Konosuke Takeshita looks back on his history with Kenny Omega.
The rising AEW star appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss his days in DDT Pro Wrestling, where Omega served as his mentor roughly 10 years ago. Takeshita says that Omega would always tells him that he could be a big star, but adds that he had to watch the Cleaner ascend in NJPW and now AEW.
So Kenny Omega was in DDT Pro-Wrestling about 10 years ago. So, he was my mentor in DDT. Always after the match, many advice and yeah, he said, ‘You can be big star, big wrestler.’ So, I believed that his advice. So, I think I can become, now, a big step, big step… But, he was not DDT wrestler. He was New Japan then AEW. Little, I was sad. I thought always, he’s mentor, my mentor. So then, I was growing up always in DDT in 10 years but, I thought his growing up stopped so okay, DDT, New Japan, AEW, what are you doing now?… So I thought, now, I can beat him anytime.
Jericho would later ask Takeshita about his decision to work in DDT Pro and not another company in Japan like NJPW, AJPW, or NOAH. Takeshita says that when he was 12 he sent letters to all the major Japanese companies asking if he could train and DDT was the only one who responded to him.
So, when I was child, I always want to become a pro wrestler… So Japanese style, have to send a profile for company. So when I was child, about 12 years old, many, many send, sending… New Japan, All Japan, NOAH, DDT, Osaka Pro Wrestling, many, many send. But, I was 12 years old. Not selected (Takeshita laughed). But, response, only DDT. ‘Okay, you become wrestler in DDT when you 15 years old. 15 years old, okay?’ ‘Okay, I trust you.’ Then, I passed the test in DDT. Then I become wrestler in DDT.
Takeshita has since partnered up with Don Callis in AEW and is expected to face Kenny Omega in a singles match at some point in the future.
(H/T and transcribed by Post Wrestling)