Yuya Uemura: Teaming With Joe Hendry In IMPACT Broadened My Horizons

Yuya Uemura reflects on his time in IMPACT Wrestling.

Yuya Uemura reflects on his time in IMPACT Wrestling.

NJPW’s Yuya Uemura went on excursion and spent a year wrestling for IMPACT and other companies. 

Speaking with NJPW for an interview on their website, Uemura was asked to describe how his connection to IMPACT came out.

“I was still in LA, and when I wrestled at an indie show, Rocky was there. I told him I wanted to wrestle more in America, and Rocky made the introduction to IMPACT. I thought I would just have a match or two, but they told me to be on every show, and that’s what happened,” Uemura said.

Uemura was then asked about his JOYA tag team with Joe Hendry. Yuya noted that NJPW fans might have done a double take when they saw him dancing with Hendry, but he explained how the experience broadened his horizons. He stated that getting to team up with Hendry helped him break down the idea that wrestling has to be a certain way.

“Haha! Yeah, maybe some NJPW fans might have done a double take, but it broadened my horizons when it came to wrestling. I think I had this fixed idea of NJPW is the only pro wrestling, and pro wrestling has to be a certain way, but getting to do that helped break that idea down,” he said.

Uemura left IMPACT after he got the “Fired” case in the Feast or Fired match at IMPACT 1000. He returned to NJPW at NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku and joined Just 5 Guys. More information is available here.

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