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As WWE prepares to be a heavy buyer on the 2024 wrestling free agent market, with big names like MJF, Will Ospreay, and Giulia all potentially set to test the open market, one wrestler The Fed won't be able to woo over to any of their brands is Konosuke Takeshita, as he's already locked up on a long-term contract with AEW after a pair of impressive excursions with the promotion.
Discussing his decision to land in AEW over pursuing WWE, New Japan, or other promotions entirely, Takeshita revealed that, after familiarizing himself with the talent on Tony Khan's roster, some of whom he already knew very well, the decision became an increasingly easy call, as he explained to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated ahead of his big match with Chris Jericho back in DDT.
“AEW has a lot of wrestlers and superstars that everyone knows. I was still a nobody in the long history of wrestling. I thought it would be cool if I could beat those superstars in exciting matches. And AEW is the most powerful wrestling organization right now. I wanted to be in the mainstream,” Konosuke Takeshita told ESPN.
“The number-one reason I came to AEW was to wrestle Kenny Omega. When I was in DDT with Kenny, I was just about two years into my career, and I was a teenager. Now that I have grown up and experienced many things, I wanted to fight again. After Kenny Omega left DDT, I tried to make DDT exciting in my own way. It was very difficult. The quality of the matches would change. I've been staring at the back of the ‘Best Bout Machine' for a long time.”
So, with a feud against Omage now approaching its end, with a Sega Street Fight coming to fans next week, what does Takeshita have next on his AEW bingo card? Well, after securing win after win after win over the “Best Bout Machine,” he's looking to put some gold around his waist.
“My biggest goal right now is to become AEW champion. I'm 28 now, so I'd like to achieve that while I'm still in my 20s. That's because I want to be a champion in the best physical condition possible, and I want to show everyone the best title match I can.”
Could Takeshita take a shot at a singles title before his AEW run comes to an end? Sure, as crazy as it may sound, Takeshita has never wrestled in a title match in AEW and has a 0-2 record for his troubles in eliminator matches. Which title he should be gunning for, however, is far less clear, as he doesn't have any clearly defined feuds outside of Omega.
Dave Meltzer provides an update on the WWE's interest in Giulia.
Speaking of WWE and their reported interest in soon-to-be Stardom free agent Giulia, Dave Meltzer provided fans with an update on her status on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio and explained where things stand both now and moving forward.
“Those in WWE noted that they believe the main roster needs some new women, and NXT has women ready to go right now to the main roster, but the idea is they don't want to take too many at once. But they are trying to find someone who can make a difference, and with Giulia, she's 29 and already has experience in being pushed as a celebrity and has a unique and marketable look,” Dave Meltzer said via WrestleTalk.
“We do know that Giulia is under contract to Bushiroad through March, which is when most of the contracts with Bushiroad end. She would theoretically have multiple options in Japan and the US, including Bushiroad, AEW, WWE, or somebody else in Japan. She had made verbal commitments in Japan as well past the date of her contract expiring, but we are told WWE made her an offer, and she had not decided what to do. We don't know the nature of the offer from WWE. She earns more in Japan than the women in NXT, although they can afford an NXT deal if they wanted to that would beat her Japan earnings. If this is a main roster offer, that is well above what she would be making in Japan.”
Standing 5-foot-4 with years of professional wrestling experience, Giulia isn't quite on the level of Jade Cargill in terms of free agent pedigree but isn't too far off, as what she lacks in American pedigree she makes up for in experience, with 561 matches and seven title reigns on her resume, including current stints with the Artist of Stardom Championship and the NJPW Strong Women's Championship. If WWE could add her to their women's division, it could spell very good things for the future.
