Top star seemingly unhappy in AEW, doesn't "feel the enjoyment" anymore

A professional wrestler recently signed with AEW has spoken about his experience performing in America and the Jacksonville-based company. The comments could be a matter of concern for Tony Khan.

That wrestler is Konosuke Takeshita, who has had some great matches in the wrestling promotion. The star joined AEW in 2021 and was with DDT Pro-Wrestling for ten years before that from 2011 to 2021. He is touted as one of the foremost talents in the promotion and has a bright future ahead of him.

In an interview with DDT Pro-Wrestling, Takeshita spoke about his experiences, saying he was under the misconception that hard work was the only thing he needed to get airtime and show how good he was. Takeshita said he realized other aspects are involved when competing in America.

“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.”

The star added that when he stopped having fun in his matches, they were better received.

“Everyone felt like they’re having fun wrestling here. 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,” he said. [H/T ddtpro.com]

The star last performed in the Bunkhouse Brawl match on the April 20 episode of Collision.

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AEW star Konosuke Takeshita commented on facing Minoru Suzuki

Minoru Suzuki is a legend, not only in Japan but all over the world, and is a renowned wrestler known for his hard-hitting technique. Takeshita will now go one-on-one against the legend on May 19.

The star complimented Suzuki for his resilience and the fact that he has been doing it at the highest level even at the age of 55.

“I’ve seen him wrestle in AEW in person, and I’ve learnt lots at the many indie shows we shared locker rooms together. Our styles and philosophies on wrestling differ but our way of life as a wrestler, and it might not be the right way to phrase it but his resilience in an unforgiving industry is amazing. And I've come to understand how amazing that skill is in my current environment seeing how often he is called over to shows whether in Japan or America.”

It remains to be seen how things will pan out for Takeshita in AEW.