Hideo Itami's Debut Continues Revitalization of WWE Raw Cruiserweight Division

Hideo Itami won't be 205 Live's savior, but his presence sure makes the WWE Raw cruiserweight division a vastly better product.

It's clear WWE isn't giving up on the cruiserweights in spite of poor viewership and unenthused crowds. The tweaking and boosting process has seen the division bring in several key additions. Itami is the latest.

After weeks of vignettes hyping his arrival, the former Pro Wrestling Noah star emerged from the curtains on Monday night to fight alongside his old NXT ally Finn Balor.

Itami and Balor collided with Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas aka The Miztourage. The duo took turns dropkicking The Miztourage into a stupor. The Japanese striker looked excellent as he slapped Axel around before finishing him off with the Go-To-Sleep.

The first glances of Itami on the main roster entertained. He showed flashes of the athletic, hard-hitting style that has made him so successful to this point. And WWE wisely paired the newcomer with the popular universal champion to give him some added buzz upon his debut.

Now Itami is set to follow up with his first appearance on 205 Live.

That show has seen more struggles that the company would like, but all of a sudden it's shaping up nicely. WWE added Enzo Amore to the mix, giving the division a lively character. It moved Kalisto over to give the brand another athlete and one with main-roster cred.

With Itami, the cruiserweights welcomed a highly skilled performer who is fresh off his strongest stretch at NXT. 

The renovation isn't done, either. Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that WWE plans to bring in former Impact Wrestling talent Rockstar Spud as a cruiserweight. That's going to be a game-changer.

Cageside Seats laid out how the new-look 205 Live could end up looking:

Even assuming Balor stays put, WWE has a lot of appetizing directions it can go. A lot of those feature Itami. He can play both a gutsy babyface and a heel with a chip weighing down his shoulder. He can trade hard shots in a slugfest opposite Drew Gulak or turn on the afterburners and tear it up in the air with Mustafa Ali.

The cruiserweight division's depth went up significantly the moment he showed up. Its top tier is better off with him onboard. 

205 Live isn't yet the thriving machine WWE has to hope it can be, but it seems to have a bright future after snagging a cornerstone in Itami.