Hirai Kawato has returned to NJPW under a new gimmick.
After weeks of vignettes highlighting a new character called “The Grand Master”, NJPW showed a new vignette this morning revealing that the The Grand Master is none other than Kawato, who will be going under the name Master Wato.
Wato then made his live entrance, eventually posing in the ring. He cut a short promo, then posed again. DOUKI then came out and jumped Wato, beating him down. He eventually had to be carried to the back.
Wato, 23, had not been seen in NJPW since January 2018 when he went on his excursion to CMLL. He spent two years in Mexico under the name Kawato-san, winning the CMLL World Lightweight championship once. He also lost a hair vs. hair match to Dulce Gardenia on January 1 of this year.
The semifinals of the New Japan Cup are being held tonight. The winners of these matches will face each other in the finals on July 11. The winner will face IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Natio the following day at Dominion. Both events will be held in front of a limited amount of fans at Osaka-jo Hall.