NXT Stars Reportedly 'Shocked' When WWE Passed On Signing AEW's Wheeler Yuta

NXT superstars were reportedly shocked to discover that WWE had passed on the opportunity to sign Wheeler Yuta following a try-out and felt the decision was the start of a major shift in the direction of the black-and-gold brand.

Yuta has been working with AEW as part of the Best Friends stable and has become a regular on AEW Dynamite, Dark and Dark: Elevation in recent weeks. According to Fightful Select, the 24-year-old's career could have taken a different direction after a WWE try-out in May.

According to the report, Yuta's efforts during his try-out at the WWE Performance Center a couple of months ago turned multiple heads, with many influential names on the NXT roster agreeing that he would have been a perfect fit for what NXT has traditionally been. 

One NXT talent reportedly pointed out that, at six foot tall, 24-years-old and with recent television experience, Yuta would usually tick all the boxes in a talent NXT is looking for, with three others saying it was a 'shock' that WWE didn't offer him a contact. 

Two of those talent would also note that they could tell a major shift in NXT's trajectory was coming when a guy like Yuta wasn't picked up by WWE, despite interest in signing him from AEW and Ring Of Honor.