Former NJPW star EVIL is reportedly headed to WWE, ending one of the most complicated runs in modern New Japan history and starting a new chapter for a wrestler who has already lived through several different versions of himself.
Before he became EVIL, he was Takaaki Watanabe, a New Japan Young Lion who debuted in 2011, went through the company’s system, and later sharpened his work in the United States. When he returned to NJPW in 2015, he came back completely rebuilt. The name, the look, the presence, and the aura were different. EVIL was born.
His best years came with Los Ingobernables de Japón. Alongside Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, and SANADA, EVIL became the group’s bruiser — not the flashiest name, but one of its most reliable forces. His tag team with SANADA gave NJPW’s heavyweight tag division real weight, while his singles work slowly pushed him from LIJ’s heavy hitter into a legitimate main-event threat.
That rise peaked in 2020, when EVIL won the New Japan Cup, betrayed Naito, joined Bullet Club, and defeated him to become double IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion. It was the biggest moment of his career and one of NJPW’s boldest creative swings of that era.
It was also the moment his run became divisive.
EVIL’s Bullet Club and House of Torture years made him one of the most hated heels in Japan, but not always in the cleanest way. The heat was real, but so was the criticism. The constant interference, ref bumps, Dick Togo involvement, low blows, weapons, and overbooked finishes often swallowed the matches. EVIL was supposed to be hated, and he was, but at times the act felt more frustrating than dangerous.
That is why this WWE move is interesting. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson was the first to report that EVIL has signed with WWE, with the expectation being that he will not keep the EVIL name. That part matters. WWE is not just getting the House of Torture version of him. They are getting a veteran with main-event experience, faction leadership experience, a strong heel presence, and enough history to be rebuilt into something sharper.
EVIL’s NJPW resume speaks for itself. He leaves as a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, IWGP Tag Team Champion, NEVER Six-Man Champion, New Japan Cup winner, and World Tag League winner. That is not a small signing. It is a proven international name with baggage, credibility, and something to prove.
The key is presentation. WWE does not need to copy everything that made House of Torture exhausting. The better move is to keep the menace, the physicality, the betrayal-driven edge, and the veteran confidence, while cutting away the clutter. EVIL works best when he feels like a dangerous heavyweight, not when the match is buried under layers of interference.
This signing is not just about a former NJPW champion changing companies. It is about whether WWE can take one of New Japan’s most polarizing villains and give him a fresh identity before the audience decides they already know what he is.
EVIL’s time in NJPW was decorated, debated, and impossible to ignore. Now WWE gets the next version. The darkness is already there. The question is whether WWE can make it feel dangerous again.
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