Former NJPW Star EVIL Comments On WWE Name Change To Naraku

Published: May 6, 2026 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: May 6, 2026 by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

Former NJPW Star EVIL Comments On WWE Name Change To Naraku

Former NJPW star EVIL has commented on his WWE name change, which has seen the star reborn on NXT as Naraku.

Debuting on last week’s NXT, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL made his intentions clear as he confronted Tony D’Angelo, but what was less clear was his new name.

The May 5 episode of WWE NXT saw EVIL once again appear, albeit in video form, revealing his new name as Naraku and setting his sights on the NXT Championship held by D’Angelo.

The new WWE star has now commented on his name in a post on Twitter that reads (translated from Japanese):

“From hereon, I will be known as NARAKU.

“Got it? Remember it well.”

Last night’s show saw Tony D’Angelo retain the NXT Championship against Tavion Heights, setting up a match against Naraku in the future.

What Happened To Nox Raijin?

All indicators ahead of last night’s NXT were that EVIL would be rebranded as Nox Raijin in WWE, yet that clearly wasn’t the case by showtime.

With the report noting that the star was listed under his real name of Takaaki Watanabe, it was further stated that he would be appearing under the Raijin name.

The proximity of the report to the actual reveal itself likely indicates that something seemingly changed relatively late in the day, although it isn’t currently known why the new name was chosen. WWE have since filed a trademark application for the term “NARAKU” with the USPTO, with the filing being made on May 5.

While Nox Raijin would roughly translate as “Night” (from Latin) and “Thunder God” (in Japanese), the origin of Naraku is slightly clearer, being a Japanese word that means “abyss” or “hell”. Surely an indication of the vibe that the former EVIL will be bringing to NXT, given the above promo video.

An NJPW Triple Crown Champion, Naraku brings plenty of title of experience to NXT, having dominated in New Japan and previously being known as the “King of Darkness”. A former Bullet Club and House of Torture member, the star debuted in NJPW back in May 2011, parting ways with the company in January of this year, having opted not to renew his contract.

There’s a chance that the Nox Raijin name could still manifest in WWE, although the likely candidate is far less clear and is unlikely to be one of the other stars that debuted on last week’s NXT.