Hiromu Takahashi Debuts On SmackDown - Gets New Name (WWE News)
Ex-New Japan star debuts as Shinsuke Nakamura's new WWE tag-team partner.
Former 5 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi debuted on this week's episode of SmackDown as Shinsuke Nakamura's brand new tag-team partner. Nakamura had been warning fresh tag champs MFTs that he'd be bringing in some backup to slow their roll and dominate the doubles division himself.
Takahashi has been renamed Kyoki for the role, but he's still largely playing the out there gimmick fans of NJPW witnessed for years. During his promo, Kyoki pretty much spoke exclusively in Japanese, which means the onus is on Shinsuke to translate some of what he's saying into English.
That's something Naka did with aplomb during Friday's pre-tape. Nothing about the vignette came across as forced or awkward, but it'll be interesting to see how much mic time the pair get inside the ring in front of live crowds. WWE may prefer to let the team's wrestling do the talking for them, which would be fair enough.
Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga defeated Damian Priest and R-Truth to hold onto their newly won prizes on the same episode of SmackDown. That draws a line under that particular story, but it does look for all the world like Priest is about to turn heel on Truth in the near future.
Meanwhile, Kyoki and Shinsuke will go after Haku's boys.
Takahashi/Kyoki hasn't actually wrestled since February. That month, he and partner Taiji Ishimori beat Francesco Akira and Jakob Austin Young in tag action. It shouldn't be too long until he's working under the bright lights of WWE on SmackDown though, hopefully.