Naraku defeated Mason Rook on the June 9 episode of WWE NXT to earn a shot at the NXT Championship. The victory came with assistance from Kam Hendrix, who distracted Rook during the match.
Naraku, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion also known as EVIL, capitalized on the distraction to secure the win. Rook had dominated much of the bout before Hendrix appeared on the apron. The victory sets up Naraku to challenge Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Championship at Great American Bash on June 28. It marks Naraku's first title match in NXT. After the match, Rook and Hendrix stared each other down. A WWE social media post later showed Naraku handing something to D'Angelo.
