Almost a year since shoulder injury sidelined him, the Pro-Wrestling NOAH and Ring of Honour alumnus Hideo Itami is reportedly close to making an in-ring return to NXT. Having been kept away from the ring for a more prolonged period of time than the initally forecasted 8 month lay-off, this news should come as relief to all the fans of the ex-NJPW star.
It was unfortunate that the Japanese wrestler had been sidelined due to injury just when it seemed that his star was rising, coming off a NXT tournament victory to earn the right to compete in Wrestlemania 31 at the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Despite being eliminated by eventual winner Big Show, Itami looked set to enjoy a push in the company that was then curtailed due to his injury.
According to allwrestlingnews.com though, the worst has finally passed as Itami has managed to recover from his shoulder surgery sufficiently and rehab to the point where his reported in-ring return only seems a few weeks away now.
With another Superstar of Japanese origin in Shinsuke Nakamura taking NXT by storm meanwhile, the timing for Itami’s return couldn’t have been better.
