A big WWE debut took place tonight in “The Bluegrass State.”
Ahead of tonight’s live episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, former NJPW standout Hikuleo officially stepped into the WWE ring for the first time, making his debut during the WWE Main Event taping by defeating Kit Wilson of Pretty Deadly in a squash match.
As previously reported, the towering star was scheduled to be in attendance for the blue brand taping this evening.
Although Hikuleo signed with WWE a year ago and was assigned to the NXT roster, he had yet to make an in-ring appearance for the brand until now.
It has long been assumed that when the time was right, WWE would eventually add Hikuleo to the mix in the ongoing Bloodline saga that has spanned several years of programming, and is widely considered among the best long-term programs in modern WWE history.
The 34-year-old is the son of WWE legend Haku, also known to fans as Meng.
HIKULEO IS HERE!!! #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/Xafsf8acnw
— Blake (@IAmBalakay) June 13, 2025
HIKULEO JUST COOKED KIT WILSON
VIA @Danpanda423
#Smackdown pic.twitter.com/bYtnI5CtnX
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) June 13, 2025
