Konosuke Takeshita comments on wrestling in America.
Konosuke Takeshita has been a standout performer in AEW, with victories over Kenny Omega and Darby Allin, along with a well-received match against Will Ospreay. Takeshita signed with the promotion in November 2022 after making a name for himself in DDT Pro Wrestling and having highly touted matches on AEW TV as a freelancer.
Speaking to Sayoko Mita of DDT, Takeshita commented on the difficulties he's experienced on US television.
“I thought hard work could cover for everything else before getting there. If I showed how good I am I could get more airtime, but there are other aspects that come to play when competing here (in America). Discrimination is not the word here, but unfortunately, there’s a lack of space for an Asian person to be on a TV show watched by Americans. No matter how good my condition was nor the amount of matches I was put it, or how many times they said my match was good, it felt like I couldn’t make it in the starting lineup, to put it in Baseball terms," he said. “Everyone felt like they’re having fun Wrestling here (in Japan). I didn’t have any fun wrestling ever since I got to America. The effort was bearing fruit, but I didn’t feel the enjoyment. It was the most mentally exhausting period in all 12 years of my wrestling career. However, when I stopped having fun, my matches were better received, and I gained more recognition. And it's not proportional.”
Takeshita has been targetting Jon Moxley and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in recent weeks.
He attacked Moxley on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite.
