WWE News: Hideo Itami Out 6-8 Months Due To Shoulder Injury

Just when nothing could go wrong for NXT, they’ve been hit with a string of bad luck this week. Coming off the news that Sami Zayn has a possible torn rotator cuff and could be out many months now, along with Alex Riley having to have knee surgery, PWInsider has confirmed that top Japanese star Hideo Itami is now out 6-8 months with a “bad shoulder injury” that likely means surgery.

There are no details on the specifics of the injury, just the timeline given to how long he’s expected to be out. This will now be the second match at NXT Takeover on May 20th that will be affected, as Itami was scheduled to face Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze in a #1 Contender’s Match for the NXT Title. There’s no word yet on what changes will officially take place on the show yet. Itami, who had really started to come into his own finally, was just coming off participating in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania after winning an NXT Tournament during the Axxess sessions that weekend.

This affects NXT on a larger scale, as stars like Zayn and Itami were two of the top names advertised for the big #NXTRoadTrip tour they are about to embark on this summer. Tickets have sold well for all shows on sale currently, but this is obviously depressing news for anyone who would’ve paid to see these guys in action.

As more details come out on any of the injuries mentioned above, we will have details here at TJRWrestling. We wish Hideo the best in his recovery from this devastating injury.