Former NJPW Title-Holder EVIL Gives Notice To New Japan, Expected To Debut In WWE

A major NJPW mainstay could be on his way out.

And all signs are pointing toward WWE as the next destination.

Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion EVIL has reportedly given his notice to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Multiple reports indicate that his NJPW run is coming to an end, with WWE widely believed to be where he’s headed next.

The news was discussed this week on Wrestling Observer Live (see below), with additional confirmation coming from the Super J-Cast, which reported that EVIL has formally given notice and is expected to leave the promotion.

EVIL, now 38 years old, most recently competed at Wrestle Kingdom 20, where he lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Aaron Wolf. That defeat now appears to have been his final major NJPW match.

During his New Japan career, EVIL built an extensive résumé. He captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and held the IWGP Tag Team Titles twice alongside SANADA. EVIL also won the NEVER Openweight Championship four times, the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles six times, the 2020 New Japan Cup, and the 2017 and 2018 World Tag League tournaments with SANADA.

And he may not be the only one heading for the exit.

On the Voices of Wrestling Flagship Plus show, it was also suggested that Hiromu Takahashi could potentially be on his way out of NJPW. That would add to a growing list of notable departures and possible departures that already includes SANADA, with Gabe Kidd and David Finlay also said to be drawing interest from WWE.

If confirmed, NJPW could be facing a significant talent shift in the months ahead.