Konosuke Takeshita was pleased with the response.
At AEW WrestleDream, Konosuke Takeshita won the AEW International Championship by defeating Will Ospreay and Ricochet, and he has continued to hold the title ever since. The victory marked his first title win in AEW.
Speaking with DDT Pro-Wrestling’s official website, Konosuke Takeshita was asked to comment on winning the title. (Translation by DeepL).
"I feel half a sense of having finally won the title, and half a sense of feeling that I have a long way to go. No matter how much my level improves, there is a fine line between winning a title at AEW and not. Even if I had a chance, it would be like threading a needle in a haystack. Living in the U.S., I realized what it was like to fight, so I am glad I won," Takeshita said.
Takeshita went on to note that he was taught that wrestling was like a family, as older wrestlers were like grandparents, and his peers were his family. He noted that he now felt that this lesson was true, as he was connected to the people he worked with. Takeshita also said that the wrestlers around him told him he deserved it after his win.
"Antonio Honda, who is my father in pro wrestling, said to me, 'Take-chan, pro wrestling is a big place.' He said, 'Take-chan, wrestling is a family in the broadest sense; DDT, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and WWE are all family even though they are in different organizations, and the legendary wrestlers are like my grandparents. Everything is connected, so you have to love your family. That was a fundamental part of what I valued in my wrestling career. At the time, I was jokingly mentioning the names of WWE athletes, but now, as I work with these people, I feel that those words were true and that we are truly connected. If they don't trust you, you can't become family. That is why I have put my heart and soul into each and every match. When I won the belt, the players around me said, 'You are a man who deserves this belt! I was told by the wrestlers around me, 'You are the man who deserves this belt! I was happy that they said that to me, even though we live in a competitive world," Takeshita said.
Takeshita is set to defend the AEW International Championship against Powerhouse Hobbs at AEW Worlds End.
Takeshita has been advertised for NJPW Battle in the Valley. More information is available here.
