10 most poorly timed WWE injuries since 2010

#8 - Hideo Itami injures his shoulder, returns, then injures his neck (2015-2016)

Perhaps this could have been a reality had Itami stayed healthy

Hideo Itami was one of NXT's first major indie signings. The man had been putting on absolute barn-burners for over a decade in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Noah as "KENTA". Needless to say, fans were ecstatic.

Toiling in a pointless feud with The Ascension for his first few months with the brand in 2014, Itami finally seemed as if he was being built up as a top guy for NXT in early 2015. A couple of months into his push, in May of 2015, Itami suffered a legitimate shoulder injury that was supposed to put him on the shelf for six months. Fast forward to January of 2016, eight months later, and Itami still wasn't back. Apparently, he was having some major complications with his shoulder, leaving him with no timetable for a return. Finally, he returned in June of that year at an NXT live event, then made his televised return in August.

Two months later, he went down again.

At an NXT Live event in October 2016, Itami injured his neck following a botched powerslam from the far-less-experienced Riddick Moss. Again, there was no timetable for his return and no word on the severity of the injury. He finally came back in April of this year and has been healthy ever since, but has mostly been used to put other wrestlers (such as Aleister Black) over.

We'll see soon enough whether he undergoes a career renaissance on the main roster, but as of right now, Hideo Itami's pair of injuries have rendered him directionless in NXT. A former heavyweight champion in his own right -- a title he held in Pro Wrestling Noah, deserves so much more and we can only hope the stars come together for the Japanese legend.