 Uemura in November 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1994-11-18)November 18, 1994 (age 31)[2][1] |
| Alma mater | Fukuoka University[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Yuya Uemura |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 198 lb (90 kg)[1][2] |
| Trained by | Katsuyori Shibata Tiger Mask IV |
| Debut | April 10, 2018[1][2] |
Yuya Uemura (上村優也,Uemura Yūya; November 18, 1994) is a Japaneseprofessional wrestler. He is signed toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a formerProvisional KOPW Champion. He has also made appearances forImpact Wrestling,All Elite Wrestling,Jim Crockett Promotions andGame Changer Wrestling.
In March 2013, Uemura graduated from Imabari Technical High School. He wrestledcollegiately before he started hisprofessional wrestling career.[1][2] In October 2016, he won the West Japan Collegiate Wrestling League's 71 kg Greco-Roman championship.[2] In March 2017, Uemura graduated fromFukuoka University.[2]
In April 2017, after graduating from Fukuoka University, Uemura was signed toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling under New Japan's "young lion" system.[2] A year later, in April 2018, Uemura as well as fellow young lion,Yota Tsuji, made their pro-wrestling debuts atLion's Gate Project 11 where Uemura was defeated byRen Narita.[3][4][5] On day one ofRoad to Wrestling Dontaku 2018, Uemura was defeated by Tetsuhiro Yagi.[6][7] On day six, he was defeated byTomoyuki Oka.[8] On day eight, Uemura was defeated byRocky Romero.[9] On day 14, Uemura andYuji Nagata were defeated by Oka andShota Umino.[10] On night two of Wrestling Dontaku 2018, Uemura teamed with Narita and Umino and were defeated by the team of veterans,Tiger Mask,Jushin Thunder Liger andRyusuke Taguchi.[11][12] At New Japan Road 2018, Uemura and Yota Tsuji wrestled to a time-limit draw.[13] AtLion's Gate Project 12, Uemura and Tsuji once again wrestled to a time-limit draw.[14] On day 6 ofBest of the Super Juniors XXV, Uemura, Tsuji andFlip Gordon were defeated by Umino, Tiger Mask and Oka.[15] On day 11, Uemura andDragon Lee were defeated by Umino andKushida.[16] On day 12, Uemura,ACH and Tsuji were defeated by Umino, Oka and Tiger Mask.[17] Throughout Kizuna Road 2018, Tsuji and Uemura wrestled to time-limit draws.[18][19][20][21][22][23] On September 8, Uemura teamed with Shota to defeat Tsuji and Ren Narita to win his first match. In October 2019, Uemura teamed with Tiger Mask as part of theSuper Junior Tag Tournament where they came in last place with zero points.[24] Uemura competed in the2020 New Japan Cup for the first time being eliminated byYoshinobu Kanemaru in the first round.[2][25] In November 2020, he entered the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He finished the tournament with 0 wins and 9 losses, failing to advance to the finals.
In 2022, Uemura travelled to the United States as part of his learning excursion. There, he began competing forAll Elite Wrestling,Impact Wrestling andGame Changer Wrestling. In August, Uemura defeatedKenny King in his Impact Wrestling debut and the next month picked up his first win onNJPW Strong when he defeated veteran wrestlerChristopher Daniels. After being assaulted byBully Ray and his enforcers, The Good Hands, in March 2023, Uemura joined forces withTommy Dreamer and went on to defeat Team Bully as part of Team Dreamer atRebellion.[26]
Uemura teamed withJoe Hendry briefly in August as JOYA, complete with a new team theme and entrance akin to Hendry's. He would later reflect in an NJPW website interview how the pairing "broadened [his] horizons" about how wrestling can be presented in different ways.[27] On the September 14, 2023 episode ofImpact, Uemura competed in aFeast or Fired match, where he secured one of the four briefcases.[28] The following week's episode revealed that he had the briefcase containing apink slip, meaning he was fired.[29]
On October 9, 2023, atDestruction, Uemura made his return to NJPW, teaming withTaichi andDouki againstHouse of Torture, thus becoming the newest member ofJust 5 Guys.[30] In November later that year, Uemura teamed with Taichi, in theWorld Tag League. The duo finished the tournament with 8 points, failing to advance to the semi-finals.[31] Following the tournament's conclusion, Uemura began a feud with former Young Lion Dojo stablemateYota Tsuji, who had also returned from his excursion and had since joinedLos Ingobernables de Japon. The feud began when Uemura pinned Tsuji in a tag-team match. Due to this a singles match between the two men was set forWrestle Kingdom 18.[32] On January 4, 2024 at Wrestle Kingdom, Uemura defeated Tsuji.[33] On February 24 atThe New Beginning in Sapporo, Uemura was defeated by Tsuji in aHair vs. Hair match.[34] Uemura then participated in his firstG1 Climax tournament, where he was placed in B-block. However, Uemura suffered an injury during the tournament, forcing him to withdraw.[35] On February 11, 2025 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Uemura returned from injury, coming to the aid of Taichi from an attack by former Just 5 Guys memberSanada.[36] Uemura would go on to defeat Sanada twice in theNew Japan Cup in March and atSakura Genesis in April.[37][38]
AtDominion 6.15 in Osaka-jo Hall, Uemura was defeated byHiroshi Tanahashi. In his post-match comments, Uemura and Taichi announced that Just 4 Guys would be disbanding after Douki joined House of Torture that same night.[39]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yota Tsuji (hair) | Yuya Uemura (hair) | Sapporo,Japan | The New Beginning in Sapporo: Night 2 | February 24, 2024 | [34] |
,Internet Wrestling Database