Konosuke Takeshita is the new kid on the block at AEW.
After initially appearing in the company in 2021, primarily working with fellow DDT alum Kenny Omega, Takeshita is now in the states for a long excursion and should be a mainstay of Dynamite, Rampage, Dark, and Elevation programming for the rest of the year.
In the ring, Takeshita is a beast; he's fast yet strong, brutal yet elegant, and more than capable of delivering the sort of incredible acrobatic maneuvers that have made DDT a destination viewing experience for fans of international wrestling.
Goodness, when even Jim Cornette openly gushes about a young wrestler's abilities – at least until he found out he worked for DDT – you know he must be good.
However, one thing Takeshita doesn't have, at least in AEW, is friends. Sure, he used to, as Omega was both his biggest supporter and one-time partner during his initial run in the promotion, but since then, Takeshita's matches have been largely on his own, without any friends or mentors at ringside to cheer him on.
Now normally, that wouldn't be a particularly big deal; plenty of wrestlers are solo acts in AEW without any issue, but in the Casino Battle Royal on Dynamite, Takeshita felt like an island onto himself while taking blows from affiliated wrestlers like Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks. Had he had someone watching his back, maybe he would have made it into the final four, won the match, and advanced to the main event of the show versus Jon Moxley, but alas, Takeshita just didn't have any friends to help him out.
My heart is hurt from not winning the Casino Battle Royal. Feel pain in chest because of Eddie Kingston's chops. Revenge will be the only way to heal both pains. I could not beat Ricky and Hobbs by myself. I need friends who can fight together with me.#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/2Rv9M6SUTy
— Konosuke Takeshita 竹下幸之介 (@Takesoup) June 9, 2022
As the new guy, sometimes it's hard to make friends. AEW is very cliquey, and finding a place to fit into that landscape can be tricky, especially when there's a language barrier involved. But for Konosuke Takeshita's sake, let's hope he can find a friend to share his love of Cinnabon, Karaoke, and Saturn Bomberman with, as his in-ring work certainly merits a bigger circle.
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