Konosuke Takeshita has made quite an impact since joining AEW but what was the main reason the Japanese star signed with the company?
Since appearing regularly with AEW in 2022, Takeshita has participated in several memorable matches against stellar names such as Bryan Danielson, Adam Page, and MJF.
Now part of the Don Callis family, Takeshita has recently been feuding with Kenny Omega with pair having a terrific encounter at September’s All Out PPV.
Despite the rivalry, Takeshita has credited ‘The Cleaner’ massively and he identifies the Canadian star as a key factor in his decision to join Tony Khan’s organisation.
"The number-one reason I came to AEW was to wrestle Kenny Omega,” said Takeshita when speaking with Sports Illustrated.
“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.”