WWE News: Hideo Itami Takes A Shot At CM Punk Leading Up To ‘NXT Takeover: Chicago’ Next Weekend

Hideo Itami lost a lot of time over the last year due to injury, but he has come back with a vengeance in NXT, and he’s making sure the entire world knows it. One of the most exciting Superstars on WWE’s payroll is preparing to face off against Bobby Roode at the NXT Takeover: Chicago for the NXT Championship. As the event draws near, he’s already throwing out the shots, and he landed one at the feet of CM Punk.

Wrestling moves are always created by someone and always imitated by everyone. It’s just the way the world and the business works. The only problem is when it comes to figuring out who did it first, and sometimes there can be a bit of confusion when the discussions begin.

On May 20, NXT Takeover: Chicago will take place in the “Windy City,” and wrestling fans know that is where CM Punk calls home. Next Saturday, someone will attempt to perform the GTS (Go To Sleep), but it won’t be the former WWE World Champion.

WrestleZone has pointed out that Hideo Itami, the number one contender to Bobby Roode’s NXT Championship, decided to take a shot at Punk before Takeover.

Chicago is the perfect city to hit “MY”
Go 2 Sleep.#NXTTakeOverChicago

— Hideo Itami / ???? (@HideoItami) May 11, 2017

Now, the tweet wasn’t entirely out of nowhere as Hideo Itami is credited with creating the GTS when he wrestled as KENTA in Japan. Most wrestling fans in America know of the move primarily from CM Punk who used it during his time in WWE and really made it quite popular.

Over the years, fans have had great debates over who performed the GTS better – Hideo Itami (KENTA) or CM Punk. There was even an interview with Punk back in 2009 that had him explaining the GTS as if no-one had ever seen it before, as reported by The Wrestling Game.

“I pick the guy up in a fireman’s carry, boost him over my head and throw him down. As he’s falling toward the mat, I knee him directly in the face. It’s called Go To Sleep because they wouldn’t allow me to call it the ‘Go To Hell.’ It knocks guys out.”

This isn’t the first time that Itami has actually called out CM Punk over the GTS as it first happened back in 2015. Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks received a response from Punk, which brought about Itami’s somewhat sarcastic tweet back.

@MattJackson13 that was my formula. Sans the kicks. I’d never steal someone’s finish.

— Coach (@CMPunk) April 22, 2015

He is a real comedian.#GTShttps://t.co/0I7qHSWVaZ

— Hideo Itami / ???? (@HideoItami) April 22, 2015

At the time, Itami had been teasing the use of the GTS in NXT for a while, but he didn’t break it out until WrestleMania 32 weekend, as reported by Wrestling Inc.

NXT Takeover: Chicago is set to take place on May 20, and the card is looking very good. As of Friday afternoon, here is how it currently stands.

• NXT Championship: Bobby Roode (c) vs. Hideo Itami
• NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross
• NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Authors of Pain (c) vs. #DIY
• WWE United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate (c) vs. Pete Dunne

The match for the NXT Women’s Championship was set to be a Fatal 4-Way, but it was changed to a Triple Threat after Ember Moon suffered an injury. Wrestling News World is reporting that her shoulder sprain will actually keep her out of action for at least four or five weeks.

It is possible that one or two more matches could be added to the card over the course of the next week.

The chances of CM Punk ever returning to WWE are very slim as he’s currently in UFC, and even if that doesn’t work out, bridges may have been burned to a crisp. NXT Takeover: Chicago is going to happen right in his backyard, and it will be the chance for some great wrestling talent to showcase what they can do. Still, fans can always hope that a GTS/Go To Sleep battle would one day happen with Hideo Itami taking on CM Punk.

[Featured Image by WWE]