EVIL has a new name and it isn’t Nox Raijin as has been widely reported.
“Nox” is Latin for “night.”
“Raijin” (雷神) is Japanese and refers to the “thunder god” (a deity in Japanese mythology associated with lightning and storms).
Instead, Evil was referred to as “Naraku” on tonight’s show.
In Japanese, Naraku means different things depending on the context it is being used.
Religious: Refers to hell or a place of torment, derived from the Sanskrit Naraka.
Literal: An abyss, chasm or deep pit, often used metaphorically for emotional or moral darkness.
Figurative: Can describe being in a desperate or hopeless situation (“falling into naraku”).
Evil’s real name is Takaaki Watanabe and before leaving NJPW he was the leader of The House of Torture faction and in the past part of Los Ingobernables de Japón and Bullet Club. There here was Evil, The King of Darkness. He is also the former fiancé of Iyo Sky.
He is the only wrestler in NJPW history to be a triple champion. He held the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships and the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship in 2020.
In NJPW he was:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
IWGP Intercontinental Champion (1 time)
NEVER Openweight Championship (4 times)
IWGP Tag Team Champion (2 times) – with Sanada
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion (6 times) – with Bushi and Sanada (3), Bushi and Shingo Takagi (1), Yujiro Takahashi and Sho (2)[101]
New Japan Cup Winner (2020)
World Tag League (2017, 2018) Winner – with Sanada
Next week, Naraku will have his in-ring debut but on this week’s show he delivered another warning to NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo that he is coming for him and his title.
