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AEW has placed Konosuke Takeshita in a prominent position, allying him with Bryan Danielson in his struggle against MJF for the World Championship.
AEW aims to make Konosuke Takeshita a star in North America, and allying him with Bryan Danielson in his feud with MJF is an impressive start. Since making his televised debut against Jay Lethal on the May 4 episode of Rampage, the Osaka native has done nothing but impress All Elite Wrestling fans. A few weeks later, he wrestled against Hangman Adam Page on Dynamite, and audiences have been enamored with him since. Takeshita signed on full-time with AEW before the Full Gear pay-per-view, and Tony Khan has inserted him into this main event title program between Danielson and MJF over the last few weeks.
The Salt of the Earth is trying to wear Danielson down before their 60-minute Iron Man match at Revolution. Takeshita was one of the opponents who was initially tasked with taking the American Dragon down a limb or two, but the two earned each other’s mutual respect instead. With the Blackpool Combat Club oddly absent during MJF’s frequent attacks on Danielson, Takeshita has stepped up and stood up for the living legend. After Konosuke prevented Friedman from attacking Bryan on Dynamite this week, it was announced that MJF and Takeshita would wrestle next Wednesday. Interestingly enough, that bout will be a World Championship eliminator match, perhaps opening the door for an upset. Is that a real possibility, however?
Bryan Danielson Could Cost MJF His Eliminator Match Against Takeshita
There’s no chance that MJF loses to Takeshita clean on Dynamite. It’d make zero sense, with AEW trying to build Max up as a wrestler on a level playing field with Danielson. The upcoming Iron Man match is a vehicle to make that happen, and it seems like Khan is trying to boost the World Champion’s status as an in-ring performer. The biggest knock against MJF is that he rarely wrestles. As such, having him eat a clean pin from Takeshita on weekly TV just a few weeks out from the pay-per-view wouldn’t be effective booking. There are other ways Khan could go about an unlikely Takeshita win, however.
One angle fans could see on Dynamite is interference from Danielson. MJF has not only been getting involved in the challenger’s matches recently, but he’s also been paying Bryan’s opponents large sums of money to maim him. No one would blame Danielson if he decided to stick his nose into Friedman’s business next Wednesday night, especially if he takes to cheating against Takeshita. Some post-match scrum is likely, but Takeshita beating MJF following interference from Danielson isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Or at least that’s how AEW has fans leaning after the last few weeks. Tony Khan isn’t always the greatest when it comes to building the willing suspension of disbelief in his feuds, but adding the title eliminator label here was a wonderful touch. It makes the audience feel like there’s a real chance that Takeshita could come out on top. Yet a victory for him at this stage wouldn’t do anything besides weaken the World Champion, so it’s improbable. That’ll be tough to remember during the closing moments of the presumed main event on next week’s Dynamite, though.
Takeshita Isn’t Getting Lost In The Shuffle Alongside AEW’s Best
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Takeshita’s run in AEW so far is how at home he’s seemed while standing toe-to-toe with the company’s biggest names. He’s wrestled Danielson, Page, and Moxley and put on certified bangers with all three of them. Takeshita even managed to drag a so-so match out of Brian Cage. It’s tough to imagine his fight with MJF falling short of those first three, meaning that he’ll have proven capable of hanging with the best the promotion offers.
Not only that but he’s also felt right at home in the actual angle between Danielson and MJF. His English is better than expected, but Takeshita isn’t going to go out in front of the crowd and drop a pipe bomb promo. At least not anytime soon. As such, his ability to tell stories in other ways is essential. He’s shown he can do that inside the ring and during backstage encounters. That’s a tremendously promising sign for AEW moving forward. Takeshita is simply too good to get lost in the shuffle, even when the guys standing next to him are some of the best in the world at what they do—MJF on the mic and Bryan Danielson in the ring, respectively.
This brings us back to next week’s Dynamite. Could AEW shock fans and have Takeshita pull out an unlikely win? Sure, but it seems much more plausible that he’ll look strong for most of the match before MJF resorts to underhanded tactics to win. That’d enhance the storyline Khan is weaving between Friedman and Danielson while also giving Takeshita another close-but-not-quite match against one of AEW‘s top stars. Konosuke Takeshita will be pinning the likes of MJF and Danielson eventually. It just probably isn’t happening next week.
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