Wheeler Yuta recently affirmed that his matches against Jon Moxley and Penta El Zero Miedo (a.k.a. Pena Oscuro) elevated his AEW career.
The 25-year-old star has grown leaps and bounds since Orange Cassidy w/ Best Friends took him under their wing last year. While Yuta has often failed to win high-profile matches, he has shown tremendous resiliency to hang with some of the best performers in the ring.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Wheeler Yuta recalled his match against Penta on AEW Dark and implied that the bout was a turning point for his AEW career:
"It started to happen a little bit into my time in AEW. I look at my match with Pentagon on Dark. We were in DC, I was able to drive to the show, I wasn’t sure what I was going to be doing that day, and out of the blue I have a match with Penta El Zero Miedo. It was definitely a big challenge and step up, but I delivered. That was sort of a turning point for me. ‘I delivered, I can do this, I belong here," Yuta said.
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Wheeler Yuta also reflected on his match against Jon Moxley, which went down on the February 2nd edition of AEW Dynamite this year. The rising star from Philadelphia asserted that their second clash felt more like an actual match in comparison to their previous squash bout:
"Shortly after that, I had round two with Jon Moxley, it was not a mugging as the first one was, this was at least match, and I was like, ‘I’m getting there, I’m starting to level up. I’m starting to step up and prove I can do it.’ Those were two moments where I felt like I was starting to find my footing and now I think it’s starting to take off." [H/T- Fightful]
Even in defeat, Wheeler Yuta looked like a million bucks as he pushed the former Shield member to his limit that night.
Jon Moxley defeated Wheeler Yuta on AEW Rampage this week
Wheeler Yuta's hard luck against Jon Moxley continued, as he once again came up short in a grueling main event match on AEW Rampage this week.
However, Yuta stunned everyone with his spine-chilling performance. He countered Mox's every finishing maneuver, and even more so, he kicked out of the Paradigm Shift twice.
Yuta was bleeding profusely throughout the match. Mox had to apply the Bulldog Choke for the second time to clinch the victory. After the battle, William Regal, alongside Bryan Danielson, hit the ring and offered a handshake to Wheeler Yuta.
A worn-out Yuta finally earned the respect of the veteran and was ostensibly welcomed to the Blackpool Combat Club.
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