Scott Edwards (@ScottEWrestling) had the opportunity to speak to Konosuke Takeshita ahead of his huge DDT match with Chris Jericho at DDT Ultimate Party 2023 on November 12. You can see the interview in full below, and see details on how to watch the match at the conclusion of the interview
Edwards: Why is it important for your first singles match with Chris Jericho to take place in DDT?
Takeshita: "Of course I could have had a match in AEW, and I think there's a possibility of having a singles match in the future in an AEW ring. But I thought it made sense to have Chris Jericho in the ring with DDT, because it's been 27 years since DDT was launched, and who could have predicted that the Chris Jericho of the world would be in that ring? That's the biggest dramatic dream of all."
Edwards: You named Kota Ibushi as your next target. The Don Callis Family was able to defeat Ibushi, Kenny Omega, and Chris Jericho at WrestleDream. What are your feelings toward him? Do you believe you accomplished your goal against him? Or because of the history you have with Ibushi, you're story still has more to be told?
Takeshita: "Eventually we have to have a singles match, it has to be one-on-one or the fans won't be satisfied. I am always ready. Even if they suddenly ask me to do it tomorrow, I'm ready. I am always in the best condition to fight."
Edwards: How has pairing with Don Callis helped your character?
Takeshita: "It's a fact that I'm teaming up with him, because there are more big matches for me. I'm happy to see him win a lot of them. He's one of the most booed guys in the wrestling business today, so it's been a great experience to see that right in front of me."
Edwards: How did beating Kenny Omega feel? What did that mean to you given Omega's significance in AEW?
Takeshita: "I had a history with Kenny Omega from my DDT days. I won the tag belts from him and Ibushi, and he entrusted me with DDT. But I had never won a singles match before, so that was the reason I came to AEW, to accomplish that, so I was happy to accomplish that in the shortest possible time. He's already a wreck from all the hard matches he's had. Maybe it's time to leave the quality of matches to the new generation. I'll do that for him. I grew up watching the "Best Bout Machine," but from behind him."
Edwards: You spent a long time at the forefront of 37Kamiina in DDT, being the figurehead of that group for some time. How did your relationship with your sauna-mates differ from that with the Don Callis family?
Takeshita: "My sauna buddies are my friends. And the Don Callis Family is family. I had no place to stay in America, and they made a home for me. This is a big thing."
Edwards: You have such a long history with your group mates in 37Kamiina. Do you have any remorse for what you did to your former faction members Yuki Ueno and MAO earlier this year?
Takeshita: "I knew there wasn't much more I could teach them by tagging with them, so I was at the next step where I could teach them something through fighting. So, if they got some special feeling from the singles match with the current Konosuke Takeshita, it was meaningful for me to have that match. I'm glad that I was able to have a match at this time with two guys who will carry the future of DDT on their shoulders."
Edwards: You’ve been going back and forth between DDT and AEW. Is it important to you to keep coming back to DDT despite your success in America in order to keep testing the top wrestlers of DDT?
Takeshita: "That test is for me, to test the experience I gained in AEW with DDT to see if I'm getting stronger, to see if I'm getting used to being bigger. I can also chill out emotionally by going back to my hometown from time to time."
Edwards: Do you still feel any desire to seek championship gold in DDT? Or are your title aspirations mostly in AEW at this point?
Takeshita: "I've wrapped the DDT belt around my waist many times. If my record for most defenses of the KO-D Undefeated title is broken, I may go for it again. Right now, my biggest motivation is to win a belt in AEW. And I want to show a title match every week at Dynamite."
Edwards: Who in AEW are you hoping to face in the future that you haven’t had the chance to yet? Anyone that should be worried to face you in the future?
Takeshita: "Orange Cassidy has actually never had a match against me. He doesn't look strong at first glance, but he also wore the AEW International belt for a long time. I would like to feel the core of his strength in a match. I would also like to have a match with Tomohiro Ishii in a singles match next, which might be feasible in the AEW ring, although they fought a little at Forbidden Door 2."
Edwards: Are there any wrestlers in DDT that you’d like to see compete in AEW somewhere in the future? Anyone you think would make a good member of the Don Callis Family?
Takeshita: "[Kazusada] Higuchi's sumo strong-style would surely be appreciated by American fans. Daisuke Sasaki also has world-class technique, and I would like to see him in the AEW or ROH ring. Everyone has an equal chance. It is up to them to act or not. I want young fighters, in particular, to keep challenging themselves"
Edwards: Don Callis once mentioned that you are a better wrestler than Kazuchika Okada of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. While you two have yet to cross paths, does a match against the NJPW star interest you?
Takeshita: "The important thing is not whether I'm interested, but whether the fans are interested in the match. If the fans get louder and louder in anticipation of the matchup, it might happen. Like I said earlier I'm always ready."
Edwards: You go by “The Alpha” now. What is your goal with this new, updated persona?
Takeshita: "To prove that Konosuke Takeshita is the best professional wrestler in the world. Is it to wear the belt with the name "World" on it, or to become No. 1 in the pro-wrestler rankings, or to have fans all over the world say, "Konosuke Takeshita is the best in the world"? He beat Omega and became Alpha. From here, it is an alpha journey. I'll climb to heights no one has ever reached, on a path no one has yet walked.
Edwards: Fans in America really took a liking to you when you signed with AEW but now boo you. How have you adjusted to that shift in perception? Do the boos drive you to be better in the ring?
Takeshita: "What is very interesting about my matches now is that the audience boos when I enter the ring but stop booing halfway through the match, and then, when the match is over, they are applauding me. That's when I know I had a good match. A professional wrestler's job is to attract people to their matches. I have no intention of changing that, no matter how the environment changes."
You can sign up for WRESTLE UNIVERSE to check out DDT Pro's Ultimate Party 2023 -- featuring Konosuke Takeshita vs. Chris Jericho -- live with English commentary. The service also includes Pro Wrestling NOAH, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and Ganbare Pro.
