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Hideo Itami First To Break Cruiserweight “Glass Ceiling”

For weeks, on both Monday Night Raw and 205 Live, vignettes have aired hyping the main roster debut of NXT Superstar Hideo Itami. Although he hasn’t appeared on NXT television since September 5th when he lost to Kassius Ohno, Itami has still been active on the NXT Live Event circuit. He has his NXT send off yesterday, with the NXT roster coming out to celebrate with him, before he made his way for his announced debut this Tuesday on 205 Live as the newest member of the Cruiserweight division.

Photo: WWE

But instead of debuting tomorrow on the Cruiserweight program on the WWE Network, Itami made a shocking debut tonight on Raw instead, coming to the aid of former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor, who was getting beat down by the Miztourage (Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas). This lead to an impromptu tag team match, featuring Finn Balor and Hideo Itami against Axel and Dallas.

Hideo Itami First To Break Cruiserweight “Glass Ceiling”

At first, it just feels like a sentimental pop, and in reality, it was. But it’s also something a lot deeper. Whether intended or not, Hideo Itami just broke the proverbial “glass ceiling” that naysayers always describe when proving that 205 Live or the modern Cruiserweight division as having. That since they’re Cruiserweights, they aren’t allowed to interact with any other wrestlers from the rest of Raw‘s main roster. This in turn, gave the appearance that 205 Live was more of a purgatory or limbo – somewhere between NXT and Raw – despite it being a direct spinoff of Raw itself. And don’t bring up the fact that Alicia Fox, Sasha Banks and now, Nia Jax, have all interacted with Cruiserweights and made cameos in 205 Live storylines, because for some reason, the women don’t count. Well, tonight Itami came running to the ring, carrying the future integrity of 205 Live and the entire Cruiserweight division on his shoulders.

For the first time since 205 Live started, a member of the male Raw roster not only interacted, but teamed up with a Cruiserweight, and took on an opposing tag team featuring no Cruiserweights. Just inserted into the angle, perhaps only briefly, but showing that the world of 205 Live indeed runs not only parallel but entwined as well. Itami was not displayed as a wrestler contained by his weight class, but as rather a wrestler who happens to be off the weight limit to also compete in the Cruiserweight division.

Photo: WWE

This is huge, because if Itami is given this chance and it succeeds, it could mean that we could see a slow influx of other 205 Live regulars having short feuds or team ups with other Raw regulars – perhaps a Cedric Alexander vs. Apollo Crews, Jack Gallagher vs. Bo Dallas, or Mustafa Ali vs. Jeff Hardy. But what it could also do, is create a crossover the other way. By pairing Itami up with Balor to the casual fan, and if they let them have perhaps a short few weeks teaming up, it will create the narrative of the two being equal. Sure, many Japan and/or indie fans already know what the artists formerly known as KENTA and Prince Devitt can accomplish, but to many WWE casual fans, this is quite possibly their first introduction to him (or at best, just know him from NXT). Which means, if played right, it could lead to Finn Balor appearing on 205 Live to help Itami, which could add backing to the integrity of 205 Live‘s content. A few more charismatic additions, like Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black perhaps, and suddenly you have a solid roster to start making the Cruiserweight feel and look as important as NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight Division. The charisma of the top stars would be the floodlights on the athleticism of the lesser known former indie stars.

Having Hideo Itami as a part of the new 205 Live upper level – that also includes Enzo Amore and Kalisto – is a smart move. They moved the WWE Superstar most thought they wanted (Kalisto) first, then added a true mouthpiece for the division in Enzo, and now brought in arguably one of the best cruiserweights in the world of the past decade as its pillar. As KENTA, Itami was a legend from Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he’s a former 3x GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Photo: WWE

It’s also fitting that Hideo Itami would debut helping out Finn Balor. After all, they made internet news together when the two stars – who arguably were one of the respective top stars in each other’s promotions – both arrived in NXT together in 2014. Both of their first matches in NXT were together in a tag team. Itami was coming off his 343 day reign as NOAH’s GHC Heavyweight Champion and Balor was leaving what was becoming the biggest cult faction on the planet, Bullet Club, and his third reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in Japan and the RevPro British Cruiserweight Champion in the UK. But as Balor’s star shot to NXT Championship level on through to being crowned the first WWE Universal Champion, Itami was stricken with two serious injuries that kept him out of action for nearly two years combined worth of injuries. But like his Japanese friend, Balor too suffered an unlucky injury, that cut his first WWE World title reign off after only one day.

But tonight when Hideo Itami hit the ring, both men were filled with a youthful energy, an exciting spark, like two old college roommates meeting up in a random city and immediately finding the things that made them love hanging out in the first place. Which, beyond being a special Raw moment for not only the two of them, but the fans as well, could be the just the emotional connection that 205 Live and WWE’s Cruiserweight Division needed.

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