Hideo Itami, Troy McClain and the Latest WWE NXT Developmental News

Hideo Itami's WWE NXT career is reportedly on the fast track while Troy McClain's is over.

Itami is among the prospects at WWE developmental who likely won't be wrestling at Full Sail University for long. With as much fanfare and momentum as he has come in with, it's not surprising to hear word of him being in line to head to the major leagues. 

As for McClain, his story has the opposite arc. He is one of the prospects WWE recently let go.

In other news, a new live special is reportedly on its way, a trio of NXT stars stayed on the bench at Raw and there is now word on what inspired Itami's ring name.

WWE Releases Prospects

When WWE signed Kevin Steen and Fergal Devitt, one had to expect that cuts were coming at NXT. It's not as if the company can carry an unlimited roster at developmental.

The NXT roster shrunk by two over the weekend. PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported that WWE let go of Kendall Skye on Sept. 19. Johnson later wrote that WWE also released Troy McClain.

McClain had been working a motivational speaker gimmick. The Irishman rarely appeared on NXT TV but worked several live events.

Skye wrote on her Twitter account, "I've traveled the world, never settled, lived without fear, followed my dreams. This is why I initially joined the WWE and that same desire is why we are now parting ways."

News on the Next NXT Live Special

Fans who are still beaming after NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way will be happy to hear that the wait for the next live special will not be long. It looks as if the fourth such event is coming at the end of the year.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) (h/t Wrestle Zone), the next NXT live special will be in December. The report also notes that NXT will hold a set of TV tapings on the Friday following the Thursday show.

The previous three specials have all been tremendous. Expectations will be the same this time around.

It would be smart of WWE to keep this schedule of four live specials a year. Any more than that and their novelty starts to become diluted. It also gets harder to build the stories leading up to them.

NXT doesn't need to fall into the same traps that has beset the WWE pay-per-view schedule. 

Backstage News on Future NXT Call-Ups

Hideo Itami, Kevin Steen and Fergal Devitt aren't just any prospects. Those men have achieved such a high level of stardom and have sharpened their skills to such a fine point that they don't need to sit at NXT for years.

WWE apparently agrees.

According to F4WOnline (h/t Wrestling Inc), there are indications with the company that newcomers Steen, Itami and Devitt may be called up before long. The report also notes that Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn could be on the main roster regularly soon.

Neville and Zayn have been making the case to be called up for months now. Each wrestler has compiled a collection of impressive matches. It's likely WWE is waiting for an opportune time to bring them to the main roster rather than waiting for either one of them to improve their game.

That will be true for Itami and company as well.

Guys like Baron Corbin, who came to wrestling via football, need seasoning. Itami, Steen and Devitt mostly need to make adjustments to the WWE style. 

Word on Kenta's Name Change to Hideo Itami

At NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way, Kenta officially became Hideo Itami. He said it was to pay tribute to a hero of his.

While one might assume that would mean he borrowed his name from a wrestler, word is that he took it from the worlds of baseball and comics. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) (h/t Wrestling Inc), the inspiration for the new name comes from Hideo Nomo, the former MLB pitcher. The Itami part is reportedly a reference to the Naruto Manga series.

NXT has a reputation for churning out names that leave one scratching their heads (Buddy Murphy?), but this one is a success. 

It would have been great to have been able to incorporate a legendary Japanese wrestler, but the end result is a moniker that rolls off the tongue. 

NXT Stars Backstage at Raw

The time for Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville and Tyler Breeze to stride onto the main roster is near. WWE had them travel to Memphis on Monday but chose not to use them.

As reported by Mike Johnson on PWInsider, Zayn, Neville and Tyler Breeze were backstage at Monday's Raw. They did not appear on TV. 

A similar situation happened last week. Johnson wrote that Neville, Breeze, Zayn and The Ascension had been brought in for Raw and SmackDown. Again, they did not get the call to step in front of the cameras.

WWE isn't going to pay for these guys to travel to Raw each week just to have them watch from the back. Their time will come.