After emerging in WWE with vigor last week on Team Red, Hideo Itami continues to demonstrate his impressive in-ring prowess on the special Christmas edition of Raw against The Brian Kendrick.

205 Live and Monday Night Raw got their first dose of Hideo Itami last week, and the message was loud and clear: Be very afraid. But The Brian Kendrick, who has always fancied himself smarter than the average bear, decided to see if Itami really belonged. The short answer was yes, and painfully so, as Itami came out swinging — or kicking, rather — in his Raw singles debut.

The Man With a Plan was well on his way to being brutalized until Gentleman Jack Gallagher distracted Itami and gave the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion a chance to brawl his way back into the fight. Yet Itami, psyching himself up periodically by screaming "Show me respect," grinded his way through Kendrick’s offense, peppering him with body shots before finally dropping him with a Go to Sleep that nearly turned Kendrick's face to mush.