Konosuke Takeshita reveals who helped him join AEW

Konosuke Takeshita has revealed Kenny Omega’s role in helping him join All Elite Wrestling.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita recently appeared for an interview with ENCOUNT, where he discussed his wrestling journey and entry into AEW. Revealing Omega’s contribution, Takeshita said,

“I might not have properly shared this before, but I actually consulted (Sanshiro) Takagi. This year marked my 10th year as a professional wrestler, so I said, ‘I’ve been doing this for 10 years, so I want to go to America.’ He said, ‘Go ahead and do it,’ and didn’t say anything negative about it.”

Takeshita further continued, “So, in a way, I reached out to Kenny Omega, who is also my pro wrestling mentor, for the first time in years. I asked if I could get a match in AEW, even if it was just a dark match. Kenny said, ‘I’ll put in a good word for you,’ and encouraged me, saying, ‘A TV match right away is impossible, but if a dark match is okay, why not give it a shot?’ That’s how I decided to go to America.”

Begining his time in AEW in 2021, Takeshita quickly climbed the ranks and is now one of the top stars in the promotion. Currently, the 30-year-old is contracted to three promotions (AEW, NJPW, and DDT). A member of the Don Callis family in AEW, Takeshita is also the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in NJPW.

Konosuke Takeshita believes being contracted to three promotions ‘won’t last forever’

In the same interview, Takeshita also opened up in detail about his situation of being contracted to three pro-wrestling promotions at the same time.

Believing it ‘won’t last forever’, Takeshita said, “This situation can’t last forever, right? I plan to do as much as I can while I can, but it won’t last forever. This time (belonging to three promotions) won’t last forever, so I’m doing it while thinking how fleeting it is. I think I have to keep working hard and not lose sight of the direction I’m heading in. I believe that fighting various wrestlers and creating something better will make the world of professional wrestling a better place, so I want to make a contribution to creating something that can rival the excitement of America and Mexico.”

The Japanese star is next set to defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Title at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 in a double title match against IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji.