Former NXT and
205 Live Superstar Hideo Itami recently made his debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Dominion event in Osaka, Japan. This came as a surprise to fans expecting him to return to the promotion where he made a name for himself, Pro Wrestling Noah.
Now, the man once again known as KENTA has shed some light on his decision and it sounds like it boils down to him wanting to reach a larger audience.
"Now New Japan goes worldwide," he said, referring to the company's expansion. "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."
As Hideo Itami, KENTA reached a huge audience and it's just a shame he was never given an opportunity to do that on
RAW and
SmackDown Live. A poorly timed injury killed his momentum on NXT and he then spent a great deal of time working
205 Live, a show most fans simply don't care about.
Needless to say, it will be worth keeping an eye on him in NJPW.