WWE Signs Former Champion From New Japan Pro Wrestling

WWE has officially signed a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion from New Japan Pro Wrestling.

After months of rumors and speculation, PWInsider reported on Friday that EVIL has signed a contract with WWE. EVIL is the significant other of former WWE Women’s World Champion, Iyo Sky. He’s had various stints wrestling in America, including a period of time in Ring of Honor.

EVIL won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2020 and was a signature face of the company during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was in a tag team with Sanada, but then turned on his partner and the Los Ingobernables de Japón faction.

After leaving the group, he joined the Bullet Club and eventually led it for a short while. EVIL defeated Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Eventually, EVIL created the House of Torture subgroup within Bullet Club, with those entities feuding with one another. War Dogs and House of Torture split Bullet Club and eventually had a match, with the stipulation that whoever loses leaves Bullet Club permanently. House of Torture lost the match and became a faction of its own.

This year at the Wrestle Kingdom event inside the Tokyo Dome, EVIL wrestled Aaron Wolf in his debut match and lost the Never Openweight Championship. His final match in New Japan Pro Wrestling was at New Year’s Dash.

EVIL joins stellar list of names to jump from New Japan Pro Wrestling to WWE

AJ Styles | Netflix

Over the years, WWE has signed multiple talents away from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Shinsuke Nakamura joined the company in 2016 and had a run at the top of NXT before moving to the main roster. On the main roster, Nakamura has held mid-card championships, but never the world title.

That same year, the company hired AJ Styles and The Good Brothers tag team. Styles was a multiple-time world champion and recently retired at the Royal Rumble this year. Styles was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026.

In 2019, Kushida signed with WWE. Kushida was a multiple-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling and a former NXT Cruiserweight Champion.

The question now for EVIL will be whether or not he spends time in NXT or heads straight up to the main roster. Potential NXT feuds for EVIL include Tony D’Angelo, Keanu Carter, Myles Borne, and a handful of others. A specific debut date for EVIL has not been announced at this time.

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