Over the course of the past several months, it’s been pretty evident that AEW has something special in 25-year-old Wheeler Yuta. The Philadelphia native has spent over a year now taking aim at any opponent in sight, and the results have been met with the fans’ approval.
Yuta was known in wrestling circles prior to signing with AEW. But now, he’s really receiving his first shot on the grand stage. So far so good, as he’s come out blasting the competition. Yuta is currently benefiting by being one of the junior members of the promotion’s coolest clique, The Blackpool Combat Club. Being in the trenches with mainstream names like Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli has given the young shooter a double-barreled dose of confidence.
He proved that earlier this year when he targeted the Ring of Honor Pure Championship. Yuta hit the bullseye when he defeated Josh Woods at Supercard of Honor XV. His mission accomplished. He would hold the title for 159 days before being defeated by fellow rising star, Daniel Garcia.
Ironically, Garcia now stands on the BCC battle lines alongside Yuta, having recently aligned the faction after being recruited by Bryan Danielson. Now a five-man unit, this supergroup of AEW stars is a great mix of youth and experience. They can match up with anyone in the world in terms of a singles, tag team or trios match. On top of that, both up-and-coming Blackpool members benefit greatly by battling alongside the trio of established stars, while simultaneously sitting under the learning tree of the legendary William Regal.
Wheeler Yuta Has Emerged as One of AEW’s Young Guns
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan asserted from the beginning that his ‘four pillars’ of the promotion were MJF, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy. Back in 2019, Khan stated they would be the foundations of the franchise’s future.
But along came a crop of more several young performers who have stepped up to the plate as well. The development of youngsters like Garcia, Jade Cargill and Yuta has proven that AEW has lots of fledgling firepower. And before it’s all said and done – Yuta could become the best of the entire bunch. He’s got a lot of ‘dry powder’ that he’s just now tapping into. Now he’s ready t make a charge at the next level.
His recent exchanges with MJF have shown us a much more aggressive side of a grappler who normally comes off like Cool Hand Luke. Instead, Yuta went after The Salt of the Earth with double-barreled intensity: They brawled in the MJF’s personal luxury box, before meeting for a great match-up on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite.
Despite a losing effort, Yuta proved that he’s a straight shooter by offering his hand out of respect for MJF. It appeared as if Max was going to go for it. Unfortunately, The Firm quickly hit the ring, targeted Yuta and blew the whole moment to smithereens.
Yuta Has Gone From a Long Shot to a Sure Shot in All Elite Wrestling
Some AEW fans were taken a bit aback when the unproven prospect was added to the Blackpool Combat Club. In comparison to his highly-decorated teammates, Yuta was a relative unknown. He quickly found himself in the cross hairs of criticism on social media. Some of it was rather brutal at times. But just as he earned the respect of his fellow BCC members, he gained acceptance among the audience as well.
Although he had a relatively brief reign as the ROH Pure Champion, that certainly wasn’t his parting shot. He’ll be in the mix for more gold in the future, and every titleholder in the promotion will be under the gun. With his technique and tenacity, Wheeler Yuta will be a legitimate contender for years to come. There’s no limit on what he might become under the AEW banner. At 6’0″ and around 200 pounds, he’s got the right size and skill to contend for any title in professional wrestling. Why not shoot for the moon eventually and aim for the AEW World Championship?
For now, Wheeler Yuta is loaded for bear and has plenty of options. With the backing of the Blackpool Combat Club and a growing level of confidence, it’s safe to say that he’s feeling pretty bulletproof these days. Once considered a prospect, his time is now. This star is climbing the charts with a bullet. And it’s sure as shootin’ that he’s going to be a furious force for years to come.
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