Wheeler Yuta is ready to have a rubber match with Katsuyori Shibata.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard spoke with ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta ahead of AEW Worlds End. When asked about Katsuyori Shibata recently signing with All Elite Wrestling, Wheeler Yuta said it’s very exciting to him because he thinks it should set up a third match between the two men in the future.
“I think it’s very exciting for me because obviously, in our singles matches, we’re one and one,” Wheeler Yuta said. “There’s been a lot of noise about the way that I got the job done the last time. But I pinned him in the center of the ring. So, as far as I’m concerned, I definitively won. I retook my Pure Championship, I’m a record-setting three times Pure Champion.
“But I’m very excited to be able to not only quell that noise a little bit but also see just how far I can really push it with myself and Shibata. It’s a match that I never thought that I’d be able to have. And now the fact that we’re big rivals is really special to me.
“So I’d like to keep that rivalry going. I’d like to really continue to test myself against him because, like you said, he gives no quarter. It’s very difficult to fight a guy like that. But I’m up for the challenge every time, and I’m glad that we get to do it more.”
How to build upon their rivalry
When asked how he will build upon his rivalry with Shibata and make his third reign as Pure Champion stand out, Yuta said he believes their rivalry will continue to push forward due to their familiarity with each other.
“Yeah, I think that the beautiful thing about pure wrestling is that it all really speaks for itself in the ring, Wheeler Yuta said. “So, I think that Shibata and I will be able to continue to push that rivalry forward just by knowing each other more and being able to be more familiar with each other’s moves. I think there’ll be different counters that you haven’t seen before, different tactics that we take. We’re starting to learn each other’s tendencies.
“So I think that we’ll both be able to sort of advance the matches just based on that. And I think that’ll be really exciting just to see what the full potential of that could be. And then, as for my Pure Championship, my third reign, I think my goal has always been to bring pure wrestling to a newer generation, which is funny because now I’ve sort of learned how to manipulate the rules a little bit, I can use them to my advantage, and I’m not afraid to do that.
“So if it’s bringing pure wrestling in the sense that everyone wants it to be that everyone else, their preconceived notions of what it is, I don’t know if I’ll be doing that quite as much, but I think that I’ll be able to use the rules, use the tools at my disposal to really bring that style and to bring this style of match forward.”
Watch our full interview with Wheeler Yuta below:
READ MORE: Wheeler Yuta Is Forever Connected With William Regal, Ready To Get Down And Dirty At AEW Worlds End
What do you make of Wheeler Yuta’s comments? Would you like to see him step into the ring again with Shibata in the near future? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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