– BBC Radio 1 has a video up in which “Jumanji” co-stars The Rock and Kevin Hart trash-talk and exchange insults with one another on Scott Mills’ radio program. You can check out here:
– Hideo Itami made his debut on 205 Live last night with a victory over Colin Delaney. WWE posted the following post-match interview with Itami in which he reveals that he came to 205 Live to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion:
WWE NXT Superstar Hideo Itami made his main roster debut on tonight’s RAW from Providence, Rhode Island. Itami was set to make his main roster debut this week on WWE 205 Live but he was called up a night earlier than expected.
The debut came after Finn Balor lost a 2-on-1 Handicap Match to Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel by disqualification. Axel and Dallas double teamed Balor after the match until Itami made the save. Itami and Balor then cleared the ring and stood tall as the show went to commercial. The show returned from commercial to a tag match, which was won by Balor and Itami. The finish saw Itami hit the GTS on Axel for the pin.
It was confirmed that Itami will still appear on Tuesday’s WWE 205 Live from Newark, NJ.
Below are photos and video of Itami on tonight’s RAW:
– There have been rumors circulating that an XFL-like relaunch could be in the works from Vince McMahon. Deadspin reached out to WWE, and although they didn’t confirm an XFL relaunch specifically, they did admit McMahon is venturing out to “explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including football.” WWE Superstar Rusev took to Twitter to joke about the rumored XFL return:
– During last night’s (Sat. December 16, 2017) NXT Live Event in Largo, Florida, Hideo Itami wrestled his final match for NXT before shipping out for 205 Live this Tuesday. Itami took to Twitter to say his final goodbye to the NXT brand:
205 Live has not been the major success that WWE had envisioned, there are a multitude of reasons that the Cruiserweight show has drawn poorly; the time slot behind Smackdown Live, the lack of genuinely intriguing storytelling and the poor promotional efforts from the company being just a small cluster. Many have suggested that WWE cut it’s losses and look to redistribute the Cruiserweight stars amongst the RAW & Smackdown brands, but with the recent announcement of 205 Live touring shows it is clear that WWE do not want to put this project to bed just yet. So, who could WWE bring into the ‘purple brand’ to attempt to revitalise and boost the programme? We’ll take a look at three names now.
Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami
This is basically cheating…Hideo Itami has been confirmed for 205 Live but I wanted to highlight how the switch massively helps both Hideo and the Cruiserweight show. Itami has been flagging on NXT for an extremely long time and his presence on the de-facto ‘developmental brand’ no longer carries the weight of a major independent star who can shift ticket sales. When Hideo is transitioned to 205 Live (and essentially RAW) then he can be repositioned as an absolute killer amongst the more high flying elements of the show because fans from his KENTA days will tell you he can be absolutely brutal, vicious and devastating inside the ring when the time calls. Whilst Hideo may not necessarily attract the numbers that WWE would be looking for he will be a welcome asset, the prospect of Itami against Gulak, Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa is more than exciting and perhaps he can lend a certain in ring credibility that the show (and title) are perhaps looking for.
Finn Balor
Finn Balor
It’s quite incredible to consider where both Hideo and Balor are at this point in their careers, with Finn debuting in NXT to team with the already somewhat established Hideo. That being said a move to 205 Live for the Irish star would be seen by a large majority as a step down, but what needs to be considered is how and where Finn could be used on RAW in the foreseeable future. A rumored nixing of the Universal Title match against Brock Lesnar due to Vince McMahon believing Finn wasn’t ‘over’ has seen Finn referencing and mocking this idea on social media…but realistically what can Finn do between now and next year’s Wrestlemania? There’s certainly opportunities for Finn on RAW but how much of a benefit would Balor be as a temporary star on 205 Live? I really believe that you would see a rise in interest and he would generate a buzz around a completely stagnant show. It wouldn’t be for long and I wouldn’t advocate him winning the Cruiserweight title but a nice run against some of the better in ring stars on 205 Live could do wonders for that show.
Chad Gable
Chad Gable
Last and certainly not least would be Chad Gable. Gable’s isn’t a name that I have heard suggested for 205 Live but at 92kg (202 pounds) he certainly could be on the roster. Whilst his run with Shelton Benjamin has been entertaining within the Smackdown Live Tag Division there does need to be time to transition the former Olympic athlete into singles competition. Instead of possibly getting lost in the shuffle of the Smackdown mid card why not give Chad a run amongst the Cruiserweights? Gable’s unique style would set him apart from other performers on the roster and he could mesh well with the likes of Jack Gallagher (who himself has not had the chance to truly shine), Noam Dar and funnily enough Enzo Amore. Chad has a charisma and ability on the microphone that the other two performers suggested actually lack, his original stint in NXT alongside Jason Jordan garnered praise and comparisons to a young Kurt Angle. Gable has a great sense of timing, humour and could trade off well against Enzo in his own wheelhouse.
Who would you like to see brought over to 205 Live? Let us know in the comments
– Below is video of The New Day gaming backstage after their win over Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable on tonight’s SmackDown. Xavier Woods says they are the franchise tag team of the industry and they will definitely be SmackDown Tag Team Champions again as it is written in the stars. Kofi Kingston goes on about how “piping hot” they are.
– The dark main event after tonight’s WWE 205 Live in Lexington, KY saw Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura defeat Dolph Ziggler and WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin in tag team action.
– Hideo Itami tweeted the following after his latest vignette aired on tonight’s WWE 205 Live. No word yet on when his main roster debut will happen.
On this week’s episode of 205 Live, WWE confirmed that NXT competitor Hideo Itami is getting ‘called up’ to the main roster and will be joining the Cruiserweight division soon.
Itami’s NXT run has been plagued by injuries. He’s lost a handful of singles matches since returning to the ring back in March of this year. His last big match came at NXT “Takeover: Brooklyn III” in August, a loss to Aleister Black.
Hideo Itami commented on the news of him joining 205 live. He tweeted, “Show Me RESPECT.” You can check out the Hideo Itami 205 Live “coming soon” promo here:
It’s hard to consider Hideo Itami’s WWE run as anything but a disappointment up to this point, but WWE officials have been discussing the possibility of calling him up to the main roster to give him another chance at success.
According to a report at PWInsider, the current plan for the Japanese star to join the RAW brand’s Cruiserweight division and have him compete on 205 Live.
“The idea has been pitched several times of late and we are hearing that while there is no current debut date set, the plan is to move Itami up as soon as creative is in place.”
Itami joined WWE’s NXT brand back in 2014. After great success in Pro Wrestling NOAH and Ring of Honor, he never quite lived up to expectations and his WWE run has been plagued with neck and shoulder injuries that have kept him out of action for months at a time.
As noted earlier, WWE is also considering signing Rockstar Spud and adding him to the Cruiserweight division.
NXT this week was taped from Full Sail University, and featured an NXT championship match between Roderick Strong and Bobby Roode. Additionally, the show featured Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami teaming up to take on members of Sanity.
At one point it appeared Roderick Strong had become the new NXT champion, but that is not how the night would finish.
1. Kassius Ohno & Hideo Itami vs. Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe (Sanity)
Both Ohno and Itami have been on losing streaks recently. Ohno lost to Aleister Black and Itami lost to Bobby Roode in an NXT championship match.
Things didn’t go well for the pair in their first tag match together either.
Ohno could be heard calling for a tag frequently, but Itami wasn’t able to get to his corner.
Sanity on the other hand, worked as a well-oiled machine.
Dain hit Itami with a running cross-body for the pin. Another loss for both Itami and Ohno.
Winners: Sanity
In the back Ruby Riot told Ember Moon it was her time to get a shot at Asuka’s title.
Drew McIntyre got a video package and was interviewed in the back. He basically just said he’s coming for the NXT title.
They aired a video package on Ciampa and Gargano, and it was announced that Gargano will return from injury next week.
The Iconic Duo were being interviewed when cameras caught Andrade “Cien” Almas arguing with Thea Trinidad in the background.
Highlights of Bianca Blair defeating Aliyah in a Mae Young Classic qualifying match were shown.
2. NXT Championship Match Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong
The story of this match was Roderick Strong having his whole family in the front row, watching as he attempts to achieve his dream.
Roode worked Strong’s knee for most of the match.
Strong kicked out of the Glorious DDT!
After battling back, Strong hit the “Strong Breaker” and looked as though he got the pin.
The ref’s hand counted 3 and everyone celebrated as though Strong had won, only Roode had one leg under the bottom rope.
Strong and his wife (Marina “the SuperNova from Moldova” Shafir) hugged and celebrated like he was champ, but the ref finally told him the match was still on.
Roode knocked Strong into the barricade right in front of his family. With Marina calling him a cheater, he gave Strong a DDT on the floor, then another in the ring and pinned him.
For the 3rd straight WWE show this week a women’s division is featured in the main event. On NXT, the longtime dominant champion, Asuka, will defend her NXT championship against Nikki Cross.
As a result of the brawl the two had throughout Full Sail University recently, NXT GM William Regal has elected to make this a Last Woman Standing match.
NXT Tonight
While no other matches have been officially announced for the show, Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami are expected to continue their angle.
Ohno and Itami have been teasing a feud ever since Itami lost his NXT title match to Bobby Roode. Itami began throwing things backstage when he was confronted by Ohno. Similar incidents have taken place in the weeks since.
Yesterday marked 8 years since the passing of Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa was a hugely influential performer and left an indelible mark on the wrestling business. Greats such as William Regal, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Chris Hero have called him one of the greatest ever in the industry.
On June 13th 2009, Misawa teamed with Go Shiozaki against GHC Tag Team Champions Akitoshi Saito and Bison Smith in a title match at Hiroshima Green Arena. This match was to be Misawa’s last for the company that he founded: Pro Wrestling NOAH.
After taking a belly to back Suplex from Saito, Misawa lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital, he passed away that evening.
Hideo Itami/KENTA took to Twitter to pay tribute to the legend and man whose company gave Hideo his greatest success thus far. He posted the following tweet with the words Never Forget. We Miss You.
Earlier this month, rumours began to circulate that NXT star, Hideo Itami, was going back to Japan. Itami addressed the rumours in a segment that aired on NXT.
Hideo Itami
36 year old, Kenta Kobashi, changed his ring name to Hideo Itami when he debuted in NXT in 2014. He has battled injury problems in the 2.5 years he’s been with the company.
Itami made a name for himself in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah from 2000 to 2013. He wrestled a tryout at the Performance Centre in January of 2014, and was signed shortly afterwards. He would debut at NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way in September of that year.
There are multiple reports going around claiming that WWE NXT Superstar Hideo Itami’s contract with the WWE is coming to an end, and he is considering leaving the company due to his momentum on the brand having been stalled by a string of injuries.
Itami could possibly make the decision to return to Japan and wrestle there, where he’ll also be closer to his family. He signed with the WWE back in 2014 but never really resonated with fans as he has been taken off nearly every single major match he has been advertised for due to injury.
After NXT Takeover: Chicago concluded, unsuccessful NXT title challenger, Hideo Itami, was quite distraught in the back. The normally mild-mannered Itami was confronted by Kassius Ohno, who also lost an NXT title match to Bobby Roode earlier this year.
Ohno attempted to calm down Itami, but may have put himself in his crosshairs instead. The 36-year old Itami has been frustrated with his run in NXT since signing with the company in 2014. Injuries, and now his loss to Roode, have prevented him from playing a larger role in NXT, or get called-up to the main roster.
As for Kassius Ohno, the 37 year-old was released from WWE developmental in 2013, but resigned last year. He lost an NXT title shot to Bobby Roode not long after re-debuting in NXT. Ohno most recently defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas in NXT’s main event last week.
1. Drew Mcintyre vs. Sean Maluta (no highlights available)
Things have really turned out fine for the former members of 3MB. Jinder Mahal is challenging for the WWE championship this weekend, Mcintyre is positioned to be a top guy in NXT, and Heath Slater had a run as tag champ.
Sean Maluta is a member of the legendary Anoai family. He was trained by his Uncle, WWE Hall-of-Famer Afa Anoai. Although he has competed on NXT & 205 Live, he is not signed full time to WWE.
Maluta did get in some offence here, including a codebreaker from the 2nd rope. Mcintyre came back, and landed a hard headbutt which set up the Yakuza kick for the win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
After the match McIntyre is interviewed. He challenged Wesley Blake to a match, since he had been bad mouthing him.
A highlight video package of Sanity attacking Roderick Strong after his match last week. Young and Strong will now meet at NXT Takeover: Chicago on Saturday.
2. Sonya Deville vs. Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans has an interesting gimmick. She comes out dressed up as though she is going to a fancy tea party. Conversely, Deville’s gimmick is that she is a trained MMA fighter, or something along those lines. One wrestlers looks like an athlete, the other a fashion model.
Surprisingly, these two ended up having a rather unique feeling match, with a heavy MMA influence on it. Deville used MMA style striking and takedown moves, but then so did Lacey a little!
A turning point in the match came when Evans hit a solid right hand punch that dropped Deville. This allowed Lacey to go on offence a bit, until Deville just kicked her in the stomach and then hit a running step-up kick for the win.
Winner: Sonya Deville
3. Kassius Ohno vs. Andrade (Cien) Almas
Both guys recently lost in big matches. Almas lost at the last Takeover to Aleister Black, and then recently to Drew McIntyre. Kassius Ohno lost an NXT title match not longer after debuting, but then defeated the Drifter in a loser-leaves-NXT match. The Drifter is still just hanging around Raw.
Almas got most of the offence early, but Ohno made a comeback with a series of kicks, and a neck breaker. He missed a moonsault from the top which allowed Almas to get back into it however. Almas hit a running double knee in the corner, but was countered when he went for his DDT finish. Ohno got back on offence and hit a discus punch and got the 3-count.
Winner: Kassius Ohno
Bobby Roode came out to cut a promo on Hideo Itami. He told Itami he would fail in his quest for the title.
This brought out Itami, and despite the best efforts of security, he got in the ring and took out Roode. Itami then gave members of the security team the GTS while Roode watched. Then Roode got in the ring and got a GTS himself to close the show.
– Ryan Dilbert of Bleacher Report has published an in-depth look at The Miz’s long journey from MTV reality television star to WWE Superstar. The profile includes interviews with Daniel Puder and Rick Bassman of UPW, who helped train The Miz. It’s a great read – check it out at BleacherReport.com.
– Former WWE Superstar AJ Lee is the latest guest on comedian Marc Maron’s popular WTF podcast. AJ Lee’s new book Crazy Is My Superpoweris now available at Amazon.com.
– Hideo Itami’s run in NXT has been plagued by injuries thus far. The Japanese phenom knows it and he’s ready to finally show the WWE Universe what he’s capable of. Itami challenges Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship this Saturday night at NXT Takeover: Chicago.
Since I've come to WWE. I haven't lived up to my expectations. But finally I will have the opportunity to show, WHO I AM. Get ready #G2S
We start off this week’s episode by getting an update on Ember Moon’s injury. She confirmed that she will no longer be in the NXT women’s match at Takeover: Chicago. Asuka will now be defending against only Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross.
1. Aleister Black vs. Cezar Bononi
This match was a minute and a half of innovative striking from Black, capped off with the Fade to Black for the win. He then did his ominous cross-legged sitting pose in the ring.
This was the WWE Network debut for Bononi. The 30 year-old Brazilian began his pro career in Brazil from 2014-15, until being signed by WWE and starting on the NXT live tour in 2016. Winner: Aleister Black
Aleister Black the Cruiserweight?
NXT is certainly building Black up to be a big star, but his destination might be 205 Live as opposed to the main roster. WWE even teased the idea of a Black vs. Neville feud sometime in the future. They posted this on Instagram yesterday:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT7AzmKAGuS/
2. Team DIY vs. the Gifted Athletes (Riddick Moss & Tito Sabbatelli)
Both Sabbatelli & Moss are former NFL players with no indy experience before starting with NXT in 2015. They made their WWE Network debut in September as part of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. They also lost a match to the Revival last December. After this loss they are now 0-3.
For the most part this was a showcase match for DIY. They picked up the win after double running knees to a seated Moss. Winners: Team DIY
After the match William Regal came out and was about to award Team DIY with the next title shot, but Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain interrupted. Despite the interruption, Regal announced Team DIY will challenge the Authors of Pain in a ladder match at Takeover.
Kassius Ohno is interviewed backstage. He’s interrupted by Andrade “Cien” Almas. Ohno challenged him to a match next week and Almas accepted.
UK Championship Match Announcement: Commentary announced that Tyler Bate will defend the UK Championship at NXT Takeover: Chicago against Pete Dunne.
3. NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match Roderick Strong vs. Hideo Itami
Heading into this match there were reasons to believe either could win. While an Itami and Roode program has already been teased, they’ve also been airing background videos on Roderick Strong for the last two weeks.
The finish of the match came when both guys countered each others finishers, but then Itami hit a running boot and a hesitation dropkick in the corner, followed by the GTS for the win. The story presented was that Itami was the better wrestler on this night, but Strong refused to quit. Winner: Hideo Itami (will face Bobby Roode at Takeover)
While not shown on the Network, Sanity attacked Roderick Strong after the match.
Hideo Itami returned at Saturday night’s NXT live event from Orlando, FL. He’s been out of action since October 1st when he suffered a neck injury. Over the past week, NXT star Riddick Moss has bragging on social media about putting Itami on the shelf (see above).
Hideo Itami is finally medically cleared to compete will be returning to NXT in the very near future. Itami’s NXT run has been plagued with injuries and he’s been out since October, when he went down with an injury that prevented him from teaming with Kota Ibushi in the Dusty Rhodes Memorial tag team tournament.
The 35-year old Itami debuted in NXT after having had a very successful run in Pro Wrestling NOAH. Then known as Kenta Kobayashi, Itami spent the better part of 14 years with the organization. Throughout this period, Itami would also make sporadic appearances with ROH, but his main focus was in Japan.
He won the company’s heavyweight championship in 2013, and then held it for almost a year. Itami would eventually drop the belt in January of 2014. He began training in WWE developmental around that time. He would wrestle his final match for NOAH that May.
Since landing in NXT however, Itami has suffered two injuries that have kept him on the sidelines for extended periods of time.
His suffered an injured shoulder in May of 2015 that required surgery. The injury was only supposed to keep him out 6 months, but due to complications from the surgery he ended up being inactive for over a year. He returned in June of 2016, but would be injured again in October. Now, according to Meltzer, he is cleared to compete again and could make his return any day.
Former WWE Superstar Adam Rose says that character is dead and he’ll now be known simply as Kruger. “I killed Adam Rose. I’m not some comedy routine.” In a video issued to ProWrestlingSheet.com, Kruger denies that he’s gone off the grid in recent months due to a battle with drug addiction.
“People say I disappeared because I’m some sort of drug addict,” Kruger says. “Well, I can tell you this, I am no drug addict. I’m no angel. I can tell you that. I’m no angel. I’ve wrestled demons my entire life. But I am not a drug addict.”
He added that he’s been looking after his family and got a “real job.”
– NXT star Hideo Itami tweeted the following on Tuesday night, a sign that he could be returning to the ring soon. Itami has been plauged by injuries since signing with WWE and has been rehabilitating from shoulder surgery since May 2016.
– WWE announced earlier this week that Tajiri was injured during a recent NXT television taping. The Japanese Buzzsaw intends to make good use of his time away from the ring, vowing to learn perfect English.
While Im absent,I try to learn more english.then after come back, My perfect english will overwhelm 205live guy`s their english^^)
The Wrestling Observer has revealed which NXT Superstars are in the “Terry Taylor Class” at the WWE Performance Center, which is the class that grooms wrestlers currently being considered for somewhat imminent call-ups to the main roster.
The main class features NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Tag Team Champions DIY, Kassius Ohno, the injured Hideo Itami, TM-61, Tye Dillinger, Elias Samson, Alexander Wolfe and Andrade Almas.
The second group, which aren’t considered for near imminent call-ups but will be moved to the next class when top talents get called up, are Oney Lorcan, Roderick Strong, The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Riddick Moss, Tino Sabbatelli, Wesley Blake, Buddy Murphy, Dan Matha, Aleister Black and Killian Dain.
The Observer notes that Bobby Roode has a different contract and does not train at the WWE PC, which means he would not be in the class. This also likely applies for Samoa Joe, Austin Aries and Eric Young.
The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provided the following updates out of NXT involving Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl, Roderick Strong and Hideo Itami:
– Josh Bredl has been out of the ring due to months of suffering from a severe concussion. There is currently no timeframe for his return.
– Roderick Strong impressed WWE officials last week at his first NXT TV tapings. The former ROH Champion was revealed to be Austin Aries’ mystery partner in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The duo advanced to the second round and have to be considered one of the favorites to win the whole thing.
– Hideo Itami will thankfully not need neck surgery his injury earlier this month at a live event. He was forced to pull out of the Dusty Classic and won’t be cleared in time for NXT Takeover: Toronto during Survivor Series weekend. He’ll miss around 2 months of action, while surgery would have kept him out at least 6 months.
NXT star Hideo Itami announced on Thursday that he is injured and will be unable to compete in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Itami was scheduled to team with Kota Ibushi in the tournament, but will be out of action for several months due to injury. Itami says he likely won’t be healthy in time for NXT Takeover: Toronto during Survivor Series weekend, but vows to return in time for NXT’s first-ever live event from Osaka, Japan on December 3rd.
Hideo Itami suffered a neck injury earlier this month at NXT’s live event from Largo, Florida. Itami was teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura in a match against Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli. Moss dropped Itami on his head while performing a modified powerslam and the match ended abruptly.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted this week there is official diagnosis at this time, other than it being a significant injury. Itami’s WWE run has been plagued with injuries, including two shoulder surgeries prior to this latest injury.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that Hideo Itami hurt his neck at a recent NXT live event and was told the injury will keep him from wrestling for months.
The injury occurred while taking a powerslam gone wrong during a tag match on October 1st where he teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura to take on Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli.
No word yet on the exact injury but it seems to be his neck.
The following is a video of what happened.
Hideo Itami Takes Nasty Looking Bump Saturday Night At An NXT Live Event. No Word On His Condition pic.twitter.com/xK0YnPZZ9J
Hideo was scheduled to take part in this years Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with his partner Kota Ibushi, no word yet on a replacement for him or the team all together.
– Thursday’s NXT house show in Lakeland, FL will see Elias Samson return from the ankle injury he suffered back in the spring. That house show will also see Tian Bin (Bin Wang) make his NXT in-ring debut after making his official debut earlier this month at the main roster show in Shanghai, China.
– Speaking of NXT, the following matches were taped for tonight’s show:
*Ember Moon vs. Mandy Rose
*Lince Dorado vs. Hideo Itami
*Asuka vs. Liv Morgan
*Angelo Dawkins vs. Tye Dillinger
*The Authors of Pain, The Revival and others appear
– As seen on SmackDown last night, Alexa Bliss attacked her No Mercy opponent, SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. This backstage video features Bliss ranting on Becky being such a loser. Bliss attacked Becky to make a point, so that Becky will know and believe that she is the loser that Bliss knows she is.
There’s been a lot of speculation on why top NJPW star Kazuchika Okada was backstage for NXT Takeover and WWE SummerSlam in Brooklyn but as he’s signed to a New Japan deal, he legally cannot talk with WWE.
Okada was reportedly there just as a guest of new NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
Below is a photo of the two hanging out with Hideo Itami at SummerSlam:
