WWE is officially moving forward with its latest international signing, as the man formerly known as EVIL is set to compete on “WWE NXT” under a completely new identity.
After making a surprise appearance on last week’s episode to confront NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has now been given a new name—Naraku. The rebrand was confirmed during this week’s show through a vignette hyping his in-ring debut for next Tuesday.
The promo didn’t waste time establishing direction either. Naraku directly addressed D’Angelo, making it clear that he’s coming after the NXT Championship. The segment closed with a simple but effective message: his debut is imminent.
Before arriving in WWE, Naraku built a dominant résumé in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he held multiple titles, including the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. His run in Japan came to an end earlier this year after dropping the NEVER Openweight Championship to Aaron Wolf at Wrestle Kingdom. He competed one final time the following night at New Year’s Dash!! before NJPW confirmed he would not be renewing his contract.
That departure sparked immediate speculation about his next move, with WWE quickly emerging as the likely destination. Still, his debut appearance last week came with a twist—he wasn’t identified by name, leaving fans guessing about how the company would present him.
Now, we have that answer.
The name “Naraku” carries a layered meaning. In Japanese, it translates to “abyss,” fitting his dark persona. It’s also a name familiar to anime fans from the “Inuyasha” series, though it remains to be seen if WWE leans into that connection. There’s also some curiosity about whether the name could be a subtle nod to wrestling veteran Joseph Park’s “Abyss” character, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
Interestingly, earlier reports suggested WWE might go with the name Nox Raijin, but those plans appear to have changed or the reports was false.
With a new identity and a title target already in sight, all eyes will be on next week’s NXT to see how Naraku’s first official outing unfolds—and whether he can immediately shake up the championship picture.
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