10 Wild Outside Bets To Win Wrestler Of The Year 2022

8. Yuki Ueno

Yuki Ueno
DDT

2021 has been a year of ascension for Yuki Ueno, who is on the verge of breaking out as a singles star after excelling primarily as a tag team wrestler for DDT in 2020.

Ueno is one of the world's most promising high-flyers. More than a mere highspot spammer, he already spaces out his big, crowd-popping moments better than many with double his five years of experience, and is adaptable enough to mix it up in all aspects of the in-ring game. Character-wise, he is coming into his own as well, imparting increasing amounts of personality into his work as 2021 has progressed, particularly in the ongoing D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. See his delinquent streak against Jun Akiyama on 3 November for a recent example.

An excellent DDT Universal Championship reign helped Ueno to a body of work as strong as anyone else in Japan during 2021's first three quarters. In Q4, he has stood out in the D-Ou and now faces DDT's KO-D Openweight Champion, Konosuke Takeshita, at the final stage. Win or lose, he has already been bumped up the card.

One of the best up-and-coming babyfaces in the world, Ueno is frequently compared to Kota Ibushi but is already carving his own lane in DDT. His 2022 should be as spectacular as his 2021.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.