Akira Tozawa Debuts New Ninja Gimmick At WWE Backlash 2020
Tozawa and his gang made their presence felt in a cinematic brawl.
Apparently Akira Tozawa is working a ninja gimmick in WWE now.
The Japanese cruiserweight appeared during last night's Backlash 2020 pay-per-view, interrupting a cinematic comedy brawl between The Viking Raiders and Street Profits. Decked out in full black garb, Tozawa rolled up with a bunch of similar-dressed masked men on motorcycles, prompting the Profits and Raiders to team up against the new force - and silliness ensued.
A scene designed to ape old martial arts films saw the newly-christened Viking Profits fend off the ninjas (they were acknowledged as "ninjas" on camera, making this canon). Tozawa then brought forth a giant, hulking monster of a man with a katana, who was put down when the Vikings levelled up after, ahem, summoning a turkey leg.
It was a daft moment from a very daft "match," and also Tozawa's first mainline television appearance since the 20 May episode of NXT. The former Dragon Gate standout has appeared on Main Event since then but his Raw spots have largely dried up.
There's every chance that this was a one-night-only type deal for Tozawa, though the gimmick was a stark change for the former 205 Live man.