The arrival of Naraku in NXT
The ring apron at the Performance Center saw a shift in philosophy last week. Naraku, formerly recognized in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as EVIL, stepped through the ropes for his first televised WWE match. He is not just another name on the roster. His arrival signals a move toward the heavy-handed, interference-reliant style that defined his tenure in the G1 Climax.
As Wrestletalk reported, the veteran wasted no time issuing a public challenge to the locker room. He claimed he is going to take over the whole place. That is a heavy ask in a division currently dominated by technical specialists and high-flyers who move at double his preferred pace.
The defensive liabilities of the new arrival
Watching his debut, one specific flaw glared through the broadcast monitor. Naraku relies heavily on his established signature sequences, specifically the Everything is Evil finisher. While effective in the Tokyo Dome, it requires a level of static positioning that NXT opponents have effectively countered via quick-tempo leg strikes and high-flying reversals.
His pace is a liability. During his debut, he spent 40 percent of the opening five minutes resetting the match rhythm, stalling for momentum rather than chain-wrestling. This creates a bottleneck in the ring. If he cannot adapt his closing speed to meet the quicker cadence of the NXT mid-card, he will find himself on the wrong side of a 3-count before the quarter-hour mark.
Tactical adjustments needed for survival
Naraku brings a physicality that the current NXT roster lacks. He excels at the 'heat' portion of a match, using clubbing blows to the spine and neck to grind down opponents. However, his offense is one-dimensional. Without the backing of reliable stablemates to provide the distractions he utilized during his IWGP Heavyweight Championship run, he is essentially operating with a hand tied behind his back.
He needs to expand his move set beyond the basic clotheslines and the STO variant. If he continues to telegraph his primary finisher with a lengthy wind-up, the more agile members of the roster will dismantle him on the counter. The performance, while authoritative in character, left significant room for growth regarding his in-ring efficiency.
The outlook for the coming weeks
Expect the booking team to keep his early matches short to protect his aura. If they allow him to go 15 minutes with a technician like Nathan Frazer or Axiom, the cracks in his stamina will become impossible to ignore. Naraku is betting on his reputation to carry his win-loss record, but the NXT locker room has no respect for past accolades.
My prediction is simple. Naraku will dominate the developmental talent for the next month, maintaining an undefeated streak until his first encounter with a main-event level opponent. At that point, the lack of depth in his offensive arsenal will result in a clean pinfall loss, forcing him to evolve or find himself irrelevant by late summer.
