8 Things You Didn't Know About WWE's Kyoki (FKA Hiromu Takahashi)
The lowdown on WWE's newest signing, from broken necks to Nashville robberies.
Forgoing the standard "good things come to those who wait" welcome package offered by Triple H, Hiromu Takahashi landed on WWE's main roster after only 3 weeks of less-than-subtle teasers. Debuted as Shinsuke Nakamura's backup against The Tongans, Takahashi is now Kyoki, which directly translates to "madness", "frenzy", or (if you speak Hindi) "why".
Rumours had intensified about his move to the market-leader following the expiration of his deal with New Japan earlier this year. Although his immediate decision saw Takahashi work a freelance schedule in his homeland, there was never any doubt about where Hiromu's permanent commitment would be.
He comes to WWE with over 16 years of experience, a dozen championship reigns and strong recommendations from Dave Meltzer. A fast, fluid and energetic performer - thus his 'Ticking Time Bomb' moniker - Hiromu's subpar size at 5'7" and 194lbs may be his biggest detriment. Cruiserweight types, especially those of non-American ethnicity, have historically struggled to find their feet in WWE regardless of their typical ability to work a range of styles.
Fingers crossed it works out for the repackaged Kyoki. It wasn't exactly an easy road to walk...
8. He Wrestled With A Broken Neck
The days of wrestling old were chock-full of broken necks. It felt as though every year carried at least one report of a significant wrestler having a brush with paralysis, primarily because of such spots as a middle-rope Tombstone Piledriver being commonplace in the emerging Joshi scene. That level of 'Neck Stuff' wasn't as prevalent in the WWF, of course, but broken necks still were; Jose Estrada Jr. went down with a compressed neck when Edge dove onto him with a somersault plancha, reaffirming that even the most basic wrestling match poses a real risk of danger.
It still happens today.
Hiromu Takahashi cracked his neck upon taking a Phoenix Plex from Dragon Lee in 2018, and reports in the following days of him having officially broken his neck were sadly predicted. Astonishingly, Hiromu finished the match, retaining the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Lee in a gruelling 16-minute match as part of New Japan's G1 Special in San Francisco. Regarding his injury, Takahashi put it down to "stubbornness" that allowed him to persevere.
It would be trivial to remark that there's never a good time to break your neck, but it came at a particularly cumbersome time for Hiromu Takahashi. He'd just managed to return to the summit of the junior heavyweight division, so for his abdication to be the result of an injury, rather than the culmination of a scorching Wrestle Kingdom mid-carder, was mournful.