Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita has quickly risen the ranks in AEW, jumping from unknown quantity to main event star in just two short years.
With Don Callis by his side, he has quickly established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the company, with every match of his being an event that you simply cannot miss.
Here are ten of Konosuke Takeshita’s best matches in AEW, and we will explain what makes each of them so great as to deserve a spot on this list.
5. Vs. Bryan Danielson, AEW Dynamite #171
In the build up to his AEW Revolution clash with MJF, Bryan Danielson was tasked with facing a number of top AEW wrestlers.
One of these was Konosuke Takeshita, the Japanese prodigy who had spent the last year slowly establishing himself as one of the top wrestlers in the company.
It took only one match with Bryan Danielson to show the world why he was a top wrestler, and one to look out for in the years to come.
As you’d expect, this match was as hard-hitting as it can get. Neither man pulled their punches, leaving more marks and welts on each other’s bodies than a Gunther match.
There were some huge bumps, including top-rope version of their signature moves and a nasty Brainbuster onto the apron, which only added to the increased jeopardy in the match.
Danielson won the match by forcing Takeshita to pass out from him submission move, but truly gave Konosuke Takeshita one of the best matches of his career (so far!).
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings – 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.57
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
4. Vs. Jon Moxley, AEW Rampage #70
This match had it all. Mat wrestling, brawling and some good old-fashion high spots.
It was a hard hitting affair that got the best out of both men. Takeshita showed that he can do it all, grappling down on the mat before trading huge strikes with the three-time AEW Champion Jon Moxley.
This was a true star-making performance by Konosuke Takeshita, who came out looking much better than he did before the bout, despite walking out as the loser of the match.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings – 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.68
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
3. Adam Page, Eddie Kingston, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, Shota Umino & Wheeler Yuta, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023
One of the better ten-man tag team matches in AEW came at Forbidden Door 2023, with a star-studded clash that involved The Elite, The Blackpool Combat Club and Konosuke Takeshita.
Obviously, we all knew this match was going to be great. 10 of the best wrestlers in the world all clashing in ten-man tag action: what could go wrong?
It was your classic multi-man match, with incredible amounts of false-finishes, broken up pins and big moves that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
The only disappointing parts what the two men involved in the finish, and the fact that the bulk of the participants wrestled in a much more brutal match just weeks prior.
Nevertheless, the match was one of the best of the night, bringing something different to the rest of the card.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.93
- Atletifo Ratings – 4 Stars
2. Vs. Claudio Castagnoli, AEW Battle of the Belts III
One of the best matches of both men’s AEW careers saw Konosuke Takeshita challenge Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship at Battle of the Belts III.
The Swiss Superman targeted the back of the Japanese star, controlling the early stages of the match with ease.
The middle part of the match slowed right down, prepping the crowd for an electric finishing sequence with huge spots and incredible counters, that saw Castagnoli walk away witht he victory and the ROH World title belt.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings – 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 8.99
- Atletifo Rating – 4 Stars
1. Vs. Kenny Omega, AEW All Out 2023
Konosuke Takeshita’s best match of his AEW career so far is his clash with Kenny Omega at AEW All Out 2023.
The Japanese star joined forces with Don Callis to take on the former AEW Champion, in what was the biggest match of Takeshita’s AEW run so far.
The match was incredible, hard-hitting and filled with fantastic storytelling. It fully deserved the five-star rating Dave Meltzer awarded it.
Anything less would be an insult to the classic match that Konosuke Takeshita and Kenny Omega put on together at All Out 2023.
Nobody in wrestling hits harder than Takeshita. Whether it he his firearms, his running clotheslines or his incredibly dangerous running knee strikers, every hit looked like death for Kenny Omega.
Omega seemed to kick out of everything, taking everything and giving back just as good as he got. However, Don Callis’ cheating and the incredible talent of Takeshita proved too much for him in the best match of the night.
This match earned the five-star rating, making it one of the best matches in AEW in 2023.
- Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.24
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars