NJPW veteran EVIL is reportedly in discussions with WWE and has expressed interest in beginning a potential run in NXT rather than debuting directly on the main roster, according to Voices of Wrestling.
While no official signing has been confirmed, Voices of Wrestling reports that talks between EVIL, real name Takaaki Watanabe, and WWE are ongoing. Watanabe is said to prefer starting in NXT as a way to adapt to the WWE style before potentially moving up to Raw or SmackDown. The report also notes he would like to maintain his established EVIL persona if he does sign with the company.
Watanabe made his professional wrestling debut in 2011 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a young lion before going on excursion to Ring of Honor in 2014. He returned to NJPW the following year as EVIL, the character he has portrayed ever since. After spending time as a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon, he joined Bullet Club in July 2020.
On July 12, 2020 at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall, EVIL defeated Tetsuya Naito to win both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the same night, becoming a double champion and one of the most prominent names in NJPW at the time.
His potential move to WWE would follow a pattern of several NJPW names making the transition to WWE in recent years. As of this writing, it’s unclear when the deal could be signed and when EVIL could start with WWE.
