KENTA Recalls WWE NXT Head Coach Telling Him He’d Be Fired If He Injured One Of The Popular Wrestlers
Candid comments from KENTA about his WWE run.
In 2014, KENTA decided to depart Pro Wrestling NOAH and sign with WWE. He was with the company until 2019 when he departed.
While speaking to Sports Graphic Number, KENTA opened up about his time in WWE. He stated that his moves, such as the G.T.S. and ‘GAME OVER’ (LeBell Lock) submission, were taken away from him because the moves were used by CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, respectively.
KENTA stated that the challenge of going to WWE was supposed to be about seeing how much he learned in NOAH would translate over. He said it ended up becoming about starting over from scratch.
“All the moves I’d been doing were taken away. Stylistically, they didn’t really want me to go for hard hits. So I wondered what it was that they were looking for in me. It was supposed to be a challenge to see how much of what I’d built up in NOAH would work in WWE, but it ended up becoming about abandoning what I’d built and starting over with a new style from scratch.”
Back in December 2017, KENTA competed against Brian Kendrick on Monday Night Raw and accidentally fractured Kendrick’s orbital bone with the GTS. Injuring someone in WWE is something KENTA feared, but that never crossed his mind in Japan.
He remembers that while in NXT, a head coach told him that if he injured one of the popular wrestlers, he would be fired.
“The fear of injuring an opponent was something I had never felt in Japan. If someone got injured, it was just accepted as part of the job. The injured party would continue to compete while recovering, and it was common practice to keep competing even with minor injuries.
The fear of injuring an opponent was something I first felt there. When I was wrestling in NXT against a fairly popular wrestler, the head coach told me, ‘If you injure him, you’re fired,’ which made me angry, but injuring a popular wrestler is considered that serious of a crime there. But if you think too much about not injuring your opponent, you end up unable to do anything. I was stuck in a dead end.”
During his time with WWE, there came a point in 2018 when he was able to head back to Pro Wrestling NOAH to wrestle Naomichi Marufuji. He remembers the fans being unsure whether to call him ‘Hideo Itami’ or KENTA, and he believes that was one of the reasons he wanted to go back to KENTA.
He stated that he tried to get behind the Hideo Itami name, but it never resonated with him. KENTA added that Finn Bálor changed his name in WWE and found success, so the name change cannot be the sole reason why things went awry for him in the sports entertainment company. He said he just did not work out in WWE.
“Since NOAH had given me such a warm send-off, I had decided that I wouldn’t go back until I had left behind something that I could be satisfied with. So at the time, I just thought, ‘If I stay like this, I’ll be too embarrassed to go back to Japan.’ However, I was genuinely happy to be asked, and with WWE’s permission, I was able to appear at Ryogoku as Hideo Itami.
When I stepped back onto the NOAH ring after a long time, I could sense that the fans were unsure how to cheer for me. Should they call out ‘KENTA!’ or ‘Hideo!’? Looking back, that may have been one of the reasons I decided to return to being KENTA.
I tried to like the name Hideo Itami, but I never really got used to it. During my time there, it never felt right. Having my name and moves changed made it difficult for me to fight my own way. But at the same time, Finn Bálor (formerly Prince Devitt) joined WWE and changed his name completely, and he’s doing well. So that can’t be the only reason. Those who succeed do, and those who don’t, don’t. I just didn’t work out in WWE.”
KENTA is now back with Pro Wrestling NOAH. He won the promotion’s GHC Heavyweight Championship for the second time on day two of their ‘New Departure’ show. For more details, click here.
