New NXT Rules Cost Them To Lose “Slam Dunk” Star To AEW

Another one got away. WWE is currently in a situation they have not found themselves in much over the last twenty plus years: facing well funded competition. AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works and that is going to be the case for a long time to come. There are now more places for wrestlers to go and it seems that WWE passed on a current AEW wrestler not very long ago.

Earlier this month, news came out about changes coming to NXT. Many of these changes focused on the kind of wrestlers that would be signed to the promotion, with a focus on larger and younger wrestlers. According to Fightful Select, Wheeler Yuta had a tryout with WWE in May but was not signed. WWE’s decision surprised three wrestlers as well as a WWE executive and signaled that things were changing in NXT. Yuta has wrestled in Major League Wresting and Ring of Honor, along with various independent promotions. Since WWE passed on him, he has begun appearing for AEW, though he has not signed.

I’m not sure what else WWE could want. Check out what they passed on in Yuta:

(Free Match) Wheeler YUTA v Lee Moriarty | Beyond Wrestling #TwoWeeksNotice (Ring Of Honor ROH Pure)

FREE MATCH: Wheeler YUTA vs Patrick Scott - It's Bo's Time

INSANE Triple Threat: Wheeler Yuta vs Tony Deppen vs Dak Draper! FULL MATCH

Opinion: This is one of those things that does not give me hope for NXT. Yuta might be smaller (6’0) and a bit younger (24 years old) but he is a talented wrestler. I understand the idea of wanting to have a variety, but there is a difference between having goals and ignoring talented wrestlers for the sake of being too tunnel visioned. This could come back to haunt WWE for a good while and they don’t have many people to blame but themselves.

What do you think of Yuta? What will these new rules mean for WWE? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

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