Top DDT Star Wants AEW Return
"This year, I'm aiming for the TV show in AEW," says DDT's KO-D Openweight Champion.
DDT's Konosuke Takeshita is angling for an All Elite Wrestling return in 2022.
Speaking with Tokyo Sports, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion said that one of his goals for the year is to head back to the Tony Khan-helmed group, for whom he worked a short excursion in April 2021. This time, however, Takeshita wants to be on television:-
"The world is a big place. This year, I’m aiming for the TV show in AEW. I think I can get involved in the top ranks if I have the chance, and I think I can go there as a KO-D champion, so I’m ready to fight for the title in the United States."
The 26-year-old didn't wrestle on TNT while in the United States last year. Instead, he worked two consecutive episodes of Dark: Elevation, including a trios bout with DDT alumni Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa, plus a 10-man tag at The House Always Wins (AEW's only house show to date) on 9 April.
Takeshita also spoke on how his short AEW run came about, revealing that he contacted the promotion by himself in late 2020:-
"The year 2020 was a tough time for me personally. I was injured a lot. So, at the end of [2020], I decided to make [2021] the year I would move on. So I contacted AEW on my own without telling the company."
Regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Japanese wrestling and an accomplished all-rounder with no obvious weaknesses, Takeshita, at just 26, is already on his fifth run as DDT's top champion. This ongoing reign as KO-D Openweight Champion commenced on 21 August, when he defeated the legendary Jun Akiyama.
Though neither side has formally announced a working relationship, wrestlers have crossed between AEW and the CyberFight group of promotions (DDT included) several times over the past few years. This includes Tokyo Joshi Pro stars Yuka Sakazaki and Maki Itoh, both of whom have wrestled for AEW more than once.