Former NJPW junior heavyweight Hiromu Takahashi has made his WWE in-ring debut.
Takahashi, who was revealed on last Friday’s episode of Smackdown will now perform under the name Kyoki, appeared in a dark match as part of Monday evening’s WWE event in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Attendees of the Raw & Smackdown joint taping said that Kyoki won a singles match against Kit Wilson.
Main event match one: Kit Wilson vs Kyoki/Hiromu!! pic.twitter.com/6JB8q3PkNt
— Tom 🇨🇦 (@TQSherwood) August 24, 2026
After months of speculation regarding his future, Kyoki was unveiled as Shinsuke Nakamura’s tag partner last week.
36-year-old Kyoki is making the jump over to WWE programming following an incredibly accomplished run in Japan. He held NJPW’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship a total of five times and won Best of the Super Juniors four times.
Monday’s match was Kyoki’s first in-ring appearance since February, when he wrestled his final appearance in NJPW.
