Hiromu Takahashi was revealed as Shinsuke Nakamura’s mystery partner on Friday’s WWE SmackDown at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario.
Takahashi will go by Kyoki as his ring name in WWE. In a video alongside Nakamura, he introduced himself.
“I am Kyoki,” Takahashi announced. “After spending years competing around the world, finally I have arrived to WWE. Champions, legends, monsters — I don’t care. The stronger they are, the more fun I have. More fights. More gold. More madness.”
WWE filed a trademark for “KYOKI” on July 17, specifically for pro wrestling entertainment services. At the time, it had not been revealed who would be using the name.
Takahashi wrapped up a roughly 16-year run with NJPW in February. His final match with the promotion took place on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka.
During his time in Japan, he captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship five times and became the all-time Best of the Super Juniors record holder with four tournament victories.