By: Sonal Lad
After starting his excursion in 2021, Yuya Uemura seems to be following his fellow Young Lions to become the future of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
In 2017, Uemura signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling and became one of the newest Young Lions. It wasn’t until a year later, in April 2018, that Uemura and fellow Young Lion Yota Tsuji made their debut debuts at Lion’s Gate Project 11. Uemura and Tsuji had a strong rivalry against each other, but together, they had a rivalry against seniors Shota Umino and Ren Narita.
Dojo rivalries are common, but few are more competitive than Yuuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji's.
Their first 24 matches ended in draws, and since then, they've been trading wins on the #njdontaku tour, each eager to show they have more potential.
Are you #teamUemura or #teamTsuji ? pic.twitter.com/35DKVXkR4l
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 16, 2019
Throughout his time in the dojo, Uemura made use of every opportunity. Along with his rivalry against his fellow Young Lions, he had the chance to face some of the best in the company.
In 2019, Uemura got to team with veteran Tiger Mask for the Super Jr. Tag League. The following year, Uemura had the chance to participate in the New Japan Cup and the Best of Super Jr tournament, after replacing an injured Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
C/o NJPW
In August 2021, he ended his time in New Japan with a match against Kazuchika Okada. After all the experience he gained in NJPW, he went to America to start his excursion. By starting in the LA Dojo and shining on NJPW Strong, he started appearing in popular companies such as All Elite Wrestling and Impact Wrestling.
.@AngelicoAAA gets the victory over @Im_YuyaUemura with a vicious leg submission in this fantastic match full of technical exchanges here on #AEWDark!
▶️ https://t.co/ezc1tmnFsx pic.twitter.com/8EK2nGSXID— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 3, 2022
More recently, Uemura had NJPW fans talking when he posted on Twitter, “Yuya Uemura is available.”
While many thought he had left the company, his later actions and work in Impact seemed to mean that the wrestler was broadening his horizons in wrestling. Like Narita when he joined the LA Dojo for his excursion, Uemura requested to wrestle worldwide to improve his skills.
I’ll go anywhere for wrestle.
US,Canada,Euro,NZ,Mexico,Asia,Middle East etc…— YUYA UEMURA 上村優也 (@Im_YuyaUemura) November 5, 2022
After Narita and Shota returned to New Japan and now Tsuji is working in CMLL, it isn’t surprising that Uemura wants to make the most of his excursion. Whether he chooses to be a junior or heavyweight, there is no doubt he will be a future IWGP champion.
Date:
December 5, 2022
Category:
The Midcard