Former EVIL officially debuted under the name Naraku on this week’s episode of WWE NXT, but a new report suggests WWE made a late change to his ring name shortly before the reveal aired.
During Tuesday night’s NXT broadcast, a vignette featuring the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion aired in which he declared his intentions to pursue the NXT Championship, before WWE unveiled the Naraku name.
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, WWE had internally been using a different name for the former NJPW star just days earlier. Sapp noted on X that internal company materials still listed him as “Nox Raijin” as recently as Sunday, indicating the switch to Naraku happened very late in the process.
“There were internal materials for EVIL with the trademarked Nox Raijin name as recently as Sunday, so it seems like the name adjustment was recent,” Sapp wrote.
WWE previously filed a trademark for “Nox Raijin” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 28, further suggesting it had originally been planned as his official WWE identity.
The eventual choice of “Naraku” carries strong thematic ties to Japanese culture. The word translates to “hell” in Japanese mythology, while also referring to the underground passageway beneath a traditional Japanese theatre stage. Meanwhile, “Raijin,” the name tied to the original trademark filing, references the Japanese god of thunder, lightning, and storms.
The former EVIL wrapped up his run with New Japan Pro-Wrestling earlier this year after his contract expired at the end of January 2026. Following his signing with WWE, reports indicated that he specifically requested to begin his run in NXT instead of debuting directly on the main roster.
