A professional wrestler’s character can be inspired by many different things; These include fictional characters such as Cuban gangster Tony Montana, Razor Ramon, or the main character in the film. CrowLike Sting. But for other wrestlers, this is influenced by their real-life personalities, which incorporate elements from their heritage and hometown. Such is the case for Paul Gruber, better known as Wheeler Yuta.

Villanova The graduate’s professional wrestling character not only pays homage to his Japanese American heritage, but also represents the city of Philadelphia. Gruber’s Philadelphia roots shaped the athlete into the wrestler he is today. He was quick to respond when asked what he learned growing up as a Philly sports fan.

“Pain and patience,” Gruber, 28, said jokingly. “No, I’m kidding. I think I learned a lot in terms of work ethics. This is truly the #1 thing Philly sports fans want. They want you to go out and prove that you’re doing your best, that you’re trying to win, that you’re trying to win for them, and that you’re trying to win for yourself.

“This really impacted me and helped me continue to grow. I think about the athletes I cheered or booed as a kid, just trying to get them to bring one to town. “If I don’t deliver what I command from the Phillies, Sixers and Eagles, then who am I to throw stones?”

Now in front of the Philly faithful, Gruber and All Elite Wrestling return to the Liacouras Center. AEW Collision this Saturday.

Being Wheeler Yuta

Wrestling fans often fall in love with the sport after watching iconic moments. Montreal Screwing, Hulk Hogan body slams Andre the Giant, The Undertaker throws Humanity from the top of Hell in a Cell or for newer wrestling fans, Cody Rhodes ends the story. But that wasn’t the case for Gruber.

Gruber’s fascination with sports started with a video game: WrestleMania XIX. The Philadelphia native recalled that his cousins ​​first showed him the game; He initially did not realize that real people were performing the actions he was performing on the GameCube.

“I thought what they showed me was a video game,” Gruber said. “Then they turned on the TV and I was like, ‘Holy cow, this is crazy.’ This is where the real passion begins. Later, when I was little, I always told myself that I would be a wrestler.

He started watching every week and going to different independent shows. Finally, Gruber began training. But before he could make his debut, he knew he needed a name for his wrestling persona. She wanted to have a Japanese name and an American name to honor her Japanese American roots.

For his Japanese half, he eventually chose the name Yuta, which has its own history.

“I initially chose Yuta because he was my friend who I hadn’t talked to since freshman year when he moved back to Japan,” Gruber said. “So – if you’re out there – sorry dude, I got your name.”

Wrestling dreams in Philly

Although Gruber’s wrestling journey didn’t begin in Philadelphia, it was always his goal to train in the city with its rich wrestling history.

Gruber began training at C4W Explosive Wrestling, a wrestling company based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When he decided to go to school, he set out for Philadelphia, where he was born and where his father was from. Villanova University.

“I majored in psychology, but really that was just a cover for professional wrestling,” Gruber said. “I really wanted to move to Philly for professional wrestling. But I have a degree in psychology.”

Eventually, Gruber was training with Combat Zone Wrestling and Chikara as a student at Villanova. For Gruber, the transition from South Carolina to Philadelphia was fairly seamless; Apart from that, the change in weather and wrestling fans was also harsher in Philadelphia.

“It was definitely a little different, but I was already very familiar with Philly,” Gruber said. “I spent most of my childhood here visiting my parents for holidays. The main difference was wrestling in general, the crowd here was a lot harsher in their criticism, but a lot more passionate, a lot more excited about wrestling. So it was a bit of a double-edged sword. But I think it toughened me up.” And it turned me into the artist I am now.”

Wrestling in front of Philly fans

The first time he wrestled in front of Philly fans at the Flyers Skate Zone for a tryout show, Gruber remembers being nervous before his match; He could hear the crowd being very critical of the wrestlers before him.

“I’ve always been a Philly sports fan, so I knew what the culture was and I knew they wanted you to come here and work, and they wanted you to come here and win,” Gruber said. “As an athlete, it’s scary to be on the other side of this.”

“I knew going into this business that it would be difficult to earn their respect. So when I actually earned that respect, it really meant a lot.”

But when it came time to perform, he did it.

“I did pretty well,” Gruber said. “There were three people sitting in the front row who were the harshest critics of everyone, and they gave me a standing ovation and got the rest of the crowd to give me a standing ovation as well. ‘Please come back!’ They started chanting slogans. It’s like a really big sign of respect, especially in the indie scene. “And I thought, ‘Man, I could do this.'”

This was a turning point for Gruber.

“I knew coming into this that it was going to be hard to earn their respect,” he said of Philly fans. “So, when I actually earned that respect, it really meant a lot.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Philly wrestling story without mentioning the iconic 2300 Arena, the former home of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Gruber first wrestled in the arena during his time in Major League Wrestling.

“I remember how excited I was to be in a building like this,” Gruber said. “I remember one time it was closed, we were visiting my parents for Christmas and I told my dad to take me there so we could take pictures outside. There wasn’t any wrestling going on. I really wanted to be a part of it, so it was really cool to go there.”

Philly sports wrestling equipment

Yuta has been wrestling for AEW since 2021 and isn’t afraid to show off his Philly roots with different Philly-inspired wrestling attire.

“So I wore the Kelly green Eagles tights before,” Yuta said. “I actually had a powder blue suit that I was going to wear to my birthday show in Philly last year. But the Phillies gave me a birthday present the day before, which led to me losing Game 7 of the NLCS – so I decided to throw it away for now.

“They will come out eventually, I have them. The Phillies are my favorite team; I will always love them. But I felt like this wasn’t the time.”

Will Wheeler Yuta wrestle in Philly?

Like AEW Collision It’s not yet official whether Gruber will take the stage, though he’s set to return to Philadelphia on Saturday at the Liacouras Center. The updated card features Mariah May vs. Anna Jay, Thunder Rosa vs. Harley Cameron, and Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander.

The Eagles will wear their Kelly Green on Sunday. Can Yuta take his off the day before? We’ll have to see.