Hideo Itami Confirms Injury, Withdraws From Dusty Classic

We reported yesterday that Hideo Itami had suffered an injury and would be out of action for some time, and now it looks like this news has been confirmed.

In a video posted to Twitter, Itami himself confirmed that the injury would put him out of commission for the duration of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, where he was scheduled to compete alongside his countryman, Kota Ibushi.

The timing is likely tied to tonight’s NXT TV tapings, where their opening round matchup would likely have taken place. No word yet on whether or not Ibushi will find a new partner for the tournament.

httpss://twitter.com/WWE/status/786605069282123776

We don’t have an official word yet on how long Itami will be out, but he sounds hopeful that it won’t be as long as his year-long stay on the shelf as a result of his previous shoulder injury.

He said he’s not sure about returning in time for Takeover: Toronto on November 19th, but he emphatically promised to be back in time for NXT’s show in Osaka, Japan on December 3rd.

This injury occurred in a tag team match on October 1st, where Itami teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura against Tino Sabatelli and Riddick Moss. Itami took a bad powerslam from Moss, and had to tag Nakamura to finish the match.

httpss://twitter.com/pwunlimited/status/782698358116757504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It’s an especially unfortunate turn for Itami, who lost the momentum of a strong debut after his previous shoulder injury.

We wish Itami the best in his recovery, and hope he’s able to return soon.