Tag: NXT

NXT Women’s Championship not necessary for main roster move, believes Kelani Jordan 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Kelani Jordan claims she is main roster ready regardless of whether she holds the NXT Women’s Championship at least once in her WWE career. 

Jordan told Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio that she is prepared for the main roster call-up and the NXT Women’s Championship – whichever opportunity comes first. 

“I would love to go to the main roster, I would love to be able to be on a bigger platform, but also be able to wrestle girls who are on that next level. I would love that, Raw, SmackDown, I’m ready. Of course, if the NXT Women’s Championship is in my future, that’s great, but if the main roster is next, I have my eyes on the US Championship, the Intercontinental (Championship).”

Jordan feels she does not need to win the NXT Women’s Championship to succeed on the main roster. She referenced Becky Lynch winning the title years after moving on from the NXT brand. She also highlighted a few notable talents who have made a name on Raw and SmackDown without ever having the title in their possession.

“I think you can jump over that championship cause we’ve seen girls do it before. Like even when Becky was in NXT, she didn’t win the championship, she actually when she came back and had the feud with Tiffany (Stratton) and Lyra and all of them is when she got the championship. But it’s also other superstars like greats who never won the NXT Women’s Championship and they’re prospering and thriving on the main roster.” 

Jordan became the inaugural NXT Women’s North American Champion in June 2024. Last year she also captured the TNA Knockouts Title amidst the promotion’s crossover rivalry with NXT. 

Jordan made her Royal Rumble debut at the Premium Live Event in January this year.

Mike Santana & OTM six-man tag part of next WWE NXT lineup

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mike Santana is heading back to NXT in New York City next week.

On Tuesday’s show, it was revealed that Santana will be the tag team partner for OTM when they take on Darkstate in a six-man tag match at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The TNA World Champion appeared on a video screen and told Darkstate that when they land at the airport, they better wipe their feet and show their respect because papi is coming home.

Los Americanos will take on Birthright with the winners facing Vanity Project at Stand & Deliver. Rayo and Bravo were last minute replacements when Elio LeFleur and Eli Knight were found attacked backstage. The two went on to the finals of the number one contender’s tournament by defeating The Culling.

Kendal Grey and Lola Vice will determine the number one contender for Jacy Jayne’s Women’s title in St. Louis on April 4. Grey called her shot after she and Wren Sinclair defeated Fallon Henley and Laney Reid, but Vice came out and told Grey she may be champion someday, but not before her.

Josh Briggs was added to the Keanu Carver vs. Jasper Troy match next week as a special guest referee. After it was revealed that no referee wanted to officiate that match, Briggs ended up volunteering for the job. Kelani Jordan, meanwhile, will face Jaida Parker after the latter attacked the former while she continued to attack Thea Hail after their match.

A contract signing for Stand & Deliver will also take place between Ethan Page, Ricky Starks, Joe Hendry, and Tony D’Angelo. After the four brawled in the main event, Robert Stone made the match for St. Louis and announced a contract singing would take place next week to make it official.

After spending most of Tuesday tracking down Blake Monroe, Tatum Paxley found her in a hotel room and confronted Monroe when she opened her hotel room door. Paxley informed Monroe they would be meeting next week and told her to bring the NXT North American title, which Monroe stole last week.

WWE NXT (March 31)

  • Stand & Deliver NXT Championship contract signing
  • OTM & Mike Santana vs. Darkstate
  • NXT Women’s title number one contender’s match: Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey
  • Jasper Troy vs. Keanu Carver (special guest referee Josh Briggs)
  • Los Americanos vs. Birthright — winners face Vanity Project at Stand & Deliver
  • Tatum Paxley & Blake Monroe face-to-face
  • Kelani Jordan vs. Jaida Parker

Report: Injury updates on Elio LeFleur and Lexis King

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Latest reports have emerged about Elio LeFleur and Lexis King’s injury status.

Over the weekend at the March 20 NXT house show, WWE Men’s Speed Champion Elio LeFluer suffered an arm injury while competing in a tag team match. While King got “banged up” by a knee to his head, although King was later noted to be feeling better.

Fightful Select recently noted that sources close to LeFleur believed that he did suffer an arm injury at the live house show and has been in a sling due to it. Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer also opened up and covered these NXT injuries on Sunday’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

On the March 24 episode of NXT, LeFluer and Eli Knight were ambushed ahead of their scheduled tag team match and later replaced by Bravo and Rayo Americano. On the same episode, while Birthright’s Charlie Dempsey was in action, Vic Joseph on commentary shared an update on King. Joseph revealed that King was not cleared to compete in in-ring action.

There are currently no confirmed updates on LeFleur and King’s in-ring returns.

New participant added to WWE NXT gauntlet match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new participant has been confirmed for tonight’s number one contender’s gauntlet eliminator match on WWE NXT.

Myles Borne’s NXT North American Championship challenger for NXT Stand & Deliver will be determined by a gauntlet match on tonight’s show. Jackson Drake, Dion Lennox, and Shiloh Hill had already been confirmed for the match. WWE has now announced that Charlie Dempsey will be competing in the bout as well.

In his video announcing the news, interim NXT general manager Robert Stone teased that a fifth competitor for the gauntlet match has also been finalized. Stone teased that viewers will need to tune into tonight’s show to see who that is.

Dempsey — the son of William Regal — is a new addition to NXT’s Birth Right faction, which also includes Lexis King, Arianna Grace, Stacks, and Uriah Connors. A pair of Heritage Cup Championship reigns are the only gold Dempsey has held in his WWE career so far.

Borne became North American Champion last month when he ended Ethan Page’s reign with the belt.

NXT Stand & Deliver 2026 is being held in St. Louis on April 4. Tonight’s NXT is the second-to-last episode before the PLE.

Here is the updated card for tonight:

WWE NXT (Tuesday, March 24) —

  • Ricky Saints (w/ Ethan Page) vs. Tony D’Angelo
  • Number one contender’s gauntlet eliminator match: Jackson Drake vs. Dion Lennox vs. Shiloh Hill vs. Charlie Dempsey vs. TBD (winner challenges North American ChampionMyles Borne at Stand & Deliver)
  • Sol Ruca and Zaria meet face-to-face
  • Tag team number one contender’s tournament match: Eli Knight & Elio LeFluer vs. The Culling (Shawn Spears & Niko Vance)
  • Thea Hail vs. Kelani Jordan
  • Fatal Influence (Lainey Reid & Fallon Henley) vs. Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey

TNA veteran praises WWE NXT’s Tatum Paxley

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Rosemary has been winning championships in TNA and other promotions for over a decade. But it’s a champion in NXT who is on her mind these days.

In an interview with Dom Smith at Soundsphere Magazine, Rosemary talked about the “weirdos” in society who needed someone to represent them on television.

“Look at Tatum Paxley,” she said. “She’s got a wonderful following. We absolutely adore her. And to allow her to be this alternate character that she is, and to show that kind of love for what she is, her true self on television.”

Rosemary wrestled Paxley twice in September of 2024, before Paxley went on to win the NXT Women’s Championship and Women’s North American Championship.

“And we’ll say quite frankly,” she added, “10 years ago, someone like her is a is a midcard act, never a champion, because she’s just a weird kid. It’s not someone they feel they can promote to the top. Well, she is now. There is more of acceptance for weird kids like her, like us, like so many countless others out there.”

The interview covered other subjects as well, including how Raven is helping Rosemary to bring Allie back from the dead in TNA.

LFG winner added to gauntlet match on WWE NXT

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The men’s winner of the most recent season of WWE LFG will get a chance to prove he can be a future great.

Interim NXT general manager Robert Stone announced on social media that Shiloh Hill would be participating in a gauntlet match this Tuesday. Stone broke the news to Hill as he was unloading the ring truck, congratulated the youngster on his success, then immediately left before anyone asked him to lift anything.

Hill is the third name Stone has announced for Tuesday’s gauntlet match, joining Jackson Drake and Dion Lennox. The winner of that match will go on to challenge Myles Bourne for the North American Championship at Stand & Deliver. 

Hill played football for the Stanford Cardinal under his real name of Thunder Justice Keck. He signed an NIL contract with WWE in June of 2022. After a handful of matches at live events and on NXT Level Up, he joined the second season of WWE Legends & Future Greats starting in February of last year. Mentored by the Undertaker, he won that season, beating Harlem Lewis in the finals. He joined the NXT roster full-time last December. 

NXT Stand & Deliver takes place on Saturday, April 4, at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri. Tickets are available here. 

Charlie Dempsey match set for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey is stepping back into the Bloodsport ring during WrestleMania week.

It was revealed today that Dempsey vs. Timothy Thatcher will be part of the card for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17. Both are Bloodsport regulars, with Dempsey having competed in five Bloodsport matches so far and Thatcher’s history with the event dating back to 2018.

Dempsey and Thatcher faced off on WWE Evolve near the start of 2026 with Dempsey getting the victory. Thatcher is now the on-screen general manager of Evolve and helps train WWE ID wrestlers.

In NXT, Dempsey — the son of William Regal — is part of the newly formed Birth Right faction with Lexis King, Arianna Grace, Stacks, and Uriah Connors.

Bloodsport is being promoted by Game Changer Wrestling and will be held at Horseshoe Las Vegas. The show will be broadcast live on Triller TV+. So far, Dempsey vs. Thatcher and Pete Dunne vs. Masashi Takeda have been announced. Here are all of the confirmed participants:

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV —

  • Josh Barnett
  • Nattie
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Yuji Nagata
  • Ulka Sasaki
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Charlie Dempsey
  • Pete Dunne
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Erick Stevens
  • Fuminori Abe
  • Ray Jaz
  • Angel Verduzco
  • Joe Dashou
  • Masashi Takeda
  • Matt Mako
  • Royce Isaacs
  • Miyu Yamashita

WWE NXT content fully moved from Peacock to YouTube

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE NXT content is no longer available on Peacock and has moved to YouTube.

The official NXT YouTube page has been uploading full episodes and PLEs for several months.

Bryan Alvarez noted to his subscribers on X that all NXT content previously available on Peacock has now been moved to the brand’s YouTube page.

“All of the NXT content that was on Peacock is now on YouTube,” Alvarez wrote.

In recent days, the channel has uploaded the full NXT Heatwave 2025 event, as well as several episodes from 2021.

WWE moved its PLEs from Peacock to ESPN last September, beginning with WrestlePalooza. WWE will continue to air Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock under a multi-year agreement. In November 2023, WWE and The CW announced a five-year deal for NXT, which took effect in October 2024.

WWE NXT lineup for March 24, 2026

  • Ricky Saints (with Ethan Page) vs. Tony D’Angelo
  • Gauntlet Eliminator for a shot at Myles Borne’s North American title at NXT Stand and Deliver
  • Sol Ruca and Zaria to meet face-to-face
  • Eli Knight & Elio LeFluer vs. The Culling (Shawn Spears & Niko Vance) – Tag tournament match for the NXT Tag title shot
  • Thea Hail vs. Kelani Jordan
  • Fatal Influence (Lainey Reid & Fallon Henley) vs. Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey

Robert Stone announces first name for upcoming NXT gauntlet match

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Last week on NXT, Interim General Manager Robert Stone booked a gauntlet match to name a top contender for Myles Borne’s North American Championship. Now we know the first participant in that match. 

Stone made the announcement in an Instagram post before an NXT live event in Lakeland, Florida. The wrestler announced for that match: Jackson Drake.

Stone also said he would be announcing another new name for the match every day between now and Tuesday. The winner of the gauntlet match will challenge Borne at NXT Stand & Deliver in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday, April 4.

Drake, 22 years old, made his pro wrestling debut in 2017. After a few years working indies in and around his home state of North Carolina (plus appearances for AEW and on Monday Night Raw), he signed with the WWE ID program in November of 2024.

He appeared on WWE’s first episode of Evolve in March of last year. He then defeated Sean Legacy, Edris Enofe, Keanu Carver in a four-way to win the inaugural Evolve Championship. 

Earlier this year, he joined the NXT roster full-time, along with Vanity Project stablemates Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor. He lost the Evolve Championship to Aaron Rourke on the March 18 episode of Evolve, which was taped in February. 

Oba Femi details learning from Shawn Michaels in WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Coming up in WWE NXT, Oba Femi was able to learn a lot from Shawn Michaels.

Femi reflected on his tenure in developmental while appearing on this week’s edition of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast. When he was in NXT, Femi would come up with elaborate finishes for his matches. It initially bothered him when Michaels would reject those ideas, but Femi learned an important lesson in the process. Everyone is part of the show and all of those elements have to fit together to form a complete picture.

“You can, but I don’t think that’s going to work. You will be very frustrated,” he responded when asked if it’s possible to be a perfectionist in wrestling. “And I think I learned that lesson quickly. So here in NXT when I was in developmental, I’ll come up with these matches and come up with these elaborate finishes and stuff like that. And Shawn would always change it. Shawn Michaels would always change it. And I’m just like — and it used to like eat at me at first. But I’m like, he knows where we’re going after this. I don’t know where we’re going after this. So you kind of have to just lend yourself as a tool to make the art come to life and be okay with where it goes.”

Femi was more than happy to have Michaels tell him what to do given all that Michaels has accomplished in wrestling.

“And at the end of the day, I’m like, okay, whatever I have in mind, I have to put that to the side. It’s what Shawn wants, to give him what he wants. And I will give him what he wants,” Femi said. “So I learned quickly, that’s part of being a student of the game. Like, sometimes I would ask him what he’s looking for and then go draft something. And then he still doesn’t like it — and that’s fine too. But at least that’s part of the learning process, seeing where his mind is at, what direction he’s trying to go on, and learning from him.

“Because I don’t know how to book wrestling. I’m not a booker, but it’s an important skill to learn. I feel like a lot of guys, they’re just like, ‘Make me champion.’ You know, ‘Do this for me, do that for me.’ But they don’t even understand the patterns and the way in which the booking works. The ‘why.’ So I just lent myself to Shawn and I let him take me where I needed to be.”

Matt Bloom, Ivar, and Terry Taylor are some of the other people Femi was able to learn from in NXT. He and Taylor would often disagree about things, but Taylor helped Femi understand the minutiae and nuance of pro wrestling.

Outside of the ring, Femi learned a lot about respect from his father and a lot about love from his mother. He learned to dream big through public figures like Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and former Navy SEAL David Goggins.

Femi was called up to the WWE main roster near the start of 2026 and is now set for a WrestleMania 42 clash against Brock Lesnar.

WOR: Ricochet tweet, Dynamite, weekend schedule, news!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Ricochet’s tweet and the fallout, New Japan Cup update, a big weekend schedule of Smackdown, Collision, New Japan, AAA and more, ratings, a poor edition of Dynamite and your NXT report as well, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: Ricochet deletes controversial post & fallout
7:35: NJPW Cup update, early AEW Revolution numbers, thoughts on main event stipulation and more
19:48: Lineups for this weekend
35:21: Ratings
39:42: AEW Dynamite recap
1:04:09: WWE NXT recap

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Daily Update: Sgt. Slaughter, Lilian Garcia, Ricky Saints

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Preview and business notes on AEW Revolution
  • Updates on WrestleMania, how we got to Rhodes vs. Orton and feuds that are starting
  • A look at the UFC White House show and how we got here
  • Full UFC 326 coverage including the most viewers of a TV UFC show since Paige Van Zant vs. Michelle Waterson
  • A look at the new AEW streaming service
  • NXT Vengeance Day coverage and poll results
  • Odds on upcoming pro wrestling matches
  • Logan Paul’s grandstand challenge to football players gets several takers, including some big names, but nothing can transpire and how it ended
  • Full coverage of the 16 Carat Gold tournament in German featuring many of the best independent wrestlers in the world
  • A complete look at the TV ratings from all the pro wrestling shows over the past week, including breakdowns in various categories, placings, how Raw did on Netflix, competition and more
  • CMLL’s lineup for its No. 2 show of the year next week
  • Full rundown of the CMLL all women’s show onFriday
  • Konnan news
  • Behnid the Nino Hamburguesa firing
  • Rey de Reyes notes
  • Stardom Cinderella tournament news
  • New Japan Cup and anniversary show news
  • Pro wrestler and MMA star looks back at a fixed fight and more comments including the Japanese attempt to get a major WWE star to job in an MMA match to theri guy
  • Notes on a new promotion debuting
  • Attendance updates for future WWE, AEW, TNA and other shows including Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
  • Giant weekend in Europe including the two big Eve shows and the controversy
  • TNA future direction
  • Notes from the Tony Khan media call
  • Putting recent Collision numbers into perspective
  • How Zuffa boxing’s biggest show did
  • Rousey vs. Carano and Rousey’s promotional tactics as well as responses from other fighters
  • Lots of new UFC fights
  • Jake Paul’s women’s boxing group makes ESPN deal
  • Changes to the WWE writing team
  • ESPN reporting side does exactly what they said they wouldn’t do regarding pro wrestling
  • More vacant WWE titles

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Wednesday Update

Booker T WWE NXT Appreciation Night
WWE celebrates Booker T on NXT in Houston. (Image credit: WWE)

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame steel cage match for the Women’s North American Championship that headlined NXT last night.
  • A video package celebrating Booker T aired during the NXT episode, which took place in Houston and was Booker T Appreciation Night. 
  • Ricky Saints spoke with KRON 4 News about his acting ambitions:
    • It’s so taboo to talk about like, ‘Oh, he’s a wrestler and he’s talking about wanting to go from wrestling to acting.’ Yes, for sure, my body won’t be able to do this forever. So, for those who hate hearing it, yes, I want to get into acting. Who cares? I loved acting. I loved [CW’s] Wild Cards. I loved the whole experience. I thought it was really good, and it really gave me a sense of something that I’m able to do after this. [When] this life is over, and so, you know, the hope is more of that to come. And the network, they love me. They really did. They enjoyed me. They cherished me. All my fans. They said, ‘well, Ricky, you did great. You were a natural.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, can’t help it.’
    • I’ve always said I think I could play a really, really good Gambit [from X-Men]. I just need to learn how to throw cards and, you know, shuffle a deck. But, yeah, that’s like the top of the list. If I can get Gambit, it’s a wrap or Blade. Imagine me as Blade. I think I look good in leather.”
  • Sgt. Slaughter told Going Ringside that he was the only wrestler to go to Iron Sheik’s funeral when Sheik passed away in 2023:
    • In 2023, he passed. And I was the only wrestler at his funeral, which I thought was pretty horrendous, that I was the only wrestler to go to his funeral. And he lived in Atlanta where all the wrestlers lived, so I thought that was kind of a slap in the face. [Sheik did] so much not only for wrestlers but for the professional wrestling business.
  • Lilian Garcia was a guest on Busted Open Radio today. She noted that she’ll be doing some ring announcing at WWE’s summer 2026 European tour and will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania 42 weekend:
    • To be able to get called back, to come back and still have a role. You know, Saturday Night’s Main Event, Worlds Collide. I’ll be doing some of the Europe tour now, they just let me know. And some things here at WrestleMania. It’s just always fun. It’s just in my blood.
  • When asked how WWE has changed across her different stints with the company, Garcia pointed to how much the Wellness Policy has cleaned up things in the locker room:
    • I just listened to the podcast with Chris Masters and Chris Van Vliet actually, and he was talking about some of the things that were happening with the Wellness Policy and how things have changed now and the partying that was before and the Wellness Policy, how it cleaned up a lot. And so it changed.
    • I think for me, that was really great to see too. Obviously, I think for all of us. You know, Tommy [Dreamer], you and I have experienced the loss of so many wrestlers dying way too young. When I started counting it one day, I’m like, ‘I’ve lost my fingers. All my fingers are gone. All my toes are gone. It’s crazy.’ And so I think that’s the biggest thing, that the wellness is better in there. And you’re not expected to be this monster of a wrestler to be able to be effective.
  • Liv Morgan will be appearing at a live podcast taping for Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” during the Wednesday of WrestleMania week.
  • Complex’s Graps podcast interviewed Jade Cargill.
  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be featured in the next season of the video game Fortnite.
  • For a 3:16 Day video, Danhausen tried to trick wrestlers into thinking he was “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Other Wrestling

  • In an interview with High Times, Marina Shafir opened up about her relationship with husband Roderick Strong:
    • He’s such an amazing partner. I love that I can speak my love language with my husband while training together. That’s a different level of trust. He understands who I am, and I understand who he is.
    • There’s so much going on outside of my bubble that I can’t control…  It’s a lot. So I take it one week at a time.
    • We really try hard to carve out time for our son, too. Soccer practice, going to the farmers market, and just making time for family.
  • MVP appeared on Your Entertainment Escape in Fresno ahead of tonight’s Dynamite.
  • Denise Salcedo uploaded video of her live show with Willow Nightingale from Revolution weekend.
  • AJPW Tag Team Champions Titans of Calamity (Ren Ayabe & Tolos) will compete in the 2026 NWA Crockett Cup in Forney, Texas on April 4.
  • During an Instagram Q&A, Maki Itoh was asked what her biggest career goal is right now: “Go to the Tokyo Dome with STARDOM. And suddenly show up in AEW again..make the crowd want me, and leave for Japan right away lol”

Ricky Saints says Undertaker has given him ‘so many gems’ of WWE advice

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Getting advice from his favorite wrestler of all time has been a wild experience for Ricky Saints.

In an interview with KRON 4 News, Saints named The Undertaker, The Rock, and Mankind as his three favorite wrestlers. Undertaker takes the top spot on that list, and it’s still surreal for Saints to be in the same company as Undertaker and receiving advice from him.

“I met The Undertaker several times. He’s awesome, given me so many gems of advice and knowledge that he’s dropped on me,” Saints said. “It’s wild. It’s wild to see every time I see him at the [Performance Center] or at some of these shows that we go up and greet each other and, you know, catch up a little bit. But, yeah, it’s insane, like watching as a kid and now being on the same show, being a part of the same company with him, is wild.”

Saints and Undertaker actually first met in a gym while Undertaker was training for his WrestleMania 32 match against Shane McMahon, and Saints later helped Undertaker’s wife Michelle McCool prepare for a Royal Rumble appearance.

Undertaker’s behind-the-scenes influence has grown over the past year with him becoming an important voice in Lucha Libre AAA’s creative after the promotion was acquired by WWE.

At NXT Vengeance Day earlier this month, Saints came up short in his attempt to win the NXT Championship from Joe Hendry. A match between Saints and Tony D’Angelo is set to take place on NXT next week.

Report: NJPW veteran EVIL wants to start WWE run in NXT

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

EVIL (real name Takaaki Watanabe) could be headed to WWE soon and reportedly would like to start in NXT.

While there is no official confirmation on EVIL’s WWE signing, Voices of Wrestling reports discussions between the two sides are ongoing. The New Japan Pro-Wrestling veteran is said to have expressed interest in potentially beginning his WWE run in NXT rather than moving to the main roster directly, feeling it would help him adapt to the WWE style.

The report also notes he would prefer to maintain his already established EVIL persona in WWE.

Watanabe made his wrestling debut in 2011 in NJPW as a young lion. Following an excursion to ROH in 2014 for a year, he returned to the promotion as EVIL.

After wrestling as a member of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Watanabe joined Bullet Club in July 2020. He defeated Tetsuya Naito at Dominion on July 12, 2020 in Osaka-jo Hall to win both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.