“You have Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE” - 6ft 2in star opens up on signing with AEW

A top AEW star recently talked about the reason why he decided to sign with the Tony-Khan-led promotion instead of going down a path that could have led him to WWE. This would be Konosuke Takeshita.

The Alpha is known as one of the best strikers in the entire promotion and a focal member of the Don Callis Family. He has also gone toe-to-toe with several top stars on the roster and even pulled off some major victories, including one against Kenny Omega last year.

During a recent interview in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he was asked about the career path he took, going from DDT to AEW instead of other promotions. Konosuke Takeshita mentioned how at that time, there weren't many Japanese stars in America, as he named the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, and IYOSKY as those who had made a name for themselves already.

He took this as an opportunity to do something different, hence the reason why he decided to sign with the Jacksonville-based promotion in hopes of having a big break. Despite having never won a title yet, Takeshita has now become a popular star in the promotion, as the fans rallied behind him at Forbidden Door a few weeks ago.

"It’s still a short list of Japanese wrestlers who break big in America, and at the time, there weren’t really any Japanese males in AEW. You have Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE, and ASUKA and IYO SKY in their women’s division, but there was a chance to go down a road nobody had ever taken in AEW and that’s what I did," Takeshita said. [H/T - NJPW]

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The Japanese star recently talked about a dream match that could happen in AEW

Almost two weeks ago, Takeshita talked about someone he would love to cross paths with at some point now that they were in the same company. This was Kazuchika Okada.

The Rainmaker is one of the best Japanese stars in the business, and his resume and reputation precede him. Back in March, he revealed that he signed with AEW, and aligned with The Young Bucks as part of the new Elite.

In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Konosuke Takeshita mentioned that crossing paths with Okada was almost like destiny. They had never faced each other before this, so he looked forward to this happening and how he hoped it would be something the whole world would be tuning into.

“I think it's destiny. Even before I came to the US, people had been saying that Takeshita vs. Okada was a dream match. While we've walked completely different paths, we're now in the same organization [AEW]. When the time is right, Okada vs. Takeshita will happen, and I'd like to make it a match that will attract more attention than it does now and reach wrestling fans around the world.” [H/T - Tokyo Sports]

As of now, he has yet to be involved in a major storyline after coming close to winning the TNT Championship at Forbidden Door, but being the star that he is, his time may come very soon.