According to a report from Fightful, Hideo Itami is the latest wrestler within WWE to ask for his release from the company. Unlike others who reportedly did the same, however, they are also reporting it’s likely he will be granted his wish, though are sure to note it’s pending a 90-day no compete clause.
Not long after the aforementioned report was published, Itami changed his name on Twitter back to Kenta and tweeted this:
THANK YOU.
— KENTA (@HideoItami) January 30, 2019
His issues, unsurprisingly, apparently have to do with being dissatisfied with his creative direction. He felt like a truly hot commodity when he originally debuted in NXT but never seemed to get off the ground, with various injury issues partly to blame. When he was put on 205 Live, there was some hope but the cruiserweight division hasn’t done much for many and Itami is likely much better off heading back to Japan.
As of this writing, WWE has not released a statement on the matter.