# They changed KENTA's name -_-



## RadGuyMcCool (Jul 31, 2013)

Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.


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## xhbkx (Jun 28, 2008)

Didn't know his hero was Hideo Kojima.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

RadGuyMcCool said:


> Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.


Because the only person in the world called Hideo is Kojima.


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## Stanford (Jul 6, 2011)

RadGuyMcCool said:


> Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.


So, a Japanese person. Very astute of you.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

I'll admit I was wrong. I guess everyone will get their name changed regardless of their star power outside of WWE. It sucks but if Kenta's new name is Hideo Itami fpalm, then I fear for Devitt and Steen's new names. They tricked me by hyping "Kenta" only to change his name to an un-chantable name.


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## gabrielcev (Aug 23, 2014)

THANOS said:


> I'll admit I was wrong. I guess everyone will get their name changed regardless of their star power outside of WWE. It sucks but if Kenta's new name is Hideo Itami fpalm, then I fear for Devitt and Steen's new names.They tricked me by hyping "Kenta" only to change his name to an un-chantable name.


It's because WWE wants full rights to all their characters. They will change everyone names so they can have ownership of the characters they create.


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## Finlay12 (Mar 12, 2008)

Ya whats the point of using kenta all this time to have the dude announce he is changing his name makes it so pointless why cant they just use the names that made them get noticed by WWE?


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## TheManof1000post (May 27, 2014)

You can easily chant KENTA. 

You cant chant this new name 

Why would they do that??


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## december_blue (Dec 3, 2007)

A name change was inevitable.


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## [email protected] (Oct 9, 2013)

It is possible that he wanted the name changed. KENTA is the most chantable name ever, yes. Hideo, and Itami are both easily chanted though. Either way. We can be happy that he brought his body language psychology at 100% effectiveness.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Finlay12 said:


> Ya whats the point of using kenta all this time to have the dude announce he is changing his name makes it so pointless why cant they just use the names that made them get noticed by WWE?


To not insult your intelligence and pretend it's not KENTA. He is not some new character, he IS still KENTA, just using a new name.

Hideo Itami is the same guy that wrestled for NOAH and ROH, in WWE kayfabe. That's the difference.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

TheManof1000post said:


> You can easily chant KENTA.
> 
> You cant chant this new name
> 
> Why would they do that??


That's my biggest issue with it. The name is a mouthful, and we've already seen that the majority of American crowds can't string together a chant on even moderately complicated names like Cesaro. If you're going to change his name why not just call him Zenta or something like that.


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## [email protected] (Oct 9, 2013)

Ithil said:


> To not insult your intelligence and pretend it's not KENTA. He is not some new character, he IS still KENTA, just using a new name.
> 
> Hideo Itami is the same guy that wrestled for NOAH and ROH, in WWE kayfabe. That's the difference.


Yea. I don't thing the chanting thing will be a problem. I have the feeling that crowds will be chanting "This is awesome" and the like instead of names anyway. 

I do wonder if he can adjust to WWE pacing. I like that he's keeping the forearms instead of adding punches right away. I like the look of them anyway. Can't believe dude booed and said boring while dude was saying a few sentences for his Japanese fans. He took the time and effort to get his english to the level where he can talk for himself.


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## Batz (Apr 5, 2008)

TheManof1000post said:


> You can easily chant KENTA.
> 
> You cant chant this new name
> 
> Why would they do that??


The NXT crowd was already chanting "Hideo". I can easily see crowds doing chants of "Hideo Kojima" in increments. It works well as a chant.


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## hitmanclarke (Apr 12, 2013)

Just imagine what Steen's name is gonna be.


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## [email protected] (Oct 9, 2013)

Batz said:


> The NXT crowd was already chanting "Hideo". I can easily see crowds doing chants of "Hideo Kojima" in increments. It works well as a chant.


Why would they chant Kojima? Ironically?


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

hitmanclarke said:


> Just imagine what Steen's name is gonna be.


Hopefully Steven Keene.


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## Dubbletrousers (Jul 20, 2012)

Didn't Trips say in a call they weren't going to change their names...?


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## El Dandy (Oct 2, 2007)

a lot of smark ma fuckers eating crow right now.

thinking your indy darlings were above the name change rules :ti


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## TheGreatBanana (Jul 7, 2012)

The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


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## Marv95 (Mar 9, 2011)

What's with these generic two-worded names? Stupid and unnecessary.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

THANOS said:


> That's my biggest issue with it. The name is a mouthful, and we've already seen that the majority of American crowds can't string together a chant on even moderately complicated names like Cesaro. If you're going to change his name why not just call him Zenta or something like that.


I-TA-MI. 

HI-DE-O.

That's not hard. The crowd were even chanting "HI-DE-O" by the end.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


They will, no doubt, but I think WWE stick to their guns.


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## jamal. (Jul 14, 2012)

LOLWWE


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## Lariatoh! (Apr 26, 2012)

THANOS said:


> That's my biggest issue with it. The name is a mouthful, and we've already seen that the majority of American crowds can't string together a chant on even moderately complicated names like Cesaro. If you're going to change his name why not just call him Zenta or something like that.


Will this new new age of 'smart' crowds who have chanted at Ryback "Goldberg" or "CM Punk" at AJ Lee, "Albert" at Tensai" etc. 

Will they just chant KENTA when he wrestles???


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## DGenerationMC (Jan 30, 2011)




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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


Won´t happen. Too small fanbase that actually know KENTA, and WWE would want all rights to the name.
I do think they should´ve picked something else though..Hideo? Why didn´t they just go with Haruto Suzuki if they wanted something generic?


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


Yay dude, let's ruin every match of the guy for literally no reason. That'll show WWE.
They aren't going to change it "back". Ever. Get over it.


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## DemBoy (Dec 3, 2013)

So they did changed his name, fuck i just hope Devitt doesn't get a name like Ferguson McDonald or some shit like that.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

Ithil said:


> I-TA-MI.
> 
> HI-DE-O.
> 
> That's not hard. The crowd were even chanting "HI-DE-O" by the end.


How many crowds have you heard able to chant "Ce-sa-ro". I can probably count them on one hand. Hi-de-o is much harder for them to chant then you realize. It shouldn't be, but it is.


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## x78 (May 23, 2012)

TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


Yeah, hijack NXT! Make your voices heard! :bo


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

DGenerationMC said:


>


Kobashi would have been perfect!!


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## DGenerationMC (Jan 30, 2011)

THANOS said:


> Kobashi would have been perfect!!


Or Koybashi LOL.


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## LeaderOfM.D.R.S. (Nov 19, 2012)

I actually like the name change.

It's nice on the ears too, Hi-deo I-ta-mi


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## Hibachi (Mar 12, 2009)

Yikes, it sure isn't catchy.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

THANOS said:


> How many crowds have you heard able to chant "Ce-sa-ro". I can probably count them on one hand. Hi-de-o is much harder for them to chant then you realize. It shouldn't be, but it is.


I wouldn't know, because for most of the time he's been called just "Cesaro" he's been booked like shit.


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## Londrick (Feb 2, 2013)

You'll get used to it just like Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, etc.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

Ithil said:


> I wouldn't know, because for most of the time he's been called just "Cesaro" he's been booked like shit.


Well I didn't hear any "An-to-ni-o" chants either, and it should be easy to chant but American crowds couldn't figure out how to do it. No matter how over the guy was at one point, he only got his name chanted by UK crowds or the post-mania crowd.


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## H (Aug 15, 2011)

THANOS said:


> That's my biggest issue with it. The name is a mouthful, and we've already seen that the majority of American crowds can't string together a chant on even moderately complicated names like Cesaro. If you're going to change his name why not just call him Zenta or something like that.


Don't like the name change, but suggests ZENTA? :Jordan


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## DemBoy (Dec 3, 2013)

Summer Rae said:


> You'll get used to it just like Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, etc.


Those names are not so bad and are actually quite catchy, Hideo itami sounds like a generic japanese name. Well whatever, hopefully this means we'll see more KENTA from now on.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

Helmsley said:


> Don't like the name change, but suggests ZENTA? :Jordan


Hey at least it's close to Kenta and chantable. Let's hear your genius name?


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## Kratosx23 (Nov 1, 2004)

el dandy said:


> a lot of smark ma fuckers eating crow right now.
> 
> thinking your indy darlings were above the name change rules :ti


Well when they repeatedly call him KENTA in their own advertising, one would have to assume that's his name. If it wasn't for them doing that, everybody would've known he was definitely getting a name change.

Stupid name change. This whole name change thing is ridiculous, I mean, seriously, does WWE really lose anything by a guy being able to use the same name in the Indies as he did in WWE? Big deal, so he maybe makes a slightly better living for himself post WWE since he can book a more known name. God forbid. 

How CM Punk managed to keep his name AND keep the rights, I will never know.


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## truk83 (Jul 22, 2009)

I will admit I was wrong. They advertised Kenta, so I am not sure what this is all about. However, I stand corrected let thy stones be cast. Mount the cross, and I shall die for all of your IWC Thread sins. I think the name should have been changed to Jun Li.


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## Ham and Egger (Dec 13, 2005)

I hope they give greater reasoning as to who his name is a homage to.


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## Trivette (Dec 30, 2013)

If he comes out as just ITAMI it might be cool. Ah, who am I kidding, pretty bone headed move by the E, especially after hyping the signing of "Kenta!" what, with the Hulk Hogan business and all.


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## DemBoy (Dec 3, 2013)

The Itami name supposedly means pain.


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## [email protected] (Oct 9, 2013)

Tyrion Lannister said:


> Well when they repeatedly call him KENTA in their own advertising, one would have to assume that's his name. If it wasn't for them doing that, everybody would've known he was definitely getting a name change.
> 
> Stupid name change. This whole name change thing is ridiculous, I mean, seriously, does WWE really lose anything by a guy being able to use the same name in the Indies as he did in WWE? Big deal, so he maybe makes a slightly better living for himself post WWE since he can book a more known name. God forbid.
> 
> How CM Punk managed to keep his name AND keep the rights, I will never know.


They didn't expect anything from CM Punk. They figured he'd be an indy darling that they could give a little rub before burying into nothing. They aren't taking that chance again I imagine.


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## SolarKhan (Apr 1, 2006)

This does seem like "strike 1" against that character. A name can mean much. Then again...a guy named Edge became WWE champion. So did a guy named Triple H. So Hideo Itami is not SO bad. At least it is a full name. Besides...fans can chant "HI-DEO"


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## CenaBoy4Life (Jul 31, 2013)

They gave him a stereotypical japanese sounding name....one that's not catchy or really something fans will chant together. 

KENTA is a strong name people can chant together. 

His new name is soft weak sounding, harder to pronounce and will not catch on. I doubt Kenta will even be around in 2 years. This is going to be sin cara fail part 2.
Also THAT MUSIC EEWWW. Freaking ching chang dong wang racist japanese string intro going into generic rock crap. AWFUL!!


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## CenaBoy4Life (Jul 31, 2013)

Hideo? WTF is that. Sounds like someone smush Hide yo wife into one word or hideous.


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## Redzero (Jan 7, 2014)

i can see crowd's chanting Hideo Kojima


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## Brye (Jan 28, 2006)

I like the name change. If he's not going to be KENTA I think this is a much better name than they could have done.


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## Lazyking (Dec 25, 2011)

I just don't understand who KENTA is honoring with this new name? 

Don't mind a name change but its not ideal. Worse names have gotten over though. The bright spot was KENTA/Hideo's English. He's obviously working really hard on it.


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## HHHGame78 (Mar 2, 2004)

DemBoy said:


> The Itami name supposedly means pain.


Yup, Google translate phonic says Itami = pain


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## obby (May 19, 2009)

On the very same day that Solid Snake was confirmed to be out of Smash 4.

IT'S A CONSPIRACY:shiiit


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

SolarKhan said:


> This does seem like "strike 1" against that character. A name can mean much. Then again...a guy named Edge became WWE champion. So did a guy named Triple H. So Hideo Itami is not SO bad. At least it is a full name. Besides...fans can chant "HI-DEO"


Edge actually hated that name..Because it was impossible to chant.
And Triple H is Hunter Hearnst Helmsley, so yep, WWE have a history of bad names turning successful


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## Brye (Jan 28, 2006)

THANOS said:


> Hey at least it's close to Kenta and chantable. Let's hear your genius name?


Hideo is very chantable though. Hi-De-O, Hi-De-O, Hi-De-O.

Also, no shock here that the community finds more things to complain about.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

How some of you can't understand why they acknowledged he is KENTA before having HIM give the reason for the name change, I don't know. 

It's very simple.


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## almostfamous (May 18, 2009)

Granted, it's a little unnecessary, but in the end of the day 50% of the NXT audience has never heard of Kenta. 90% of the WWE audience has never heard of Kenta. The guy is a legend to diehards like us, but a name isn't going to make/break a character. Fuck a guy named Dolph Ziggler won the world title.

I could total see the NXT crowd duel chanting "Hi-De-O, I-Ta-Me, Hi-De-O, I-Ta-Me."


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## Born of Osiris (Oct 29, 2013)

I don't like it. Sounds a little too generic.


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## DemBoy (Dec 3, 2013)

Ithil said:


> How some of you can't understand why they acknowledged he is KENTA before having HIM give the reason for the name change, I don't know.
> 
> It's very simple.


Well i hope the name change was his decision to start a new thing on NXT and not something creative demanded.


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## HHHGame78 (Mar 2, 2004)

Ithil said:


> How some of you can't understand why they acknowledged he is KENTA before having HIM give the reason for the name change, I don't know.
> 
> It's very simple.


Everything he did in the past was as KENTA. His future is as Hideo Itami. Yes it is simple, I agree.


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## CenaBoy4Life (Jul 31, 2013)

Yep typical generic anime name.


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## ABailey115 (Jul 1, 2014)

Hype up KENTA so much that you go ahead and change it............ fpalm

Shoulda seen it coming. Nowadays they do it for safety purposes, especially since the CM Punk name thing, they sure as hell don't want another one of those.


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## Robbyfude (Jan 21, 2014)

As long as they don't give him a stereotypical asian gimmick like a samurai or something.... oh wait, please don't listen to this post.


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## JamesK (Oct 7, 2012)

Too be honest i don't mind the change


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## Toonami4Life (Jan 29, 2014)

You guys realize Itami means pain right?


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

I recall everyone hating "Sami Zayn" when it was revealed (and it didn't have a kayfabe name change like this, as far as WWE kayfabe goes, Sami has been Sami Zayn all his career). Now you're all used to it, and you don't hear anyone going "WHY ISN'T HE EL GENERICO?" anymore.

This is not quite the same, since there was no gimmick change here, but you will all get used to it, as always. So don't bother frothing at the mouth over it.


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## Born of Osiris (Oct 29, 2013)

Robbyfude said:


> As long as they don't give him a stereotypical asian gimmick like a samurai or something.... oh wait, please don't listen to this post.


This right here is my main worry.


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## Barrett Got Swag (Apr 19, 2014)

Toonami4Life said:


> You guys realize Itami means pain right?


And Hideo means "Excelling Man." So he's "Excelling Man Pain." I'm not sure whether there's a gay joke in there or not.



Shalashaska said:


> This right here is my main worry.


Hopefully, his titantron and entrance music are the end of the Asian theme that they seem to be going for.


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## elhijodelbodallas (Jan 30, 2014)

TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


His name is Hideo Itami now, get used to it. Do not be a fucking dick. Just accept it and be happy that:

1- He's in the WWE. A year ago everybody would think this would never happen.
2- He's not being given a tensai/yoshi tatsu/funaki/great muta gimmick.
3- He's actually being pushed as a serious, relevant wrestler right from the very start.

A name doesn't mean shit and his new name isn't even bad, he chose it himself so learn to respect it.



THANOS said:


> How many crowds have you heard able to chant "Ce-sa-ro". I can probably count them on one hand. Hi-de-o is much harder for them to chant then you realize. It shouldn't be, but it is.


That's only because they've never liked him enough to chant his name.



truk83 said:


> I will admit I was wrong. They advertised Kenta, so I am not sure what this is all about. However, I stand corrected let thy stones be cast. Mount the cross, and I shall die for all of your IWC Thread sins. I think the name should have been changed to Jun Li.


I was going to say something but you're not even worth it. "Jun Li"? Are you fucking serious? Do you realize he's JAPANESE and not CHINESE? You're a human cornucopia of fpalm



Tyrion Lannister said:


> Well when they repeatedly call him KENTA in their own advertising, one would have to assume that's his name. If it wasn't for them doing that, everybody would've known he was definitely getting a name change.
> 
> Stupid name change. This whole name change thing is ridiculous, I mean, seriously, does WWE really lose anything by a guy being able to use the same name in the Indies as he did in WWE? Big deal, so he maybe makes a slightly better living for himself post WWE since he can book a more known name. God forbid.
> 
> How CM Punk managed to keep his name AND keep the rights, I will never know.





[email protected] said:


> They didn't expect anything from CM Punk. They figured he'd be an indy darling that they could give a little rub before burying into nothing. They aren't taking that chance again I imagine.


No. CM Punk got his name in 2006. Back then WWE wasn't trademarking all the names and that policy didn't exist yet. MVP is another example of a guy from that era who got to keep his name. That's the only reason he kept it. How many times does this need to be said?



Ithil said:


> How some of you can't understand why they acknowledged he is KENTA before having HIM give the reason for the name change, I don't know.
> 
> It's very simple.


Probably because of the same reason you refused to believe they were going to change his name.



DemBoy said:


> Well i hope the name change was his decision to start a new thing on NXT and not something creative demanded.


It's for legal reasons. This has been said over and over again. If WWE owns the name they can do whatever they want with the character and don't need the guy's permission.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Barrett Got Swag said:


> And Hideo means "Excelling Man." So he's "Excelling Man Pain." I'm not sure whether there's a gay joke in there or not.
> 
> 
> 
> Hopefully, his titantron and entrance music are the end of the Asian theme that they seem to be going for.


Take a look at your own avatar and signature. Barrett's theme starts with "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN", and his tron features the Union Jack. He is acknowledged as English.
But that's not his gimmick, his gimmick is Bad News Barrett, he just happens to be English too.

It's not wrong to acknowledge that KENTA is Japanese, or to theme his aesthetics to it. It's when you make "being Japanese" (usually with low grade stereotypes) his gimmick that it becomes a problem. So far, there's no indication of that being the case. His gimmick seems to be "ass kicker" so far.


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## jcmmnx (Aug 7, 2009)

Should've left it as Kenta, but he's going to get over regardless.


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## thaimasker (Apr 1, 2012)

Ithil said:


> I recall everyone hating "Sami Zayn" when it was revealed (and it didn't have a kayfabe name change like this, as far as WWE kayfabe goes, Sami has been Sami Zayn all his career). Now you're all used to it, and you don't hear anyone going "WHY ISN'T HE EL GENERICO?" anymore.
> 
> This is not quite the same, since there was no gimmick change here, but you will all get used to it, as always. So don't bother frothing at the mouth over it.


I still cannot get over sami zayn, sounds too cartoony to me


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## spolley (Sep 12, 2014)

I didn't watch it but according to Japanese news site he said "I will do my best to be your hero" 
'Hero' in Japanese kanji can also be read as 'hideo'


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## normal situation (May 15, 2013)

I was disappointed at first that he wasn't going to keep his name, but I can dig the Hideo Itami name. It's not all that hard to chant, you can just chant for one half or the other. Besides, it's not some "Kung Funaki" shit. I was just waiting for him to be renamed "Wasabi Hiroshima" or something ridiculous like that.


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## JamesK (Oct 7, 2012)

Guys chill out.. It's just a name.. He will get over,he will have awesome matches like he always does just enjoy the ride.. 

I am happy that they gave him an awesome theme and that they present him like a fucking boss.. 
He will always be KENTA,they just want the rights.. Seriously the name is good.


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## Barrett Got Swag (Apr 19, 2014)

Ithil said:


> Take a look at your own avatar and signature. Barrett's theme starts with "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN", and his tron features the Union Jack. He is acknowledged as English.
> But that's not his gimmick, his gimmick is Bad News Barrett, he just happens to be English too.
> 
> It's not wrong to acknowledge that KENTA is Japanese, or to theme his aesthetics to it. It's when you make "being Japanese" (usually with low grade stereotypes) his gimmick that it becomes a problem. So far, there's no indication of that being the case. His gimmick seems to be "ass kicker" so far.


I see your point about the Barrett-Itami thing, but it's not like WWE hasn't made racist gimmicks specifically for Asians. I'm just more concerned of them making KENTA a ninja or something then recognizing him being from Japan. He's an only been an asskicker, so far.


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## Leon Knuckles (Sep 2, 2013)

ATNEK is KENTA backwards. Sounds cool to me. :tommy


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## Insomnia (Aug 13, 2014)

I don't really mind.



JamesK said:


> I am happy that they gave him an awesome theme and that they present him like a fucking boss..
> He will always be KENTA,they just want the rights..


Exactly and i wonder what Devitt's, Steen's new name will be?


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## JamesK (Oct 7, 2012)

chosequin said:


> I don't really mind.
> 
> 
> 
> Exactly and i wonder what Devitt's, Steen's new name will be?


The perfect way for all of us to be happy it's to make a small adjustments to their names.. I think that's it's almost sure thing that they will get a name change and i am sure that both Steen and Devitt will come up with their own names..


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## Fissiks (Oct 23, 2013)

i think they should stick to one name for him.


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## TasteOfVenom (Sep 22, 2006)

elhijodelbodallas said:


> His name is Hideo Itami now, get used to it. Do not be a fucking dick. Just accept it and be happy that:
> 
> 1- He's in the WWE. A year ago everybody would think this would never happen.
> 2- He's not being given a tensai/yoshi tatsu/funaki/great muta gimmick.
> ...


Punk said the only reason he kept his name was because of Heyman.


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## apokalypse (Mar 13, 2005)

*Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*



> Kenta's new NXT ring name is Hideo Itai. He did a segment with William Regal tonight and got into it with The Ascension. Kenta's in-ring debut will come next Thursday night.
> Read more at http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe...me_and_In-Ring_Debut.html#8I4pHTxWlVkJ4vyR.99


yes, Kenta is dead and never exist in WWE Universe just like Bryan Danielson who had great rivalries with Kenta...


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## Frico (Feb 19, 2014)

Well, I got used to "Daniel Bryan" so I can get used to Hideo Itami. Which doesn't sound all too bad, really.


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## geomon (May 13, 2010)

I have no problem with it. I only care about what he does in the ring.


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## Jupiter Jack Daniels (Jul 18, 2011)

Okay?


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## Selfdestructo (Apr 30, 2014)

*Re: Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*

Really? They called just called him 'Kenta' on Raw earlier this week.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

The name itself sounds fine, and I know I'll get used to it, I just worry about it being chanted or not. If crowds chant it then I'll be fine with it, if not, maybe they should drop either the first name or last name.


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## autechrex (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*



Elipses Corter said:


> Okay?


It's worth talking about.



Selfdestructo said:


> Really? They called just called him 'Kenta' on Raw earlier this week.


They did on NXT too, then he announced he's using a new name for a new beginning.


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Barrett Got Swag said:


> I see your point about the Barrett-Itami thing, but it's not like WWE hasn't made racist gimmicks specifically for Asians. I'm just more concerned of them making KENTA a ninja or something then recognizing him being from Japan. He's an only been an asskicker, so far.


Yes, they absolutely have. WWE have treated Japanese stars terribly in the past, and it was a precedent to fear with KENTA. But so far, they have done everything right.
He's not a stereotype, or a joke, he's being treated seriously and as a star. Maybe it goes pear shaped later, maybe it goes great, but so far, so good.

Also, "Let's go Hideo" sounds quite alright sounded out as a chant. And the NXT crowd were chanting "HI-DE-O" at the end.


----------



## ColtofPersonality (Oct 11, 2012)

*Re: Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*

_Itami_* :draper2


----------



## apokalypse (Mar 13, 2005)

*Re: Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*



Selfdestructo said:


> Really? They called just called him 'Kenta' on Raw earlier this week.


that's earlier in the week but from now WWE Universe is expecting to meet Hideo...


----------



## Darth Sidious (Mar 29, 2013)

*Re: Kenta is Dead, Say Hello To Hideo Itai...*

Fuck right off.

Just fuck off.


----------



## elhijodelbodallas (Jan 30, 2014)

TasteOfVenom said:


> Punk said the only reason he kept his name was because of Heyman.


He's a wrestler, he lied because it made for a better story.

The thing I like the most about Hideo Itami is that even though he's not big he still looks great and has really good presence. He legitimately looks like a thug.


----------



## Lazyking (Dec 25, 2011)

I've asked before but who was Kenta referring to when he changed his name? Anyone know?


----------



## Bo Wyatt (Dec 19, 2011)




----------



## Jupiter Jack Daniels (Jul 18, 2011)

autechrex said:


> It's worth talking about.


Is it really?

Did any of us expect otherwise?


----------



## Born of Osiris (Oct 29, 2013)

Just Itami alone sounds way better IMO.


----------



## ColtofPersonality (Oct 11, 2012)

THANOS said:


> The name itself sounds fine, and I know I'll get used to it, I just worry about it being chanted or not. If crowds chant it then I'll be fine with it, if not, maybe they should drop either the first name or last name.


I was slightly worried about that at first too, but nowadays a name doesn't even _need_ to be chanted. Just look at Bryan (Yes!), Kalisto (LU-CHA!), and The Ascension. (Yah!) He could easily get something picked up for the fans the chant. If that doesn't work, I personally think Itami could possibly catch on.


----------



## RKing85 (Mar 22, 2010)

What a fool I was for a split second thinking that the WWE would actually keep his name as KENTA.


----------



## Taker-Tribute-Act (May 1, 2006)

Totally cool with it. Hideo, or Itami are easy to chant and It may be cut down to the 1 name anyway. It's not any worse than Kenta, regardless of it actually being his name. It looks like he's gonna be on the end of a decent push and they've already made him look like a bad ass.


----------



## Screwball (Aug 20, 2013)

spolley said:


> I didn't watch it but according to Japanese news site he said "I will do my best to be your hero"
> 'Hero' in Japanese kanji can also be read as 'hideo'


And Itami can mean 'Pain', so I'm all on board with the new name. It's serious and they actually made sure he looked like a high roller by making short work of the Ascension. So far so good.


----------



## HHHGame78 (Mar 2, 2004)

E-TAH-ME chant works well.


----------



## gabrielcev (Aug 23, 2014)

At least they didn't name him Jimmy Wang Kenta and give him a ******* Asian gimmick.


----------



## Ratedr4life (Dec 18, 2008)

Ugh what the fuck is this shit. I'm terrified as to what they're gonna re-name Steen too.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Ratedr4life said:


> Ugh what the fuck is this shit. I'm terrified as to what they're gonna re-name Steen too.


Hang on now.

It's "shit" because....why? 

Hideo Itami is a solid name. It is a real Japanese name, not like "Yoshi Tatsu", and it's easy to chant.

If you're getting belligerent solely out of some kind of "rebellion" aspect, it's silly.


----------



## WrestlingOracle (Jul 6, 2013)

Itami has a similar ring to Inoki, which of course was chanted in droves internationally. Besides that, 3 to four syllables is the sweet spot for chants and Itami falls in the 3 range. Besides that, the inevitable smark chants of KENTA aren't of a detriment to the character really considering WWE is really playing to Itami/Kenta's international history. That situation is much unlike Husky Harris to Bray Wyatt. I see no issue personally with this name on any account. Now I will say that "Hideo" isn't exactly what I would choose be for a wrestling name (maybe a game designer)and doesn't have a good gelling with Itami. 

So long as Kenta retains some badass qualities and doesn't fall into the wwe motif of "he is a smaller Japanese wrestler who didn't make it here so let's have him job in a month damnit", this will all be ok. I'm more intrigued how they handle his moveset seeing how the Busaiku knee is taken by Bryan and Punk is fresh in people's minds, and I'm sure considering the overwhelming majority of audience is casual, most won't pick up that Punk modeled a good deal of his early wwe style after Kenta. I just hope they retain his smashmouth quality and move forward style. Guy should really set the tone.


----------



## Natsuke (Dec 2, 2009)

Hideo is very chantable, and people are panicking as if KENTA can't carry his weight by ring work alone. He is truly that good and people need to realize that fans will get over his name.

If it's just a name gripe, you might as well have kept it one name: HIDEO.


----------



## Saintpat (Dec 18, 2013)

Why do certain Japanese guys have names written in CAPS LOCK anyway?

How do you chant in all caps?


----------



## Lazyking (Dec 25, 2011)

Saintpat said:


> Why do certain Japanese guys have names written in CAPS LOCK anyway?
> 
> How do you chant in all caps?


may be totally wrong but I think in KENTA's case it was to be different from Kenta Kobashi.


----------



## Saintpat (Dec 18, 2013)

RadGuyMcCool said:


> Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.


Just because you're into video games enough to know the names of designers doesn't mean the entire world is, or the entire "WWE Universe."

Probably more people in the U.S. have heard of Hideo Nomo, the baseball player.

It's not an uncommon Japanese name. Quick check found more than 40 people with Wikipedia pages with that first name ... amazingly not all video game designers.

That's like a U.S. wrestler working in Japan under the first name Steve and someone in Japan saying "Sounds like a dead guy who used to do computer stuff."


----------



## Londrick (Feb 2, 2013)

Don't see why people are getting mad, it's not like they changed it to something like Slant Eyes McGook or something.


----------



## Ratedr4life (Dec 18, 2008)

Ithil said:


> Hang on now.
> 
> It's "shit" because....why?
> 
> ...


Maybe it's because Kenta was such a badass name that I was gonna shit all over any name they came up with. Who knows it may catch on and in a year from now I'll be saying they made the right choice.

Just hearing it for the first time, it just doesn't click.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Ratedr4life said:


> Maybe it's because Kenta was such a badass name that I was gonna shit all over any name they came up with. Who knows it may catch on and in a year from now I'll be saying they made the right choice.
> 
> Just hearing it for the first time, it just doesn't click.


KENTA is an excellent ring name, there's no denying it. But Hideo Itami is solid, and when everyone is used to it there will be no complaints. People got used to much worse names (like Adrian Neville) without a problem.


----------



## Lariatoh! (Apr 26, 2012)

Tyrion Lannister said:


> Well when they repeatedly call him KENTA in their own advertising, one would have to assume that's his name. If it wasn't for them doing that, everybody would've known he was definitely getting a name change.
> 
> Stupid name change. This whole name change thing is ridiculous, I mean, seriously, does WWE really lose anything by a guy being able to use the same name in the Indies as he did in WWE? Big deal, so he maybe makes a slightly better living for himself post WWE since he can book a more known name. God forbid.
> 
> How CM Punk managed to keep his name AND keep the rights, I will never know.


Maybe right up until Punk's lawsuit they were going to allow Kenta to keep his name.

:faint:


----------



## Lariatoh! (Apr 26, 2012)

Ratedr4life said:


> Ugh what the fuck is this shit. I'm terrified as to what they're gonna re-name Steen too.


Steven Keen?


----------



## NormanSmiley (Dec 3, 2006)

I'll admit, I was excited to hear that KENTA would be keeping his ring name, but Hideo Itami sounds perfectly fine and, as others have mentioned, it can be chanted easily (not quite as easily as "KENTA" though).

I see it as the WWE's final step in welcoming their newest star. They could have easily announced his name change on WWE.com, but instead they used his debut as one of the main selling points for the live special, and allowed him to announce his name change *with a reason* in front of the NXT crowd. The only other guy I've seen them do that with recently is Mistico/Sin Cara and while we know how he turned out, we also know that WWE had clear plans from the start with him.


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

RadGuyMcCool said:


> Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.





Stanford said:


> So, a Japanese person. Very astute of you.


----------



## spolley (Sep 12, 2014)

Saintpat said:


> Probably more people in the U.S. have heard of Hideo Nomo, the baseball player.


in a 2006 interview he said that he wanted to become a professional baseball player
so i think 'one of his heroes' may be nomo


----------



## Hera (Oct 9, 2012)

> Probably more people in the U.S. have heard of Hideo Nomo, the baseball player.


That's where most people assume he got Hideo from. He also wrote Hideo like 英雄 which is hero. Not 秀夫 like Metal Gear man. (伊丹英雄 is how KENTA wrote his new ring name in kanji if you didn't see it on twitter)

Him changing his name is fine. He's still fucking KENTA. They didn't change him or his character. All they did was give him a new name. That's it. You all care more about it than he does. He'll still kick the shit out of people and that's all you need at the end of the day.


----------



## Saintpat (Dec 18, 2013)

Since there was another Kenta, he should have changed it so something nobody else is using right now. Like El Generico.


----------



## StraightYesSociety (Apr 4, 2014)

I like his theme though. Has a bit of that Pride FC drum and other cool elements.


----------



## xhbkx (Jun 28, 2008)

The name may be chantable alone but when pair with other words it won't sound as good as KENTA. "Let's go Hideo/Itami" and "We want Hideo/Itami" will sound odd.


----------



## Defrostus (Jul 19, 2014)

I can't wait until Vince mandates Prince Devitt to be referred to as "Paddy McPherson" when he's in "Bangers & Mash" with Seamus and the rebooted Hornswoggle...


----------



## StraightYesSociety (Apr 4, 2014)

xhbkx said:


> The name may be chantable alone but when pair with other words it won't sound as good as KENTA. "Let's go Hideo/Itami" and "We want Hideo/Itami" will sound odd.


You don't need to chant all of that. Is like chanting CM Punk it's implied you want to see Punk or that you want Punk to go and win/get up. No one says Let's go CM Punk or even let's go Punk. Same thing with Daniel Bryan, no one chants all of that (unless it was in the indies where we needed to chant Let's go Bryan because his full name wasn't chant-able). 

Also I bet they will shorten it to Hideo in no time.


----------



## Barack Lesnar (Aug 15, 2014)

Ugh, and thus begins the mishandling of another talented Japanese pro wrestler


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

ThePeoplesChump said:


> Ugh, and thus begins the mishandling of another talented Japanese pro wrestler


So, did you actually watch his debut? Because they made him seem like the biggest deal in the world. Literally the opposite of "mishandling".



Defrostus said:


> I can't wait until Vince mandates Prince Devitt to be referred to as "Paddy McPherson" when he's in "Bangers & Mash" with Seamus and the rebooted Hornswoggle...


Yes, because KENTA was renamed "Noodles Toyota" right?


----------



## RatherBeAtNitro (Jun 25, 2014)

Can't wait to the WWE's other two recent big name signings Finbar O'Malley and Jim Bob Tucker debut fpalm


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

*KENTA, Hideo, Goku, Ryu










WHAT HIS NAME IS! I enjoyed watching him kick the shit out of The Ascension.*


----------



## A$AP (Jul 24, 2012)

A name change was coming. The only question was if it was going to be an absolutely terrible name. 

We now have our answer. :Jordan


----------



## Kazatin (Jan 7, 2014)

So, the new name has a meaning, if you know your WW2 history (which i admit i don't know too well) then you can probably understand the implications of why the name is more baddass than a joke, after reading this.

http://wwii-army.findthebest.com/l/8555784/Hideo-Itami

i doubt many ppl would know this without googling the name, but that's a pretty cool name in my book.


----------



## RyanPelley (Jun 5, 2011)

Well, that fucking sucks. That KENTA chant gave me visions of 20,000 strong chanting just that. KENTA boner retreating. Was it a bad idea to build up the debut as KENTA, then change the name?

Still, the new name will grow.


----------



## Kazatin (Jan 7, 2014)

I would have loved the Kenta name too, but he needs to keep the trademark for his own career.


----------



## Rick Sanchez (Dec 30, 2012)

Like it matters. He will be lucky to win a midcard title. Great wrestler? Big whoop, so is Cesaro and look at him. Vince doesn't give a shit about ring work. Hunter might but this isn't his company. If he had stayed KENTA, he wouldn't have been better off. Now people are gonna look back and say it was the name change? Not likely.


----------



## Natsuke (Dec 2, 2009)

Stone Cold Steve Austin said:


> Like it matters. He will be lucky to win a midcard title. Great wrestler? Big whoop, so is Cesaro and look at him. Vince doesn't give a shit about ring work. Hunter might but this isn't his company. If he had stayed KENTA, he wouldn't have been better off. Now people are gonna look back and say it was the name change? Not likely.


Cesaro, with all due respect, had no where new the amount of renown and admiration that KENTA has in the wrestling world. KENTA is the type of wrestler who can go into any other promotion and bring an insane deal of prestige to it. This is why they made such a big deal signing him. Punk admired the guy to the point of using his finisher in homage to him for god's sake lol


----------



## Kazatin (Jan 7, 2014)

it doesn't hurt that he has the look of a yakuza gang member and acts like a baddass samurai.


----------



## Allur (Jan 17, 2012)

This is so dumb. The audience are always going to chant Kenta and even the announcers kept calling him Kenta after he announced the name change. It's not going to work.



Shalashaska said:


> Just Itami alone sounds way better IMO.


This is so true. If (or since) they had to change the name they should have gone for a one word name. But hey, it's the WWE, what can you expect. fpalm


----------



## Nicole Queen (Apr 2, 2014)

fpalm Couldn't they flip his name over like they did with Bryan?

Hideo Kojima makes me dread the possibility of some 'hiding' gimmick in the future fpalm



Natsuke said:


> Cesaro, with all due respect, had no where new the amount of renown and admiration that KENTA has in the wrestling world. KENTA is the type of wrestler who can go into any other promotion and bring an insane deal of prestige to it. This is why they made such a big deal signing him. Punk admired the guy to the point of using his finisher in homage to him for god's sake lol


That doesn't really matter to them though. They made a big deal signing him, but once he's in name/gimmick/moveset changes + treatment on the main roster will be the complete opposite. WWE still doesn't care about wrestling prestige (that Kenta has) but they are all about the "entertainment" which makes me fear they will just stick him as generic Japanese wrestling heel and completely miss the opportunities this signing could have made them.


----------



## Joshi Judas (Jul 12, 2013)

Hideo Itami eh? Not bad as far as names go but unnecessary really.


----------



## BehindYou (Jun 16, 2011)

Hideo is fine.

However, like others, I dont get why it need to change so drastically.

Really suprised they dint go for Kento for some reason.


----------



## RatherBeAtNitro (Jun 25, 2014)

Wonder what Sting's name will be if he ever debut's on WWE tv ?, "hey look King its Reeve Corden and he's here on Raw"


----------



## LateTrain27 (Jul 23, 2013)

It was going to happen, I have no problem with the name change personally. They could have done much much worse (e.g. Mojo Rowley). Look forward to seeing more of Hideo Itami on NXT.


----------



## Simply Flawless (Mar 28, 2011)

Who gives a fuck if they changed his name


----------



## Zilbread (Jul 13, 2014)

It sucks they changed his name, but its hardly a surprise. It seems more people were surprised that they were not going to change his name. Personally, I think Kenta is a better name, but Hideo isn't all that bad.


----------



## Chismo (Nov 7, 2009)

Who cares, honestly? He picked the name, and it looks fine enough.

Regal, though: "One of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling history!"


----------



## Genking48 (Feb 3, 2009)

It's honoring a Japanese Second World War soldier, and please calling him KENTA, >implying

At least Hideo Itami is more dignified than Yoshi Tatsu og King Fu Naki ever was.


----------



## JamesK (Oct 7, 2012)

It's a name change people.. No one failed because of a name... We can complain if they start messing with his character..


----------



## Duke Silver (Jan 24, 2005)

Everyone will get used to it. I mean, if we can all adjust to names like Dolph Ziggler and Adrian Neville, I'm sure Hideo Itami will work out. After all, it's just a name. 

Sure, it would've been nice for Kenta to keep that name, but the way he's booked is much more important. That was flawless at Takeover 2. Kenta was introduced as an international star and given a spotlight. That's the real fucking story.


----------



## Darkness is here (Mar 25, 2014)

The new name is just shit, kenta was a badass name.


----------



## NastyYaffa (Jun 26, 2012)

I like the name. It's a tribute for one of his heroes, as he said.


----------



## Cell Waters (Jul 11, 2014)

Ideally his name should be Kenta. But he really needs another, more chantable name. Not fond of Hideo Itami.


----------



## JamesK (Oct 7, 2012)

Duke Silver said:


> Everyone will get used to it. I mean, if we can all adjust to names like Dolph Ziggler and Adrian Neville, I'm sure Hideo Itami will work out. After all, it's just a name.
> 
> Sure, it would've been nice for Kenta to keep that name, but the way he's booked is much more important. That was flawless at Takeover 2. Kenta was introduced as an international star and given a spotlight. That's the real fucking story.


Yeah that's i am saying too.. With a single segment they made him the biggest boss(After Lesnar) in the company..


----------



## Duke Silver (Jan 24, 2005)

FWIW, "It-am-e" is perfectly chantable.


----------



## Darkness is here (Mar 25, 2014)

RadGuyMcCool said:


> Sounds like a goddamn video game developer.


lol, yeah.
The original was way better and sounded good to hear.


----------



## Marrakesh (Nov 20, 2012)

:lol Like people have said already, Kenta was short and an established name that would have worked perfectly. 

Hideo itami or whatever the fuck you're said it was is just terrible. Just imagine the commentary for Kenta vs that other name, it's not close that Kenta is cooler and just better suited all round.


----------



## Darkness is here (Mar 25, 2014)

Duke Silver said:


> FWIW, "It-am-e" is perfectly chantable.


yeah, its chantable but chant it in your head......it's wierd to hear.


----------



## Cell Waters (Jul 11, 2014)

Marrakesh said:


> :lol Like people have said already, Kenta was short and an established name that would have worked perfectly.
> 
> Hideo itami or whatever the fuck you're said it was is just terrible. Just imagine the commentary for Kenta vs that other name, it's not close that Kenta is cooler and just better suited all round.


If they're going to change the name, at least change it to something equally as good (if not better). Although it will be hard to come up with a better name than Kenta


----------



## What_A_Maneuver! (Aug 4, 2011)

THANOS said:


> I'll admit I was wrong. I guess everyone will get their name changed regardless of their star power outside of WWE. It sucks but if Kenta's new name is Hideo Itami fpalm, then I fear for Devitt and Steen's new names. They tricked me by hyping "Kenta" only to change his name to an un-chantable name.


'Itami' is very chantable name. 'IT-AM-I! IT-AM-I! IT-AM-I!'.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Yes, KENTA is a better name, but why are people pretending Hideo Itami is a bad name? Why is it bad? It sounds like an actual Japanese name (unlike say Yoshi Tatsu), it's easy to chant.
You've got someone called DOLPH ZIGGLER on the main roster, and no one complains about his name any more because they're used to it.

It sounds to me like some of you would have said "new name is shit lol" no matter what it was, solely because it was changed.


----------



## rockdig1228 (Mar 16, 2004)

I hope that the NXT crowd takes to the name and doesn't try to smark it up by chanting "KENTA." I was a little disappointed when he revealed the new name, but after sleeping on it, Hideo Itami is a solid name.

Come on Full Sail, I expect you to come up with something creative for him. Hell, I wouldn't mind if they aped a Samoa Joe chant and just changed it to something like "Hideo's gonna kill you." Not necessarily the most original, but I think it would fit. Even "LET'S. GO. HI-DE-O." has a nice ring to it.

As far as name changes go, I would venture a guess that a lot of established performers don't mind changing their name, since they may not feel as strongly about their previous moniker as when they first had it. I can't remember who it was, but I remember an interview of an indy guy who said that he wished he could change his ring name, but because he's established that name in the business, it makes no sense to change it. I think a lot of performers probably don't mind an adjustment, and it's just fans here who get worked up over it.


----------



## Snake Plissken (Nov 9, 2012)

It will take time getting use to I know WWE have the copyright for names in place but seriously?


----------



## DannyMack (Dec 18, 2012)

For those saying you can't chant the name, I think it's pretty easy to chant HI-DE-O! HI-DE-O! HI-DE-O!

I'm quite surprised by the name change due to his credibility in Japan, which is the whole point of why they signed him in the 1st place, so that he can help promote the Network to the Japanese market. At the end of the day IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

DannyMack said:


> For those saying you can't chant the name, I think it's pretty easy to chant HI-DE-O! HI-DE-O! HI-DE-O!
> 
> I'm quite surprised by the name change due to his credibility in Japan, which is the whole point of why they signed him in the 1st place, so that he can help promote the Network to the Japanese market. At the end of the day IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!


The difference here is that he isn't Hideo Itami, the new guy, he is KENTA, the Japanese star, taking on a new ring name. Guys like Cesaro became "Antonio Cesaro, the rugby player" when he debuted, not "Claudio Castagnoli, the accomplished wrestler who is assuming a new name".
So when he is Hideo Itami in Japan, he is still KENTA, according to WWE, not some guy they're pretending isn't KENTA.


----------



## papercuts_hurt (Mar 21, 2013)

Chismo said:


> Who cares, honestly? He picked the name, and it looks fine enough.
> 
> Regal, though: "One of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling history!"


You must have loved in when Jason Albert said Kenta is currently the top wrestler in Japan. Just hype, it's not like they are TOTALLY off base.

As for the name, I agree with everyone who has said it is awkward to chant, yes as many of you have said it IS chant-able but I don't think it sounds smooth. 2 syllables for a single name is plenty. I have said this on here before, but I don't think there are any major American wrestling stars who have more than 4 syllables total in their name, first and last combined. That's why it was a good idea for Rusev and Cesaro to drop their first names. You may think this is stupid but go ahead and try to name me someone with 5 syllables or more in their name who was pretty successful, and if you somehow come up with one, I guarantee you can't come up with three. He should have stuck with the classic one-two punch (Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, John Cena, etc.) that's really your best bet.


----------



## truk83 (Jul 22, 2009)

This is the first time I can recall them actually promoting someone by one name, and then renaming them once they debuted. Makes not one bit of sense. The name he has now is awful, and Kenta was just fine.


----------



## Triple-B (May 11, 2014)

I just hope Devitt doesn't get a dumb name change. I don't mind Hideo Itami though, I just don't get why they kept booking him as Kenta if they planned on doing it, was kind of random and didn't seem to fit. Is he honoring some one?


----------



## paqman (Sep 7, 2009)

They couldn't keep Kenta in the name at all? Kenta Itami, Hideo Kenta... Seems like a Christian/Christian Cage thing here where it could be solved by adding a surname or something. It's not that big of a deal. Confusing, but not a deal breaker.

Either way, guy needs a mouth piece until he grasps English better. If Heyman didn't have such a shit record with anyone not named Punk or Lesnar, I'd suggest him. Only because of the idiots who chant "WHAT?!" and "USA!" when he speaks Japanese. Jesus, WWE turned American fans into the most xenophobic mofos on the planet lol. At least NXT is not as bad crowd wise. The casuals will eat him alive, though. They've been trained to boo foreign languages lol.

Steen and Devitt better not pick anything stupid.


----------



## Lockard The GOAT (May 30, 2007)

I don't mind him adopting a new name as long as it sounds good. I'm more concerned with whether they'll seriously push him or whether they'll just end up slapping him with a stereotypical Asian gimmick. I know HHH wouldn't want that, but as long as Vince is in charge...


----------



## ErickRowan_Fan (Feb 8, 2014)

Kenta would've been far more recognizable, even for people that have never heard of him. Hideo Itami seems fairly random, like they just used a name generator to come up with something. I think they will eventually settle for the "Itami" name, resembling "Inoki". Much like Alexander Rusev became Rusev and Antonio Cesaro became Cesaro.


----------



## CesaroSection (Feb 15, 2014)

TheManof1000post said:


> You can easily chant KENTA.
> 
> You cant chant this new name
> 
> Why would they do that??


Yes you can. Hid-E-O. Same tune as C-M-Punk. 

WWE was always going to change his name, and the reason they hyped him as KENTA is to get as much buzz as possible as he is a huge name. The name change is fine with me.


----------



## Oneiros (Feb 16, 2014)

CesaroSection said:


> Yes you can. Hid-E-O. Same tune as C-M-Punk.


Exactly, you can chant both HI-DE-O and I-TA-MI, it's not that bad of a name, Kenta was better but this one is cool also. And fuuny you mention CM Punk, because this recent lawsuit of his is probably one of the reasons they changed Kenta's name, and they probably will change Steen's and Devitt's names as well.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

Triple-B said:


> I just hope Devitt doesn't get a dumb name change. I don't mind Hideo Itami though, I just don't get why they kept booking him as Kenta if they planned on doing it, was kind of random and didn't seem to fit. Is he honoring some one?


Again, they called him KENTA because that's who he is. They are acknowledging his past while moving towards the future. Unlike say, Cesaro, who in WWE was not Claudio Castagnoli, he was Antonio Cesaro, rugby player. Hideo Itami is KENTA, using a new name to mark his new beginning in WWE in tribute to a hero of his (presumably Hideo Nomo), in WWE kayfabe.

It's a middle ground between WWE-izing a performer and starting them over, while acknowledging their accomplishments before WWE explicitly. And also to ensure they don't come off like they're signing KENTA and pretending he isn't KENTA to the Japanese audience.


----------



## elhijodelbodallas (Jan 30, 2014)

JapaneseBuzzsaw said:


> Exactly, you can chant both HI-DE-O and I-TA-MI, it's not that bad of a name, Kenta was better but this one is cool also. And fuuny you mention CM Punk, because this recent lawsuit of his is probably one of the reasons they changed Kenta's name, and they probably will change Steen's and Devitt's names as well.


WWE has been changing names since 2007 but they decided to change his name now because of the Punk lawsuit... Makes sense...


----------



## rakija (Oct 22, 2013)

They just opened the door for smarks and haters to chant "hideous". 

I don't mind a name change; but, to Hideo Itami? Come on.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

rakija said:


> They just opened the door for smarks and haters to chant "hideous".
> 
> I don't mind a name change; but, to Hideo Itami? Come on.


But he's not hideous, he's actually very good looking. So why would anyone ever chant that?


----------



## Oneiros (Feb 16, 2014)

elhijodelbodallas said:


> WWE has been changing names since 2007 but they decided to change his name now because of the Punk lawsuit... Makes sense...


I can't say nothing for sure, but I have a feeling they wouldn't change it if wasn't for this lawsuit. If you look back most of the talents had their names changed right away, but that didn't happen with Kenta, they even announced it as Kenta's debut.


----------



## DerangedDutchmanTJ (Jul 31, 2014)

Too bad they changed his name, but at least Hideo Itami sounds realistic.


----------



## Batz (Apr 5, 2008)

JapaneseBuzzsaw said:


> I can't say nothing for sure, but I have a feeling they wouldn't change it if wasn't for this lawsuit. If you look back most of the talents had their names changed right away, but that didn't happen with Kenta, they even announced it as Kenta's debut.


... in NXT. The developmental program for future WWE Talent.


----------



## SHIRLEY (Jun 9, 2009)

Gay


----------



## HHHGame78 (Mar 2, 2004)

WWE tends to change names, it's to get the copyrights on that character. Old news.


----------



## Duke Silver (Jan 24, 2005)

WWE advertised him as Kenta to hook the Japense audience tuning into NXT for the first time on J Sports, as well as any stragglers in other markets. I highly doubt they ever intended to keep the name. It was a simple case of batch-and-switch. 

"Tune in for Kenta and find out what we're going to call him so that you're aware of his presence on future programming." Which is a pretty smart way to get the best of both worlds. The name value and the copyright.


----------



## Saintpat (Dec 18, 2013)

I was hoping for Baba Inoki, but this will do.


----------



## Garty (Jul 29, 2007)

His "last" name isn't too bad, but I really don't like Hideo being his "first".

As for Steen, I think he'll be paired up with the Wyatt Family somehow. I've already come up with the generic "two first name" spinner machine that WWE likes to use, so I came up with Darryl West. It has to sound like a backwoods name.


----------



## They LIVE (Aug 8, 2014)

Everyone should be excited that he punked out one of the most dominant acts in NXT and was presented as a legitimate bad ass over whining about the name change.

WWE changes names. Oh well. It's not a big deal at the end of the day.

Samuray del Sol, Claudio, Sami, Generico, Mistico, Danielson, PAC, etc. so on and so forth all had their names changes. How many of you, once you got over the new names, still think it's a determent to your enjoyment of their work years later? 

Besides, he even said he has a new name for a new beginning. He wants to start over, and this is part of the process. In the context of the show, the explanation made sense. Plenty of wrestlers change their names when they want to signal a new chapter of their career. This is nothing new.


(edit)

Also, at around 48:51 of _Takeover 2_, the crowd transitioned from a "KENTA" chant to a "Hi-De-O" chant. It's a three syllable name. It can easily be chanted. The NXT crowd will perfect it by the second set of tapings.


----------



## OddSquad (Apr 22, 2014)

The only good thing that can come out of this is a "Hideo Kojima" chant lol

KENTA sounds better, and more chant-able than "Hideo Itami".

Oh WWE.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

They LIVE said:


> Everyone should be excited that he punked out one of the most dominant acts in NXT and was presented as a legitimate bad ass over whining about the name change.
> 
> WWE changes names. Oh well. Deal with it. It's not a big deal at the end of the day.
> 
> ...


To be fair there, Mistico WAS a massive name and WWE probably would have liked to use it, but they literally couldn't because CMLL owns both the name and gimmick. They even have a newer guy playing Mistico now, and original Sin Cara since leaving WWE is now called Myztesiz, in AAA. Yes, that is a stupid name.


----------



## PimentoSlice (Apr 14, 2014)

I can see people chanting "He-de-o, he-de-o", it's not the worst name, but obviously Kenta is a better name to chant. Come to think of it, most people don't chant "Daniel Bryan" they chant "YES" , so if WWE can create a tag line for Hideo, the fans can chant that instead of his new name. 

Makes me wonder how Cm Punk was able to keep his name. I've heard all the stories about him having hype before signing with WWE and Paul Heyman fighting for him to keep his name, but seems like WWE has always been about creating their own stars or changing their names if they were just indie guys.I guess Punk just got lucky.


----------



## Saintpat (Dec 18, 2013)

They can call him Hiroshima Nagasaki or Toyota Hyundai for all I care, as long as his first feud is a 6-month angle with the bunny.


----------



## amhlilhaus (Dec 19, 2013)

Duke Silver said:


> WWE advertised him as Kenta to hook the Japense audience tuning into NXT for the first time on J Sports, as well as any stragglers in other markets. I highly doubt they ever intended to keep the name. It was a simple case of batch-and-switch.
> 
> "Tune in for Kenta and find out what we're going to call him so that you're aware of his presence on future programming." Which is a pretty smart way to get the best of both worlds. The name value and the copyright.


japan will turn in, until they figure out that they've banned his stiff style along with his finishers since Daniel bryan and cm punk stole them. when they realize it's just kenta with shitty moves, a new name and no intensity (along with a dancing gimmick probably) they will stop watching again.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

PimentoSlice said:


> I can see people chanting "He-de-o, he-de-o", it's not the worst name, but obviously Kenta is a better name to chant. Come to think of it, most people don't chant "Daniel Bryan" they chant "YES" , so if WWE can create a tag line for Hideo, the fans can chant that instead of his new name.
> 
> Makes me wonder how Cm Punk was able to keep his name. I've heard all the stories about him having hype before signing with WWE and Paul Heyman fighting for him to keep his name, but seems like WWE has always been about creating their own stars or changing their names if they were just indie guys.I guess Punk just got lucky.


Actually they do chant Daniel Bryan, a lot. It's a very easy to chant name.


----------



## DanM3 (Jan 3, 2012)

He should have kept kenta as his ring name. Also I hope they keep the gts as his finisher, cm punk has been erased from history so he might keep it. I'm excited to see what he does, I think he should be main eventing the main roster by next year. But I have little faith in the wwe


----------



## Taker-Tribute-Act (May 1, 2006)

Hideo Itami, clap clap clapclapclap.


----------



## watts63 (May 10, 2003)

Meh, could've been worse.


----------



## PimentoSlice (Apr 14, 2014)

Ithil said:


> Actually they do chant Daniel Bryan, a lot. It's a very easy to chant name.


I never said it wasn't, I just said more people chant "yes" than his name. In other words chanting "yes" is more popular. Hope that clears things up for you.


----------



## TolerancEJ (Jun 20, 2014)

I will remain positive and wait to see how WWE chooses to lay out his matches & character.


----------



## Achilles (Feb 27, 2014)

Good move, WWE. :kobe5


----------



## SuzukiGUN (Aug 10, 2014)

Didn't the wwe make a point out of shorten names
Big e
Cesaro 

.. Hide items

Makes no sense?


----------



## squeelbitch (Feb 18, 2013)

if wwe wanted copyright of his character in wwe, couldn't they just call him kentah lol


----------



## Hera (Oct 9, 2012)

Kazatin said:


> So, the new name has a meaning, if you know your WW2 history (which i admit i don't know too well) then you can probably understand the implications of why the name is more baddass than a joke, after reading this.
> 
> http://wwii-army.findthebest.com/l/8555784/Hideo-Itami
> 
> i doubt many ppl would know this without googling the name, but that's a pretty cool name in my book.


This is incorrect. KENTA is a former baseball player. He talked about how he almost picked it over wrestling. Many, many Japanese people believe he got the name from Hideo Nomo. Nomo as the first Japanese-born Japanese player to leave Japan entirely to play in MLB. That makes much more sense given KENTA's love of baseball and how he himself left a successful career in Japan to come to America. He wouldn't be the first wrestler to do this either. Captain New Japan's former ring name was also in tribute to Nomo. They think the Itami comes from a famous actor/director.


----------



## Klee (Oct 28, 2011)

At least they got him to announce his new name in the way that he did. 

He said it was a tribute to one of his heroes. Who did he mean? Hideo Kojima? Hideo Nomo?

Normally they'd expect you to not realise he was Kenta and no sell it. This is way better.

Edit: See above.


----------



## Moggsy316 (Apr 26, 2013)

Everyone should just chant Kenta anyway. 

It's a bullshit thing.

And a crap name as well.

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## They LIVE (Aug 8, 2014)

Ithil said:


> To be fair there, Mistico WAS a massive name and WWE probably would have liked to use it, but they literally couldn't because CMLL owns both the name and gimmick. They even have a newer guy playing Mistico now, and original Sin Cara since leaving WWE is now called Myztesiz, in AAA. Yes, that is a stupid name.


I know this, but my point is how many people who complained about Mistico turning into Sin Cara or Claudio becoming Cesaro or del Sol becoming Kalisto, were still upset about it after a weeks in?

Did Matt Sydal lose any fans because his name changed to Evan Bourne after he already debuted in ECW on SyFy as "Matt Sydal"? 

Wrestling fans sometimes cannot see the forest for the trees. The big talking point from last night should be that he stood up to The Ascension, beat their asses and was presented as a mega-star who is gunning for the NXT title; not that he got a new name.


----------



## TolerancEJ (Jun 20, 2014)

They LIVE said:


> I know this, but my point is how many people who complained about Mistico turning into Sin Cara or *Claudio becoming Cesaro* or del Sol becoming Kalisto, were still upset about it after a weeks in?
> 
> Did Matt Sydal lose any fans because his name changed to Evan Bourne after he already debuted in ECW on SyFy as "Matt Sydal"?
> 
> Wrestling fans sometimes cannot see the forest for the trees. The big talking point from last night should be that he stood up to The Ascension, beat their asses and was presented as a mega-star who is gunning for the NXT title; not that he got a new name.


But Claudio or Cesaro, at least we get to see him wrestle in WWE.

It was good for The Ascension to be relieved of the NXT tag titles. That could be a sign of moving up to the WWE Roster.


----------



## TakerBourneAgain (Mar 29, 2009)

You can make a chant out of anything. The only issue here seems to be the lack of imagination with them and the strict xx-yy-xx (UN-DER-TA-KER) formation of the chants. An example here is soccer, players chop and change all the time and fans have to think of new chants to use for players.

Some that could be used, chants from Man United as a club people will know could be used as example.

He kicks in your head, he puts up a fight. That boy Hideo makes Cena look shite!
Utd version - He plays on the left, he plays on the right. That boy Ronaldo makes England look shite!

Hideo-whoah Hideo-whoah He'll punch you in the chin. He'll wipe off your big grin. Hideo-whoah
Utd version - Nemanja-whoah Nemanja-Whoah. He comes from Serbia. He'll f'n murder ya. Nemanja-Woah.

Failing that Hi-day-o is still perfectly chantable in the current chant system. They chant undertaker fine and well. They could have kept the Kenta name but I think if you know Kenta or are interested in Kenta then you will know he is in WWE already. By now the Kenta name isn't going to attract any more new viewers to WWE. Any who would be, will be or won't be by now.


----------



## PirateMonkE (Sep 22, 2005)

Moggsy316 said:


> *Everyone should just chant Kenta anyway.*
> 
> It's a bullshit thing.
> 
> ...


Everyone was chanting KENTA. After he cleared out the ring and sat on the chair people weren't chanting Hideo or Itami, they were chanting KENTA.


----------



## They LIVE (Aug 8, 2014)

TolerancEJ said:


> But Claudio or Cesaro, at least we get to see him wrestle in WWE.
> 
> It was good for The Ascension to be relieved of the NXT tag titles. That could be a sign of moving up to the WWE Roster.


He is currently wrestling on the main WWE roster, but the name change took place when he was in developmental, just like with KENTA becoming Hideo. 

You pointing out that he wrestles in WWE has no relevance to the topic at hand.


----------



## birthday_massacre (Jan 30, 2013)

gabrielcev said:


> KENTA announced on NXT his new name is Hideo Itmai. Wow. I think that sucks. Your thoughts?


Its WWFuckery

I love how the WWE on the main roster is changing a lot of guys names to just one name like Cesero, and Big E and Kenta basically had a single name and now they give him two LOL.

I hope the Smarks keep chanting Kenta.


----------



## Rick Sanchez (Dec 30, 2012)

Natsuke said:


> Cesaro, with all due respect, had no where new the amount of renown and admiration that KENTA has in the wrestling world. KENTA is the type of wrestler who can go into any other promotion and bring an insane deal of prestige to it. This is why they made such a big deal signing him. Punk admired the guy to the point of using his finisher in homage to him for god's sake lol


Like I said before, Vince doesn't care about ring work. KENTA had no more reputation outside the WWE than Bryan had over here. But that rep isn't what made Bryan a main event star and it won't persuade Vince to push KENTA to the top either.


----------



## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

birthday_massacre said:


> Its WWFuckery
> 
> I love how the WWE on the main roster is changing a lot of guys names to just one name like Cesero, and Big E and Kenta basically had a single name and now they give him two LOL.
> 
> I hope the Smarks keep chanting Kenta.


Why? What the fuck does that accomplish? They aren't denying it's KENTA, KENTA himself came out and gave a kayfabe reason for his name change.
You want to shit on his matches for literally no reason other than "rebelling" against nothing.


----------



## FPT (Mar 27, 2014)

I didn't like it, I'm so used to him being KENTA, I don't think I'll change it. I'll still call him KENTA, like I still call Bully Ray, Bubba.


----------



## ducksfan87 (Jan 8, 2014)

for those saying it's not a chant-able name.. go watch the movie "Hook"

I could see an nxt crowd easily doing a Rufio type chant. "Hi-de-o, Hi-de-o, Hiii-deee-ooooooo"


----------



## 1andOnlyDobz! (Jan 3, 2011)

Seeing some of the reactions here saying that it's 'bullshit' and that they'll either keep chanting KENTA or hope smark crowds hijack his matches and chant KENTA is fucking ridiculous. It's a name FFS!! Shit like this is why the so-called 'IWC' is looked upon negatively.


----------



## SOSheamus (Nov 15, 2009)

The fans chanted Hi-de-o at Takeover last night. The name isn't bad. It's a shame, for sure, having touted him around as Kenta, but we will get used to it as we have with Bryan, Cesaro, Rollins, Ambrose and Zayn.


----------



## Issues_Sunshyne (May 12, 2009)

Not read this entire thread so I may be stepping over a few things discussed here but,

It's not that bad a name. At all. 

I remember people furious over Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville. It just fits in that it's a regular name.

What's the big deal to those who are so annoyed by it? Perhaps KENTA wanted to keep the KENTA name from trademark because he wanted to be in control of it incase things don't work out, like Low-Ki did?

What is a good name by some peoples standards; Bray Wyatt? Wade Barrett? In this system that's what they like, and out of all the names they could have chosen, this is fine. It isn't KENNETH or Kung Fu Man, is it?



TheGreatBanana said:


> The fans seriously need to start chanting KENTA everytime he is on screen. Otherwise his name will not change. If the fans show disapproval of the new name WWE will have no option but to change his name back to KENTA.


Are you serious with that nonsense? Chanting over his matches wont make WWE change his name, don't be so fickle; if anything, it will cast a negative light over him as he might be looked at as someone the fans aren't into his current character due to them just chanting what his name used to be

What's to disapprove of, really? It's a regular name. It isn't FIREFACE or DEREK THE JAPANESE GUY, it's a regular name in the vein of what they do at the moment, and compared to others isn't anywhere near as bad. Wanting fans to chant to show how smart they are over his matches will kill any momentum for him. That's ludicrous to want that. 

That's the thing now, people don't give things a chance because they have to be offended by everything. An inoffensive name they were going to change so they can trademark - you know, do what they think would be best for their business - and therefore wont have KENTA because I would be surprised if KENTA felt that it's something he would want to give up, or possibly even WWE wanted him to be a product of what they are, a fresh slate. It isn't like they signed him and said NOPE HE ISN'T KENTA - they signed KENTA, referred to KENTA as KENTA, had a promo from KENTA saying he is changing his name from KENTA to something else, and therefore KENTA became known by a different name. That is all.

It's crazy, if KENTA was KENTA in WWE and then it didn't work out, he wouldn't be allowed to be KENTA anymore unless WWE allowed him to keep the name, which would be unlikely if they owned it, and unlikely they would use it without Trademark. 

Some people really need to think about this logically before getting so annoyed.


----------



## normal situation (May 15, 2013)

Issues_Sunshyne said:


> Are you serious with that nonsense? Chanting over his matches wont make WWE change his name, don't be so fickle; if anything, it will cast a negative light over him as he might be looked at as someone the fans aren't into his current character due to them just chanting what his name used to be
> 
> What's to disapprove of, really? It's a regular name. It isn't FIREFACE or DEREK THE JAPANESE GUY, it's a regular name in the vein of what they do at the moment, and compared to others isn't anywhere near as bad. Wanting fans to chant to show how smart they are over his matches will kill any momentum for him. That's ludicrous to want that.
> 
> ...


Very well said :clap It's hilarious seeing people actually wanting crowds to hijack Itami's matches just because they don't like his name lmao. Remember how butthurt everyone got when people chanted "Husky Harris" during Bray Wyatts debut? It's not acceptable to try and hijack Bray Wyatt, but it's totally fine to do so with Hideo Itami because they "just don't like this new name". :heyman6


----------



## nandy16 (Apr 2, 2012)

I don't think WWE will be mad if fans still continue to chant Kenta (instead of Hideo or Itami) for him. They just want to copyright a name for marketing purposes. That is just smart business.

WWE fans like to acknowledge a Wrestlers History. Sami Zayn still gets "Ole" chants and Mark Henry still gets "Sexual Chocolate" chants. I am sure they will still chant Kenta.


----------



## Trifektah (Nov 21, 2011)

Greedy ass WWE at it again.

He already had a badass name.


----------



## Issues_Sunshyne (May 12, 2009)

Trifektah said:


> Greedy ass WWE at it again.
> 
> He already had a badass name.


Yep. WWE is greedy for wanting to own his name. If WWE didn't own his name, and KENTA doesn't own it, that means that people could do what they like with it. If KENTA owns the name, WWE wont be able to further their brand in the way a worldwide company should want to. If WWE used the name KENTA whilst owning it, then he wouldn't be KENTA anymore, and WWE could do what they like once his contract ended. 

People need to realise that WWE aren't doing this out of spite, it's business. It's business that makes sense and in no way affects the worker. Why can't people get that, but choose to look at WWE like some faceless monster that is out to get one over on the fans, and changing a worker's name is the way to do that?

I see it this way: Kenta Kobayashi, if that's his real name, likely owns the KENTA brand with his likeness. WWE, knowing this, have created a separate brand they can market in their own way around him. Within this, WWE will own rights to the brand however Koyabashi succeeds or fails and protect that brand from being recreated and abused elsewhere by trademarking it, and thus Koyabashi still has the ability to use the initial KENTA when his WWE contract expires, and in doing so keep both parties happy.

I could be absolutely wrong and WWE just wanted to create a completely new brand and start from scratch, and if that is true then I think it's fantastic that they have came up with a logically sound name for the character. 

After all, that's all it is, a name change. A name change that, surprisingly, has been completely acknowledged by WWE, and instead of insulting the fans they have done their best to show them what is happening, from an on-screen point of view. This isn't re-signing Matt Bloom and calling him Tensai because he's been in Japan, whilst attempting to blind us enough to forget he was the Hip Hop Hippo, is it?


----------



## Cool Hand Luke (Jan 30, 2012)

Not a fan of the new name at all and I will still refer to him as KENTA


----------



## RyanRAW (Oct 21, 2012)

Might not have been able to use KENTA in the long term.

I think his new name is pretty memorable not sure how it will go chanting wise but the NXT crowd will make it work.


----------



## BlackaryDaggery (Feb 25, 2012)

I am actually really rather fond of the name change, it suits him and it sounds badass tbh. Must be the only one!


----------



## EpicMike (May 22, 2007)

Was actually quite surprised at the name change, all the hype was "WWE sign KENTA!" and "KENTA arrives next week!" and then "Here he is! Hideo Itami!"

If KENTA can't keep his name, Devitt and Steen are doomed. If WWE are smart though, they'll use something similar to Steen so the NXT crowd can easily adapt the "Kill! Steen! Kill!" chant.


----------



## Issues_Sunshyne (May 12, 2009)

The reason we all like the name KENTA is because it's established and what we know him by. 

It's also his real first name, apparently I'm reading now, so if his first name was really GERALD, we would all want him to be GERALD now.

Imagine if his real name was HIDEO and he was known by that, and WWE wanted to change it to KENTA, there'd be the same argument but switched. It's just what we're used to. 

People just want what they're used to, which doesn't make sense arguing about as we're used to Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and others now. It's happened since wrestling records were kept. It's like people don't really learn, and think somehow a name change will harm a worker's development, and, again, somehow chanting his old name in a way to really show WWE you don't like the new name wont.

If Hideo Itami has his debut match next week and fans just chant KENTAAAA, KENTAAA, KENTAAA all the way through it, do you think WWE will think: "Maybe we were wrong to try and trademark this new character and we should change his name back to what we didn't want to use so we don't upset anybody"? It's more likely WWE will think that either the fans are trying to prove how smart they are, illogical as we've been shown exactly what's happened this time, or that they fans aren't really interested and are just chanting randomly his old name, therefore putting him in danger of having any development squashed straight away.

Hopefully the inevitable KENTA chants will die away and be replaced by Itami chants, not really that big a deal as they're both for the same person doing the same things.


----------



## EpicMike (May 22, 2007)

Issues_Sunshyne said:


> The reason we all like the name KENTA is because it's established and what we know him by.
> 
> It's also his real first name, apparently I'm reading now, so if his first name was really GERALD, we would all want him to be GERALD now.
> 
> ...


The NXT crowds are great, for the most part they just want to have fun and go along with the show, when Leo Kruger became Adam Rose, they embraced the new name and gimmick straight away. I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing "Hid-Dee-Oh!" chants next week.


----------



## Ryu Hayabusa (Feb 1, 2011)

This honestly isn't any different to Mistico becoming Sin Cara or Bryan Danielson becoming Daniel Bryan. Srsly.


----------



## squeelbitch (Feb 18, 2013)

do you think the legal issue wwe have with punk might be the reason for the name change of kenta and possibly steen and devitt? cm punk kept the same name he had been using before being a wwe guy and it might be why wwe are having legal issues over using his likeness and name?


----------



## JustJoel (Aug 2, 2013)

At least he was able to come out as Kenta and then change it. I don't understand the smark on smark browbeating that people feel the need to engage in - Kenta was a badass name, instantly memorable, and was a brand he's built for a decade. People really think that it's only familiarity that produces deflated fans? As in, if his name was "Dipshit Solar Panel" and was changed to something else it would be the same? :smdh Personally, I can't stand that WWE has their policy, and frankly, I don't give a fuck why they have it (mostly to fuck wrestlers over, btw). I'm a wrestling fan first, period. Their internal penny-pinching budgetary concerns mean nothing to me. Wrestling names are a brand, and when WWE buys out these brands and changes them, it's stupid. I still can't stand Sami Zayn, and still think it was a bone-headed decision to scrap his original gimmick altogether. Some have worked out better - Cesaro, for instance - but most are either worse or at least no better. 

Hideo Itami is better than it could've been, and if that's what I have to be thankful for, well...fpalm I'll still cheer the shit out of him. I thought for years that he was the only "big name" in Japan who could get over, and still stand by that 100%. The jazz about "Oh, nobody knows who he is" reeks of rubbish to me - type "ken" to google and see what's suggested; now type "Hideo" and yeah, it's stupid. "Man, you're doing such a great job in X country and in the indies, building a brand with little to no advertising. But fuck that, it could cost us an extra 3% off the millions we'll make if you become a mega-star down the line." Shit business practices.

Like I said, it doesn't make me any less excited about the performer, just the business :shrug


----------



## DanielWyatt (Dec 4, 2013)

Hideo Itami is a lot better name than KENTA. KENTA was just copycat of cmpunk anyway.he stole cm punks moveset and trying to act like he never stole anything from anyone.he is nothing more than internet darling.

Dude needs to work on his language skills.his terrible.


----------



## MrSmallPackage (Dec 21, 2012)

DanielWyatt said:


> Hideo Itami is a lot better name than KENTA. KENTA was just copycat of cmpunk anyway.he stole cm punks moveset and trying to act like he never stole anything from anyone.he is nothing more than internet darling.
> 
> Dude needs to work on his language skills.his terrible.


Hahahahahaha! Punk stole from KENTA, not the other way around.

"His terrible", way to state your case.


----------



## -Skullbone- (Sep 20, 2006)

Issues_Sunshyne said:


> After all, that's all it is, a name change. A name change that, surprisingly, has been completely acknowledged by WWE, and instead of insulting the fans they have done their best to show them what is happening, from an on-screen point of view. This isn't re-signing Matt Bloom and calling him Tensai because he's been in Japan, whilst attempting to blind us enough to forget he was the Hip Hop Hippo, is it?


Oh boy, can't believe how I forgot about the Tensai debacle. I was an avid supporter of the guy and even I forgot that he has a current placement in the company these days. You'd like to think the WWE has learned from that previous mistake with that instance and will continue to make more logical decisions regarding identity, but who knows.

Still disappointed in the KENTA re-branding that has to take place though.


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## BotchSpecialist (Feb 12, 2013)

Time to watch Kenta become "Borderline Racist Asian Gimmick Wrestler #2553"

:cornette


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## own1997 (Jul 7, 2014)

KENTA is just a bad ass name. Hoesntly, the crowd should just chant KENTA for him and force WWE to revert his name.


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## Chicago Warrior (Oct 18, 2010)

We will all get used to the name soon enough, but the crowds will still chant Kenta since it is much easier to chant. I am just curious if WWE can make him a star since we know how many Japanese stars are treated in WWE. I like that he didn't début a stereotypical gimmick which is a start.


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## normal situation (May 15, 2013)

own1997 said:


> KENTA is just a bad ass name. Hoesntly, the crowd should just chant KENTA for him and force WWE to revert his name.


Husky Harris is just a bad ass name. Hoesntly, the crowd should just chant Husky Harris for him and force WWE to revert his name :troll


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

own1997 said:


> KENTA is just a bad ass name. Hoesntly, the crowd should just chant KENTA for him and force WWE to revert his name.


People have chanted "CENA SUCKS" for 9 years. John Cena is still face, and still the top star, because WWE wants him to be. 
You are downright simple if you think chanting a name (that they have already acknowledged as being his prior name) will make them stop company policy and give up the rights to his name.


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## Dan Pratt (May 11, 2014)

Think that with his international draw they should have kept the same name, but not surprised. The truth is most WWE fans had never heard of Kenta before anyway. Am betting a lot of people on this threat pitching a fit had never seen him wrestle anyway. They are just bitching about it to seem like they "know their shit".

Although think they could have done better than that as far as the new name. But don't think they are going to lose a ton of money because they changed the name of a wrestler if most fans even knew at all it was by reputation and not from actually seeing him wrestle.


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## RyanPelley (Jun 5, 2011)

Dan Pratt said:


> Am betting a lot of people on this threat pitching a fit had never seen him wrestle anyway. They are just bitching about it to seem like they "know their shit".


Umm, no. I saw Kenta and Tokyo Joe beat Los Boriquas at Mania 18 at Wembley Stadium when he was in ECW, thank you very much.


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## Allur (Jan 17, 2012)

Dan Pratt said:


> Think that with his international draw they should have kept the same name, but not surprised. The truth is most WWE fans had never heard of Kenta before anyway. *Am betting a lot of people on this threat pitching a fit had never seen him wrestle anyway. They are just bitching about it to seem like they "know their shit".*
> 
> Although think they could have done better than that as far as the new name. But don't think they are going to lose a ton of money because they changed the name of a wrestler if most fans even knew at all it was by reputation and not from actually seeing him wrestle.


So what you're saying is that the ones who haven't seen him wrestle don't have the right to criticize the company about what they think is a bad decision?

This hardly has anything to do with whether someone has seen Kenta wrestle or not.


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## Darkest Lariat (Jun 12, 2013)

RyanPelley said:


> Umm, no. I saw Kenta and Tokyo Joe beat Los Boriquas at Mania 18 at Wembley Stadium when he was in ECW, thank you very much.


What? ECW?


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## elhijodelbodallas (Jan 30, 2014)

DragonSleeper said:


> What? ECW?


Yeah, he was known as Small Dick Dudley back then.


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## SUPA HOT FIRE. (Jun 21, 2014)

To be honest they should have kept the 'Kenta' name and just add something else to it.

Kinda like when Christian went to TNA and thus had the name 'Christian Cage'.

I would like the sound of Kenta Itami or Hideo Kenta.


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## WWE (Jul 16, 2011)

DemBoy said:


> So they did changed his name, fuck i just hope Devitt doesn't get a name like Ferguson McDonald or some shit like that.


Hmm..


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## Trifektah (Nov 21, 2011)

Gotta cut Big E and Cesaro's names shorter. Make Kenta's longer. DAT WWE LOGIC


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## Heel (Feb 11, 2006)

The name is fine and he'll be fine. Just like all the other independent guys who's names they changed.


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## Mifune Jackson (Feb 22, 2013)

Trifektah said:


> Gotta cut Big E and Cesaro's names shorter. Make Kenta's longer. DAT WWE LOGIC


Exactly my thoughts. I just wish they at least let Kenta keep one name. He already had that going for him. Let's face it, they shorten everyone else's name down to one singular word anyway.

I get that they changed his name from "KENTA" (even though it makes no sense after making a big deal about his signing), but even if they just called him "HIDEO" (all caps), that would have been just fine.


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## Jake_p53 (Sep 16, 2004)

This is all so eerily reminiscent of the Daniel Bryan name change. "He will always be Bryan Danielson!", "I can't believe they gave him such a generic name!", "Why did they change it?!" blah blah blah. And here we are today. And I'm sure we'll be in that exact same place with KENTA a year from now. Everyone will call him Hideo Itami. Nobody will care. And hopefully he'll be making waves on Raw like Bryan.

Great debut from the guy, by the way.


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## Darkness is here (Mar 25, 2014)

White Essence. said:


> To be honest they should have kept the 'Kenta' name and just add something else to it.
> 
> Kinda when Christian went to TNA and thus had the name 'Christian Cage'.
> 
> I would like the sound of Kenta Itami or Hideo Kenta.


that may have worked.


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## theswayzetrain (Mar 19, 2013)

this is the only hideo i care about why did they switch kenta name it was fine the way it was GODDAMMIT.


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## p862011 (Jan 6, 2011)

dont know why people are so upset

cm punk is the only man from the indies who got to keep his name

i never saw

matt sydal
bryan danielson
claudio castagnoli
tyler black
john moxley
El Generico
PAC
Brodi Lee
Chris Hero
Sami Callihan
Low ki

in WWE


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

theswayzetrain said:


> his is the only hideo i care about why did they switch kenta name it was fine the way it was GODDAMMIT.





> I'm not Japanese and I'm a gamer but I'm pretty sure the only person in the world named Hideo is Hideo Kojima


Good one.


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## DemBoy (Dec 3, 2013)

Meh, i was mad at first but now it seems like the best way to go if you're new in the company and you're trying to make a name of your own. But if they decide to cut the Hideo off his name and only go with Itami, i could definitely get more behind that idea.


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## TJC93 (Nov 25, 2011)

Why tell everyone he's called Kenta then change his name? Just setting yourselves up for Kenta chants even more.


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## Issues_Sunshyne (May 12, 2009)

TJC93 said:


> Why tell everyone he's called Kenta then change his name? Just setting yourselves up for Kenta chants even more.


Because they wanted to reference who he was, what he has achieved and didn't want to insult the fans by signing him, referring to him as someone else and not acknowledging anything about him.

WWE genuinely can't do anything right for some people. 

Imagine if KENTA was, indeed, KENTA in WWE and they had to trademark the name, which they would for their business, and then KENTA left and had to use another name it would be "WWE are fucking bullshit." They're calling him something else because it's best for both parties; some people genuinely look at this like it's a way for WWE to spite the fans somehow. It's just a name, and changing it is something that has gone on for decades. 

If you genuinely feel diluted now that KENTA is in WWE because they have changed his name, not for ANYTHING else, then you have a problem. You have set him up for a fall before he has even debuted because you want people to chant his old name which can cause a whiplash effect and affect the actual worker. See, though, this could happen, the fans could chant KENTA over all of his matches and WWE will see it as the crowd not being involved in who he is and not give him a chance, then it will be WWE's fault and these people will call WWE stale.
*
WWE HAS KENTA, HIS DEBUT WAS PROMISING AND HE, FROM TRIPLE H'S MOUTH, HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN THE COMPANY, AND YOU ARE COMPLAINING BECAUSE THEY CHANGED HIS NAME.* At least wait until you see what they have planned before you right them off. 



Allur said:


> So what you're saying is that the ones who haven't seen him wrestle don't have the right to criticize the company about what they think is a bad decision?
> 
> This hardly has anything to do with whether someone has seen Kenta wrestle or not.


If they know nothing about him, and WWE have scouted him and done their job in signing him by putting in work to discover everything about him, then no they don't have a right to criticise WWE for this. 

Those who are KENTA fans are just happy he has made it to WWE, is a possible trendsetter for similar workers potentially making the switch and breaking down barriers, they have hope for the future and want to see him succeed - Those who haven't seen him work are going from word of mouth, have never even attempted to watch him in action despite 100s of hours of footage available to watch for free or purchase, and are complaining because WWE have changed his name to something they can trademark.

Seriously, there are fans who haven't seen him wrestle, have never took time out of their busy day despite being wrestling fans to support him when he wasn't in "the big time", who are genuinely annoyed WWE trademarked the name of a new member of their roster?

Why can't people be happy and hopeful and accept that a name change is a small portion of what WWE wants to do with him? Why can't people see the bigger picture in that they acknowledge who he was, and instead of insulting the fans had KENTA himself come out and announce what he will be known as?

What I see here: WWE signed KENTA, they went to Japan and had Hulk Hogan announce his arrival, they scouted him for a long time, Triple H has said he has a bright future, they debuted him as a big part of one of their major shows for their developing talent, they made him look strong in his debut and gave him PPV time, mic-time, in ring time and had him take out 2 other wrestlers who were, until earlier that night, unbeatable and in doing so made him look instantly strong, and people are annoyed and saying it's a bad sign they changed his name? Are you seriously watching the same thing I'm watching? 

I'm ecstatic Hideo Itami has made it to WWE, was made to look strong on a major show on their network, is told to have a bright future and was given mic-time and in ring-time all on his debut.


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## Ham and Egger (Dec 13, 2005)

So can Hideo have a stable called Fox Hound? 8*D


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## I AM Glacier (Sep 7, 2014)

I don't mind it
after WWE drops the ball with him and turns him into the dancing comedy wrestle Yoshi Toyota Egg Drop Soupiashi 
He can go back be and Kenta


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## Mr. I (Nov 23, 2012)

I AM Glacier said:


> I don't mind it
> after WWE drops the ball with him and turns him into the dancing comedy wrestle Yoshi Toyota Egg Drop Soupiashi
> He can go back be and Kenta


Can we give these "HE WILL BE SUSHI ***********" posts a rest, for five minutes?


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## Mojo=Greatness (Sep 15, 2014)

Hideo is God


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## DanielWyatt (Dec 4, 2013)

Japan version of Eddie Guererro. Guy wrestles like a god,speaks terrible English and has lots of charisma.but Eddie Guererro is the one and only one.there will never be another Eddie Guererro.


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## dan the marino (Oct 22, 2006)

Eh, I kinda like the name. Not as good as Kenta but it's a lot better than a lot of other names they give the guys when they call them up. 

I don't want to be Mr doom and gloom but I'd honestly be surprised if he makes it too far into the main roster. He can't speak English and he's Asian. Unless they come up with gold to get around that, those are two big points against him.


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## SUPA HOT FIRE. (Jun 21, 2014)

I'm starting to warm up to his new name now to be honest. I like the name Kenta, still but I like how the crowd chants "Hideo! Hideo!"


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## They LIVE (Aug 8, 2014)

BEST FOR BUSINESS said:


> Eh, I kinda like the name. Not as good as Kenta but it's a lot better than a lot of other names they give the guys when they call them up.
> 
> I don't want to be Mr doom and gloom but I'd honestly be surprised if he makes it too far into the main roster. * He can't speak English* and he's Asian. Unless they come up with gold to get around that, those are two big points against him.


He speaks enough English to be able to hold basic conversation with people, and he's at least making a serious effort to learn more of the language. 


Being around mostly English speakers for six months or so while diligently studying the language can do wonders for his improvement in the foreseeable future.

Besides, they could just put him with a mouthpiece if they didn't want him cutting lengthy live mic promos. Look at Brock-- he rarely ever talks unless it's a prerecorded video package. During an in-ring promo, he'll say one or two things at the most and let Heyman do the legwork. Same deal can work for Itami if they hook him up with an effective talker.


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