Bakusai are not letting their WWE Tag Team Championship pursuit end with a disqualification. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki delivered a pointed warning to the MFTs in a new SmackDown digital vignette, making clear that last week’s interference from Haku has only sharpened their focus on the titles.
The message was direct: Bakusai believe the MFTs could not handle the challenge on their own, and they intend to make the champions answer for it. Nakamura and Kyoki defeated the MFTs by disqualification on last week’s SmackDown after Haku intervened, denying Bakusai the decisive conclusion they wanted in a match tied to the WWE Tag Team Titles.
That finish has now become the central point of Bakusai’s response. Rather than treating the result as a victory to celebrate, Nakamura and Kyoki are framing it as proof that the MFTs needed outside help to escape them. The duo’s objective remains unchanged: get another opportunity at the championships and take them from the MFTs.
Nakamura questions the MFTs’ toughness
Nakamura opened the vignette by challenging the MFTs’ identity as fighters. His comments did not focus solely on the belts; they targeted the way the champions handled the confrontation once Bakusai became a serious threat.
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“MFT, we thought you could fight your own battles. We were wrong, you aren’t warriors, you’re cowards.”
That accusation goes straight to the issue created by last week’s match. Haku’s involvement stopped the contest and gave Bakusai a disqualification victory, but it also prevented Nakamura and Kyoki from defeating the MFTs in the manner needed to settle the title picture. The MFTs were not pinned or submitted, and Bakusai did not leave with the WWE Tag Team Titles. Still, the interference gave their challengers a clear basis to argue that the champions could not finish the job without protection.
For Nakamura, the dispute is now about more than a standard rematch request. He is presenting the MFTs as a team whose championship position is being shielded by a powerful ally. That creates a difficult equation for Bakusai. They must contend with the titleholders while also accounting for the possibility that Haku could again change the course of the match.
The vignette made it clear that Bakusai have recognized that problem and do not plan to be surprised by it again.
Kyoki says Haku changed the outcome
Kyoki directly addressed Haku’s role, first speaking in Japanese before delivering the key warning in English. He said the titles should belong to Bakusai and identified Haku as the reason they do not currently hold them.
“Those titles should be ours, but Haku got in the way.”
“Next time, we’ll be ready for Haku!”
That declaration is significant because it establishes the terms Bakusai want for the next chapter. They are not merely asking the MFTs to accept another title defense. Nakamura and Kyoki are promising to adapt to the factor that derailed them on SmackDown. Whether that means a rematch with stricter conditions, a way to neutralize ringside interference, or simply a more cautious approach remains to be seen. What is certain is that Bakusai no longer view Haku as an unexpected complication.
In a tag-team championship rivalry, one outside interruption can dramatically alter momentum. Bakusai had already shown enough to beat the MFTs by disqualification, but the result left a natural frustration hanging over the match. The challengers can point to the official decision, while the champions remain in possession of the belts. That unresolved finish gives both sides a reason to claim they have not been conclusively beaten.
The difference is that Bakusai are speaking as though they have learned from the encounter. Kyoki’s promise suggests the team expects Haku to remain involved and is preparing for that reality rather than hoping the next title opportunity unfolds cleanly.
The WWE Tag Team Titles remain the target
Nakamura left no doubt about what Bakusai want from the MFTs. His final statement mixed a demand for the champions to prove themselves with a threat that their backup will not save them forever.
“Show us that you’re men, ’cause you’re acting like boys. You won’t win this fight. We will take the titles from you, and daddy won’t be able to save you.”
The reference to “daddy” continued the central theme of Bakusai’s message: the MFTs are relying on Haku rather than standing on their own. It is an intentionally personal line from Nakamura, designed to question the champions’ pride as much as their ability. The MFTs may still be champions, but Bakusai are trying to turn the spotlight toward the circumstances that allowed them to remain champions after last week’s match.
That is an effective pressure point heading into any potential rematch. Championships can give a team authority, but an interference finish can create doubt around that authority. Bakusai are pushing the idea that the MFTs have not demonstrated they can defeat them fairly. Until they do, Nakamura and Kyoki will have every reason to keep demanding another opportunity.
There is also a practical urgency to the challengers’ stance. Tag-team title opportunities can disappear quickly if a division moves on to new contenders, and Bakusai clearly do not want last week’s disqualification to become a dead end. By issuing this vignette so soon after the match, they have kept the focus on the unfinished business with the MFTs rather than allowing the champions to redirect attention elsewhere.
Bakusai deliver a final warning
The vignette concluded with Kyoki declaring that time is running out for the MFTs. Nakamura and Kyoki then finished the warning together.
“The clock is ticking. You can’t run from… Bakusai!”
The closing line gives the team’s chase a clear sense of momentum. Bakusai are not portraying themselves as disappointed challengers waiting for an answer; they are positioning themselves as an unavoidable problem for the WWE Tag Team Champions. The MFTs escaped one match with their titles intact, but the challengers are now vowing that the same tactic will not work twice.
Last week’s disqualification has therefore raised rather than settled the stakes. Haku’s interference protected the MFTs from a clean resolution, but it also handed Bakusai a powerful grievance. Nakamura and Kyoki have taken that grievance and turned it into a promise of retribution.
For the MFTs, the next move will be important. They can embrace Haku’s presence and accept that it will remain part of their championship defense, or they can attempt to prove Bakusai wrong by meeting them without the same outside factor. Bakusai have publicly challenged them to do exactly that, though Nakamura’s comments make clear he does not expect the champions to change.
For Bakusai, the task is equally clear. They have to translate their anger and their disqualification win into a title-winning performance. A rematch would give Nakamura and Kyoki the chance to do that, but the team has already acknowledged the obstacle that must be overcome: Haku. Their warning is that they will be ready if he tries to intervene again.
With the WWE Tag Team Titles still in the MFTs’ possession and Bakusai refusing to move on, the rivalry appears far from finished. Nakamura and Kyoki believe the champions have been exposed. Now they are demanding the opportunity to prove it in the ring and finally leave with the gold.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.