Long Term Storytelling: Let's Look at Wheeler Yuta

My first exposure to Wheeler Yuta was in AEW. I think that's important to note off the bat, as someone who's independent knowledge for years hinged on the real world mod makers in TEW. I didn't even notice him there! I didn't take notice until he joined Best Friends as Chuck and Orange's student that Stat kept choking out on BTE.

His role made sense to me. Trent was out injured and they needed an extra body, preferably one that could eat the pins so that the quickly ascending Orange Cassidy wouldn't have to. Then when Trent came back we had teases of them having a match where Yuta would fight back against Trent bullying him. That was the story on BTE, that Trent just didn’t like Wheeler and was pushing him waiting to see how long until he snapped and stood up for himself.

The BCC proved a better outlet for that. Instead of Yuta just working Trent, everyone hugging, and then Yutes slipping back into the role as the fifth or sixth Best Friend (Stat being the fourth, and Rocky and him filling the other spots), suddenly we had a violent and bloody heel turn and a new attitude to go with it. Gone was the passive, friendly, and by the book Best Friend, and in his place was an angry young man with a massive chip in shoulder and no respect remaining for those who brought him this far.

But he kept The Seatbelt. Worth noting. The move Chuck taught him, and he even used it to beat his former Best Friends. Trent would even later tell him to his face that he did it all wrong and was supposed to stand up for himself to Trent, and Wheeler just laughed at him instead.

In the BCC, Yuta took on the role of “Claudio’s kid brother”, which led to some great tag matches and him getting some wins. Also a goofy as hell entrance dance that just sorta worked for them (though not nearly as well as his Fusion Dance with Sheamus in The Bar days). It also led to him winning the ROH Pure Title and displaying that he has no issues going after injuries with an intent to cripple, or giving an opponent the full Yam Bag Yahtzee. He melded into the perfect fit for the group.

And then he got hurt, and by the time he came back the group was more face centric. No problem, he could just mold himself after Bryan Danielson and turn himself into a great mat wrestler with endless tenacity and no quit in him. He even started using Cattle Mutilation as his finish, adapting a classic Bryan finish as his own.

So what happened next? Well, Yuta won gold with Claudio and PAC, Bryan won the big belt, and then Mox tried to fucking murder him with a plastic bag. Lines were drawn, everyone vs Bryan with Yuta torn between a mentor in Bryan, or a mentor in Mox and a brother in Claudio. We all know what choice he made, as Bryan hasn't been seen since Yuta also put the bag over his head.

Since then he's taken to wearing a plain white shirt and some green pants. He's also doing the Busaiku Knee.

Yuta is a shapeshifter, a chameleon, a mimic, an ace copycat. He's made it an actual part of his character to take parts of his mentors from them after he turns on them. He's shown that he's able to do damn near anything that those who imparted wisdom on him can (though I doubt he can do most of Claudio's stuff, sorry Yutes, I don't see you giant swinging folks bigger than you).

But while Chuck and Bryan are “dead and gone”, written off with serious injuries he helped cause, he still has someone that hasn't forgiven or forgotten. Yes, he showed reluctance to take the killshots with Chuck Taylor, but that’s by design. He’s viewing himself as this conquering badass who has taken out those who came before him, but the reality is that Mox took both of them out while he either stood by or did a more symbolic gesture than an actual attack (yes, he bagged Bryan, but Bryan was already done by that point, it was the final knife). But those were two guys with crippling real life injuries that we either already done (Chuck) or needed to find out IF they were done (Bryan); he gets to run his victory laps because they won’t be running out of the tunnel to beat his ass any time soon.

Yuta won't be conquering Orange Cassidy. He won't be stealing the sunglasses or taunt kicks or The Orange Punch. That's Orange's actual story at this point, it's not stopping Mox or winning the belt. It's getting justice for Chuck Taylor and reminding this punk ass kid that he's not just the pockets guy, he's one of his wrestling daddys. That while he taught him a lot, he didn’t teach him everything, and that for all his bravado and his bag of stolen tricks, he still has to go through an incredibly angry and motivated Orange.

The only real question is does that end in a double turn with OC giving in to his anger so much that he joins Mox while Yuta seeks redemption? Or does it end with Orange forgiving him and helping him back to the light?

Or do we not even get to that point and the BCC just turns on him on their own?

That’s something I love about AEW, there’s a LOT going on if you’re paying attention and not just waiting for someone to get on a microphone and have it all spelled out for you. I might even make going over some of them into a thing if there’s any interest slash I come up with any really good ones worth going into.