EVIL
Real Name: Takaaki Watanabe
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 234 lbs.
Date of Birth: January 26, 1987
Hometown: Mishima, Shizuoka (Japan)
Pro Debut: May 13, 2011
Trained By: NJPW Dojo
Finishing Move: Banshee Muzzle
Biography
– Watanabe began his career as a Young Lion in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2011
– Watanabe debuted on May 13, 2011, losing to Hiromu Takahashi
– Watanabe won his first match on November 15, defeating Sho Tanaka
– Watanabe had a brief run in Pro Wrestling NOAH in January 2013
– Watanabe was sent on a learning excursion to the US in late 2013. He would work for various independent promotions for the remainder of the year, before settling into a role with ROH
– At All-Star Extravaganza 2015, Watanabe & Will Ferrara defeated Donovan Dijak & Gregory James
– Watanabe returned to New Japan at King Of Pro Wrestling 2015, aligning himself with Tetsuya Naito, who would dub Watanabe ‘EVIL, The King of Darkness’
– At New Year Dash 2016, Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, BUSHI & Naito) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin & Mascara Dorada
– At The New Beginning in Osaka 2016, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & Naito) defeated Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA
– At The New Beginning in Niigata 2016, LIJ (EVIL & Naito) defeated Michael Elgin & Jay White
– At Wrestling Dontaku 2016, EVIL defeated Hirooki Goto
– At Destruction in Tokyo 2016, LIJ (EVIL, SANADA & Naito) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Michael Elgin
– At Destruction in Kobe 2016, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA
– At Power Struggle 2016, EVIL defeated Katsuyori Shibata to win the NEVER Openweight Title, but would lose it back 10 days later
– At Wrestle Kingdom 11, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated CHAOS (Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado), BULLET CLUB (Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale) and Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay & Ricochet to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles, but would lose them the next day at New Year Dash
– At The New Beginning in Osaka 2017, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Manabu Nakanishi to regain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Honor Rising 2017, LIJ defeated Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask & Delirious to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At the NJPW 45th Anniversary Show, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin & KUSHIDA
– At Wrestling Dontaku 2017, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Dominion 2017, LIJ won a 5-team Gauntlet Match to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– On June 20, LIJ defeated Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Destruction in Fukushima 2017, LIJ defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano & Rocky Romero) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Wrestle Kingdom 12, LIJ (EVIL & SANADA) defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr & Lance Archer) to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– At New Year Dash 2018, LIJ (EVIL, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo)
– At Wrestling Hinokuni 2018, LIJ (EVIL & SANADA) defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr & Lance Archer) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On both nights of Wrestling Dontaku 2018, LIJ (EVIL, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated various members of Suzuki-gun
– At Destruction in Hiroshima 2018, LIJ (EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku, Zack Sabre Jr & Takashi Iizuka)
– At Destruction in Kobe 2018, LIJ (EVIL, SANADA & Naito) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr & TAKA Michinoku)
– At OTT’s 4th Anniversary Show, LIJ (EVIL, SANADA & Naito) defeated Shane Strickland, Bandido & Flamita
– At Global Wars 2018, LIJ (EVIL & SANADA) defeated Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER)
– LIJ (EVIL & SANADA) won the 2018 World Tag League, defeating The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
– At Wrestle Kingdom 13, LIJ (EVIL & SANADA) defeated The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) and The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– At The New Beginning in Sapporo 2019, LIJ defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– At The New Beginning in Osaka 2019, LIJ defeated Shota Umino & Ayato Yoshida
– At Wrestling Hinokuni 2019, LIJ (EVIL, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & SANADA) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii, SHO & YOH)
– At Wrestling Dontaku 2019, EVIL & SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii
– At Destruction in Beppu 2019, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito defeated Jay White & Chase Owens
– At Destruction in Kagoshima 2019, EVIL & Naito defeated Jay White & Yujiro Takahashi
– At Destruction in Kobe 2019, EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI defeated Kazuchika Okada, Kota Ibushi & Robbie Eagles
– At Wrestle Kingdom 14, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & Shingo Takagi) won a 5-team Gauntlet Match to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At New Year Dash 2020, EVIL & Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto
– On February 6, 2020, LIJ (EVIL, BUSHI & Takagi) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Robbie Eagles) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– On February 21, LIJ defeated Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi & Colt Cabana to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Manabu Nakanishi’s Retirement Show, EVIL, Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi defeated Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI
– EVIL won the 2020 New Japan Cup, defeating Kazuchika Okada in the final. Following the victory, he would turn on Tetsuya Naito to join Bullet Club
– At Dominion 2020, EVIL defeated Naito to win the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles
– On July 25, EVIL defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles
– At The New Beginning in Hiroshima 2021, EVIL & Dick Togo fought Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano to a double countout draw
– At NJPW’s 49th Anniversary Show, Bullet Club (EVIL, Jay White, Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & KENTA) defeated David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toa Henare
– At Wrestling Dontaku 2021, Bullet Club (EVIL, Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo) defeated Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato
– At Dominion 2021, Bullet Club (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens & El Phantasmo) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & SHO
– At Power Struggle 2021, House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Wrestle Kingdom 16, EVIL defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the NEVER Openweight Title, before teaming with Yujiro Takahashi & SHO to defeat CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– On February 13, 2022, EVIL defeated Tomohiro Ishii in a Lumberjack Death Match to retain the NEVER Openweight Title
– On February 20, EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– On April 9, EVIL defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain the NEVER Openweight Title
– On April 25, House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At Dominion 2022, House of Torture defeated Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At GLEAT’s 1st Anniversary Show, House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & SHO) defeated Shigehiro Irie, Alex Zayne, Issei Onitsuka & T-Hawk
– On September 23, 2022, House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO) defeated CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH) in a Tornado Dog Cage Survival Match to win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– On October 23, House of Torture defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hikuleo to retain the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles
– At New Year Dash 2023, House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Dick Togo) defeated Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Ren Narita
– At Satsuma No Kuni 2023, House of Torture (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Shota Umino & Oskar Leube
– At Wrestle Kingdom 18, House of Torture (EVIL & Ren Narita) defeated Shota Umino & Kaito Kiyomiya
