10 Wrestlers Who Are DYING For Something New
6. Konosuke Takeshita
Could whoever is writing in to AEW and saying, "I love your show, but it would be even better if you turned fresh, over babyfaces into generic disposable heels" please stop?
When Konosuke Takeshita debuted in Tony Kahn's company, he immediately captured the fans' attention with a series of excellent bouts in which he always fell agonisingly short of victory. It looked like AEW were priming him as their next underdog hero, before swerving and having Konosuke join the villainous Kallis family. It was a bold move, but considering Takeshita's current place in the AEW pecking order it doesn't feel like it was the right one for the Japanese superstar's career.
Konosuke himself has opened up about his frustration over AEW placing a glass ceiling over his head just as he was taking off, and it's hard not to sympathize with him. Far from being the company's next big babyface, he's a goon who gets used whenever the company needs someone to put on a barnburner with one of their golden geese. There are worse spots for a wrestler to be in, but there's no doubt Konosuke's heel turn put the brakes on what was promising to be a stratospheric ascent.