Death Riders member reveals the reason why WWE didn't sign him

Recently, a Death Riders member divulged an interesting story about his interaction with WWE. He talked about why the Stamford-based promotion declined to sign him, citing a change in its strategy following the pandemic.

Wheeler Yuta has been in All Elite Wrestling since 2021. Throughout his tenure, he has been the company's shining mid-carder. His most notable works have been with Blackpool Combat Club as a babyface, and then with Death Riders following a heel turn in 2024. Recently, he discussed his career in pro wrestling before joining AEW.

Speaking in an interview with Sean Ross Sapp, Yuta revealed that there were talks about him joining WWE. However, it was revealed to him that WWE has been changing its approach to its developmental territory ahead of NXT 2.0. Allegedly, the company wanted stars who could be molded further, not stars from independent wrestling like Wheeler Yuta.

“Something is going on. Something weird is going on. There is a shift here. Wheeler Uda has everything. That’s a surprising one to all of us. He’s a young, handsome dude with great height that can already wrestle. He’s already better than everybody here. The whole developmental is going to change,” said Yuta. [H/T: Ringside News]

Check out the full interview below:

It was the time when many homegrown talents like Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, and Lyra Valkyria rose in NXT. However, it created the impression that stars like Yuta might not fit within WWE's NXT 2.0 model. But despite this, the Death Rider's member went on to build an impactful career in All Elite Wrestling.

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Wheeler Yuta is more confident than ever in Death Riders following AEW Blood & Guts loss

Death Riders faced a big loss against Darby Allin, Roderick Strong, and The Conglomeration. Despite delivering a spectacular performance, the Jon Moxley-led faction failed to steal the win. However, Wheeler Yuta still believes his teammates will get back to the top in AEW.

Speaking with The Sportster, Yuta said that they have already faced even bigger defeats in All Elite Wrestling before. He added that the whole point of the Death Riders is to elevate the business, and he thinks they achieved that at Blood & Guts. Therefore, Wheeler says Moxley and the faction will soon regain dominance in the company.

"We don't stay down. We're not going to roll over and die. We didn't do it when we lost the World Championship. We're not going to just crumble. We'll make sure that we come out stronger, and we raise our own standard if need be," said Wheeler.

With that said, only time will tell how things will unfold for Jon Moxley and the group in AEW from here on.