Highlights
- Wheeler Yuta has shown potential in AEW, but may not reach the heights of becoming a major star for the company.
- Yuta's in-ring skills are solid, but he lacks a standout appearance, size, mic skills, and a compelling gimmick that would make him stand out among other talented wrestlers.
- Compared to other young prospects in AEW like Daniel Garcia, MJF, and Darby Allin, Yuta falls behind in terms of charisma, mic skills, and overall performance, making it unlikely for him to become a future main eventer.
AEW’s roster is jam-packed full of incredible talent which is sprinkled with youth and potential stars of the future. The reigning and defending AEW World Champion MJF is one of their biggest stars and is still only in his twenties. Wheeler Yuta is someone who AEW has presented as being someone to keep an eye on, and has even been positioned in some very big spots which suggests that Tony Khan has Yuta in mind as someone who could very well be a world champion in the future. It must be said though that Yuta isn’t quite hitting the heights AEW may have hoped, and when looking at how he has progressed, there is an argument to be made that he won’t end up being a major star for AEW.
AEW Sees Wheeler Yuta As A Star Of The Future
Wheeler Yuta made his AEW debut back in 2021, becoming a regular on AEW Dark. He was presented as a protege for those in the Best Friends, with Chuck Taylor acting as his mentor. Yuta mostly lost, especially when he appeared on television, doing a good job in making others look good. He wasn’t particularly interesting at first, being presented rather blandly and as an afterthought in the Best Friends faction. Over time, he showcased his talents more and more in longer matches, building some notoriety on the AEW roster. Things changed for Yuta when he was singled out by Bryan Danieslon as someone he would want to see in the Blackpool Combat Club.
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Yuta would have what felt like star-making performances against the likes of Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, with the latter match on Rampage being among the best of the year. For a short while, with Yuta being accepted into the BCC, it felt like Yuta was on an upwards climb up the card. Fans were behind him following this, and his matches were getting better. He showed some more intensity on the microphone, and working under the tutelage of some living legends, he had the best help possible. He would go on to win the ROH Pure Title and has since stood toe-to-toe with other top names in AEW - even pinning Kenny Omega in a PPV main event! However, even with all these positives, something just isn’t clicking with Yuta any longer, and it feels like he won’t become a big star despite all this recent success.
Wheeler Yuta Has A Lot To Improve
Whilst Yuta has improved a great deal since joining the BCC, he arguably hasn’t improved enough. There is no denying how good he is in the ring, but at this point most of the AEW roster is good to great, so he doesn’t really stand out when it comes to wrestling. He has all the fundamentals down, but without a striking appearance or size, he needs more to make himself seen. Smaller wrestlers who often thrive have great mic skills or a standout gimmick - both of which Yuta doesn’t have.
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Yuta suffers from the same issues that the likes of Sammy Guevara and Austin Theory do, as his promos just don’t feel believable. There is a lack of conviction behind what he says, and everything feels like it is coming from a script. In terms of character, he is currently a punching bag to the BCC when they train, and he just seems like an aggressive child. His intensity and aggression in promos mixed with some smarminess comes across like he’s a spoiled brat having a tantrum, and this has led to fans not really knowing how to react to him. In fact, fans don’t really react to him all that match any longer.
AEW Has Better Young Prospects Than Wheeler Yuta
Another big hurdle getting in the way of Yuta in AEW is the fact that there are others of a similar age who are just so much better. The likes of Daniel Garcia, MJF, Darby Allin, and more are all within a few years of one another, but they all feel streets ahead in every aspect. Garcia in particular can be compared to Yuta. It was felt as though he was a better fit for the BCC than Yuta, with fans damning the decision for him to join the Jericho Appreciation Society. However, the charisma and comfort behind the mic and performing an array of characters has led to Garcia’s stock shooting right up. Perhaps Yuta needed something like that to help with his performance.
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There are young and promising wrestlers who are overtaking Yuta right now, and he isn’t looking able to catch up with them in terms of proving himself to be a future main eventer. Yuta is still talented for sure, but it is currently unlikely that without some spark to bring him to the next level, he will remain in the undercard or midcard as a “good hand”.
