The second KENTA was attacked in the NXT parking lot, his WWE career was effectively over.
He just didn’t know it yet.
The attack wasn’t the sole cause of KENTA’s injuries; the assault was part of an unsolved storyline, designed to keep fans guessing with a “Whodunnit” angle as they awaited his return. The Japanese star was discovered on the ground of the parking lot, writhing in pain and clutching his shoulder.
What initially appeared to be a simple injury would soon prove to be far more serious, ultimately derailing KENTA’s WWE career in ways no one could have predicted.
KENTA Left NOAH In 2014 To Join NXT In The WWE As ‘Hideo Itami’
Throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, you could argue that there was no wrestler as influential as KENTA.
The Japanese star, along with his Pro Wrestling NOAH rival Naomichi Marufuji, influence a generation of wrestlers and an entire style of wrestling.
When you think of the modern “indie” style of wrestling – that’s KENTA and Marufuji. The fast-paced and hard-hitting matches that made Jim Cornette seethe in the 2010s came directly from their matches in NOAH.
This gained KENTA fame all over the world, especially in the US where he wrestled numerous top-quality matches with stars like Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe.
After impressing both at home and abroad, KENTA caught the interest of the biggest wrestling company in the world. The WWE offered him a try-out in January 2014 and was signed to a contract in June that year.
His signing was portrayed as one of the biggest ever made in NXT. WWE announced the deal during a show in Japan, with Hulk Hogan revealing that KENTA was becoming the newest star of the Black and Gold brand.
This had never been done before for an NXT talent. The biggest indie stars to join at that point were Sami Zayn and Neville, who were nowhere near the level that KENTA had been operating on in NOAH for the past decade.
William Regal announced him as KENTA during his NXT debut at NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way. He was portrayed as an “International sensation”, although the Japanese star quickly changed his name to Hideo Itami.
He Was Pushed As A Big Star Immediately, Bringing In Finn Balor As His Partner
Shortly after revealing himself as the newest member of the NXT roster, KENTA was attacked by The Ascension. He beat Viktor in singles matches on NXT TV but soon found the numbers game too overwhelming.
This prompted him to bring in another star who made his name in Japan. Prince Devitt was another huge signing after he founded Bullet Club in Japan. He was brought in as Finn Balor and the pair teamed together multiple times over the next few weeks.
These two stars were seen as huge names in NXT. They beat the Ascension in their PPV debut at NXT Takeover: R Evolution before facing each other in a NXT Title Number One contender tournament.
Despite bringing Balor into the company, KENTA as Hideo Itami suffered his first defeat to his tag team partner and stopped teaming with him after the loss.
However, it wasn’t all bad for KENTA. WWE clearly had big plans for him as they found him a sport on the card for WrestleMania 31. He won a tournament at WWE access to earn a spot in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal that year, impressing in what would turn out to be his only WrestleMania match in five years with the company.
KENTA as Hideo Itami was scheduled to face Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze in a triple threat match at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable in May 2015. Sadly, that match never happened due to one of the worst injury’s in KENTA’s career.
KENTA’s Injury Cost Him A Huge NXT Championship Victory In Japan
Before his match at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, a video in the NXT parking lot showed KENTA writhing around in pain on the floor.
His character Hideo Itami had apparently been attacked in the parking lot. He clutched his shoulder as Kevin Owens walked by, unsympathetic to the Japanese star as he prepared to face Sami Zayn for the NXT championship that night.
While Hideo Itami was attacked, KENTA’s injury was much more real. The attack was to give a reason why the former NOAH star wasn’t wrestling at the event, as he suffered a shoulder injury before the event.
KENTA had surgery on his shoulder and was scheduled to be out for around six months. However, six months passed and there was no sign of Hideo Itami returning to television. It would be ANOTHER six months again when fans finally saw a glimpse of him again.
It seemed clear that KENTA would have won his match if he hadn’t been injured. The winner earned a shot at the NXT Championship, which Kevin Owens won from Sami Zayn in the main event.
As it happened, Finn Balor won that match. The title match he received was a huge one, as it took place in KENTA’s home country. Beast in the East was a WWE Network special and saw Balor defeat Owens to win the NXT Championship for the first time.
It is obvious that the coronation in Tokyo was meant to KENTA. He was HUGE in Japan and seemed destined for stardom in NXT. Sadly, his injury cost him the chance to become a world champion and he watched from the sidelines for a year as the man he brought into NXT eclipsed him.
He came back at NXT Takeover Brooklyn II and was planning to team with Kota Ibushi in the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic. This dream duo would never become a team, however, as he suffered a devastating neck injury that would take another half a year of his career from him.
His Injuries Piled Up And He Never Achieved Success In The WWE
Once he got to the main roster, it was clear that KENTA had little chance of success.
KENTA himself was not happy with his run in the WWE. He was unhappy at not being able to use any of the moves he invented, including CM Punk’s GTS and Daniel Bryan’s running knee finisher.
He came into the company in 2014 just months after CM Punk’s explosive exit from the promotion. To try and draw attention away from the situation, KENTA wasn’t allowed to use the GTS as his finishing move.
While it made sense, it was a slap in the face to the Japanese star. He invented an incredible move, only for it be stolen by the former WWE Champion and now he wasn’t allowed to use it because of how the WWE treated CM Punk.
The issue with the running knee was that the move was currently being used by Daniel Bryan, which was another slap in the face. No matter how innovative KENTA could be, he couldn’t thrive if he was being kneecapped at every turn.
In a Tweet posted in 2022, KENTA called his WWE run “one of the worst experiences” he’s had in wrestling.
“Let the world know. One of my worst experience in this business is that I was not allowed to use MY finishing move for 4 years. A move which I created on my own. WHAT A LIFE.” The former GHC Heavyweight Champion wrote.
The WWE did eventually relent and let KENTA use the GTS. However, he promptly broke the jaw of Cash Wheeler and ruptured the eardrum of Austin Aries, which did not go down well with the company.
He was relegated to 205 Live for the rest of his WWE career. Vince McMahon never trusted him after the injury struggles and constantly injuring other talent did not help.
Frustration got the better of him and in February 2019, KENTA was granted his release from the WWE. He had requested to be let go, and Vince McMahon saw no value in keeping him.
Since Leaving WWE, KENTA’s Injuries Have Limited His In-Ring Career
Leaving WWE gave KENTA a new lease on life, although the extent his injuries had affected him would soon become known.
The former NOAH main eventer jumped ship and instead signed for New Japan Pro Wrestling. They had become huge since he left Japan for the US and were the obvious choice for a star on his level to wrestle for.
KENTA joined the company and entered the G1 Climax in 2019. This was a huge deal and fans were excited to see the wide variety of matchups they could expect and hopefully at the level he putting out in years gone by.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. His matches weren’t bad, but this was not the KENTA we remembered. He was slower, less agile and much more risk-averse. Injuries had ravaged KENTA’s body and he was now paying the price.
He has gone on to do some great things, including joining Bullet Club and helping coax Katsuyori Shibata out of retirement following his injury. However, WWE robbed us of some great dream matches with a peak KENTA after injuries ruined his chances of being a champion in the WWE.
