WWE Hall of Famer Booker T claims 26-year-old AEW star does not have a "championship name"
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T had an interesting take on a young AEW star's future in wrestling.
Wheeler Yuta has been a big part of AEW programming in 2022. As part of the Blackpool Combat Club, the 26-year-old has been involved in some of the biggest programs of the year, primarily the lengthy Blackpool Combat Club vs Jericho Appreciation Society feud.
He also won the Ring of Honor Pure Championship by defeating Josh Woods at the ROH Supercard of Honor 2022.
Josh Woods v Wheeler Yuta??? 😱
This ROH Supercard of Honor just keeps getting better & better, MY GOSH. https://t.co/WxT85raVsJ
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, WWE legend Booker T stated that Wheeler Yuta does not have a championship name.
"I'm thinking about guys from an overall perspective, and the one thing I'm thinking about [is] 'champion.' I'm thinking about this kid who's like, 'I've got to be champion.' And the first thing I think about is, does Wheeler Yuta sound like a championship name? You know, that's the first thing that jumps out to me. 'The AEW Champion, Wheeler Yuta!' He's putting himself behind the 8-ball immediately." (H/T WrestlingInc)
WWE Hall of Famer compared AEW's Wheeler Yuta to Elix Skipper
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion drew parallels between the AEW star and former WCW Cruiserweight Champion Elix Skipper.
As of right now the announced matches for ROH Final Battle are
Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena
Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta
What other matches do you expect or want to see added this week based off t.v. programs? https://t.co/LgV2hH45aO
Elix Skipper won numerous titles over his career in WCW and TNA. He was the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, the TNA Tag Team Champion multiple times, and won the TNA World X Cup in 2004.
However, he never became a true main event star. Booker T cited this to make the comparison between the two. The 5-time world champion claimed that if Elix had changed his name, he could have been a bigger star.
"There's a guy back in the day ... A guy that had an abundance of talent back in the TNA days, and he went by the name of Elix Skipper, and I said, 'Man, that's just not a championship name. If the brother just changed his name, he might be looked at a little bit differently."
Wheeler Yuta will challenge Daniel Garcia for the Ring of Honor Pure Championship at the ROH Final Battle pay-per-view. Meanwhile, fellow BCC member Claudio Castagnoli will challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship.