Backstage Update On AEW Status Of Wheeler Yuta After Four-Month Absence

Current ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta has been noticeably absent from AEW television in 2024. While fellow Blackpool Combat Club members Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Jon Moxley have all featured in prominent roles since the turn of the year, Yuta hasn’t been seen in AEW since the January 10 edition of “AEW Rampage,” when he challenged Eddie Kingston for the Continental Crown Championship. It had previously been reported that Yuta was dealing with an injury — now, Fightful Select have provided an update, reporting that Yuta has been dealing with concussion symptoms for some time and hasn’t been medically cleared.

Per Fightful, sources within AEW had originally hoped for Yuta’s absence to be a short one, but as of this writing, there is no concrete timetable on when the ROH Pure Champion will return to action. There has also been no word on exactly when or where Yuta sustained a concussion. He had originally been booked for the CMLL Homenaje A Dos Leyendas event in March, as he was supposed to team up with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club for their eight-man tag team match against Mistico, Volador Jr. Blue Panther, and Ultimo Guerrero. However, both AEW and CMLL announced that Yuta wasn’t cleared to compete; he was replaced by Matt Sydal.

Before his absence, Yuta had made three successful defenses of the ROH Pure Championship against Tom Lawlor, Matt Sydal, and Komander, having dethroned Katsuyori Shibata in November 2023. Yuta is currently in the middle of his third reign with the title, but depending on the severity of his concussion symptoms, there is a chance that the title may have to be vacated if Yuta is unable to return to action in the near future.

Wheeler Yuta Wins ROH Pure Title On AEW Rampage, Katsuyori Shibata Taking Sabbatical

Wheeler Yuta is the new Ring Of Honor Pure Champion after capturing the title from Katsuyori Shibata on a special Saturday episode of “AEW Rampage,” and the former champion will now be taking some time away from the ring. According to Fightful Select, Shibata dropped the championship to return to Japan for an extended period of time. The outlet reported he could “not wait” until after the upcoming ROH Final Battle pay-per-view to leave.

According to Fightful, Shibata was said to be “high” on the idea of Yuta stealing the title and the tease that he was going to injure Shibata before he was saved by HOOK, the idea being that it would be just enough that Shibata would need an extended period of no contact before he can return to action. Shibata was previously forced to retire after an injury in 2017, after suffering a subdural hematoma. After he made his return to the ring, he debuted in AEW at Forbidden Door 2022.

Shibata won the ROH Pure Championship at ROH Supercard of Honor 2023 when he defeated Yuta. Sources told Fightful that Shibata’s leave was something ROH hoped he could put off until after the pay-per-view on December 15, presumably so he could drop the title there, but that was not possible. Shibata is reportedly happy in AEW and has said to have liked teaming with HOOK and Orange Cassidy. It’s not yet known when he will return to ROH.

Wheeler Yuta Wants Title Shot At AEW All In

AEW All In is shaping up to be the company’s biggest event to date since launching in 2019. With over 65,000 fans confirmed to be in attendance at Wembley Stadium in London, AEW roster members are already fantasizing about their potential spot on the card.

In a recent interview with SE Scoops, Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta made it known that he would love to regain the Ring of Honor Pure Championship from Katsuyori Shibata on August 27.

“I would love to win my championship back from Shibata,” Yuta said. “I would like to win the Pure championship back there. That would be an awesome rematch to have. I just want to be on that show, to be honest.”

Yuta is a two-time ROH Pure Champion after initially winning it from Josh Woods at ROH Supercard of Honor 2022, which was the first ROH event under Tony Khan’s ownership. His first reign lasted 159 days until Daniel Garcia dethroned him on a September episode of “AEW Dynamite.” Yuta regained the gold at ROH Final Battle in December before Shibata captured it at this year’s Supercard of Honor event in April.

Yuta has yet to receive his rematch against Shibata as he’s been focused on his role in the Blackpool Combat Club in recent months. After they collectively turned heel in March, the faction has been involved in a lengthy rivalry with The Elite. The 26-year-old notably pinned Kenny Omega in the main event of AEW Double or Nothing in May, which afforded the Blackpool Combat Club the victory in a brutal Anarchy in the Arena match.

Konnan Has Changed His Mind On Wheeler Yuta’s Spot In AEW

Wheeler Yuta has had a roller coaster journey in AEW since joining the company in 2021. When he first arrived on the scene, he was the protege of Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor of Best Friends, both of whom trained him to become a professional wrestler nearly a decade ago.

But after he became the Ring of Honor Pure Champion in May 2022, he started to get the attention of William Regal and the Blackpool Combat Club.

Ever since then, Yuta became as hyper-focused and violent as his new stablemates — Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli. But the members of BCC weren’t the only ones paying attention to his evolution. Former WCW star Konnan also took notice of his progression and the veteran performer’s feelings about the up-and-coming competitor have changed over the years. 

During a bonus mailbag episode of the “K100” podcast, the lucha libre legend was asked his thoughts on Yuta’s progression in AEW so far.

Konnan said he felt like the AEW star didn’t stand out among the crop of similarly talented young wrestlers at first. However, other aspects of his presentation started to catch up to his technical prowess as he spent more time with the Blackpool Combat Club.

“At the beginning, I thought he was pushed too fast,” said Konnan. “He was over-pushed and he wasn’t ready for prime time. Plus, he reminded me of 40 other wrestlers who did the same thing. They all did the same thing [and had], the same match. 

As he adopted the more feral demeanor of the faction, Yuta began to slowly but surely ascend to the level of his teammates, according to Konnan.

“But since he’s been with these guys, he’s gotten a lot better. His work has changed. I was in San Diego in the arena, and when he won, he had a lot of heat. Now that I remember, he won at the pay-per-view and that’s smart. He doesn’t have the credibility of the other guys, right? Danielson, Moxley, and Castagnoli. But by letting him win, they’re starting to elevate him. That’s the way you make somebody.”

The 26-year-old has come a long way in his professional wrestling career, and now that he’s seemingly found experienced stars to point him in the right direction, he’s equipped with all of the tools to take him much further.

Katsuyori Shibata Wins ROH Pure Championship At Supercard Of Honor

Katsuyori Shibata shocked AEW fans when he first appeared in Tony Khan’s company on the November 2 episode of “Dynamite,” announcing his third official match since suffering a severe head injury that almost cost him his career in 2017. Fast forward five matches later and Shibata has captured Ring of Honor gold, in his first match with the company since said year.

During Friday night’s ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view, Shibata defeated ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta to capture the title in the show’s semi-main event, beginning his first title reign since 2017. Following the match, Shibata tried to shake Yuta’s hand, but the Blackpool Combat Club member declined the Code of Honor after their match.

Yuta first won the Pure Championship at ROH Final Battle 2022 in December, defeating former champion Daniel Garcia, who also lost his match on Friday night’s show to Hiroshi Tanahashi. Yuta defended the Pure Title just four times prior to the title change. The title victory likely signals that Shibata will be a regular in ROH going forward. During the post-show media scrum, ROH owner Tony Khan called Shibata a “perfect fit.” Shibata himself mentioned that his title victory brings him a step closer to a match against AEW star Bryan Danielson. Shibata last wrestled in AEW in November, when he lost to Orange Cassidy on an episode of “Rampage.”

Wheeler Yuta Makes It Personal As He Pursues More Singles Gold Against Orange Cassidy

Best Friends no more! Following a falling out a number of months ago between Wheeler Yuta and the faction consisting of Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, Orange Cassidy, and Kris Statlander, Yuta jumped ship to join Blackpool Combat Club. For the most part, each group has been preoccupied with other matters since the split, such as the Jericho Appreciation Society and the AEW World Trios Championships.

However, on Friday night’s episode of “AEW Rampage,” the Ring of Honor Pure Champion finally circled back to address his old pal and trainer, Cassidy. Hoping to end Cassidy’s AEW All-Atlantic Championship reign and 18-match winning streak, Yuta interrupted Mark Henry’s interview with “Freshly Squeezed” to issue a challenge for his title. He proclaimed that his BCC compatriots are “three of the baddest dudes on the planet” and they could teach him more than Cassidy and Taylor “ever could.” He also took a jab at their new friend, the very nice and very evil Danhausen.

Though typically cool, calm, and collected, Cassidy wasn’t going to take the personal attack sitting down with his hands in his pockets. He said, “I wasn’t there to teach. I was there to be your best friend.” Then, the laid-back, denim-clad competitor even took off his sunglasses so he could look Yuta in the eyes as he held up his belt. “If you want this, come take it.”

AEW President Tony Khan made the match official via Twitter after the confrontation. The match will take place on this Wednesday’s episode of “AEW Dynamite” on TBS at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Will this champion versus champion grudge match squash the beef between the former allies? 

Wheeler Yuta Reveals The Meaning Behind His Bloody Gear

The Blackpool Combat Club has been a fixture on AEW television since its formation in March 2022. While the group had started as Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley working together under the violent guidance of William Regal, it has since become a paragon of high-caliber professional wrestling, adding Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli as registered members. 

Yuta’s path into the group took quite a bit of work though, in order to gain enough respect to be welcomed in. After initially being put through the wringer by Danielson and Moxley, it wasn’t until he emerged from a battle with the latter on the April 8 episode of “AEW Rampage” a bloody mess that he was invited to become an official member. Around that time, he began sporting white tights with red accents on them that resemble bloodstains, something he recently reflected on during an episode of AEW’s “Hey! (EW).” “It’s partially for remembering where I came from, a very bloody place on ‘Rampage’ with Jon Moxley,” Yuta explained, pointing to that crucial match in his young AEW career.

Since becoming a full-fledged BCC member, Yuta has become a vital part of the AEW and Ring of Honor rosters, winning the ROH Pure Championship twice while also going head-to-head with main eventers like MJF. In addition, Yuta’s inclusion in the BCC also led to drastic changes in his intensity and presentation from his milder days as a part of the Best Friends. It led to his first appearance in NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament in last May where he finished with a respectable 5-4 record in block competition – not quite good enough to get him to the finals of the tourney though.

Wheeler Yuta Regains ROH Pure Title At Final Battle 2022

Wheeler Yuta makes history at ROH Final Battle 2022.

For the first time ever there is a two-time Ring of Honor Pure Champion and that distinction is held by Wheeler Yuta who defeated Daniel Garcia for the championship at ROH Final Battle.

An uphill battle all night for Yuta, Garcia was able to utilize Pure rules in order to force his opponent to exhaust all of his rope break options. However, in the end, Yuta mustered up the strength and learn from his lessons in the Blackpool Combat Club, knocking out Garcia with Hammer Elbows as Garcia was trapped in a crucifix position.

After the match, Wheeler tried to adhere to the code of honor but Garcia kicked his hand away, dropping the championship belt in the process. In the end, Garcia did pick up the championship belt and award it to his opponent before leaving, seemingly disgusted at himself.

Wheeler Yuta Feels He Has Unfinished Business With AEW Stable

Wheeler Yuta’s bloody brawl with Jon Moxley on an April episode of “Rampage” ended with him joining the Blackpool Combat Club. And while it was a big step forward in his AEW career, it also meant leaving behind Best Friends. In an interview with “Ten Count” promoting ROH Final Battle this weekend, Yuta said he would like to revisit his “unfinished business” with his former stablemates Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Trent Barretta. “I don’t think that we’ve explored it yet,” he said. “Obviously, I sort of abandoned them to join the Blackpool Combat Club.”

The groups have crossed paths on a few occasions, including a tag match at Fyter Fest pitting Yuta and Moxley against Taylor and Barretta. Yuta scored the victory on Taylor with his patented seat belt pin, while on commentary, a bitter Cassidy explained that “Chuck taught him that pin” before throwing down his headset. The finish alluded to the real-life relationship between Yuta, Cassidy, and Taylor, which Yuta said he believes can be further explored on-screen. “Orange and Chuck were two of my trainers, they really helped bring me along,” he said. “I think there’s some unresolved tension there, the way that it ended. Of course, Trent was always mean to me, so I think that’s a natural match to have.”

The potential feud has also been teased in other off-screen AEW events. At a charity softball game before All Out, Cassidy jokingly introduced Yuta to the plate by calling him “A deserter. Someone who left us high and dry,” and “Chuck Taylor’s estranged son.”

Yuta faces Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure Championship for the third time this year at this weekend’s Final Battle.

William Regal Gives This Promo Advice To Wheeler Yuta

Wheeler Yuta mounted a losing effort against MJF in his in-ring return on the October 5 “Dynamite” anniversary episode, a loss that comes after two weeks of promos between the two, which initially received negative reception after their first verbal clash on the September 21 episode of “AEW Dynamite.” Following what Yuta described on “Busted Open” as being “thrown in the deep end” against MJF on the microphone, he revealed the advice he received from an influential AEW figure backstage after the promo.

“I think the one that really stuck out to me was one from [William] Regal, where he said you have to just kind of believe more in what you’re saying,” he said, “Like the first week in New York … he said I hung with him, I delivered my lines, and I tried to do the best that I could, but it wasn’t fully me.”

Following Regal’s advice, the key for Yuta was incorporating the fighting spirit he’s displayed alongside his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates into his next promo. Rather than playing what he described as “MJF’s game,” on the September 28 “Dynamite,” Yuta tried to play things his own way.

“My game is, I want you to come out and fight me, so I’m gonna play my game. I’m gonna try to get you to come out here and fight me,” he said. “Really just having that conviction, and believing in what I was saying, and bringing it from my point of view, I think was very helpful from Regal.”