is a Japanese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. He is signed to

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW) under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Evil (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

as EVIL), where he is the leader of

House of Torture House of Torture is a villainous professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW); it was formerly a sub-grouping of the stable Bullet Club. The stable is led by Evil and also consists of ...

and a former member of

Bullet Club , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#stable, stable primarily appearing in the Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling ...

. After debuting in NJPW in 2011, Evil competed in the United States on excursion, working for companies such as

Global Force Wrestling Global Force Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by Jeff Jarrett, the co-founder and former President of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and his wife Karen Jarrett. It was owned and operated via its parent ...

(GFW) and

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

(ROH) from 2014 to 2015. He returned to NJPW in November 2015. He is a former member of ''

Los Ingobernables de Japón (Spanish for "The Ungovernables of Japan" and often spelled without the accent as ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' in English-speaking countries), also shortened to ''L.I.J.'' or ''Los Ingos'', was a Japanese professional wrestling stable, based ...

'', and was a part of a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

with

Sanada Sanada is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Asami Sanada (born 1977), Japanese voice actress *, Japanese shogi player * Juzo Sanada (1923–1994), Japanese baseball player * Hiroki Sanada (born 1984), Japanese baseb ...

; they are two-time

IWGP Tag Team Champions The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

and two-time

World Tag League The World Tag League may refer to any of the following professional wrestling tournaments held in Japan: * World Tag League (JWA), 1970 to 1972, hosted by Japanese Wrestling Association * World Tag League (NJPW), annually since 1991, hosted by New ...

winners. He is also a three-time NEVER Openweight Champion and is a record-breaking six-time

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The reigning champions are House of Torture (Ren Narita, Sho and Yujiro Takahashi), who are in their first reign as a team. It is Narita's second ...

, making him an overall ten-time champion in NJPW. In 2020, he won the

New Japan Cup __NOTOC__ The New Japan Cup (NJC) is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since 2005. It is considered the second most prominent heavyweight tournament in NJPW, after the G1 Climax wh ...

, before turning on L.I.J leader

Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his 20-year run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he served as the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' stable, and was a multi-time world champion. ...

and joining

. He defeated Naito at

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

to become the double IWGP Heavyweight and

Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...

. He is the only wrestler in NJPW history to be a triple champion, having held the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships and the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship simultaneously from July to August 2020.

Professional wrestling career

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2011–2013)

Watanabe made his debut for

(NJPW) on May 13, 2011, wrestling primarily as a Young Lion and in the lower cards of shows and remained with the promotion until October 2013, when after King of Pro-Wrestling, announced that he was being sent on a learning excursion to the United States.

Ring of Honor (2014–2015)

At Global Wars '15 the first night May 15 he teamed with

Silas Young Caleb DeWall (born September,9,1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Silas Young. He was last contracted for Ring of Honor, where he is a two-time ROH World Television Champion, and has ...

in a losing effort against

Gedo Gedo (, , , or ''Ghedu'') is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in Jubaland, southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. The region was formed during 1974 and is bordered by the Ogaden in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province ...

and

Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

. The following night May 16, he was defeated by Young. On the June 27 episode of ''ROH Wrestling'', he lost to

Adam Page Stephen Blake Woltz (born July 27, 1991), better known by his ring name "Hangman" Adam Page, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a former AEW World Champion and AEW ...

after

Colby Corino Colby Steven Corino (born August 28, 1996) is an American professional wrestler performing for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and also appears on the independent circuit. He is ...

attacked Watanabe. On the July 4 episode of ''ROH Wrestling'',

Dalton Castle Dalton Castle may refer to: * Dalton Castle, Cumbria * Dalton Castle (wrestler) {{disambiguation ...

would defeat Watanabe. On July 23, ROH announced that House of Truth member

Donovan Dijak Christopher James Dijak ( ; born April 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs under the ring name Donovan Dijak. He also currently works on the independent circuit. Dijak ...

would battle Watanabe in a singles match taped exclusively for ROH's YouTube Wrestling Channel. This occurred on July 24 at

Death Before Dishonor XIII Death Before Dishonor XIII was the thirteenth Death Before Dishonor professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which took place on July 24, 2015, at the William J Myers Pavilion in Baltimore, Maryland. Death Before Dishonor XII ...

where Dijak defeated Watanabe. August 22 at Field of Honor, Watanabe qualified for an

ROH World Television Championship The ROH World Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling)#Gimmick/style championships, world television championship in the Ring of Honor (ROH) professional wrestling promotion, promotion. With the int ...

match by winning a nine-man gauntlet match. On September 18 at

All Star Extravaganza VII All Star Extravaganza VII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 18, 2015 at San Antonio Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. It was the seventh event under the All Star Extra ...

, he teamed with

Will Ferrara William Ferrara (born June 30, 1991) is an American professional wrestler, formerly known on the indies by his ring name Spartan. He also Makes Appearances All Elite Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Professional wrestling ca ...

to defeat Dijak and Greg James. On September 19, Watanabe received his shot at the Television Title in a match against champion

Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenures in Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrest ...

, but was unsuccessful.

Return to NJPW

The King of Darkness (2015–2017)

On October 12, 2015, Watanabe returned to NJPW at King of Pro-Wrestling, where he was revealed as

's associate during his match against

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler. Widel ...

. Watanabe's outside interference in the match was stopped by

Hirooki Goto is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He is also one-half of the tag team Bishamon alongside Yoshi-Hashi. ...

and

Katsuyori Shibata } is a Japanese professional wrestler, trainer, and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Opps and is one-third of the AEW World Trios Champions with Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs. ...

, leading to Naito suffering a loss. In a post-match interview, Naito gave Watanabe the new name "King of Darkness" Evil. Under the new name, Evil became affiliated with Naito's ''

'' stable. In December, Evil and Naito won their block in the 2015 World Tag League with a record of five wins and one loss, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On December 9, Evil and Naito were defeated in the finals by

Togi Makabe , better known by his ring name is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Heavyweight Champion, L ...

and

Tomoaki Honma is a Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler primarily working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, one-time IWGP Tag Team Championship, IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time G1 Ta ...

. In early March, Evil took part in the 2016 New Japan Cup in which he was eliminated in the first round by

Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is currently a double champion: being the Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign, and one-half of the current IWGP Tag Team Champions with Ta ...

. On March 20, Evil unsuccessfully challenged Ishii for the ROH World Television Championship. From July 18 to August 14, Evil took part in the

2016 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually – and currently – held as a round-robin ...

where he finished his block with four wins and five losses, thus failing to advance. Despite his failure to advance, Evil scored two big wins by defeating IWGP Intercontinental Champion

Michael Elgin Aaron Michael Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He is known for his work with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a List of IWGP Intercontinent ...

and

NEVER Openweight Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...

on the last day. On November 5 at

Power Struggle A power struggle is situation where two or more people or groups fight to gain dominance over each other. The term is most commonly used in a political context, when parties contend for power or leadership positions, but can also be applied to a ...

, Evil won his first title, when he defeated Katsuyori Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Ten days later, Evil lost the title back to Shibata in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. At the end of the year, Evil took part in the

2016 World Tag League __NOTOC__ The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...

, teaming with stablemate

. The two finished second in their block with a record of five wins and two losses, tied with block winners Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma, but failed to advance to the finals due to losing the head-to-head match against Makabe and Honma. On January 4, 2017, at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, Evil, Bushi and Sanada won a four-team

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

to become the new

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The reigning champions are House of Torture (Ren Narita, Sho and Yujiro Takahashi), who are in their first reign as a team. It is Narita's second ...

. They lost the title to Hiroshi Tanahashi,

Manabu Nakanishi is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-t ...

and

Ryusuke Taguchi is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former List of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions, two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, List of IWGP Junior He ...

the next day, before regaining it on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka. In March, Evil made it to the semifinals of the 2017 New Japan Cup, before losing to

Bad Luck Fale Simi Taitoko Fale (born 8 January 1982) is a Tongan-New Zealand professional wrestler and former rugby union player. He primarily works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as , where he is a member of House of Torture. Best known by his longtime ...

. On April 4, L.I.J. lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi,

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

and Ryusuke Taguchi in their second defense, before regaining it on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2017. During the

2017 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually – and currently – held as a round-robi ...

on August 5, Evil picked up a major win over reigning

IWGP Heavyweight Champion The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...

, Okada's first singles defeat in nearly a year. Evil went on to finish third in his block with a record of six wins and three losses. On October 9 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Evil received his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated by Okada. In December, Evil and Sanada won their block in the 2017 World Tag League with a record of five wins and two losses, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On December 11, they defeated

Guerrillas of Destiny The Tongans, formerly known as Guerrillas of Destiny (G.O.D), is a Tongan-American professional wrestling tag team currently signed with WWE, founded by and consisting of brothers Alipate Leone and Tevita Fifita, who both perform on the Smack ...

(

Tama Tonga Alipate Aloisio Fifita Leone (born October 15, 1982), better known by his ring name Tama Tonga (), is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand where he is a former WWE Tag Team Ch ...

and

Tanga Loa Tevita Tu'amoeloa Fetaiakimoeata Koloamatangi Fifita (born May 7, 1983) is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. As of May 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tonga Loa, as a member of The ...

) in the finals to win the tournament. Six days later, Evil, Bushi and Sanada lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Guerrillas of Destiny and Bad Luck Fale in their fourth defense.

Championship reigns with Sanada (2018–2020)

On January 4, 2018, at

Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2018, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 27th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show. The show was h ...

, Evil and Sanada defeated the

Killer Elite Squad Killer Elite Squad, often abbreviated to K.E.S., was the professional wrestling tag team of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer. The team made its debut in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion in Septem ...

( Davey Boy Smith Jr. and

Lance Archer Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977), better known by his ring name Lance Archer, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where is a member of The Don Callis Family and one-half of The Murder Machines w ...

) to win the

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. T ...

for the first time. Evil and Sanada would successfully defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship on two occasions before losing the title to

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 9, 2018, at the Osaka-jō Hall, in Osaka. It is the tenth event under the NJPW Dominion, Dominion name and th ...

ending their reign at 156 days. The same night,

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the

IWGP Intercontinental Championship The was a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was officially announced on January 5, 2011, and the Inaugural Champion MVP wa ...

. After the match, Jericho put Naito into Walls of Jericho and refused to release the hold. This resulted in Evil running in to make the save. Evil entered the 2018 G1 Climax and finished with a record of 5 wins and 4 losses, failing to advance from his block. At King of Pro-Wrestling, Evil was scheduled to compete in a singles match against

Zack Sabre Jr. Lucas James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his ring name and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the second and current leader of the ...

Before the match could begin, however, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Chris Jericho, would return and attack Evil forcing the match to be a no contest. On November 3, 2018, at

, Evil challenged Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Evil was unsuccessful, however, and was forced to submit to Chris Jericho's Liontamer submission hold. In December, Evil and Sanada entered the 2018 edition of

. The pair scored a record of ten wins and three losses advancing them to the finals where they would meet the Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) in a rematch of the previous year's final. On December 9, they defeated the Guerillas of Destiny in the finals to win their second World Tag League and the challenge right for an IWGP Tag Team Championship match at

Wrestle Kingdom 13 Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2019 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the twenty-eighth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the ...

in Tokyo Dome. At Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome, Evil and Sanada won IWGP Tag Team Championship in a

three-way tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

, that also included Guerillas of Destiny and Young Bucks. They retained their titles at The New Beginning in Sapporo against Zack Sabre Jr. and

Minoru Suzuki (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, known for his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Intercontinental Ch ...

. At Honor Rising: Japan 2019, Evil and Sanada lost the titles in their second defense against Guerillas of Destiny. Evil was announced to take part in the 2019 New Japan Cup, but lost to Zack Sabre Jr. in the first round. Evil entered the 2019 G1 Climax, finishing with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses, failing to make it to the finals. On January 5, 2020, at

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome was a two-night professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2020, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 29th January ...

, Evil, Bushi and

Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...

defeated four other teams in a

Gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship, making both Evil and Bushi record-tying four time holders of the title.

Bullet Club and House of Torture (2020–present)

After New Japan Pro-Wrestling underwent a hiatus in late February 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the company resumed its activities with the 2020 New Japan Cup, which begun on June 16, 2020, with the winner receiving a title shot against Naito for both the IWGP Heavyweight and

s. Entering the tournament, Evil defeated

Satoshi Kojima is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is a former two-time MLW World Heavyweight Championship, MLW World Heavyweight Champion and former one half of the MLW W ...

, Hirooki Goto,

Yoshi-Hashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he performs under the ring name Yoshi-Hashi (stylized in all caps as YOSHI-HASHI), and is a former four-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, with Hirooki Goto; as well ...

, and his teammate Sanada to reach the finals, displaying a more aggressive attitude, notably cheating by low blowing Hirooki Goto in their match, injuring Yoshi-Hashi before their match, and using a chair to attack Sanada's neck in their match. In the finals on July 11, Evil defeated

, in part due to interference by

, who attacked Okada seemingly behind Evil's back (as he appeared unconscious when it happened). When Naito came out to congratulate him on his win, Evil threw up the "too sweet" symbol of Bullet Club instead of the raised fist of ''Los Ingobernables'', then attacked Naito, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

, and was soon joined by Bullet Club, establishing himself as a member of the stable and the first person to ever leave ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''. At

the following day, Evil defeated Naito to capture both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships with the help of Bullet Club, including

Dick Togo , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Togo is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. Togo has spent the major ...

, who joined Bullet Club and became Evil's manager in the process. As Evil was still NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Bushi and Takagi despite his betrayal, he became the first triple champion in the history of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. At Sengoku Lord on July 25, he had his first successful defense of both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles against former ''Ingobernables'' stablemate

Hiromu Takahashi (born December 4, 1989) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' stable. Takahashi made his debut for NJPW on Augus ...

. On August 1, NJPW vacated the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship due to Evil claiming in a post-Dominion interview that he had "no interest" in defending the title with his former ''Ingobernables'' stablemates, ending his run as triple champion. He lost both titles against Naito at

Summer Struggle in Jingu Summer Struggle in Jingu was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on August 29, 2020, in Tokyo, Japan at Meiji Jingu Stadium. Background On March 1, 2020, NJPW suspended all future live ev ...

. On November 6, House of Torture (Evil, Takahashi and

Sho Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

) defeated Chaos to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships with House of Torture at

. He defeated

to win the

NEVER Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...

Wrestle Kingdom 16 Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in T ...

, becoming a double champion. On Night 2, Evil, Sho and Takahashi, once again retained the 6-man titles against CHAOS. On Night 3 Evil and Dick Togo lost to Pro Wrestling NOAH's

Go Shiozaki is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. He is a record-holding five time former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He made his debut for the Pro Wrestling Noah in July 2004 and initially remained with Pro Wrestling No ...

and

Masa Kitamiya is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. Kitamiya's ring name is a tribute to former professional wrestler Masa Saito. Kitamiya also wears a similar ring attire to Saito as tribute. Early life Kitamiya was an amateur ...

. At the NJPW New Years Golden Series tour, EVIL retained the Never Openweight Championship against Ishii once again and retained the Never Openweight 6-man tag team championships. Evil then entered the

; he defeated

and

in rounds one and two, but lost to

in round 3. At Hyper Battle, Evil retained the Never Openweight Championship against Takahashi. At

Wrestling Dontaku is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It was originally held from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2001 in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 and has since been held at ...

, Evil lost the Never Openweight Championship to Tama Tonga, ending his second reign at 117 days. At Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, House of Torture retained the 6-man championships against Suzuki-Gun, but lost them to Chaos at NJPW New Japan Road. In June, Evil was announced to be competing in the

G1 Climax 32 The G1 Climax 32 was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The tournament commenced on July 16 and concluded on August 18, 2022. It was the thirty-second edition of G1 Climax and the forty-eighth edition ...

tournament, in the C Block. He finished the tournament with 6 points, failing to advance to the semi-finals. In October, Evil participated in a tournament to crown the first ever NJPW World Television Champion. He defeated Aaron Henare and

to advance to the tournament's semi-finals. In the semi-final round, Evil lost to eventual winner

At Battle Autumn, House of Torture retained their 6-man tag team titles against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi and Hikuleo. In November, Evil once again teamed with Yujiro Takahashi in the

. The duo ended their tournament with 6 points, failing to advance to the finals. On January 4, 2023, at

Wrestle Kingdom 17 Wrestle Kingdom 17 was a two-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The first day of the event took place on January 4, 2023, at the Tokyo Do ...

, Evil competed in the New Japan Rambo match, but failed to last till the final 4. The following day at New Year Dash, Evil, Takahashi and Dick Togo defeated Tomoaki Honma,

Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...

and

Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club ...

. After the match, House of Torture attacked Narita, but he was saved by Minoru Suzuki and El Desprado, causing House of Torture to flee. This confrontation led to a match between the teams for the Never Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships, which Suzuki, Desperado and Narita won. In March, Evil participated in the New Japan Cup, defeating Ren Narita and

Jeff Cobb is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. As of May 2025, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name JC Mateo and is a member of The Bloodline. He is best known for his tenure in N ...

, in the first two rounds. In the quarterfinals, Evil lost to Mark Davis, eliminating him from the tournament. In June at Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Evil teamed with Takahashi in a three-way tag-team match for both the vacant IWGP Tag Team Championships and the

Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's NJPW Strong, Strong brand and is usually def ...

s, but the match was won by Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi). The following month in July, Evil entered the G1 Climax 33 tournament, competing in the C Block. Evil finished with a total of 10 points, finishing joint top of his block, thus advancing to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinals, Evil defeated reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Sanada to advance to the semi-finals. Evil lost to Kazuchika Okada in the semi-finals, eliminating him from the tournament. Shortly after, Evil and House of Torture embarked on feud with

Shota Umino is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Umino was born on April 13, 1997, in the special ward of Setagaya in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of NJPW referee Hiroyuki Umino (also known under h ...

and

Kaito Kiyomiya is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is former and three-time GHC Heavyweight Championship, GHC Heavyweight Champion. He also makes appearances for partner promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Early lif ...

, leading to two matches, with the first being on January 2, 2024 at Noah The New Year, where House of Torture lost and the second two days later at Wrestle Kingdom 18, where Evil and House of Torture's newest member Ren Narita got their revenge and defeated Shota Umino and Kaito Kiyomiya, ending their feud. Later that night, EVIL as Tetsuya Naito was going to close the show, EVIL and the House of Torture tried to ruin his moment, after attacking Naito, only to be saved by SANADA. Three days later at

New Year Dash!! New Year Dash!! is a professional wrestling event held annually by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It is held every year the day after Wrestle Kingdom, the biggest show of the year for New Japan, starting at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. There have ...

, during a post-match interview, Evil attacked Tama Tonga and made the challenge for his title, but also humiliated the newly crowned champion as he cut off some of his hair. On January 10, Tama Tonga’s profile was erroneously erased from the NJPW profile page, and Evil was incorrectly listed as the NEVER Openweight Champion, after it was discovered by video evidence that EVIL had forced NJPW staff to those modifications. On January 22 at The New Beginning in Nagoya, Evil faced Tonga for the NEVER Openweight Championship. The match originally ended in a no contest, after Tonga was attacked by the House of Torture. The match was restarted into a Lumberjack Deathmatch, where Evil defeated Tonga to win the NEVER Openweight Championship for the third time. At

Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since Invasion Attack (2013), 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack ...

, Evil lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Shingo Takagi, ending his third reign at 77 days. At Resurgence, Evil attacked IWGP World Heavyweight Champion

Jon Moxley Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Championship, AEW World Champion in his ...

and declared himself to be Moxley's next challenger. At

, Evil failed to win the title from Moxley. Heading into

Wrestle Kingdom 19 Wrestle Kingdom 19 was a professional wrestling event promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2025, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 34th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 19th promoted unde ...

, Evil began a feud with

, which ended with Evil losing to Tanahashi at the event. In February 1, 2025, it was reported that Evil's contract with NJPW expired. On February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka, Evil returned after a brief hiatus, where he and the rest of House of Torture attacked

Yota Tsuji is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. Tsuji is the winner of the 2024 New Japan Cup and is a one-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team ...

and

Gabe Kidd Gabriel Michael McMenamin (born 24 April 1997) is an English people, English Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Gabe Kidd, is a member of the Bullet Club and its Li ...

after their match and proceeded to kick Kidd and the rest of

Bullet Club War Dogs , stylized as BULLET CLUB and sometimes shortened to BC, is a professional wrestling stable primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In the United States, the group currently appears on events run by the comp ...

out of Bullet Club, despite not having leadership in the main stable and starting a civil war between the two sub-groups. On April 4 at

, Evil unsuccessfully challenged Tsuji for the

IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was created when the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship wa ...

. In a post-match interview, Finlay alongside the War Dogs (Kidd, Drilla, Connors and Ishimori) challenged House of Torture (Evil, Narita, Sho, Kanemaru and Sanada) to a Dog Pound match, which was later made official for May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku: Night 1. Finlay later added the stipulation that the losers must leave Bullet Club. At the event, the War Dogs defeated House of Torture, thus HoT were forced to leave Bullet Club.

Personal life

Watanabe was engaged to wrestler

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women's World Championship (WWE), Women’s Wo ...

Championships and accomplishments

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...

( 1 time) **

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) – with

( 3 times) **

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The reigning champions are House of Torture (Ren Narita, Sho and Yujiro Takahashi), who are in their first reign as a team. It is Narita's secon ...

( 6 times) – with Bushi and

(3), Bushi and

(1),

Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He is one-third of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions with Ren Narit ...

and

(2) **

(

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

) **

(

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

) – with

*''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 29 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' in 2021 *''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' ** Best Gimmick (

) as part of ''

'' ** Most Overrated (2021)

References

External links

* * {{Navboxes, , list1= {{Bullet Club {{Los Ingobernables de Japon {{IWGP Heavyweight Championship {{IWGP Intercontinental Championship {{IWGP Tag Team Championship {{G1 Tag League {{NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship {{NEVER Openweight Championship {{New Japan Cup {{New Japan Pro Wrestling personnel {{Grand Slam-Triple Crown Champions 1987 births Bullet Club members IWGP Heavyweight champions IWGP Intercontinental champions NEVER Openweight champions Japanese male professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from Shizuoka Prefecture NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions World Tag League (NJPW) winners 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers New Japan Cup winners