AEW star and current ROH Pure champion Wheeler Yuta recently joined the Wrestling Inc. Daily for a conversation about all things pro-wrestling, including his desire to face Japanese legend Hiroshi Tanahashi at the AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view next month in Chicago. Highlights from the interview are below.
Hopes to face the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door:
“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.”
Shares story of meeting Tanahashi during a taping of NJPW STRONG:
“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.”
Says he is still in the NJPW faction CHAOS despite his allegiance to Blackpool Combat Club:
“So, as far as I know I have not been kicked out,” he said. “It’s a little weird with the Best Friends, of course, but as far as I know, I am still in Chaos. I think if you go on the New Japan roster page, I think I am still in Chaos. That’s how I’ve been checking actually, I go on the roster page. That, and texting Rocky going, ‘am I still in Chaos?’ I believe his words were, ‘we can still team because what Trent doesn’t know won’t hurt him.’ So, for right now, until someone catches on, I think I am still in Chaos.”