WWE’s tag team name for Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiromu Takahashi revealed
Former NJPW wrestlers Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiromu Takahashi are officially a duo in WWE — and their tag team name now looks to have been revealed.
False Finish reports that the team of Nakamura & Takahashi (whose WWE name is Kyoku) is expected to be known as “Bakusai.” WWE filed a trademark for that term on June 26, with it always believed to be for Takahashi in some form. It roughly translates to “blasting to pieces.”
After hyping that Nakamura would be bringing in a new partner, WWE debuted Takahashi in a video that aired on SmackDown last week. The video confirmed Kyoki as Takahashi’s new WWE name and ended with him exclaiming “Bakusai.”
Takahashi spent years as one of the top junior heavyweight wrestlers in Japan before departing NJPW in February. At Raw this Monday, he made his WWE in-ring debut with a dark match victory over Kit Wilson.
Bakusai aiming for WWE Tag Team titles —
Nakamura & Takahashi will be part of the SmackDown tag team division, and they already have their sights set on challenging the MFTs (Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga) for the WWE Tag Team titles. The Tongans — who are also former NJPW wrestlers — won the belts on the August 14 episode of SmackDown. They’re coming off a successful defense against former champs Damian Priest & R-Truth last Friday.
Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated’s wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.
About The Author
