak accompanied Kendrick to the ring. Gulak has been vocally critical of the Lucha House Party and their high-flying tactics.
Following the match, Gulak attacked Dorado but was chased away by the other members of the Lucha House Party.
It was later revealed that the Lucha House Party will face Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, and the Brian Kendrick in a trios match next week.
2) TJP defeated Brian Keith
This was a squash match for TJP. Early in the match, he went to the outside and grabbed a mic. He expressed his dismay that he hasn’t been given tougher competition all the while putting his opponent in submission holds. He insinuated another GM might appreciate his talent better. Keith eventually tapped out while in a sharpshooter.
Lio Rush is Coming to 205 Live
Highly touted cruiserweight prospect, Lio Rush, is coming to 205 Live. The small but entertaining Rush barely wrestled in NXT during his short stay with the brand.
3) Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali Goes to a No-Contest
After a long match, it seemed as though Ali was in a position to avenge his recent loss to Murphy but Hideo Itami’s interference caused the match to be thrown out.
Itami took out both competitors before yelling for no one in particular to respect him. Perhaps, Itami is looking to be added to the cruiserweight title picture as well and this is why he interfered in last night’s main event.
WWE 205 Live superstar Hideo Itami posted a tribute to Kenta Kobashi marking the 5 Year Anniversary since his retirement from professional wrestling. The Japanese legend wrestled his final bout at Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Final Burning event in 2013 teaming alongside Jun Akiyama, Keiji Muto and Kensuke Sasaki to defeat Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Hideo Itami/KENTA himself.
Kobashi is widely regarded not just as one of the greatest performers in Japanese history but one of the greatest in the modern era worldwide. His accolades include a combined 977 days as AJPW World Tag Team Champion and combined 735 days as the GHC Heavyweight Champion.
If you have never had the opportunity to witness a Kobashi match then here are 3 of the best to check out to get you started:
Fri, Jun 11th 1999 – AJPW Budokan Hall Show (Jun ’99) vs Mitsuharu Misawa
Sat, Oct 1st 2005 – ROH Joe Vs. Kobashi vs Samoa Joe
Thu, Jul 29th 1993 – AJPW Budokan Hall Show (Jul ’93) vs Stan Hansen
– Last night Roderick Strong picked up a win over Hideo Itami on 205 Live in a Cruiserweight Title Tournament match. Following the loss Itami took to Twitter to post a cryptic Tweet that fueled speculation regarding his future with WWE:
– A production company producing an upcoming show in the Los Angeles area are seeking John Cena ‘superfans.’ There are very few details given off by the advertisement, but you can check it out here:
A TV production company is looking for the biggest John Cena superfans in the Los Angeles area for a new series. pic.twitter.com/GPvKI2P6vB
– Samir Singh recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered during a ringside altercation with Bobby Roode. The incident occurred during Jinder Mahal and Roode’s United States Title Tournament Finals clash. There has been no official word on Singh’s return but the usual timetable for an ACL tear return is around 6-9 months. Singh recently took to Instagram to thank Dr. Jeffrey Dugas after undergoing surgery in Alabama:
WWE finally acknowledged the injury yesterday during SmackDown Live, and also released the following statement:
Samir Singh suffers injury
Samir Singh revealed on Instagram that he recently suffered a torn ACL and will be out of action.
Singh underwent surgery last week and is already rehabilitating for his return to the ring.
Stay tuned to WWE.com and Singh’s social media for more news on his recovery as it becomes available.
– Hideo Itami will be taking on former NXT Superstar Roderick Strong in the first round of the new WWE 205 Live tournament. The tournament will last up to WrestleMania 34 where a new Cruiserweight Champion will be crowned. Itami took to Twitter to comment on his match-up with Strong:
It is MY turn. I’m going to get this opportunity.#205Live#Cruiserweight championship tournament.
– On RAW this past Monday Hideo Itami hit a GTS on Brian Kendrick that caused the former Cruiserweight Champion to suffer a broken nose and orbital bone. WWE sent out a Tweet to update fans on Kendrick’s status, and Itami responded by issuing out a ‘get well soon’ Tweet to Kendrick:
– WWE posted a clip of Asuka commenting on her undefeated streak and the upcoming all-female Royal Rumble match next month. Asuka said she’s still undefeated and that’s not going to change at the Rumble:
– WWE held a live event from Madison Square Garden last night, and after his match against Kane, Braun Strowman celebrated in the ring by using Hulk Hogan’s mannerisms. Check out a photo here:
– Hideo Itami has used the GTS as his finishing maneuver for quite some time on WWE TV, however, after a recent incident in his match with Brian Kendrick on RAW this past Monday, there’s speculation the company could be banning the move. On 205 Live last night Itami defeated Jack Gallagher using a new finisher – Neville’s Rings Of Saturn.
This feeds the speculation that WWE could be shelving the move. With Itami now using the Rings Of Saturn there’s also speculation that Neville won’t be coming back to the company. We’ll keep you updated.
