Wheeler Yuta vs Hiroshi Tanahashi would be a dream match for many, and that list even includes the ROH Pure Champion himself, AEW’s Wheele Yuta. The former Best Friends star and current Blackpool Combat Club member is one of AEW’s fastest rising stars and since joining up with William Regal has become one of the most popular men on the entire AEW roster.
His match against Jon Moxley was one of the highest rated AEW matches of the year, with Wheeler coming out of it as a huge star despite succumbing to Moxley’s Bulldog Choke. He even kicked out of the Paradigm Shift, something very few men in AEW can attest to doing.
Wheeler Yuta has recently been announced as part of the Best of Super Juniors tournament in New Japan, opening up the potential for him to face of with NJPW Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi in a NJPW event.
As well as that, the AEW vs NJPW show Forbidden Door, Yuta has the chance to face off with the Ace of the Universe in one of the New Japan “road to” shows, or if he impresses in a huge pay per view match.
Wheeler Yuta vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
In an interview with Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman, Wheeler Yuta spoke about the upcoming Forbidden Door show and about which NJPW star he would most like to face. Instead of saying one of his future BOSJ opponents in the Junior Heavyweight division, he instead chose former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and ace of NJPW Hiroshi Tanahashi.
“There’s so many, you’re going to have to narrow it down. There’s plenty, but you just mentioned Tanahashi, and I think that Tanahashi is one of the guys that I have always envisioned myself across the ring from. That is someone that I would love to face. I don’t know how this joint PPV is going to shake out, but Tanahashi is someone that I have always looked up to.”
“I actually met him doing New Japan Strong, he does the Japanese commentary, it was him and Shibata for my debut. So, he was doing the Japanese commentary for my match with Rocky Romero. I don’t quite understand what the translation was, my mom, translated it for me, and she speaks fluent Japanese.
“But Tananashi said something along the effect of, ‘it feels like I am cheering for my son.’ I don’t know what I did in there that made him think that. But I always thought that was really funny. So, one day I would like to wrestle Tanahashi because that made me laugh a lot, and he’s one of the best wrestlers ever.”
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Wheeler Yuta could be a huge match for the AEW vs NJPW joint show. Especially with his Wheeler Yuta has grown in recent months in his matches with and against the Blackpool Combat Club.
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door is on 26 June 2022.
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