Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki officially made their debut as Bakusai on the WWE SmackDown episode on September 4, 2026, and they wasted no time picking up their first win.
The new team faced The Miz and Kit Wilson in Cleveland, with the finish coming after everything started falling apart for Miz and Wilson. Miz tried to hit his finisher, but the move backfired and Nakamura took him out. Wilson then tried to steal one against Kyoki, but that blew up in his face too. Kyoki caught Wilson with a reverse stunner and got the three-count, giving Bakusai the win in their very first match together. The night wasn’t over there.
The MFTs came out after the bell and confronted Nakamura and Kyoki, making it pretty obvious WWE already has another fight waiting for the new team.
Kyoki is far from a rookie either. Before WWE, he wrestled as Hiromu Takahashi and became one of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s biggest junior heavyweight stars. He held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship multiple times and also won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament four times. He also spent time wrestling in Mexico and competed for Pro Wrestling NOAH before eventually making the jump to WWE.
Now he’s paired with Nakamura, and Bakusai is officially 1-0. Their first match ended with a win, but the MFTs showing up right after made one thing clear — WWE isn’t wasting any time throwing Bakusai straight into trouble.
What did you think of Bakusai’s first match together? Do you want to see Nakamura and Kyoki go after the MFTs next? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
