Wheeler Yuta believes that he actually almost died in AEW Blood and Guts Cage War.

Wheeler Yuta gave a rare and blunt interview and shared one of the most terrifying incidents of his wrestling career, the brutal piledriver move by Mark Briscoe onto the steel cage during the Blood and Guts match with AEW. Yuta claims that this experience was so strong that he even believed that his life was actually over.

A High-Risk Spot at the Summit

The struggle on the roof of the cage is an event in itself. However, a duel with Briscoe, the ruthless man, on that uncompromising height when Yuta was chained to a chair was soon a far graver matter. Slap, slap, slap, each blow was risky, yeah, and each blow was shot. Then, in an uncatching instant, Briscoe hoisted Yuta aloft – about to strike him a blow with a Jay Driller (a piledriver), and hanging over the sides of the cage.

Later, Yuta confessed that time appeared to slacken as Briscoe lifted him. He said his life passed in front of his eyes and recalled a weird mixture of fear and adrenaline, that moment when every wrestler must face the possibility of injury and even death as a rather real one.

It is Not Only Performance but Real Fear Wrestling.

This is not the first instance when high-peril stunts are reported by the news. However, the fact that Yuta is not afraid to express his emotional response is a strong reminder that, despite the scripted nature of sports entertainment, the dangers are very real to the individuals who put their bodies on the line. The fact that he has already been there on several occasions does not make it any less nerve-wracking, since he disclosed that such standing at the bottom and looking up there still causes his pulse to rush even after other cage battles.

What comes after the Chaos – What becomes of Yuta and Death Riders?

Yuta is not leaving the cage or squad in spite of the threat. In the same interview, he looked back on the future of the Death Riders after they lost in Blood and Guts: he demanded that the aim of the group was to uplift one another and become stronger instead of winning.

He complimented his teammates, including Kyle O’Reilly, Darby Allin, and Roderick Strong, saying that they are all leveling up in their own manner. In the case of Yuta, that is to advance with hunger and the lack of fear of risks. He termed the cage climb as scary, realizing that it is one of the highest steel cages in AEW, but it was made very clear: he has done it before, and he is not afraid of what to expect.

Why This Moment Resonates

Brutality vs. Athleticism: The pile-driver spot brings to the fore the juxtaposition of high drama and true athletic danger in Blood and Guts and in AEW, overall.

Mental Toll: There is not only a physical bump that wrestlers have to deal with. There is the mental shadow of risk, particularly in performing risky maneuvers.

Trust in the Game: To make that move, Yuta needed to trust Briscoe in a way that reminded him of the strong relationships and trust formed between wrestlers who steal the show.