The big thing that fans need to understand about WWE NXT wrestling is that they are a launching point for many wrestler's careers. Even major stars who start out there will soon move on to either "Monday Night Raw" or "SmackDown Live" and even the most popular NXT champions will leave after losing their titles. At "NXT TakeOver: Orlando," Shinsuke Nakamura lost his rematch with Bobby Roode and left and at the recent NXT TV tapings, Hideo Itami stepped up as the next contender for the title.
Hideo Itami and the NXT
When the WWE signed Hideo Itami, they had huge things planned for him.
After a hugely successful career as KENTA in Japan, it was almost assured that Itami would become the NXT champion in short order. That never happened because Itami ended up injured - not once, but twice. Seven months after Hideo debuted, it looked like he was on his way to the title but his career was derailed by a shoulder injury. Itami was out for six months and then suffered complications after that and was out for over a year. He finally came back 15 months later but was injured two months later after an in-ring accident and did not return until earlier this year. Thanks to the injuries of Hideo Itami, Finn Balor was moved to the NXT title picture and won the belt and then Shinsuke Nakamura overshadowed his Japanese contemporary when he showed up and became the first two-time NXT champion.
What is next for the NXT title?
While it looks like Hideo Itami will be the next contender to Bobby Roode's NXT title, that does not mean he is finally in line to win it. The injuries took almost two full years out of his career and Itami needs to prove he is actually able to stay healthy. Add in the fact that names like Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, and Kassius Ohno have signed with the company in the last few months and names like Roderick Strong and Eric Young are also waiting and there is a lot of people waiting for an NXT title shot.
However, Itami is getting the first shot. At the NXT tapings, Shinsuke Nakamura came out and thanked the audience for his time in NXT. Later, Bobby Roode came out and mocked Shinsuke, which brought out Hideo Itami in retaliation. When Roode tried to attack, Hideo was able to get the upper hand and hit the Go 2 Sleep on Roode to set up a future match. While it was never announced, and there will be another TV taping before "NXT TakeOver: Chicago" in June. it looks like Hideo Itami will get the title shot at that next big WWE event.
