It appears that Hideo Itami may once again be on the shelf with an injury.
According to Dave Meltzer, Itami suffered a significant neck injury at an NXT live event on October 1st. There’s no diagnosis other than that he’s officially not medically cleared to perform and there’s no timetable for his return.
Our NXT reporter JJ Williams was at the show where Itami suffered the injury. Itami teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura against Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in the show’s main event. Towards the finish, Moss went for a powerslam but ended up spiking Itami on the mat. Itami made a tag to Nakamura, who finished the match.
Meltzer reports that Itami is almost surely out of his scheduled appearance in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. It was announced earlier this month that he would team with Kota Ibushi in the tournament. NXT tapes its next set of episodes featuring Dusty Classic tournament matches on Thursday night.
If Itami does face a lengthy absence, it will be the second time since joining WWE in 2014 that an injury has forced him out of action. He returned to the ring in June after being out for over a year after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Pro Wrestling Sheet first reported that the injury could keep Itami out for an extended period of time.