Wheeler Yuta Working In New Japan Is Going To Make Him Even Better In AEW

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Tony Khan’s first main use of Ring of Honor helping the AEW brand featured Wheeler Yuta getting a title run. Yuta won the ROH Pure Championship and had his star-making performance against Jon Moxley all in the same week. Things have been progressing for Yuta since then by getting to join the Blackpool Combat Club with Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and William Regal.

The latest news for Wheeler is that he’s going to New Japan to compete in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Wrestling fans have hoped for some AEW/NJPW crossover from the company’s inception, but it is just now coming to fruition. Yuta working in Japan for the lengthy tourney feels like a small preview for the Forbidden Door PPV. The biggest positive however will be Yuta getting even better for AEW by working in NJPW.

He's Going At Right Time

The timing worked out perfectly for Wheeler Yuta to make his New Japan debut after getting over in AEW. Yuta has been in AEW for quite some time now, but he wasn’t going to make that move while being a secondary member of the Best Friends. William Regal joining AEW to form the Blackpool Combat Club with Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley saw them referencing working with younger wrestlers.

Yuta fit the mold needed of the young stars in comedy or humorous acts rather than trying to embrace the violence as a professional wrestler. The evolution of Wheeler facing Danielson and Moxley before joining the group played out perfectly. Yuta added that violent dynamic to his matches to completely change up his game.

NJPW typically wants to tell stories using the violent side of wrestling as work rate and athletics are sold more than soap opera storylines. Yuta is heading to NJPW with a world of momentum and is embracing a new style that makes him fit into that world better. The AEW fans who enjoy NJPW will also treat this as a big deal since they’re more invested in Wheeler than ever before.

Wheeler Has Improved In A Short Time

New Japan having multiple unique tournaments that test the stamina and versatility of their wrestlers usually helps the talent involved improve each year. The Best of the Super Juniors tournament is not as intense as the G1 Climax, but it certainly requires the same level of commitment. Yuta will be facing many of the top NJPW junior division stars. Before AEW, he primarily worked on the independent circuit against similarly experienced names.

The tournament here will give Yuta the chance to work with some more experienced names in more important matches than he’s used to. This only helps the bigger picture of Yuta growing into a better performer by having to step his game up. Even though both are most known for their WWE and AEW careers, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley each represent shades of the NJPW style.

Yuta will likely pick up new things and continue adding to his repertoire in the ring. AEW has already done a solid job having Wheeler fit into the Blackpool Combat Club, but this will only enhance their teamwork. NJPW expects Yuta to have good matches against the best wrestlers in his weight class, and that pressure will be another boost for his bigger AEW matches down the line.

Yuta Will Come Back To AEW As A Bigger Deal

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a popular phrase used in many ways, but it applies quite well to wrestling. Any respected wrestler to miss some time for their promotion will return to excitement and general interest. Wheeler Yuta is likely going to benefit from this theory after leaving AEW for a few weeks to work in the New Japan tournament.

The Blackpool Combat Club won’t even suffer from his absence since they’re teaming up with Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz in an even five vs five feud against the Jericho Appreciation Society. Yuta would have likely been kept out of this match as well, so the time away just leads to more productive work on his end. AEW fans will miss him without the product being hurt from it.

Just about every single element of Yuta’s time in NJPW provides a positive scenario unfolding. NJPW will help Wheeler continue improving in a major tournament to add to his relevance. Yuta gets to accomplish a dream by working in such a respected concept for the top Japanese promotion. The improvement there and respect added to his name value will see him getting better for AEW moving forward.