I'm just fkn happy right now and have been and will continue to cheer for this bro, and hopefully he one day wins a major world championship years down the line. I remember rooting for Jimmy Wang Yang as a kid no matter how many times he jobbed, so it's cool to see a new Asian American have the potential to not only overcome that spot but be a big deal in the future.

And no this isn't to downplay Asian born world champions in any way. I felt just as happy when the likes of Nakamura or Asuka won NXT championships or when Riho or Shida won AEW championships, and companies like NJPW or Stardom were whole other ballgames that got the inner child in me giddy; when I finally jumped into them a couple years ago, it was cool to see all these extremely talented wrestlers positioned better than Yoshi Tatsu was if my childhood memories of him are accurate (goofy theme song still slaps though ngl). I guess with Wheeler it just hits a tiny bit closer to home cuz the dude exudes "could be my college roommate" energy lmao

And I'm sure there are many others (Asian American or not) who will root for him right alongside me too. Guy was fkn OVER with the crowd last night, and it's a testament to both his potential and Danielson's in-ring skills (and by in-ring skills I mean Bryan kicking the piss out of Yuta lol fuck you Bryan you GOAT). And I think that leads to the best part of all this: Yuta is legitimately good, so if he ever does win a major championship it's gonna feel completely earned rather than shoehorned. The man deserves the best the future has to offer, purely because he's a good wrestler, regardless of race. Guess I'm just happy that he just so happens to be Asian American too :D